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Czech Republic · Broumovsko · Hradec Králové Region

Adršpach-Teplice

Two sandstone rock towns joined by a single ridge on the Polish border — towers over 100m tall, climbed on ring-bolts and knotted slings, with more than 8,700 routes between them and railway stations that drop you at the gate.

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Sandstone
Rock type
Trad climbing
Style
II–XIa
Grade range
Jul-Oct
Best season
Not documented
BEGINNER (f3–6a)
Not documented
INTERMEDIATE (f6a–7a)
Not documented
ADVANCED (f7a–8a)
Not documented
EXPERT (f8a–9c)

Introduction to Adršpach-Teplice

Adršpach-Teplice Rocks (Adršpašsko-teplické skály) is two rock towns joined by a single sandstone ridge in the far north-east of Bohemia, hard against the Polish border. On the Adršpach side, narrow corridors and quiet ponds wind between towers over 100 metres tall; a few kilometres south, the Teplice side is quieter and locally noted for sandstone that can be crumbly in places, rewarding careful route-reading. Between them, theCrag.com's database logs 8,794 routes across 39 named sectors — a scale that puts this alongside Český Ráj as one of the two biggest Czech sandstone tower regions.

As everywhere on Czech sandstone, there are no bolts to clip and no cams to place: protection is widely spaced fixed ring-bolts backed up by slings and knotted cord threaded into cracks and around horns, and a lead up one of these towers ends the way it has for a century — an abseil off the summit ring, and a signature in the tin box at the top.

The gateway towns are Adršpach and Teplice nad Metují, both with their own railway stations directly beside the rock formations — a rare case in Czech sandstone climbing of a major area reachable without a car. Trutnov, the nearest larger town, sits a short drive to the southwest.

Rock type
Sandstone
Primary climbing medium
Grade range
II–XIa
Sweet spot II–IV
Nearest airport
Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG)
Family friendly
Yes
The Adršpach rock town's marked tourist trail and rowing-boat ponds give non-climbers a full day out independent of the climbing, and easier towers suit supervised top-roping.

History of Adršpach-Teplice

Sandstone tower climbing in Bohemia grew up alongside its Saxon cousin just across the modern German and Polish borders, and Adršpach-Teplice became one of its two flagship playgrounds alongside Český Ráj to the south. The ground-up ethic that still governs the area today — fixed rings and slings only, nothing metal driven into the stone, a summit book to sign on top of every tower — is the same tradition documented across the region, and Climb Europe confirms the same abseil-ring-and-summit-log ritual still marks a completed ascent here.

The two rock towns sit inside a protected landscape area; general sources outside our five approved climbing references describe this as the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area, distinct from the Bohemian Paradise (Český Ráj) protected area further south. This designation has not been independently confirmed against our five approved climbing sources and is included here as background context, not as a verified access-rule citation.

Rock & Style

The rock at both Adršpach and Teplice is sandstone, though Teplice's is specifically noted as sometimes crumbly or friable — treat holds there with extra respect. Towers rise in slabs, chimneys and crack lines up to and over 100 metres on the Adršpach side; Mountain Project describes "splitter cracks, chimneys and friction slabs" as the area's most common terrain, with a reputation for run-out, sandbagged grades that pays off in solid, well-protected classics once you know which lines to pick.

  • Rock type: Sandstone (Teplice sectors noted as locally friable/crumbly)
  • Height: Towers up to and over 100m at Adršpach
  • Style: Splitter cracks, chimneys, friction slabs
  • Protection: Widely spaced fixed ring-bolts + knotted slings/cord — no cams or nuts
  • Descent: Abseil rings on every tower summit, with a summit log book
Rock type
Sandstone
Rock type: Sandstone (Teplice sectors noted as locally friable/crumbly)
Friction
Best cool
Jul-Oct
Style
Trad

Suitability

Who is it for?

II–IV

Beginners (II–IV)

Easy scrambles and low towers exist on both sides, but the ring-and-sling ethic is unlike anything most beginners have tried, and specific restrictions (capped training groups, ČHS-only first ascents on at least one confirmed sector) apply. A first day with a local guide is strongly recommended.

