Pravčická Archway — Attraction in okres Děčín

The place is amazing, straight off a fantasy movie with fantastic and breathtaking views and scenic viewpoints that will make you wish you lived there permanently. However, the people running the restaurant inside the historical building are the definition of ridiculous. Me and my friends entered the area and visited all the spots but decided to go inside the restaurant to ask for directions to go to Mezná Louka. When we entered, no one bothered to even say "Hello" let alone ask what we needed. The place didn't smell particularly nice and the food looked less than appetizing so we decided not to eat there. We asked the woman running the place for directions and she looked at us as if we were the stupidest people on Earth before telling us the way. We're doing Erasmus in the Czech Republic so we're used to people not being particularly nice so we weren't that bothered by this. However, as we were leaving, we noticed some nice postcards and decided to buy 3 (30 Crowns overall, a little more than 1 Euro). We went back to the line and noticed that the ladies in front of us were complaining at something the woman working in the restaurant had told them but since it was all in Czech, we didn't understand, only that the woman was almost yelling at the ladies and so was her son (definitely underage and working there). The ladies left, talking and clearly distraught and we walked up, gave the lady the money and as we were turning to leave she rips out 3 pieces of paper from a little block and says we have to pay 25 Crowns each without explaining why. We ask her the reason for this and she says we have to pay to visit the area, once again looking at us as if we were stupid people incapable of thought. We would be more than willing to pay the money, the views are certainly worthy, but the way she was treating us was ridiculous so we asked her what would've happened if we hadn't come into the restaurant and she says "I don't care, pay now". Once again we say "so if we'd just left without paying, you wouldn't even know". She says "there are signs everywhere saying you have to pay so pay" while at the same time waving her hand in front of her face to indicate we were being ridiculous while at the same time her son was speaking in Czech to us clearly with disgust. We say we didn't see any signs so she tells us to follow her and takes us to the entrance to the area. Indeed, at the bottom of a black board and underneath a notice written in Czech and one in German, there was a paper saying "To visit the areal you have to pay a fee of 25 CZK or 1€. Please pay inside the restaurant" and yes, it's "areal" and not "area". Not speaking German or Czech, we'd seen the sign but thought it was to see something inside the building that we weren't interested in and didn't even think that perhaps "area" was misspelled. Once again, had we understood from the beginning we had to pay, we would've with no problem and even now we would've paid, had the lady been nice. She said "you're nice people so pay" to which we replied "yes, we're nice, but you're not so we're not going to pay" and the lady suddenly takes our postcards from our hands and goes back inside the restaurant. This was such a weird encounter that it honestly left us baffled. Once again, we're used to people in the Czech Republic not being particularly nice and being from Portugal, this was weird to us at first (the Portuguese are very nice and welcoming people) but we got used to it. This level of rudeness, however, we can't tolerate. So, tl;dr, if you go during low season and there's no one at the gate to ask for money, just visit the sites, leave and definitely DO NOT enter the restaurant let alone eat there and give money to...

Several buses a day (at least a bus every hour in high season) leave the Decin bus station on the left bank of the Labe for Hrensko, a pretty one-street border resort surrounded by a dramatic mountainous setting. Following the course of the Labe down to Hrensko for 20 minutes, the bus then takes a sharp turn right and plies along a meandering forested route to Mezna, a picturesque village set high above the Kamenice gorge. Halfway between Hrensko and Mezna, the bus stops at Tri prameny, a tiny clearing in the forest from where a red-marked trail directs you up to the Pravcicka brana. (Ask the driver to let you hop off at the Tri prameny stop which is shrouded by trees and easily missed out). The 3km route up the forest is easy to follow but not so easy to climb. The trail is clearly marked and the pathway has for the most part become grassless from overuse; so discovering the direction to the top is child’s play. But the ascent is tough at times and the sheer inclination of the pathway renders trekking challenging at others. As you continue your way up, the forest becomes thicker and the ambience overcast from lack of sunlight but... all of a sudden, you’ll see the light of day again as you find yourself unexpectedly right below the mountain peak, its top crowned with a pretty overhanging chalet, currently used as Hrensko’s topmost (yes, it’s 700m above Hrensko’s level) restaurant. There are steps to reach the top... I lost count after 100 but succeeded in reaching the top breathing sweetly after a stiff 90-minute climb. The last step deposits you on the restaurant’s terrace, a grand woodframe pavilion that provides splendid views over the forest, the portrait-pretty village of Mezni Louka and the German border. You can stay on the terrace and enjoy a couple of beers (no obligation however) while you revel in the views from the top. Out of the terrace, you come face to face with the Pravcicka brana, a 30m-long stone bridge formed as a consequence of erosion when the soft lower rock layer was gradually worn off but the harder upper layer remained. To make contact with the natural rock supports that hold the bridge in place, one has to buy an admission ticket (only 25Kc, so hurry up and get it) from the adjoining ticket office. Once under this mighty stone 21m above you, you will have the opportunity to enjoy an all-round breathtaking panorama, a seemingly Alpine vista of mountain peaks, beautiful valleys and grassy grazing meadows. Nobody is allowed to walk over the bridge but instead, you can visit the nearby limestone cave and touch the hanging stalactites or the translucent stalagmites that loiteringly grow out of...

Blonde waitress was extremely disrespectful—the most disrespectful staff I’ve ever encountered. Rolled her eyes and yelled at us repeatedly despite us being nothing but respectful the entire time. I can totally understand having a busy day and coming across a bit rushed, but she was intentionally very disrespectful/downright rude. We apologized several times for the language barrier, but she proceeded to complain about us to the customers sitting next to us, which we could tell by their glances and tone. When we asked if it was possible to please split the bill, she slammed the machine down on the table and yelled at us again in front of other customers before rolling her eyes repeatedly and allowing us to pay. We attempted to ask several questions throughout the meal (if there was a fee to pay with card, could we please have a slice of cake, etc.), none of which she answered, instead rolling her eyes and walking away several times or refusing to stop at our table. I have genuinely never written a review before despite traveling to 20+ countries and visiting hundreds of restaurants, but her service was so awful and blatantly disrespectful that I am writing one for the first time. She should not be working any job with human interaction and I hope she can work on being kind (or at least normal) to others. Worst experience I’ve ever had at a restaurant, would not recommend going here or at least requesting a different waitress. I will say all the other waitresses we spoke to were very nice and professional. My friend and I (both Asian) also happened to be the only non-white customers at the restaurant, and she was perfectly respectful to all the other customers. Not sure if that had anything to do with it, but thought...