Do I have the trip for you, my friend.
It goes like this:
The Beginning
Find your way to the charming little village of Zbečno and buy a ticket from the tiny train station.
You could, of course, also take the train from the larger and more-accessible city of Beroun, but then you would miss out on the historical Zbečno train station.
Fascinating, no?
Next, hop on the train. Train times available from here.
Enjoy a scenic 11 minute ride with a very pleasant conductor and a thrilled toddler. You can also take the lead of some of the other passengers and pop open your own beer.
Hop (and I do mean hop) off the train at Nižbor.
The most important bit
Walk a few metres and find yourself at the very charming station-storage-turned-cool-restaurant,
Eat delicious and very reasonably-priced food.
Even the boring-sounding 'cream of vegetable soup' was fantastic.
Wash it down with a delicious beer and prepare for the journey ahead.
Other things to do in Nižbor
There are a few things to see in Nižbor, namely: a glass factory and a château.
This is the château...
so if you over-indulged in lunch, the glass factory is a better place to start.
The glass factory is just across the tracks from the restaurant and offers tours (though we were too late - they are primarily in the morning) and a shop that sells their products (which were lovely, but not really to my taste). More details from their website: RÜCKL CRYSTAL.
And now pat your bellies apologetically and climb up.
And up.
And up.
To the top.
The château is being reconstructed and it's possible to take tours (if I understood the sign correctly) and visit the Centre for Celtic Culture, but sadly not on Tuesdays, which are reserved for school trips.
And then down, down, down to grab a quick coffee before hopping back on the train to Zbečno.
The end.