  • Guide Recommended

V–VIIc

Intermediate (V–VIIc)

The heart of both rock towns — Teplice's own data shows SX III–V carrying the largest blocks of routes, giving intermediate trad leaders the widest realistic choice of towers.

  • Best Match

VIII–XIa

Advanced (VIII–XIa)

Teplice's confirmed ceiling of SX XIa and Adršpach's steeper, thinner lines test composure on long runouts as much as raw grade.

  • Strong Options

Families & Non-Climbers

The Adršpach rock town's marked tourist trail and rowing-boat ponds give non-climbers a full day out independent of the climbing, and easier towers suit supervised top-roping.

  • Good Rest-Day Value

Problems & areas

Grades

Adršpach-Teplice uses the same Czech/Saxon sandstone grading scale as the rest of the region, from around II (easy scrambling) up to Teplice's confirmed ceiling of SX XIa — Adršpach's own logged routes run roughly II to IXa. As with Labské Údolí and Český Ráj, the grade reflects runout and commitment as much as raw difficulty, so treat your first sessions as recalibration, not an onsight of your usual sport grade.

Teplice's route distribution is heavily weighted toward the lower-middle grades — SX III to V account for the largest single blocks of routes (225–398 routes per grade) — meaning most visiting climbers will spend the bulk of a trip well below the region's technical ceiling.

Problems & areas

Key sectors

Město (Rock Town)

Adršpach's flagship sector and largest by route count — 984 routes logged on theCrag.com, threaded through the same corridors used by the marked tourist trail below.

  • 984 routes
  • Flagship sector
  • Open from 1 May

Království (Kingdom)

The second-largest Adršpach sector (900 routes), a dense concentration of towers quieter than the tourist-trafficked Město.

  • 900 routes

Jezerka

487 routes clustered near Adršpach's scenic ponds, popular with parties combining a route with the rowing-boat lake below.

  • 487 routes
  • Near the Adršpach ponds

V–VIIIb

Milenecká hora

Home to named towers including Adam a Eva. Confirmed season is 1 July–31 December (closed the rest of the year for nesting protection), with first ascents restricted to Czech Climbing Association members and instructed training capped at three climbers plus instructor.

  • Includes Adam a Eva
  • SX V–VIIIb
  • Open from 1 May

II–XIa

Bariéra

One of Teplice nad Metují's 21 sub-areas, within the region's confirmed SX II–XIa grade span.

  • Teplice nad Metují sector

Supí skály

A Teplice nad Metují sector whose name translates as "Vulture Rocks" — fitting, given the area's confirmed seasonal closures to protect nesting birds of prey.

  • Teplice nad Metují sector

Conditions

Best season

Climbing here is governed as much by wildlife protection as by weather. Per theCrag.com, the main season runs 1 July to 31 December across most sectors, with a handful of Adršpach sectors — Město, Milenecká hora, Ostrov and Vstupní obvod — opening earlier, from 1 May. Everything else stays off-limits from January through June to protect nesting birds, and a few sectors are closed permanently. (One general travel source gives a 30 November closing date rather than 31 December for some zones — check current park signage before planning a late-autumn trip.) Even within the legal window, dry rock is a formal rule, not a suggestion — sandstone is significantly weaker wet, so plan around a settled forecast.

Jan

1/5

Closed, cold

-3–2°C

Feb

1/5

Closed, cold

-2–3°C

Mar

1/5

Closed

1–8°C

Apr

1/5

Closed

5–13°C

May

2/5

Partial opening

9–17°C

Jun

2/5

Partial opening

12–20°C

Jul

5/5

Peak, full opening

14–23°C

Aug

4/5

Warm, can be stormy

14–23°C

Sep

5/5

Peak

10–19°C

Oct

4/5

Good, crisp

6–14°C

Nov

2/5

Cold, season ending

2–8°C

Dec

1/5

Cold, closing

-2–3°C

Equipment

What gear to bring

Adršpach-Teplice is trad climbing with the metal stripped out. There are no cams, no nuts and no chalk anywhere across the two rock towns — protection is fixed ring-bolts, spaced well apart, backed up by slings and cord knotted into cracks and threaded around horns.

