Vartovna View Tower—A Czech Hike

I love the hiking in the Czech Republic.  Well-marked, color-coded trails branch off everywhere.  In Wallachia, a peaceful corner in the northeast part of the country, low mountains, lush woods, sunny ridgetop panoramas, and clear little rivers make hiking a delight.  Here are some pictures from the hike to Vartovna, a popular view tower near the village of Liptál (near Vsetín).  It's one of the most easily accessible of the towers in the region, and also one of the most modern.  As you can see from the pictures, it doesn't matter when you're there:  hiking is in vogue any season.

Wallachia, Czech Republic

Vartovna view tower near Liptal, Czech Republic

Vartovna tower in winter (well...March)

View from the tower, Vartovna, Czech Republic

Winter views, Vartovna.

Czech Trails, Vartovna

If you go:

The trails around here aren't flat, but if you take your time, they're not difficult. 

Vartovna is a 2-3 km hike each way from Liptál, a village between Vsetín and Zlín.  Look on www.idos.cz and put your destination as Liptál,Sirákov,Lůžko (for the green trail) or Liptál,Sirákov,motorest (for the yellow trail).  These are the first and second stops after the center of Liptál, if you're coming from Vsetín.  From the Lůžko stop, you'll have to backtrack along the road toward Vsetín for a few hundred yards until you find the road and trail heading south.  Be aware that not all Vsetin-Zlin buses stop at these minor stops, but most will let you on or off at the center of Liptál. 

If you go to www.mapy.cz and click on the box in the top left corner, then on turistická, you can find interactive colored hiking maps online.

After scaling the tower and admiring the views, you can return to Liptál or take one of the other various trails that split off from the mountaintop crossroads.  One possible route is the green trail to Valašská Polanka (about 5 km) to where you can catch a bus or train.  The blue trail leads all the way back to Vsetín (about 10 km more), along airy ridges and dark woods.