A trip with no plan, no car and no accommodation: Pustevny, Radhošť, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and beyond

This time we set off with just our backpacks. No accommodation booked, and honestly, without much of a plan for where we’d sleep that night either. 🙂

My husband’s friend wanted to go see Pustevny, where he already had accommodation booked, and it occurred to us that we could just ride along with him. We’d chip in for petrol, have a look at Pustevny, and then simply decide what to do next depending on where we felt like heading. So one morning we set off from Jihlava. A few things in our backpacks, no accommodation booked anywhere, and two days ahead of us that we genuinely had no idea how they’d turn out.

First stop: Pustevny

Since our friend had his accommodation booked right at Pustevny, we drove up there with him by car all the way to the top. Pustevny is a well-known mountain resort in the Beskids, sitting at an altitude of around 1,018 metres near Mount Radhošť. So it’s not a classic village, but more of a mountain hub people use as a starting point for trips around the area.

They’re best known for their colourful wooden buildings, which look almost like something out of a fairy tale. The most famous are Libušín and Maměnka, designed at the end of the 19th century by architect Dušan Jurkovič. He drew on folk architecture and Wallachian elements for the design. The whole Pustevny complex is now a national cultural monument. Even the name Pustevny is interesting in itself – it comes from the hermits who lived in these parts as early as the 18th century.

Libušín and Maměnka – Art Nouveau wooden buildings by Dušan Jurkovič at Pustevny

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We walked around among the buildings, checked out the cable car, and stopped by the information centre too. During our visit there were also various stalls set up, and overall we really liked it there. Those colourful buildings and the surrounding mountains have a certain charm to them. ⛰️

Pustevny – the cable car and views across the Beskids countryside

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From Pustevny to the statue of Radegast

From Pustevny we then headed towards the statue of Radegast. The trail runs towards Radhošť, with Radegast standing roughly halfway along it. The first stretch felt fairly uphill, but after that it got easier. The statue of the pagan god Radegast is one of the symbols of the Beskids. It was created by sculptor Albín Polášek, who came from Frenštát pod Radhoštěm. The original statue was unveiled on this spot in 1931, though today a sturdier granite copy stands here instead.

The ridge trail to Radegast and Radhošť – the statue, the nature reserve and a mountain chalet below the summit

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From Radegast we carried on to Radhošť. Mount Radhošť rises to 1,129 metres, and at its summit stands the chapel of St Cyril and St Methodius with a wooden bell tower. The chapel was completed in 1898, and interestingly, it’s one of the highest-altitude church buildings in the Czech Republic. You’ll also find a statue group of the two missionaries there, also by sculptor Albín Polášek. It’s one of the best-known spots in the Beskids and an important pilgrimage site too.

The summit of Radhošť – the chapel of St Cyril and St Methodius and the transmitter

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This is where our friend said goodbye. He went for a meal at the restaurant of the Horský hotel Radegast, and we decided to press on. We wanted to make it all the way to Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. We had absolutely no idea yet what was waiting for us.

The descent we won’t forget any time soon

From Radhošť we set off along the red-marked trail towards Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. At some point along the way we were supposed to turn off onto a better path, but somehow we missed that turn. Maybe it was partly down to how the surrounding terrain looked at the time. Of course, everything there might look completely different today. Either way, we ended up on a really unpleasant, rock-strewn descent.

We kept descending, and walking over the rocks got harder and harder. After a while our legs started shaking all on their own. Whether it was from exhaustion, the long descent, or a combination of both, I don’t know, but it was quite a strain on them.

When we reached the signpost at Pod chatou Mír, we decided we didn’t want to walk through another stretch like that. We’d rather make the route a bit longer and take a detour along a better, if longer, path and road than keep descending through rough terrain on the red trail.

The rocky descent from Radhošť that we won't forget any time soon

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Civilisation at last

After a while we finally reached a refreshment stand called Bouda u Kotulků in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. After that descent, it felt like a small rescue. We had something sweet to drink, used the toilet, and most importantly, finally sat down for a while. And this is exactly where we started dealing with one pretty important thing.

Where would we sleep?

We opened Booking and started looking for accommodation. There wasn’t much available nearby, but eventually we found the last free room in Valašské Meziříčí – at Sport Motel Bečva. We’d never stayed at a motel before, and I admit I was a bit sceptical about it. I associated places like that more with something old and not particularly nice, and I wasn’t too keen on the idea. But the price was pretty good, there weren’t many other options, and we told ourselves we’d just give it a try. We booked the room, and at least we now had certainty that we’d have somewhere to sleep that night.

