From Týn nad Vltavou to the confluence of Lužnice and Vltava

The undemanding 8 km long walking route starts at the dock in the center of Týn nad Vltavou on the right bank of the Vltava, from where you head downstream. You will be guided by a red tourist sign, which turns right from the water after less than a kilometer. Don't be fooled as you climb the streets of the local residential area. You can reach the Semenec lookout tower via a linden alley in Alej Míru Street.

From the lookout tower you will continue along the yellow tourist sign and gradually descend back to the river. Around the old buildings and cottages in a place called U Masáka you can reach the promontory at the confluence of the Vltava and Lužnice.

From the confluence of the rivers, you will return along the yellow road back to the U Masáka crossroads, where you will turn left and continue against the Lužnice stream. At the next crossroads, you will connect to the Semenec nature forest trail. If you fancy and manage a longer part of the circuit, you can continue straight on, if you no longer feel like it, turn left on a shorter way to the museum. Along the way, you will find two more educational boards about exotic woody plants and mounds, and then straight to the Semenec Museum of Natural History. After the tour you can go back around the lookout tower and linden alley to the center of Týn nad Vltavou.

If you have time, don't forget to visit the Town Museum Týn nad Vltavou and discover a collection of moldavites, puppets, history and personalities of the Vltavotýnsko microregion, as well as a labyrinth of medieval underground corridors.

If you get hungry during the trip, you can head to the pleasant environment of the Hugo restaurant. You can taste the specialties of international cuisine here in the sensitively renovated historic house U Zeleného vence close to the river.

You can go to the river on a paddle board or pedal boat. You can find the Paddle Týn boat rental under the Kácov Tower on the left bank of the Vltava. From the dock in the city center, cruise ships depart for regular cruises, for example upstream to Hluboká nad Vltavou, to the confluence of the Vltava and Lužnice rivers, or through the Kořensko lock. If you are attracted by the river Lužnice, one of the regular cruises also goes to the village Koloděje nad Lužnicí to the castle Mitrowicz.

Semenec lookout

The Semenec lookout tower was built in the 1930s on the site of the original wooden gazebo on a rocky lookout point above the river near Týn nad Vltavou. The two-storey reinforced concrete lookout tower offers a view of the Vltava valley and the town of Týn nad Vltavou. The view from here is best in spring and winter, when the valleys are not covered by tree leaves.

Road to the lookout tower leads along the red sign from the dock in Týn nad Vltavou, or you can leave the city center and join Alej Míru Street. It is lined with a tall linden alley, which was planted here in honor of Princess Stefanie of Belgium on the occasion of her marriage to Crown Prince Rudolf of Habsburg in 1881. Most of the trees are more than 100 years old.

Confluence of Vltava and Lužnice

The confluence of longest Czech river Vltava and the right-hand tributary of the river Lužnice less than 5 km behind Týn nad Vltavou is marked by the Passion of St. Jan Nepomucký, which was built here probably at the end of the 18th century to protect against floods and water crafts of which Jan Nepomucký is the patron. Boží muka also played a role in the film Kameňák by director Zdeněk Troška.

When you stand at the confluence and look down the river, you will have a protected area on your right - the Lužnice Natural Monument, which stretches over 432 hectares from Veselí nad Lužnicí to the confluence.

On the opposite bank of the Vltava lies the village of Neznašov, where you will find a chateau, the funeral chapel of its former owners, the Berchtold family, the Church of the Holy Trinity surrounded by a cemetery and the Za neznašovským kohoutem nature trail with several lookout points.

Semenec Museum of Natural History

The interactive museum on the Semenec hill of the same name is suitable for the whole family. During the accompanying and educational programs, you will learn a lot of interesting information. In the Semenec Museum of Natural History you will discover a number of unique natural science collections, which are intertwined with play and educational elements, adventurous tasks and activities for children, which will entertain you for the whole afternoon.

The almost 6 km long educational forest trail Semenec, which was built here in May 2010, winds around the museum. On the educational boards you will explore the local historical context and legends, natural attractions and add information about forestry. You can see domestic and foreign tree species, a special valley community, a naturally regenerating forest, a view of a rock above the river and much more.