Sports Holidays in the Czech Republic - Water sports

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By boat
Boating is a pleasant and exciting way of traveling and getting to know the natural beauties and cultural treasures of a country. Sailing the Czech rivers will provide you with an opportunity to enjoy views of magnificent natural sceneries and landscapes teeming with cultural and historical monuments, some of which are located directly on rivers or in their vicinity.

Yachting and Windsurfing
Numerous dams in Bohemia and Moravia offer excellent conditions for bathing, swimming (also long-distance swimming) and for other water sports during the summer months. Local sports clubs and camps situated by the water rent out sports equipment for yachting and windsurfing. You will find very pretty locations which are rich in natural beauty and attractive for the yachting enthusiast. Czech Railways have introduced a special seasonal service, the so-called boating trains, which transport sports equipment to the destination of water sports fans. The natural expanses of water and dam reservoirs of the Czech Republic offer excellent opportunities for bathing, recreational swimming, windsurfing and yachting. Fans of the aforementioned activities will find optimal conditions for water sports – with the exception of water motor sports, which are prohibited here – especially at valley dam reservoirs, the largest of which is Lake Lipno. The banks of these lakes are dotted with recreational centers teeming with hotels, guest houses, holiday camps and camp sites offering all categories of accommodation and catering, as well as the hiring of sporting equipment.

Favoured Water Routes
The Vltava: Lenora - Nova Pec, Vyssi Brod - Ceske Budejovice - The River Vltava in particular offers a wonderful route that is only slightly affected by the water level. Water sportsmen can relish an interesting change of scenery when the river leaves the magnificent, practically untouched landscape of the Sumava and enters the Southern Bohemian fish-farming Trebon basin, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The latter’s characteristic feature is a striking sensitivity to the interference of human hands in the original natural conditions. Cheek to cheek with the famous Southern Bohemian fish ponds lie the Zlata Koruna Cistercian Monastery, the ruin of Divci Kamen Castle, the Hluboka Chateau, Orlik and Zvikov Castles and a range of other monuments. The Luznice: Suchdol - Veseli nad Luznici, Tabor - Bechyne - Boating on a typical lowland river with banks carpeted in woodland, a river which slowly flows through the serene, picturesque landscape of Southern Bohemia. The Otava: Susice - Pisek - A more demanding, albeit romantic route, leading through a deep wooded valley wedged in the Táborská Highlands; the banks of the former “gold-bearing” River Otava still reveal the traces of gold-panners dwelling places. The Ohre: Loket - Straz nad Ohri - A system of marks for water sportsmen follows this river, whose stream is characterized as wild water beyond Karlovy Vary. Boating enthusiasts mostly favor a section beginning near Kynsperk nad Ohri. The Berounka: Plzen - Karlstejn - Throughout its entire length, the Berounka pushes its way vigorously through the rocky wooded sections of the Krivoklatsko and Bohemian Karst protected landscape areas, and it is not until it enters the Prague basin that its stream calms down, prior to emptying its waters into the Vltava. The Sazava: Vilemovice - Pikovice - Practically throughout the entire length of this river, deeply cut romantic sections alternate with wide open valleys providing fascinating varied experiences for water sportsmen. The Morava: Hanusovice - Olomouc - Fed by numerous tributaries, this river meanders through floodplain forests abounding in characteristic plants and animals, especially water fowl. Its most beautiful section - that wading between Mohelnice and Olomouc - runs through the Litovelske Pomoravi protected landscape area. Water boating enthusiasts will find a new route on the River Morava, the Bata Canal, which partially follows the natural bed of the river and partially runs through an artificial bed. Located in the Slovacko region, this environmentally friendly tourist attraction offers a pleasant boating experience, which can be combined with the exploration of numerous cultural relics, with hiking or cycling trips through the magnificent environment of the White Carpathians mountain range or with the tasting of high-quality Moravian wines. Rafting is possible on the rivers Otava, Jizera and Kamenice in the early spring, when there is whitewater.

