For first- or second-time visitors

Best Places to Visit in Czechia

Prague's Old Town as seen at sunset from across the Vltava river on a bluff in Letná Park. Photo by Mark Baker.
Prague Castle in the distance as seen from the Old Town side of Charles Bridge. Photo by Mark Baker.
The Astronomical Clock during a typical summer evening in Prague's Old Town. Photo by Mark Baker.
Prague's Charles Bridge at night. Photo by Mark Baker.

Prague: Best for Medieval Architecture

In the 14th century, Prague was a European megalopolis – the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and one of the Europe’s largest cities. The fascinating part is that it’s all still there. Stroll around Old Town Square and gawk at the medieval Astronomical Clock and the cross the Gothic Charles Bridge, before climbing up to Prague Castle, by some accounts the world’s largest castle complex. Explore the Prague Jewish Museum and tour some beautifully manicured baroque gardens, like the one at Wallenstein Palace.

Prague, of course, is also a vibrant 21st century European capital, with the galleries, museums, restaurants and pubs to match. Enjoy a vaunted Czech beer at a restaurant like Lokál, or traditional Czech duck or schnitzel at restaurants like Hostinec na Výtoni or Výčep.

Český Krumlov: Best for Fairytale Setting

Wrapped lovingly around a tight bend in the Vltava River in south of the country, Český Krumlov is Prague in miniature. The town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sports a huge Renaissance castle complex, stirring views from every corner, and a warren of cobbled, old town lanes. Tour the castle and spend the rest of the day wandering. Art fans will want to visit the Egon Schiele Art Centrum, dedicated to the Austrian expressionist painter who maintained a studio here.

Planning tip: The word is out on Český Krumlov’s unique charms and, like Prague, the town gets crowded from May to September. Try to visit out of season and book hotels and restaurants in advance. Snag a table at Krčma v Šatlavské, an atmospheric medieval cellar with a mouthwatering menu of grilled meats.

Český Krumlov as seen from the town's immense Renaissance chateau. Photo by Mark Baker.
Český Krumlov's sprawling chateau seen here at night from the Vltava river below. Photo by Mark Baker.
Karlovy Vary's luxury Grandhotel Pupp occupies a scenic bend in the river. Photo by Mark Baker.
One of the many historic colonades in Karlovy Vary. Spa patients sip the healing waters as they walk the promenades. Photo by Mark Baker.

Czech Switzerland National Park: Best for Natural Beauty

Head north of Prague to stretch your legs amid the startling stone towers, cliffs, rock fingers and arches of the Czech Switzerland National Park. The main attraction is the Pravčická Gate, Europe’s largest natural stone arch, but trails fan out in all directions and lead to less-frequented places of dramatic natural beauty. The park extends seamlessly into neighboring Germany as the Saxon Switzerland National Park (Sächsische Schweiz in German).

Planning tip: The Czech Switzerland National Park is a good jumping off spot for more hikes and dramatic rock formations. Lying north and west of the park, the Elbe Sandstone Rocks (Labské Pískovce) is a relatively quiet landscape park with its own stone towers and dramatic views.

Karlovy Vary: Best for Spa Architecture

Tour the historic promenades and colonnades and take in the grand neoclassical architecture here to experience the surviving glamor of 19th century spa culture. Back in the day, Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) was the favored haunt of royals as well as the greatest thinkers, writers and composers of the time. Buy a porcelain drinking cup and sip the sulfurous waters said to help heal various ailments. Tour the Moser Glassworks, suppliers of fine glassware to British royalty since 1907, or ride the funicular up into the hills surrounding the town for breathtaking views and gentle hikes.

A stroll through Olomouc's stately, hushed main street. Photo by Mark Baker.
Olomouc's former town walls date from a time when it served as a Habsburg fortress. Today they look down on a pretty park. Photo by Mark Baker.
Immense Valtice chateau was once the ruling seat of the power Liechtenstein family. Photo by Mark Baker.
The jewel of southern Movavia. Mikulov's townscape at sunset. Photo by Mark Baker.

Kutná Hora: Best for Bone-Chilling Spectacle

Even if the medieval silver-mining mecca of Kutná Hora wasn’t home to Czechia’s eeriest attraction, it would still be worth the hour detour from Prague to take in the grand Gothic Cathedral of St Barbora, the Czech Silver Museum (which includes a visit down an ancient silver mine), and the Italian Court, home to the opulent Royal Mint. But toss in the chance to tour the Sedlec Ossuary, aka the “Bone Church,” and it’s a no-brainer. The work of local woodcarver František Rint, the bones of some 40,000 victims of plague and war have been creatively re-imagined as garlands of skulls and femurs. Pyramids of stacked bones squat in the corner chapels, and crosses and chalices of bone adorn the altar.

