If you plan to visit Czechia, you’ll not only find many fabulous things to see and do in the picture-perfect city of Prague, but it also offers an abundance of beauty, magnificence, and charm beyond the country’s capital. Its easy accessibility to nearby Czech towns lets you experience the country’s majestic castles, charming medieval squares, stunning natural scenery, and world-class museums. Make the most of your visit to Czechia by visiting these top destinations.
Prague
Prague remains of Europe’s hottest destinations. Visitors are drawn to its budget-friendly prices, stunning architecture, and rich history, as well its abundance of riverside parks, beer gardens, nightclubs, and art galleries. Its picturesque downtown veils both a dark legacy and resilient past, which over the past 1,100 years has included withstanding numerous overthrows, invasions, fires, and floods. But it’s the city’s reputation for survival and perseverance that has made it so fascinating, with the storied churches, narrow streets, a hilltop castle, and statue-lined bridges creating an urban fairy-tale scene.
Český Krumlov
A popular day trip from Prague, Cesky Krumlov is a medieval town you’re likely to want to return to. Looking as if it stepped out of the pages of a storybook, it features narrow cobbled roads, picturesque bridges, and a 13th-century castle with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. Untouched by war, its magnificent architectural heritage has managed to stay intact. The walled city contains a number of well-preserved religious sites too, including the Minorite Monastery and the exquisite Church of St. Vitus, as well as multiple art galleries and museums. When you want to get more active, you’ll find hiking trails on nearby Mount Klet, and the chance to paddle a kayak on River Vltava.
Brno
The country’s second-largest city is often overlooked, and while it doesn’t have the Charles Bridge, it does offer plenty of its own cultural and historical attractions, along with a small-town feel and a slower moving pace. That slower pace of Brno doesn’t mean dull, there are countless lively cafes and club scenes that can even rival that of Prague’s, thanks to the city’s tens of thousands of students. Explore the Brno Underground, a labyrinth of cellars including the second biggest ossuary in Europe as well as Spilberk Castle, formerly the major royal castle in Moravia, the seat of the Margraves of Moravia and once the seat of the King of the Holy Roman Empire. Simply wandering down its side streets, stopping in for a plate of svickova (beef sirloin in cream sauce) with knedliky (dumplings), and a cheap Czech beer, can make for a memorable experience here.
Olomouc
Considered one of Czechia’s true hidden gems, Olomouc contains the second largest and second oldest historic preservation zone in Czechia after Prague. It’s surrounded by the fertile Haná plain and lies along the banks of the Morava River, off the well-beaten track. It boasts over 2,000 years of history, with its roots in Roman times, shaped by the Germans, Swedes, Slavs and Bohemian kings over the centuries. It features numerous attractions like the Holy Trinity Column on the sprawling central square, an incredible rendition of Central European Baroque style that can’t be found anywhere else on the continent, as well as the Saint Wenceslas Cathedral and St. Moritz church, a well-preserved Gothic church that dates to 1398 and houses one of the largest organs in Europe. Its tower offers spectacular 360-degree views of the city and surrounding countryside and is reached by an elegant double-spiral staircase.
Liberec
Liberec may be the fifth-largest city in the nation, but it has the feel of a small town with its laid-back North Bohemian charms and curious mix of Slavic, Austrian and Germanic cultures. Shrouded by the spiked peak of Jested Mountain known for its Nordic ski tracks and fir forests at the edge of Poland, this former capital of the historically German region of the Sudetenland contains a number of buildings at its center that are similar to what you’d see in the German-speaking world, like its town hall, a smaller version of the one that stands in Vienna. The streets are lined with trees and grand old mansions, which added to the surrounding mountain views, making the city one of the most stunning in Czechia.
Karlovy Vary
Visitors come from across the globe to experience Czechia spa towns like Karlovy Vary. This one-time royal retreat is a place where Russian tsars and Beethoven met in the spas and bathhouses, not to mention being one of Bohemia’s most breathtaking destinations. There are an array of Art Deco fountains tucked within the wooded valleys that house the famous mineral streams of the Tepla River, and the surrounding hills are ideal for scenic hikes. After a day of exploring, hit the alfresco cafes on Vridelni Street, and indulge in the unique holistic treatments on offer at the many spa centers, from Turkish hammam sessions to sulfurous immersion baths.
Tábor
This South Bohemian city has an interesting history, founded in the 15th century by a radical group of Hussite soldiers during the Hussite wars. Tábor was originally built with several fortification systems, including its positioning on a hill and another system of tunnels. At one point, it also functioned as an egalitarian commune of peasants, designed to be the model of a “perfect city,” where everyone is considered equal. Get a glimpse of its history by visiting the picturesque town square with its statue of Jan Žižka, the great Hussite leader and marveling at its striking Renaissance architecture. There is also a rather ingenious labyrinth of tunnels under the houses and streets as the townspeople dug cellars underneath their homes and they were subsequently interconnected – about a two-thirds of a mile section of the tunnel system is open to the public.
Ceske Budejovice
The namesake of what’s arguably considered to be the country’s most iconic beer, Ceske Budejovice is chock full of microbreweries, beer halls and traditional Czech taverns as the very best destination for brew lovers to enjoy sampling a traditional Slavic pivo. Founded in the 13th century, the city has managed to preserve its historical character over the years, but it’s also a modern regional center. Gaze at the elegant townhomes surrounding one of Europe’s largest squares and be sure to visit the Cathedral of St. Nicholas as well as the famous remains of a salt store. Originally built as a granary, it became the armory before finally becoming a salt store, where the salt from Pasov and Salzburg was stored. On the building is a frog of stone and one of the town’s legends, reading: “If the frog jumps up, it will be the end of the world.”
Kroměříž
One of the most charming historical towns in the country, Kromeriz was founded in 1260 on the site of an earlier ford across the River Morava, at the foot of the Chriby mountain range, although most of its buildings were built in the 17th century after the originals were damaged in the Thirty Years’ War. Considered the “Athens of Haná,” this picturesque historical city with its townhouses, arcades, brilliant gardens like the Palace and Flower Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the monumental archbishop’s chateau and cellars with unique wine, is absolutely mesmerizing. Other highlights include its beautiful main square and the Cerny Orel (Black Eagle) Brewery.
Mariánské Lázně
Spas took Marianske Lazne from a little settlement into a full-fledged spa town in the mid-19th century, and today, you can enjoy some of the same benefits from them that the kings of emperors of the period did, as well as the chance to take a stroll to see its impressive historical buildings that date from the same time. Even the likes of Thomas Edison, Goethe, and author Mark Twain, have all been drawn here to enjoy the sights and a good soak.
Bohemian Paradise - Český ráj
The first-ever natural reserve in Czechia is a fairy-tale-like land of towering hoodoos and canyons, chiseled cliffs and rugged hills covered with pine forests and winding trails for hiking, biking and skiing. There are only a few spots in the world where you’ll discover such a wide array of geological phenomena. For centuries, the Bohemian Paradise as its known has drawn artists, writers and dreamers of all types who come to revel in its striking beauty. Outdoor adventurers come in droves to scale the canyons, kayak, hike and horseback ride in the shadows of ancestral chateaus and palaces, some of which are in excellent condition and offer tours of their lavish interiors with original furnishings, while others are simply romantic ruins, overtaken by nature.