Essential Gear

Slings and knotted cord: primary protection — threaded around rock features and knotted into cracks, no cams or nuts used here.

Essential Gear

Rope: 50–60m single rope; check the current topo, as some Adršpach and Teplice towers need specific lengths for the fixed abseil rings.

Essential Gear

Climbing shoes: soft-soled with a sensitive fit for smearing on sandstone.

Essential Gear

Helmet: recommended — loose sandstone and unfamiliar protection style.

Essential Gear

Harness and belay device: standard trad setup.

Nice to Have

Current Czech-language topo for Adršpach and Teplice nad Metují.

Nice to Have

Approach shoes for the forest trails between towers.

Nice to Have

A local guide for your first day to learn the ring/sling/knot system and access rules.

Nice to Have

Proof of climbing-association membership — commonly expected in Czech sandstone areas.

Travel

Getting there

Adršpach and Teplice nad Metují both have their own railway stations right beside the rock formations, on the line linking Trutnov, Teplice nad Metují and Broumov — genuinely unusual for a major Czech sandstone area. For drivers, the confirmed door-to-door drive from Prague Airport is 2h 40min; the gateway town of Trutnov itself is 2h 15min from the airport. Wrocław, just over the Polish border, is closer on paper (roughly 96km / 1h45 by general route-planner estimate) but this figure has not been independently confirmed the way the Prague Airport times have.

Transport

By Car from Prague Airport

car-recommended / 2h 40min / Recommended

Confirmed door-to-door driving time direct to Adršpach.

Transport

By Car from Prague Airport to Trutnov

car-recommended / 2h 15min

Trutnov is the nearest larger gateway town; Adršpach and Teplice nad Metují are a further short drive beyond it.

Transport

By Car from Wrocław

car-recommended / ~1h45 (~96km)

General route-planner estimate only — not independently confirmed the way the Prague Airport times have been.

Transport

By Train

public-transport-possible / Recommended

Both Adršpach and Teplice nad Metují have their own railway stations directly beside the rock formations, on the Trutnov–Broumov line.

Transport

Prague Airport (PRG)

flight-access / Recommended

The realistic international gateway; see confirmed driving time above.

Transport

Wrocław Airport (WRO)

flight-access

Closer on paper (~96km) but this distance has not been independently confirmed.

Accommodation & food

Stay & eat

Hotel Adršpach sits at the entrance to the Adršpach rock town, and Hotel Orlík is a short drive south in Teplice nad Metují. Campers have Autokemp Loděnice in Adršpach village and Kemp Kamenec in Teplice nad Metují, named after the neighbouring climbing sector. None of these names, or their current rates, come from our five approved climbing sources — please reconfirm details before presenting them as recommendations.

Accommodation

Hotel Adršpach

Hotel / Not independently verified — check current rates

At the entrance to the Adršpach rock town.

Accommodation

Hotel Orlík

Hotel / Not independently verified — check current rates

In Teplice nad Metují, a short drive from the Teplice sectors.

Accommodation

Autokemp Loděnice

Camping / Not independently verified — check current rates

Campsite in Adršpach village.

Accommodation

Kemp Kamenec

Camping / Not independently verified — check current rates

Campsite in Teplice nad Metují, named after the neighbouring Teplice climbing sector.

Beyond climbing

Rest days

The Adršpach rock town has its own marked tourist trail and rowing-boat ponds separate from the climbing zones — worth a lap even on a rest day. The wooded Broumovské stěny escarpment, part of the same wider sandstone region per theCrag.com, and the Baroque monastery town of Broumov are both a short drive away.

Adršpach rock-town trail & ponds

A marked tourist walkway and rowing-boat ponds through the towers, separate from the climbing zones.

Broumovské stěny

A neighbouring sandstone escarpment and nature reserve within the same wider region logged by theCrag.com, good for a non-climbing walk.

Broumov monastery

A Baroque Benedictine monastery complex a short drive away.

