Highest Mountains of Šumava (Bohemian Forest): 14 Peaks

Šumava is an odd mountain range. There are no jagged rock spires and no glacial cols, but there are ridges that roll away to the horizon, peat bogs, glacial lakes and forests where you can walk for an hour without meeting a soul. And the summits are surprisingly high. When people ask about the highest mountains of Šumava — the range English maps usually label the Bohemian Forest — most of them name Plechý or Boubín. In fact the highest point of the whole range sits across the border in Bavaria and is called Großer Arber (1,456 m). That is the first thing worth sorting out.

So we put together a list of the fourteen highest Šumava summits — with exact elevations, with which side of the border each one is on, and above all with the thing that matters most: where you can actually walk up, and what you will see from the top. Several of these mountains stand inside the strictly protected core zone of a national park, and the summit is simply off limits. Getting here is easy: Železná Ruda is 169 km from Prague (2 hours 15) and 201 km from Munich (2 hours 25), while the southern end around Lipno is 209 km from Prague and only 53 km from Linz.

Šumava — the Czech side versus the Bavarian side

This is the key to the whole list. “Šumava” is the Czech name for the range that Germans call Bayerischer Wald (the Bavarian Forest) and that a slice of Austria closes off from the south; in English it is the Bohemian Forest. The ridge runs for more than 100 kilometres along the border, and the highest summits happen to fall on the Bavarian side — Großer Arber and Großer Rachel are German mountains.

For trip planning that means two things. First: the highest peak you can climb in Šumava is across the border — but the border is a formality today, you walk over it or drive through without a single stop, since both countries are in the Schengen area. Second: there are cable cars on the Bavarian and Austrian sides (Großer Arber, Smrčina/Hochficht), so you can get up with children or without breaking a sweat. Plechý, meanwhile, is proudly the highest mountain of the Czech Šumava and stands exactly on the Czech–Austrian border.

The 14 highest mountains of Šumava

We ranked them purely by elevation, highest first. For each one you get the height, the side of the border and, most importantly, whether you can walk up and what you will see. Every elevation has been checked.

1. Großer Arber / Velký Javor — 1,456 m (highest in the range, Bavaria)

The king of the whole range. Großer Arber (Czech: Velký Javor) stands 1,456 m high and is the highest mountain of both Šumava and the entire Bavarian Forest — it also has the greatest prominence of them all (over 1,000 m), so it dominates the landscape from a long way off. The summit is bare, crowned by radar domes, with a chapel beside them. A gondola lift runs up from the Bavarian side (€21 return in summer, €15 for children aged 4–16), so families with children manage it easily; walkers usually start from the Großer Arbersee. In clear weather the view reaches all the way to the Alps.

2. Großer Rachel / Velký Roklan — 1,453 m (Bavaria)

The second highest summit in Šumava, just three metres lower. Großer Rachel (Czech: Velký Roklan, 1,453 m) sits on the German side south-west of Modrava. The top is a rocky plateau with a ten-metre cross, and the panorama takes in Großer Arber, Osser, Lusen and the wide bog plains around Modrava. Below the summit hides the glacial Rachelsee — a lovely destination in its own right. The hike is long, so allow a full day.

3. Plechý — 1,378 m (highest mountain of the Czech Šumava)

At last, the Czech record holder. Plechý (German: Plöckenstein, 1,378 m) is the highest mountain of the Czech Šumava and stands right on the Austrian border — which is why it is sometimes also called the highest point of the Austrian side of the range. Below it lies the dark glacial Plešné Lake, and above it the monument to the writer Adalbert Stifter. The classic and genuinely beautiful route runs via Dreisessel and the tripoint. No cable car — you walk up here, but it is worth it.