Olomouc: Best for Baroque Splendor

Olomouc is arguably Czechia’s prettiest large city outside of Prague, but attracts a fraction of the visitors. Moravia’s first capital exudes unexpected grandeur. Start your exploration on the expansive Upper Square to see the soaring 32m-high Holy Trinity Column – the largest baroque sculpture in Europe. The adjoining Lower Square is punctuated by a baroque Marian Column. Around these landmarks find six mythological baroque fountains.

The historic center is stuffed with beautiful Gothic and baroque churches. The sky-poking 100m-high St Wenceslas Cathedral boasts a crypt entombing Olomouc bishops. The 15th-century Church of St Maurice houses Central Europe's largest organ. The triple-domed 17th-century Church of St Michael glimmers with baroque. Olomouc was once a Habsburg fortress town. Trace the Theresian Walls in Bezruč Park, a ribbon of gardens along the fortress’s remnants.

Prague Castle on a sunny day as viewed from the Old Town. Photo by Mark Baker.
An always-crowded Charles Bridge in Prague. Photo by Mark Baker.
Brno's cityscape is dominated by the towers of the Cathedral of Sts Peter & Paul. Photo by Mark Baker.
Brno is a very likable 'second' city. Lots of the cafes and restaurants and a tenth of the tourists that go to Prague. Photo by Mark Baker.

Brno: Best for Cafes and Bars

Czechia’s second city, Brno, may lack the capital’s allure but makes up for it with authenticity and a youthful vibe. The result is a local bar and café scene that, well, feels buzzier than Prague’s. Bars like the secretive Super Panda Circus or centrally located Bar, Který Neexistuje (the “Bar that Doesn’t Exist”) set a trendy, speakeasy tone. Emerging coffee shops like Kimono and Kafe Friedrich keep the scene fresh.

Between pit stops, check out quirky underground attractions like the Labyrinth under the Vegetable Market or the Ossuary at the Church of St James. Pushing the envelope on ghoulish, the Capuchin Crypt below Capuchin Square shows off the mummified remains of 18th-century monks and benefactors.

Planning tip: Book ahead to tour the UNESCO-listed Villa Tugendhat, a modern masterwork from 1930 designed by German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as a residence for the Jewish industrialist family of Greta and Fritz Tugendhat.

Mikulov: Best for Wine and Pretty Vineyards

Surrounded by limestone hills and long strips of grapevines, this gorgeous town is synonymous in the local lexicon with wine. Stroll the main street, called simply “Náměstí” (“Square) to find little tasting nooks like Zahrádka U Zajíce and (Ne) Vinná Kavárna. Stretch your legs along the 82km-long Mikulov Wine Trail.

The town center is impossibly picturesque. Mikulov’s centerpiece chateau rises dramatically from a rocky outcrop. Mikulov was also once the most important center of Jewish life and culture in Moravia. Stroll along quiet Husova Street, the heart of the old Jewish Quarter.

Planning tip: Mikulov is withing easy reach of two UNESCO-protected noble estates. Mighty Lednice Chateau is more visually impressive, with showpiece interiors and gardens adorned with noble architectural flexes. Valtice Chateau was the Liechtenstein ruling seat, with its own sprawling gardens.

Did you like the story and want to add your own experiences? Or maybe help me to correct something I didn’t get right? Write me at bakermark@fastmail.fm.

Photo of Mark Baker
About the author

Mark Baker

I’m an independent journalist, travel writer and author who’s lived in Central Europe for nearly three decades. I love the history, literature, culture and mystery of this often-overlooked corner of Europe, and I make my living writing articles and guidebooks about the region. Much of what I write eventually finds its way into commercial print or digital outlets, but a lot of it does not.

And that’s my aim with this website: to find a space for stories and experiences that fall outside the publishing mainstream.

My Book: ‘Čas Proměn’

In 2021, I published “Čas Proměn” (“Time of Changes”), my first book of historical nonfiction. The book, written in Czech, is a collection of stories about Central and Eastern Europe in the 1980s and early ‘90s, including memories of the thrilling anti-communist revolutions of 1989. The idea for the book and many of the tales I tell there were directly inspired by this blog. Czech readers, find a link to purchase the book here. I hope you enjoy.

Tales of Travel & Adventure in Central Europe
Mark Baker