The Most Popular Expanses of Water
Lipno - Located in Southern Bohemia on the River Vltava, this valley dam reservoir offers excellent conditions for water sports, camping and sports angling. The lake lies in the proximity of the Sumava (Bohemian Forest) National Park and many remarkable Architectural monuments (Vyssi Brod, Cesky Krumlov). In particular the lake’s left bank, specifically the section between the villages of Lipno and Horni Plana, is used for recreation and summer sports. The services provided include: boat and paddle-boat hire, regular shipping traffic and the large Marina Lipno yacht anchorage. A long-distance cycling trail with a connection to the Sumava Cycling Highway runs around the Lipno reservoir. Orlik - A trough-shaped reservoir cut into a deep valley enclosed with steep wooded slopes and, in some sections, even rocky recipes. Surrounded by the serene picturesque landscape of the central Povltavi area, the lake above the dam provides excellent conditions for bathing, windsurfing, yachting, rowing (the dam is equipped with a lift for sports boats) and sports angling. From April to October, shipping traffic is operated between the reservoir and Podolsko. Slapy - This valley dam reservoir on the River Vltava, located 18 km to the west of Benesov, offers plentiful opportunities for bathing, yachting, rowing, water skiing and windsurfing. Bathing is, however, restricted to a distance of 50 meters from the banks (this is applied to the entire lake). Regular shipping traffic is operated on the section leading from the Slapy dam via Kamyk to Solenice, below the Orlik dam. Jesenice - Located 7 km from Cheb, this dam reservoir on the River Odrava can be used for recreation as well as for all kinds of water sports. The lush natural environment and the proximity of spa towns and historical cities (Marianske Lazne, Frantiskovy Lazne, Cheb) will certainly provide remarkable tourist and cultural experiences. Hracholusky - This valley reservoir on the River Mze is located in a charming setting less than 19 km to the west of Plzen, the chief city of Western Bohemia. Easily accessible, the reservoir is favored especially by windsurfing, yachting and rowing enthusiasts. Public shipping traffic is operated on the reservoir. Skalka - A valley reservoir located to the west of Cheb, in a protected shallow wooded valley, not far away from the spa town of Frantiskovy Lazne and the Pomezi nad Ohri road border crossing to Germany. The reservoir provides good conditions for sports angling and practically all kinds of water sports. The most suitable place for bathing can be found in Podhori, with its pontoon-based facilities for swimming enthusiasts. Recreational shipping traffic is operated on the reservoir, and boats and other sports equipment can be hired here. Nechranice - This dam reservoir on the River Ohre is ideal for bathing, yachting, water skiing and angling. The surrounding area contains archaeological locations with excavations dating from the 4th millennium BC. Machovo jezero - This natural expanse of water located in Northern Bohemia is much favored by holiday-makers. Boasting large sandy beaches, surrounded by woods and romantic environs (Doksy, Bezdez Castle), the lake also has plentiful support facilities indispensable for water sports (several yacht clubs, boat hire) and tennis. Summer celebrations and social events are staged here throughout the entire tourist season. Vranov - Located in the deep narrow valley of the River Dyje, less than 15 km to the northeast of Znojmo, this valley dam reservoir stretches across a beautiful hilly landscape with a plethora of bays, which provide a focus for sports angling. The lake offers extraordinarily good conditions for yachting, rowing and windsurfing and regular shipping traffic is operated there. Above the dam reservoir, the mighty ruins of Cornstejn Castle reach to the sky; below the lake lies the Vranov nad Dyji recreational resort. Nove Mlyny - This cascade of three reservoirs on the River Dyje offers ideal conditions especially for yachting enthusiasts (an open windy expanse of water). The reservoirs lie amid flat countryside famous for its vineyards, warm climate and a rich cultural background (Mikulcice, Palava, wine-cellars). Zermanice - A flat reservoir on the River Lucina with grassy beaches located in a shallow sheltered sun-lit valley, 5 km to the south of Havirov. The reservoir is used for bathing, yachting, windsurfing and sports angling. The services available include: boat and paddle-boat hire, motorist and holiday camp.