4. Blatný vrch / Plattenhausenriegel — 1,376 m (Czech–Bavarian border, closed)

Blatný vrch (German: Plattenhausenriegel) is a twin summit on the border and belongs to the very top tier of Šumava by height: the higher southern top measures 1,376 m and lies in Bavaria, the lower northern one (1,368 m) on the Czech side. Counting main summits, it is the sixth highest mountain in the range. The catch is that all of it stands in the most strictly protected core zone of both national parks. No marked trails lead here and the summit is normally off limits: access is possible only along the German border path, and only seasonally, roughly from 15 July to 15 November. On the northern slope spreads Blatenská slať, the highest-lying peat bog in Šumava.

5. Lusen / Luzný — 1,373 m (Bavaria, near the border)

Lusen (Czech: Luzný, 1,373 m) is unmistakable thanks to the enormous boulder field covering its entire summit — as though someone had tipped a pile of rocks over the top of the hill. It lies in the Bavarian Forest National Park; the summit is about 300 metres inside Germany, but the border runs just below it. You can walk up from either the Czech or the Bavarian side, and the final scramble over the boulders is a small adventure.

6. Velká Mokrůvka — 1,370 m (Czechia, closed)

Here comes the disappointment. Velká Mokrůvka (1,370 m) is the highest point of the Plzeň Region and the ninth highest mountain in Šumava — but it sits in the middle of the strictly protected zone I of the national park, no marked route leads to it and the summit is off limits. We mention it for completeness: by elevation it is right up there, but for hikers it is out of the game. Respect that — this is the heart of the wilderness.

7. Boubín — 1,362 m (Czechia, lookout tower)

A Šumava legend. Boubín (1,362 m) is famous for the ancient Boubín Primeval Forest at its foot, and its summit carries a wooden lookout tower (built in 2004) with a full circular view over the whole range. It is one of the most popular destinations here — an easy walk up from Kubova Huť, the highest railway station in Czechia. A great choice for a family day out with a guaranteed reward at the top.

8. Jezerní hora — 1,343 m (Czechia, summit closed)

Jezerní hora (1,343 m) is the highest point of the north-western part of Šumava and stands only a few kilometres north-west of Železná Ruda. It rises directly above the two most famous glacial lakes in the range: Black Lake and Devil’s Lake lie beneath its slopes. Precisely because of that exceptional nature the summit itself is inside a national nature reserve and closed to hikers, with no marked path to the top. You can still enjoy the mountain from below, though: both lakes are an easy walk on marked trails from Železná Ruda.

9. Smrčina / Hochficht — 1,338 m (Austria, plateau reaching into Czechia)

Smrčina (German: Hochficht, 1,338 m) sits on the Czech–Austrian border above Lipno. The summit itself is in Austria, but the northern edge of the summit plateau (around 1,332 m) reaches into Czech territory. On the Austrian side there is the sprawling Hochficht ski area with lifts, so in winter and summer alike you can ride a chairlift to the top. In summer you look out over the Lipno reservoir and the ridges of Šumava.

10. Poledník — 1,315 m (Czechia, lookout tower)

Poledník (1,315 m) carries a Cold War story: a military listening tower stood here watching the Iron Curtain. After the border opened most of the complex disappeared, but the remaining tower was rebuilt as a lookout — and it offers one of the finest views in central Šumava, straight over the Modrava bog plains. It is usually open from roughly May to October. Getting there is a longer walk through deep forest.

11. Dreisessel / Třístoličník — 1,302 m (Bavaria, near the tripoint)

Dreisessel (Czech: Třístoličník, 1,302 m) is famous for the bizarre granite tors on its summit — it is listed among the “100 most beautiful geotopes of Bavaria”. The name refers to the nearby tripoint, where the borders of Bohemia, Bavaria and Austria once met. The summit is on the Bavarian side, but it is an easy walk from the Czech side at Stožec and is often combined with an ascent of Plechý.

12. Osser / Ostrý — 1,293 m (Czech–German border)

Osser (Czech: Ostrý, 1,293 m) is a striking twin summit right on the Czech–German border in the Železná Ruda area — the higher Großer Osser (1,293 m) and Kleiner Osser (1,266 m), known locally as “the Breasts of the Mother of God”. Unlike most of the rounded Šumava hills it really does have a pointed, “sharp” silhouette — hence the Czech name Ostrý. A chapel stands in the saddle between the two tops, a mountain hut sits below the summit on the German side, and the exposed position gives a fine view over both sides of the border. Starting point: most often Železná Ruda, or Špičák along the border ridge.

