Although plenty of hill folk head to the middle of nowhere, even they can’t imagine their adventures without electronics. App developers have worked that out too, and thanks to them you can download plenty of useful things for the road. Let’s take a look together at the best hiking apps, the ones we actively use ourselves.
Why you can no longer do without hiking apps
The era of paper maps had its charm, but hand on heart — which of us wants to unfold a soaking wet map of the Krkonoše in the rain? These days a phone and a few well-chosen apps will do. That said, I don’t write off paper maps; I bring one home from every destination, because I love visiting tourist information centres. I treat the map as a kind of souvenir.
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Mapy.cz
First place in our ranking of “the best hiking apps” has to go to the legendary mapy.cz, which has its own app too. No traveller’s phone should be without it. The app’s advantage is that you can download specific maps to your phone’s memory, so you aren’t tied to an internet connection. Besides hiking routes you’ll find interesting trip ideas, route elevation, weather and even information on drinking water sources nearby. Timetables are a given too. And because you can switch between map types, you can choose between the basic, hiking or satellite map.
Weather apps
No adventurer can do without a weather forecast app, so the best hiking apps have to include one of them. The weather determines not only where we go but what we wear and where we can sleep. Within Czechia the app from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute does the job. This app is great for everything it shows – besides the standard information on rainfall and air temperature you get wind strength, a biometeorological forecast and even tick activity. When travelling abroad we have to look at other apps – we’d recommend Yr, Windy or Weather & Radar.
Adventurer
This unique app from Czech developers collects every available hiking route – from the most popular to the lesser known. You just pick a trek you like the look of and off you go! Every route comes with basic information including recommended gear, how demanding it is and a weather forecast. In the app you can search treks in Czechia and abroad (there are routes even in less well-known countries such as the Faroe Islands). With Adventurer on your phone, beginner travellers and seasoned adventurers alike will get their money’s worth.
Na kole i pěšky
As the name (“By bike and on foot”) suggests, the app suits everyone regardless of how they travel. Whether you go for a walk, horse riding, cycling, inline skating or canoeing, you’ll find every route in the app, including nature trails and cross-country ski tracks. On top of that, the map always has tips on interesting places you should visit. It isn’t just classic historic sites and museums – the app will also recommend great restaurants, places to swim and current cultural events. Na kole i pěšky is a very simple, intuitive app that’s worth having on your phone.
Park4night
This one certainly belongs among the best hiking apps, because you’ll know exactly where to spend the night. Through this app you can find a suitable place to park your car or pitch a tent. Of course an ordinary map can do the job too, but the reality may turn out differently. Thanks to regular updates in Park4night you won’t end up with nowhere to spend the night. Using the filters you can find a place tailored exactly to you – whether you travel low-cost and appreciate a free spot or would rather have somewhere with the necessary facilities. Another big advantage of the app is that you’ll find parking not just for a car but for a campervan too.
Bezkempu.cz – the winner among hiking apps
A Czech app that brings together property owners (land, abandoned buildings and various shelters) on one side and, on the other, plenty of adventurers who want to camp differently. The app has an intuitive interface where, on the escape map, you can filter types of accommodation – bezKempu plots, shelters and cabins, stellplatz sites, glamping (read more about glamping) or mini campsites.
For a small fee the owners will then let you spend the night. That’s how we came to sleep below a ski slope near Trutnov, for instance. We rinsed off with a hose and fed the goats in the evening. A lovely experience!
Outdooractive
“Discover amazing outdoor experiences, reliable route suggestions and the best maps around the world – recommended by thousands of mountain guides, trail rangers and other professionals in the field.” The app‘s own description tells you how it will make your life easier. Just pick your favourite activity and head off on an adventure! You can start with walking, cycling, running or skating, climbing, and finish with winter sports.
Revolut
Last but not least I’d recommend the Revolut app, which has saved us a lot of money on withdrawal fees and bad exchange rates. Most European countries are very well set up for card payments and you can pay almost everywhere. A few times we’ve had to withdraw cash, and even though our card comes with free ATM withdrawals, the foreign ATM charged us a 3 % transaction fee and gave us a pretty poor rate on top. Revolut doesn’t do that.
📌 Are you getting ready for your next adventure? Don’t waste time searching for information. Create your own itinerary with Karel 2.0, a tool that will plan and recommend places tailored to your schedule and the area you’ve selected. 🙂 Let’s try it
The IDOS timetable app
A very popular app in Czechia, certainly for us. We very often plan one-way trips that we then need to get back from. We use the Czech Railways app (Můj vlak) a lot, but the railways don’t operate everywhere, and trains don’t run everywhere either. The IDOS app aggregates rail and bus operators’ services in one place. Just pick your place and departure time.
