Posazavsky Pacifik

The railway along the Sazava was built in stages from the 1880s to the 1900s and it follows the river closely for most of its length, which in a valley this winding means constant curves, cuttings, short tunnels and viaducts, with the water alongside the track and steep wooded slopes above. Prague walkers and canoeists took to it in the interwar years - the Sazava valley was the destination for weekend tramping, a distinctly Czech outdoor subculture with its own songs and settlements - and they gave it the nickname Posazavsky Pacifik, after the American transcontinental lines the tramps admired. The bridge at Zampach and the Cerveny most are the structures. The line still runs as ordinary service, so it can be ridden on a normal ticket, and it links to the Sazava monastery, Cesky Sternberk and canoe put-ins along the valley.

Highlights

• Constant curves along a river - the track following every bend of the Sazava.
• Tunnels and viaducts - short bores and steel bridges through the valley.
• Tramping country - the interwar Czech outdoor subculture that named the line.
• An ordinary service - ridden on a normal ticket, not a heritage operation.

When to go

May to September. A day.

What to expect

It is a regular regional service - the trains are ordinary units, not heritage stock, and the timetable is sparse at weekends in places. Some of the best scenery passes quickly. Check connections at Cercany.

Nearby

Sazava monastery and Cesky Sternberk are on the line.