Czechia – Czech Republic

Overview

The Czech Republic ( Czech : Česká republika ), or Czechia ( Česko ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe . It is not a large country but has a rich and eventful history, including incidents and people like Saint Wenceslas, Jan Hus, the Thirty-years War, Operation Anthropoid and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. Czechs, Germans, Slovaks, Italian stonemasons and stucco workers, French tradesmen, and deserters from Napoleon's army have lived and worked here, all influencing one another. For centuries they jointly cultivated their land, creating works that grace this small country with hundreds of ancient castles, monasteries and stately mansions, and entire towns that give the impression of being comprehensive artefacts. The Czech Republic contains a vast number of architectural treasures and has beautiful forests and mountains to match.

The Czech region was inhabited by Celtic tribes called the Boii for the first four centuries of the first millennium. The Celts gave way to post-Roman Germanic tribes. Later, Slavs arrived and, in the 9th century they founded the Great Moravian Empire, stretching from Germany to Ukraine. After the fall of Great Moravia the Bohemian Duchy (later Kingdom) was formed, creating a territorial unit almost identical to the modern Czech Republic. The rise of the Habsburgs led to the Czech lands becoming a part of the Holy Roman Empire , and later Austria-Hungary ; these brought a massive influx of German immigrants. The mineral springs of the West Bohemian Spa Triangle gave rise to "health tourism" and both Habsburg and non-Habsburg royals would cure their various ailments there.

Sights and landscapes

Iconic landmarks of the Czech landscape are castles. Often situated on top of the hill, from most of the castles is a beautiful view of countryside. Some of those castles are just ruins, but some castles are well-preserved with old interiors, furniture etc. Most picturesque and interesting are for example: Loket Castle, Karlštejn Castle, Kost Castle, Rabí Castle ruin, Český Šternberk Castle, Bezděz Castle, Křivoklát Castle, Bouzov Castle and Pernštejn Castle

Renaissance, baroque or neo-classical, possibly every Czech town has its own chateau. For example: Konopiště Chateau, Valtice Chateau, Lednice Chateau, Hluboká nad Vltavou Chateau, Kuks Chateau, Mikulov Chateau, Vranov nad Dyjí Chateau, Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou Chateau, Červená Lhota Chateau, Děčín Chateau and Orlík Chateau.

The Czech Republic is a land of many great cathedrals. Perhaps the most important one is the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. It has a great importance for the Czech nation as a coronation place of Bohemian kings and also the place of their last rest. It contains treasury for the most precious relics of the kingdom and remains of patron saint Wenceslaus.

Experiences

Football: The men’s national football team don’t have a fixed stadium but often plays at Fortuna Arena in Prague, home of Slavia Prague. The women’s team also rove, often playing in Uherské Hradiště.

16 men’s clubs play in First League, the top tier, best known being Slavia Prague, Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzeň. Another 16 play in Fotbalová národní liga (National Football League), the second tier.

Czech Republic has an excellent and sophisticated system of trail blazing; marked trails are about everywhere. Choose an area, buy a hiking map for the area (best brand is "Klub českých turistů", 1:50000 military-based maps covering the whole country, available in most large bookstores) and go. Marked trails can also be seen on Seznam online maps – tourist paths are marked green, red, blue or yellow.

Many places in the Czech Republic are great for swimming, and there are many designated public swimming areas (called koupaliště). A list of places suitable for swimming is available. However, in hot weather, the quality of the water in some places can fall below EU standard regulations.

Culture and food

Like in most other touristy European countries, the main tourist areas are full of tourist trap restaurants serving overpriced and mediocre food. Therefore, it is important that you find pubs and restaurants patronised by Czechs themselves; ask local friends for their recommendations if possible, or try looking at online review sites beforehand. English proficiency can be a hit or miss, and is usually poor to non-existent in more traditional establishments with older waitstaff, so bring along your Czech phrasebook just in case. Also note that service is usually brusque by American standards in pubs and restaurants that primarily serve a local clientele.

Planning your route

A cheap and excellent means of travelling between Prague and other major cities are the buses from FlixBus, RegioJet, Leo Express and Student Agency. These buses are usually a bit faster and cost less than the Czech trains (not considering discounts). On some routes (e.g. Prague to Brno) this is marginal, but on others such as Prague to Karlovy Vary or Liberec, there is no direct train connection so the buses are by far the best option. Usually, you do not have to book a seat but if you travel on Fridays or during holidays from or to Prague, it is recommended. You can reserve seats online at the Regiojet website . Apart from this operator there are many other bus companies that link Prague and other cities and towns, even remote villages, regularly. Most buses leave Prague from the central bus station at Florenc, but other major bus stations can be found at Na Knížecí (metro station Anděl), Černý Most, Zličín and Roztyly, all of which are located next to metro stations.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.