Czech Republic Destinations

Important Towns

There are six different tourist sites, in Czech Republic each serving a different purpose, they are as follows:

Prague The capital, Prague has an extraordinarily rich heritage of historic buildings and virtually intact city centre. Unlike other European cities, Prague has been left untouched by both world wars. There are specific cultural regions in the Czech Republic with different types of folk architecture, dialects and traditional handicrafts, but also many nature reserves, grown with diverse flora and inhabited by rare animals. Rich medieval history has left hundreds of fairytale chateaux and castles scattered across the whole country. Czech Republic is also surrounded by mountains along its borders with Germany, Poland and Austria with. Small spa and ski resorts are popular holiday destinations. Without any doubt, you will be missing a lot from the atmosphere and diversity of the country, if you decide to stay within the bounds of its capital.

Brno One of the largest cities of the Czech Republic is Brno which boasts a compact historic centre, a variety of fine churches and interesting art galleries. While in this city, you must visit the medieval caste Spilberk, a natural dominant of Brno. The castle, which was founded in 1270, was later converted into a Baroque fortress and in the 19th century became infamous as "the dungeons of nations". The people imprisoned there included French revolutionaries, Italian carbonari, Polish rebels and Czech opponents to the Habsburg monarchy. The surrounding park offers marvelous views over the town

Ceske Budejovice Ceske Budejovice is a medieval town which developed at the confluence of the Rivers Vltava and Malse. The town was founded as early as 1265 by order of the Czech King Premysl Otakar II. The original layout of the medieval town survived until today with very few modifications. The central point of the town is a large square out of which runs a symmetrical network of streets vertical to each other, dividing the area into a chess-board arrangement of blocks. The surviving architecture in the town center is a mixture of Late Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. The first horse-drawn railway line on the European continent (1824), linking Ceske Budejovice with Linz is an interesting point in the history of the city. The famous brewery Budejovicky Budwar (Budweiser) offers guided tours of and beer tasting.

Plzen Plzen, the capital of West Bohemia, is well known for its brewing tradition. The trademark Pilsner-Urquell penentrated all over the world thanks to the traditional recipe, high quality hops and good wells. Beer lovers will appreciate a visit to the Brewery museum or the Brewery itself. Apart from its famous beer, Plzen has some hidden treasures in its core. The old city centre is dominated by the Gothic church which features the highest tower in Bohemia. Not far from the church is a splendid Renaissance Town Hall from 1558 and plenty of pleasant cafes and pubs.

Karlovy Vary Famous and glamorous town of the western Bohemia better known by its German name, Karlsbad, is one of the major hot-spring spas of the region. It was named after the Bohemian king and the Holy Roman emperor Charles (Karel) IV who allegedly discovered the hot springs in 1358. During the last century the town has been a popular meeting place for European royalty and high society. Among the famous figures who stayed here were Goethe, Schiller, Beethoven, Chopin, and Karl Marx. The city center has been recently completely renovated. A few km long Collonade on the Tepla river bank is lined with shops, hotels and springs and offers a memorable walk. More than 60 hot springs have been found here and 12 are used in spa treatment. The springs, which vary in temperature from 34 to 73 degrees C, are used in drinking cures and for baths. The town is also renowned for the production of fine engraved glass from Moser Glasworks established in Karlovy Vary since 1857. The best known Czech producer of porcelain THUN Karlovarsky porcelan is also based in Karlovy Vary. Also another factory is inseparable from Karlovy Vary - Karlovarska Becherovka producing a very tasty local liquer since 1805.