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eSOUBYTOVÁNÍCzech Stay Atlas

Šumava · Cabins

Forest cabins in Šumava

ŠumavaKvilda 1,065 m above sea level

Forest · National park · Winter · Silence

Šumava is the largest national park in Czechia. A cabin in the forest here does not just mean silence – it also means rules, a winter that lasts until April, and tracks no car can reach.

Updated
Šumava National Park
685 km², since 1991
Highest municipality
Kvilda, 1,065 m
Lipno
48.7 km²
Emergency overnight sites
7

Stay DNA: Šumava

An editorial profile of the place, not a measurement. How the scores are made

Nature
10/10
Cycling
8/10
Wellness
5/10
Family
8/10
Food
5/10
Nightlife
3/10
Peace
9/10
Dogs
7/10
Car-free
5/10

Areas

AreaCharacterWho it suits
Kvilda, Modrava, Horská Kvildaupland plateaus, peat bogs, the highest villagessilence, cross-country skiing, cycling
Železná Ruda and arounda mountain town, Černé and Čertovo lakesskiing, families, by train from Plzeň
The Lipno area (Frymburk, Lipno, Horní Planá)water, cycling, the Treetop Walksummer, families
Volary, Stožec, Nové Údolíforests, Plešné lake, Plechýhiking, solitude
Vimperk, Kašperské Horyfoothills, small townslonger stays, mixing it up

Černé jezero (Black Lake) near Železná Ruda is, at 18.47 ha, the largest natural lake in Czechia. Plešné jezero lies at 1,090 m below Plechý (1,378 m), the highest peak of the Czech side of Šumava.

National park rules

  • Camping, fires, stoves and smoking are banned throughout the national park outside the built-up areas of villages.
  • You may only sleep outdoors at the 7 emergency overnight sites (nouzová nocoviště – one night, 18:00–9:00, no fires) or at the 3 campsites. The overnight sites cannot be booked and have no drinking water.
  • Cycling and horse riding only on designated routes.
  • Dogs must be under constant control.

So a cabin in a village or hamlet means the “forest” experience is right outside your door – but you may only light a fire on private land within a built-up area, and only if the owner allows it.

Getting there

  • Line 194: České Budějovice – Český Krumlov – Horní Planá – Černý Kříž (along Lipno).
  • Line 197: Číčenice – Prachatice – Volary – Nové Údolí.
  • Line 198: Strakonice – Vimperk – Volary.
  • Line 183: Plzeň – Klatovy – Železná Ruda-Alžbětín (a station shared with Bayerisch Eisenstein in Bavaria).

Check for engineering works before you travel – in season there is often work on these lines.

Winter

At higher altitudes there is usually snow from December to March and often longer. Ask:

  1. Can the cabin be reached by car in winter? Who clears the road?
  2. How is it heated, and how much firewood is included?
  3. Does the water work in winter (freezing)?
  4. Where is the nearest groomed cross-country trail?

On the map

Map layers
Prague–Vienna Greenways (Czech section) (schematic)Rožmberk Heritage Greenway (schematic)

Select a point on the map or in the list.

    Borders: Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain). Regions and routes are schematic. Sources for each layer: how the atlas is made.

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I pitch a tent anywhere in Šumava?

    No. Camping and lighting fires are banned throughout the national park outside the built-up areas of villages. The park administration provides seven emergency overnight sites (one night, 18:00 to 9:00, no fires) and three public campsites.

    How do I get to Šumava without a car?

    By train to the edges of the mountains: line 194 from České Budějovice via Český Krumlov to Lipno, line 197 to Volary and Nové Údolí, line 198 via Vimperk and line 183 from Plzeň to Železná Ruda.

    Read on

    Plan the trip

    Three helpers, already set for Šumava. All of them are also on the Planner page.

    How we chose

    • Šumava is a tourist area, not an administrative region, so it has no official border. We draw it as an area around one reference point.
    • Facts such as areas, dates and rules come from official bodies and Wikipedia. Each one is in the source list below, with the date we last checked it.
    • Stay DNA and the “Know before you go” panel are our editorial estimates, compared with the other places in the atlas. They are not measurements or visitor ratings.
    • We name no individual hosts, and nobody pays to be included.

    The full method is on the About the atlas page

    Sources (9) checked on
    1. Šumava National Park – Wikipedia (in Czech)
    2. National parks – Ministry of the Environment (in Czech)
    3. Visitor rules – Šumava National Park (in Czech)
    4. General measure of Šumava National Park – camping, overnight sites (PDF, in Czech)
    5. Emergency overnight sites – Šumava National Park (in Czech)
    6. Transport to Šumava – Šumava info (in Czech) – lines 183, 194, 197, 198
    7. Kvilda – Wikipedia (in Czech)
    8. Lipno reservoir – Wikipedia (in Czech)
    9. Černé jezero – Wikipedia (in Czech)

    Where a source is only in Czech, it says so. How we pick sources and fix errors: About the atlas.