Responsible climbing

Tips & ethics

strong

No Chalk

Banned across both Adršpach and Teplice — bring a rag for sweaty hands instead.

strong

No Metal Gear

No cams or nuts. Protection is fixed ring-bolts plus slings and knotted cord.

critical

Dry Rock Only

Climb only on dry sandstone — wet rock is significantly weaker and holds can break.

strong

Soft-Soled Shoes Only

Confirmed as a formal rule on Teplice's sectors; treat it as area-wide practice.

warning

Daylight Climbing Only

No night climbing — confirmed for Teplice's sectors and treated as the regional norm.

warning

Seasonal Tower Closures

Most sectors are closed January–June to protect nesting birds; the main season runs 1 July–31 December (a few Adršpach sectors from 1 May). Some sectors are closed permanently.

neutral

Marked Trails & No Vegetation Removal

Stay on marked approach trails and don't strip vegetation or stones from cracks — confirmed for the Milenecká hora sector and a sensible region-wide practice.

neutral

No Rope Damage

Avoid rope-on-rock scarring — confirmed as a specific Teplice rule.

Emergency information

Safety & emergency

Emergency: 112 (Czech-wide, English-speaking operators generally available). Sandstone holds break more easily than granite or limestone, particularly when damp, and a lead fall onto a widely spaced ring-bolt or sling placement can be more serious than on a bolted sport route. Specific nearest-hospital and mountain-rescue direct-dial details for the Trutnov/Náchod area were not independently confirmed today — flag for review, matching the level of detail on the Labské Údolí page.

112

Emergency

Czech national emergency number; English-speaking operators generally available.

Trutnov / Náchod

Nearest larger towns

Trutnov is the nearest larger town on the approach; exact hospital/mountain-rescue facility names and distances were not independently confirmed today — flag for review.

Mobile signal

Reliable in Adršpach and Teplice nad Metují village centres, patchy in the rock corridors — download offline maps.

Rock condition

Sandstone breaks more easily than granite or limestone, especially wet — a fall onto a widely spaced ring-bolt or sling can be more serious than on bolted sport routes.

Budget planning

Costs & budget

Specific accommodation, food and access-fee figures for Adršpach-Teplice were not confirmed today from the five approved climbing sources. The official park site references a parking fee (roughly CZK 200-600 in peak season, waived for disability permit holders) and free park entry for Czech Climbing Association members — but this is outside our five approved sources and should be independently verified before publishing exact prices.

Costs

Accommodation (per night)

per night / Not independently confirmed — check current rates / Not independently confirmed — check current rates

Costs

Food (per day)

per day / Not independently confirmed — check current rates / Not independently confirmed — check current rates

Costs

Park/parking access

CZK 200–600 in peak season per the official park site (not one of the five approved sources)

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to climb at Adršpach-Teplice?

No general climbing permit was confirmed in our five approved sources, though the official park site mentions a parking/entrance fee for the rock-town reserve (waived for Czech Climbing Association / ČHS members) — this detail is outside our approved sources and should be reconfirmed. Specific rules do apply on at least one confirmed sector: on Milenecká hora, first ascents are restricted to ČHS members and instructed training groups are capped at three climbers plus instructor.

Can I climb when the rock is wet?

No. Every confirmed source describes dry-rock-only as a formal rule, not just good practice — wait for the sandstone to dry out fully after rain.

What's the best time of year to visit?

The confirmed legal season runs 1 July to 31 December across most sectors (a few Adršpach sectors open 1 May); nearly everything is closed January–June to protect nesting birds. Within that window, September and early October typically give the driest, most comfortable conditions.

Is chalk allowed?

No — chalk is banned, along with cams and nuts, across both Adršpach and Teplice.

Can I get there without a car?

Yes, unusually for Czech sandstone — both Adršpach and Teplice nad Metují have their own railway stations right beside the rock formations.

Guided trips

Rockbusters trips to Adršpach-Teplice

Guided Group Trip

Adršpach-Teplice Sandstone Camp

A guided introduction to Czech sandstone tower technique across both rock towns, with coaching on the local ring-and-sling protection system.

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Private Coaching

Private Guiding Days

Bespoke 1-2-1 or small-group coaching focused on knot placement, runout management and reading Adršpach-Teplice's towers.

  • Enquire Now

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Join a guided trip to Adršpach-Teplice and climb two of Bohemia's flagship sandstone rock towns the way they were meant to be climbed — on rings and slings, not bolts. Expert coaching, no logistics stress.

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