A few-day cruise on the Orlík Reservoir - you will feel like a real sailor.
You don't have to go to the sea for a sailing holiday. The Orlická Reservoir offers beautiful scenery, monuments, beaches and romantic evenings, and you can reach it from Prague in an hour.
Around the Orlík Dam there are several sailboat rentals, for which you do not need a "driver's license", or more precisely the VMP (motor boat leader license). The rental staff will explain the basics of cruising and operating the ship. Rentals are located on the right and left banks of the reservoir downstream of the Orlík Castle.
As you will sleep in a boat, you can stay on almost any beach where it is possible to dock. During your trip you will sail around many campsites where you can buy basic groceries, take a shower or eventually stay overnight.
The Voyage
It is possible to sail downstream to the north, but it is much more interesting upstream. The first landmark will be the Orlík Castle, which, according to legend, was named after an eagle's nest, but it looks more like a water castle since the flooding of the valley.
Further upstream, you will go under the 540 m long and 50 m high Žďákovský Bridge, one of the architectural landmarks of the entire middle section of the Vltava River.
Behind Žďákovský bridge on the right side you can climb up the Krkavčí Rock. It is worth the effort, you will see one of the most beautiful views of the Orlík Dam.
A little further stream, the valley of the dam will become more and more clenched between the rocks. The last 4 km before Zvíkov, which lies at the confluence of the Vltava and Otava rivers, you will sail through the wildest part of the trip. The names of the places - Peklo (Hell) Bay and Černý Vír (Black Vortex) - will not leave you in doubt about the nature of this place. It is also the place where you will meet a lot of other vessels.
You can sail all the way to Zvíkov. You can anchor at the dock beneath the castle right next to the motor boats and set off for sightseeing and refreshments.
You can go up the Otava river, but in summer there is more algae in the water, the Vltava is cleaner. Further along the Vltava River, you will sail under the Zvíkov Bridge with bungee jumping, all the way to the Church of St. Bartholomew in Červená, which had to be relocated due to the flooding of the valley.
If you turn the boat back in Červená, this whole trip will take you about 4 days.
When to go?
If you want to enjoy a cruise without frequent shipping traffic, we recommend taking a trip off summer holidays (July-August). Also the wind is stronger in spring and autumn. Although the ships do have an engine, the cruise loses a little of its magic once you start using it.