13. Pancíř — 1,214 m (Czechia, chairlift + lookout tower)

Pancíř (1,214 m) above Železná Ruda was essentially the cradle of tourism in Šumava — the very first lookout tower in the range stood here. Today the summit has a mountain chalet with a viewing tower and, more to the point, a chairlift up from Špičák (via the Hofmanky mid-station). A great target when you want the view without the effort — or you can walk the Špičák–Pancíř ridge.

14. Špičák — 1,202 m (Czechia, chairlift + lookout tower)

Špičák (1,202 m), by the pass of the same name, is popular all year — a ski area in winter, a day-trip destination in summer. A modern four-seater chairlift runs to the summit, and a lookout tower was added in 2014. From here the chairlift mentioned above continues to Pancíř. You will not find an easier summit in Šumava — an ideal start if you are with children or short on time.

The highest Czech mountain in Šumava: Plechý and Boubín

When someone asks about the highest mountain in Šumava, they usually mean the highest one on the Czech side — and that is unambiguously Plechý (1,378 m). It stands on the Austrian border, the dark Plešné Lake lies below it, and the ascent via the tripoint is one of the loveliest hikes in the range. You walk up; there is no cable car — count on a full day out and proper boots.

Right behind it in popular affection comes Boubín (1,362 m). It is not the second highest (the off-limits Blatný vrch and Velká Mokrůvka both beat it on elevation), but it is the highest Czech summit with a lookout tower and easy access — and it has that famous primeval forest below it. If you want one “typically Šumava” hill with a guaranteed reward at the top, Boubín is it. Plechý is for the more ambitious, Boubín for everyone.

Which summits have a lookout tower or can be walked up

When you are planning a trip, this is probably what interests you most: where can I actually get to, and where will I see something. We have sorted the summits by how easily you can reach them.

With a lookout tower (a guaranteed reward at the top)

• Boubín (1,362 m) — wooden tower, full circular view, easy access from Kubova Huť.
• Poledník (1,315 m) — former military tower, now a lookout over the Modrava plains (roughly May to October).
• Pancíř (1,214 m) — tower beside the mountain chalet, plus a chairlift.
• Špičák (1,202 m) — a 2014 tower right by the top station of the chairlift.

Up by cable car (with children too, no sweat)

• Großer Arber — gondola to the highest mountain in the range, €21 return in summer (€15 for children aged 4–16).
• Špičák and Pancíř — chairlifts from Špičák, and they link up.
• Smrčina / Hochficht — the Austrian ski area with lifts.

On foot only (for hikers)

• Plechý — via the tripoint, a full-day hike, but the finest one.
• Großer Rachel, Lusen, Dreisessel — beautiful but longer ascents (Rachel with a detour to the lake).
• Osser — the twin summit on the border near Železná Ruda.

Closed (you must not go here)

• Blatný vrch (1,376 m) — national park core zone, no marked trail, only seasonally along the German border path (15 July to 15 November).
• Velká Mokrůvka (1,370 m) — zone I of the national park, no trail at all, entry prohibited.
• Jezerní hora (1,343 m) — national nature reserve above Black Lake and Devil’s Lake, summit with no marked path.

Where to next

• Šumava National Park (2026) — specific trips, lakes and tips on what to do in the range.
• The highest mountains in the Czech Republic (2026) — an overview of the tallest peaks in the whole country.
• On the German side, the Bavarian Forest National Park is a destination in its own right — the treetop walkway and the Lusen trails both start from Grafenau.

And if you want something extra in Šumava beyond the views — a guided lynx-tracking expedition, say, or a walk through the primeval forest — have a look at the trips and experiences on GetYourGuide →

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