CZ – From Liberec up to Snow-Capped Jested

You can reach Liberec by car, but also by direct bus from Prague. From Cerny Most it takes about 1.5 hour to get there. You may transport skis or snowboards in the buses which makes it an ideal solution if you are down to some one-day skiing.

You can get out of the bus either in downtown at Fügnerova stop or at the final stop. There is a direct tram number 3 to Jested (Horni Hanychov stop). To reach the funicular to Jested you have to walk for about 20 minutes through beautiful forest.. If you go skiing here, you have more ski slopes - both for beginners and experienced skiers. On weekends there is, of course, greater concentration of tourists and skiers, especially in good weather conditions. For the lifts and stalls with snacks be prepared to experience lines.

The chair lift up to Ještěd goes every 30 minutes and the cabin has a limited number of seats. If you are in a hurry and want to be upstairs as soon as possible, go straight to buy tickets and wait on the stairs. But you can refresh or buy souvenirs at the local kiosk. The cable car belongs to the Czech Railways, so there are INcard or other train discounts. More convenient is to buy a return ticket.

The ride itself takes about 10 minutes. If you get the weather out, you will have a magnificent view over the whole of Liberec and the surrounding area. The temperature is up about 5-10 degrees lower than the bottom. Very cold wind is blowing here too often. We were lucky, we had sunny weather and it was not that cold. Directly on Ještěd there is a restaurant and a hotel with both Czech and international cuisine.

Downhill to the center you can either take the funicular again or go on foot. The hiking pointers are mostly frozen and there is snow, so they will not be able to handle much in the winter season. But the journey is not difficult, you can not get lost. Part of it goes along the road, then the forest path to the bottom station of the funicular. It is about 3 km in total. The routes here are modified and cracked. During your trip down you will have a nice view of the snowy trees, Ještěd itself or the adjacent ski slopes. Then head back to the same tram again and you can go there. Liberec is a beautiful city.

If you have a free weekend and you like mountains, do not hesitate and go out there!

GPS: 50°43'58.4"N 14°59'06.1"E

Text and photos: Martina Koşar