Since we were already in Rožnov…

Since we’d made it all the way to Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, it would have been a shame to skip the Wallachian Open Air Museum. Its history goes back to 1925, and it was mainly the brothers Alois and Bohumír Jaroněk who were behind its founding. Over time it grew to include the Wooden Town, the Wallachian Village and the Mill Valley, where you can see what life in Wallachia used to look like.

We walked around the grounds among the wooden houses and, of course, couldn’t resist the frgál pastries sold there. After all that walking, they really hit the spot. Then we slowly headed towards the bus. On the way we also stopped at a shop, picked up something to eat, and set off for Valašské Meziříčí.

The Wallachian Open Air Museum – wooden cottages, a bell tower, a well and glimpses inside

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Our first night at a motel

In Valašské Meziříčí we got off the bus, opened the map on our phones, and set off on foot towards our accommodation. By the time we arrived, my worries were already starting to fade pretty quickly. Even from the outside, it didn’t look bad at all.

The owner was already waiting for us and told us we’d been lucky. Our room had actually already been booked, but the original guest had gotten drunk and called to say he couldn’t make it after all. He thought he wouldn’t be able to sell it to anyone else, and then we booked it. We got the keys and went to see where we’d actually be sleeping that night. And the room was really nice. It even had a small terrace. We liked the whole setting around it, and my idea of what a night at a motel would be like pretty quickly went out the window. 🙂

Today this accommodation is called Sport Hotel Bečva, and it’s still open.

Our room at Sport Motel Bečva – better than I expected

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There was also a snack bar by the motel, and after the whole day we were really hungry. We were tired, our legs ached, and at that point we honestly didn’t care what was healthy and what wasn’t. We ordered pretty much everything on the menu – a burger, fries with cheddar sauce and bacon, and a club sandwich. And everything was delicious. I don’t normally eat food like that or drink sugary drinks, but after that day, that burger felt like the best burger I’d ever had. 🙂

A well-earned dinner after a tough day on our feet

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After that we just sat there, looked around, rested, and were glad we didn’t have to walk anywhere else. That day, we really didn’t need anything more.

Day two in Valašské Meziříčí

In the morning we decided that before catching the train onward, we’d have a bit of a look around Valašské Meziříčí. From our accommodation we headed towards the centre, and part of the route ran along the Rožnovská Bečva river. Valašské Meziříčí sits at the confluence of the Rožnovská and Vsetínská Bečva rivers. It’s also interesting because until 1924 it was actually two separate towns – Meziříčí and Krásno.

A walk along the Rožnovská Bečva in Valašské Meziříčí

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We made it to the main square and also stopped by Žerotín Castle. Its history goes back to the 16th century, and today it mainly serves cultural purposes. In the past it had all sorts of uses, and for a while it even housed a women’s prison. We didn’t have time for a longer tour of the town this time, since another train was waiting for us. This time to Hranice.

The main square and Žerotín Castle in Valašské Meziříčí

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A quick stop in Hranice

In Hranice we had some time before our next train to Brno, so we didn’t want to spend it just sitting at the station. We walked over to have a look at the main square and the local castle too.

The historic centre of Hranice – the church, the town hall tower and Art Nouveau houses

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Hranice has a lovely historic centre, and it was actually the castle that caught my attention the most. Its courtyard is covered by a glass roof, which creates a bright atrium inside. What’s more, you can just walk right in, since the building now houses the town hall. That’s something I love about travelling. Sometimes you arrive in a town only because you’re waiting for a train, and you end up stumbling on a place that genuinely captivates you.

Hranice Castle – the tower, the portal, and a light-filled glass-roofed arcaded courtyard

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The end of our adventure

From Hranice we continued by RegioJet train to Brno. On the train we grabbed something to eat and started sorting out the last leg of the journey home. My husband found someone on BlaBlaCar who happened to be driving from Brno to Jihlava, but by the time we tried to book the ride, it was already gone. BlaBlaCar works on the principle of ride-sharing. Drivers who are heading somewhere and have free seats in the car can offer a lift to other people travelling the same way, splitting the cost of the trip between them. It also lets you search for buses and trains. This time, though, it didn’t work out for us. So we had to wait for the RegioJet bus to Jihlava.

And that’s how our little two-day adventure without much of a plan and without accommodation booked in advance came to an end. When we later measured our walking route from Pustevny through Radhošť all the way to Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, it came out at roughly 13 kilometres.

By the end of those two days we’d really had enough. Our legs ached, we kept thinking back to that rocky descent for a long time afterwards, and we also discovered that looking for accommodation on the go can be quite an adventure in itself. 🙂

At least now we’ve got something to look back on. 🙂

What about you? Could you head off for two days with just a backpack and no accommodation booked, or do you need everything planned out before you travel?