Liberec

Liberec (German: Reichenberg) is nestled in the Jizera Mountains, at the foot of Ještěd mountain in the Bohemia region of the northern Czech Republic.

Get in

From Prague (Černý Most) to the centre (Fügnerova) by bus it takes 1 hr 5 minutes; the buses (Regiojet, Flixbus) are running every hour or even more often. Railway is slower with a minimum of 2 hr 30 min: trains run every two hours towards Železný Brod and you change at Turnov.

From Dresden there are four direct trains taking 2 hr. Look for split-ticket deals on this route.

From Wrocław by train takes 5 hr, with a change at Szklarska Poręba Górna on the Polish border.

Liberec 1 railway station is 1 km southwest of town centre, with the bus station on its east flank. All the trams in the right direction run to the centre.

Get around

Liberec city transport consists of trams, buses and an inter-city narrow gauge tram line to Jablonec nad Nisou. The central terminal is Fügnerova stop. Single ticket valid for 60 minutes and costs 24 Kč, one-day pass costs 100 Kč. Persons 70 and above travel for free. See city line map and online timetable.

If you travel outside Liberec, a good solution is the Euro-Nisa network ticket, available at train stations. It's valid for one day in all trains and most of buses in Liberec region, Upper Lusatia and Zgorzelec region (see map). Price is 350 Kč for one person or 510 Kč two people, with three children included. It is valid until the german Görlitz and the polish Jelenia Gora.

See

• 1 City Hall (Radnice), Náměstí Dr. E. Beneše. The pride of the locals, a luxurious neo-Renaissance architecture built in 1888–93.  

• Dr. Edvard Benes Square (Náměstí Dr. Edvarda Beneše). Main city square, named after the wartime president, Edvard Beneš. 
• Tourist information center, Náměstí Dr. E. Beneše 1 (next to the city hall). M–F 08:00-17:00, Sa Su 09:00-12:00. 
• 2 Theatre of F.X. Šalda (Šaldovo divadlo), Zhořelecká 5 (behind the city hall). Built in 1883 (same year as the National Theatre of Prague), named after František Xaver Šalda, an avant-garde playwright.  

• 3 Church of St. Anthony the Great (Kostel svatého Antonína Velikého), Železná Street (behind Hotel Praha). A neo-Gothic church, no public access to the inside.  
• 4 Liberec Castle (Zámek Liberec), Felberova Street. A Renaissance chateau with glass collection, but no public access to the inside.  
• 5 North Bohemian museum (Severočeské muzeum), Masarykova 11 (tram stop „Muzeum-výstaviště”). Tu–Su 09:00-17:00. Closed until Autumn 2020 for renovations. 30 Kč. (updated Feb 2020)

The stop

• 6 Regional Gallery (Oblastní galerie), Masarykova 723/14 (next to the North Bohemian Museum), oblgal@ogl.cz. Tu–W 10:00-17:00, Th 10:00-19:00, F–Su 10:00-17:00. 80 Kč (Admission free on Thursdays). (updated Aug 2018)
• 7 Zoo, Masarykova 31 (tram stop „Botanická-Zoo”). Daily 08:00-17:00. The first zoo in former Czechoslovakia, founded in 1919. 90/120 Kč (depending on the month). 
• 8 Botanical garden (Botanická zahrada), Purkyňova 1 (next to the main entrance to zoo). Daily 08:00-18:00 (summer) or 08:00-16:00 (winter). 140 Kč. 
• 9 Bus stop Sokolská u zdi. A sculpture titled 'Feast of Giants' by David Černý but also a functional bus stop. A table set with, among others, a carnivorous plant, knocked over menorah, German and Czech beer mugs and head of Konrad Henlein on a plate (all allusions to Liberec complex history). 

Do

Summit of Jested in Liberec

• Ještěd Mountain. A well-known landmark of Liberec city with a famous tower on the top. The tower built in the 1960s has a unique hyperboloid shape, naturally extending the silhouette of the mountain. It serves as a hotel and TV transmitter. By good weather you can overlook most of northern Bohemia as well as part of Germany and Poland from the summit. Take a tram No 3 to Horní Hanychov and then either by hiking one of the trails to the top. There was a cable car there, but it has been closed since an accident in 2021. Since 2024 there is a bus (Nr. 79) from Horní Hanychov to a parking space on the hill, from where you walk 20 minutes to the top. 
• Cross-country skiing The city is famous for winter sporting events like FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 or the Jizerské Mountains, where you can enjoy the majestic beauty of the Nordic nature on 115 km of cross-country paths.
• Centrum Babylon, Nitranská 1. Rebuilt from a former textile factory, the Babylon is one of the largest Czech entertainment complexes. It offers aquapark, lunapark, 3D motion simulator, golf simulator, laser game, wellness center and many other forms of entertainment. 

• Golf at two golf resorts with an unforgettable atmosphere.
• Watch football: FC Slovan Liberec is the home football club of Liberec, playing in the Czech First League at Stadion U Nisy (capacity 9,900). Their local rivals, FK Jablonec, are based in the nearby town of Jablonec nad Nisou. The two clubs face off in regional derbies, with FK Jablonec’s home ground being Stadion Střelnice (capacity 6,100).

Eat

• Duli, Moskevská 4. Pizza and pasta on the 1st floor, more on 2nd. 
• Kavárna Pošta, Náměstí Dr. E. Beneše 24. Viennese cafe, dances on Friday nights (with extra admissions) 
• Café Praha, Železná 2. Belongs to Hotel Praha, with some veggie dishes. 
• Om Restaurant, Husova 23/9, ☏ +420 485 111 293. For Indian and Nepalese & Himalayan foods. 

Drink

• 1 Hotel Radnice, Moskevská 11. Bar and restaurant. 

Sleep

• Interhostel, Svobody 2 (bus stop „Svobody”), ☏ +420 777 848 484, fax: +420 485 163 336, info@interhostel.cz. Double/triple with shared bathroom from 279 Kč/person, double with private bathroom from 749 Kč/room. 
• Pension Bambino, Heliova 287, ☏ +420 603 449 185, pensionbambino@seznam.cz. Very nice apartments close to the city centre. One person 500 Kč, two people 900 Kč, three people 1200 Kč/room. 

Go next

Jizera Mountains

• Jizera Mountains (Jizerské hory) are a true island of Scandinavian nature in central Europe. The central plateau with endless forests is ideal for hiking and cycling in summer or cross-country skiing in winter. Crowds of tourists head there and the nature park authority issues too many car entry permits, but you can find a lot of quiet, deserted places where only spruces, beeches and long grass whisper between rocks and boulders. Good start points to Jizera mountains are:
  • Bedřichov, easily reached by bus from Liberec, but also full of tourists
  • Josefův Důl and Kořenov train stations
  • Harrachov train station, ideal for exploring the Polish part of Jizera mountains
• Lusatian Mountains (Lužické hory) are lower than Jizera mountains but also less touristy and surely worth to visit. Military enthusiasts will be interested in remnants of interwar Czechoslovak fortification system with a lot of deserted concrete bunkers. Good start points are Rynoltice, Lvová and Jablonné v Podještědí (train stops) or Jitrava (bus stop).
• Ralsko is a center of former military area, formed by vast plains with pine forests, quiet ponds, sandstone rocks and mysterious dilapidated military structures. Take a bus to Stráž pod Ralskem and get off in Osečná or Hamr na Jezeře.