Berounka at Branov

Monthly water temperature temperature

The surface runs about 20 °C in August. The annual low is 2.5 °C in January and the high is 20.5 °C in July. No pronounced summer thermocline is recorded here. For October, the mean surface figure is 12 °C.

Mean water temperature by month (°C)

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2.5	3	5.5	9.5	14	18	20.5	20	16.5	12	7.5	4

Safety safety

Classified as a natural bathing area under Czech Decree 238/2011. Summer cyanobacteria blooms are the recurring issue rather than faecal contamination — the regional authority posts a bloom notice at the ferry landing when cell counts exceed 50,000/ml.

Safety notes (3)

• The Berounka is a dam-regulated river and levels can rise overnight after rain in the Plzeň region. Check the CHMI gauge at Beroun before a long swim.
• Cyanobacteria blooms in August cause skin irritation and stomach upsets. If the water looks like green paint or you cannot see your feet at knee depth, do not swim.
• Canoe traffic uses the main channel from June. Swim parallel to the bank, not across the river.

Where to get in

• Sandy beach slope — 50 m of sand downstream of the ferry landing; the standard entry and the one used by the local swimming club for children's lessons.
• Ferry landing steps — Wooden steps into 1.8 m water — useful for a clean dive entry, but the ferry's steel cable hangs within 2 m.

On site

• Pub at the ferry landing with a riverside terrace
• Changing cabins (two, wooden) and a tap
• Canoe rental 200 m upstream, hourly rates

Getting there arrival · entry · exit

Getting there

Branov is 50 minutes west of Prague on the road to Křivoklát. The ferry landing is signposted from the village square; the gravel lot is directly behind the pub.

Weekdays are quiet. On summer weekends the terrace fills by 13:00 and the sand gets busy, but the river is wide enough that a swimmer can always find clear water 20 m off the bank.

Getting in

Walk in from the sand. The first 15 m are ankle-to-knee deep over clean sand, and the bottom stays firm the whole way — this is one of the few river swims where you can genuinely run in.

Swim upstream first while you are fresh, then drift back to your towel. The current runs about 0.2 m/s at summer level, so a 300 m upstream leg costs you the same effort as 500 m in a pool but takes 20 minutes.

Getting out

Aim for the sandy beach rather than the ferry steps. The beach has a 1:12 gradient, so you walk out with no step-up and no slippery timber.

The pub terrace is the local norm for a post-swim beer, but bring a towel to sit on — the wooden benches are hot in direct sun and the pub has no changing room indoors.

Depth profile

Almost uniformly shallow: a sand and fine-gravel bed that reaches 1.2 m at 10 m out and never exceeds 2.2 m except in the scour line under the ferry cable. The bed slopes so gently that you can wade 30 m from the bank before the water reaches your chest.

Season window

June to early September; the ferry runs daily 08:00–19:00 from May

Cold-water questions

Is the Berounka warm enough for a long swim?

It is the warmest river on this list: 20–21 °C in late July and August, and it stays above 16 °C from late June to mid-September.

Can you swim where the ferry crosses?

No. The ferry is cable-guided and the cable lies just under the surface at low water. Swim downstream of the landing, outside the marked crossing line.