A country where the castle on the hill is the rule rather than the exception, and the beer beneath it is better than it has any right to be.
Czechia packs an improbable amount into a country you can cross in an afternoon: a capital of spires and cobbles that came through the twentieth century almost unbombed, a ring of spa towns and hilltop castles within an hour of it, and a whole second half — Moravia — of vineyards, caves and baroque squares that most visitors never reach. It is a country of beer halls rather than bars, of walkable historic centres rather than sprawl, and of prices that still reward staying an extra night. Start in Prague, but do not stop there.
The sweet spot. Orchards and palace gardens come into blossom, the beer gardens above Prague reopen, and the big sights are busy without being overwhelming. Early spring stays raw and grey, but by May the terraces are full and the countryside is at its greenest.
Summer
Jun–Aug
Long, warm days and the fullest calendar — open-air concerts, castle courtyards in use, and the Vltava riverbanks turned into an evening promenade. It is also peak season in Prague and Český Krumlov, so start early, and expect afternoon thunderstorms to roll through the Bohemian hills.
Fall
Sep–Nov
Arguably the best month is September: warm enough for terraces, thin enough for the castles. The Moravian vineyards come into harvest and the wine villages hold their burčák festivals, while the wooded sandstone country in the north turns gold. November is damp and dark.
Winter
Dec–Feb
Cold, often below freezing, and short on daylight — but the historic centres take it well, with Christmas markets on the main squares through Advent and a genuine skiing and cross-country season in the Krkonoše and Beskydy mountains. Castles outside the cities frequently close or cut to weekend-only opening.
Regions of Czechia
Prague & Central Bohemia
The capital and the ring of day trips around it — a castle complex and a statue-lined bridge at the centre, with Karlštejn's Gothic keep, the silver-mining town of Kutná Hora and its bone chapel, and Konopiště's armouries all within about an hour by road or rail.
South Bohemia
Fishpond country, laid out in the Middle Ages and still worked today. Český Krumlov coils around a bend of the Vltava beneath its castle, Třeboň and Telč hold arcaded Renaissance squares, and České Budějovice gave its name to the original Budweiser beer.
West Bohemia & the spa triangle
The grand colonnaded spa towns — Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně — where you drink the water from a spouted cup rather than bathe in it. Plzeň anchors the region and is where pale lager was invented in 1842.
North Bohemia & Bohemian Switzerland
Sandstone country along the German border, eroded into towers, gorges and the Pravčická brána, the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe. Walking territory rather than sightseeing, reached easily from Děčín.
Brno & South Moravia
The country's second city and the sunnier, wine-growing half of it. Brno's functionalist Villa Tugendhat sits above a lively student centre, with the caves and abysses of the Moravian Karst to the north and the Lednice–Valtice chateaux and vineyards to the south.
North Moravia & Silesia
Olomouc carries one of the great baroque squares of Central Europe and a student population to fill it, while post-industrial Ostrava has turned its ironworks into a cultural quarter. The Beskydy and Jeseníky ranges beyond are hiking and skiing country.
Getting around
Czechia is small and its railways are good, so a car is optional for a first trip. Fast trains link Prague with Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Olomouc, and competing operators on the Prague–Ostrava line keep fares low; regional trains and long-distance coaches reach almost every town worth visiting, including Český Krumlov and Karlovy Vary. Within the cities you will not need a car at all — Prague, Brno and Olomouc all run dense tram networks, and their historic cores are compact enough to walk end to end. Where a car does earn its keep is the scattered stuff: the castles of Central Bohemia, the wine villages and chateaux of South Moravia, the trailheads in Bohemian Switzerland and the Moravian Karst. Roads are well surfaced, driving is on the right, and a motorway toll sticker is required.
The highlights Czechia's signature sights & road trips
Český Krumlov A UNESCO-listed old town looped by the Vltava beneath an enormous castle with a rare surviving baroque theatre and a tower of painted stonework.
Kutná Hora & the Sedlec Ossuary A medieval silver town with a soaring Gothic cathedral to St Barbara, and a chapel outside it decorated entirely with human bone.
Karlovy Vary & the spa triangle Colonnades, hot mineral springs and pastel 19th-century facades in a steep river valley — the grandest of the Bohemian spa towns.
Suggested routes
The classic Bohemia loop
~1 week
The standard first trip, and an easy one: a capital, a spa town, the birthplace of pilsner and a riverbend medieval town, all on good roads or direct trains. Works in either direction.
Prague — three days minimum for the castle, the Old Town and Josefov
Karlovy Vary — colonnades and spring water, about two hours west
Plzeň — the original pilsner brewery and its cellars
Český Krumlov — two nights; stay after the day-trippers leave
České Budějovice — an arcaded square and the other great brewing town
Prague and the castles
~a long weekend
No car needed and no night spent outside the capital — three of Central Bohemia's set pieces are close enough to reach and return in a day by train or bus.
Karlštejn — Charles IV's hilltop keep, under an hour by train
Kutná Hora — St Barbara's cathedral and the Sedlec Ossuary
Konopiště — a chateau of hunting trophies and armouries
Moravia: caves, wine and baroque
~4–6 days
The half of the country most visitors skip. Warmer, greener and cheaper than Bohemia, with the best wine and one of Europe's finest baroque squares at the end of it.
Brno — functionalist architecture and a student-fuelled centre
Moravian Karst — the Punkva Caves and the Macocha Abyss, north of the city
Lednice–Valtice — a UNESCO landscape of chateaux, follies and vineyards
Olomouc — the Holy Trinity Column and a square to rival Prague's
Czechia travel FAQ
When is the best time to visit Czechia?
Late spring and September are the sweet spots — warm enough for beer gardens and terraces, but without the July and August crush in Prague and Český Krumlov. Summer brings the fullest calendar of open-air events, December brings Christmas markets on the historic squares, and the mountains deliver a real skiing season through winter.
How many days do you need in Czechia?
Three days covers Prague properly. Five to seven lets you add a spa town, a castle or two and Český Krumlov, which is the classic first trip. Ten days or more is what it takes to reach Moravia as well — Brno, the karst caves and Olomouc — and that is the half of the country most people never see.
Do you need a car in Czechia?
Not for a first visit. Fast trains connect Prague with Brno, Plzeň, Olomouc and Ostrava, buses reach Český Krumlov and Karlovy Vary directly, and the cities all run dense tram networks. A car mainly helps for scattered rural sights — the Central Bohemian castles, South Moravian wine villages and the sandstone trailheads in the north.
What is Czechia best known for?
Prague above all — its castle, Charles Bridge and astronomical clock. Beyond that: beer, since pale lager was invented in Plzeň and Czechs drink more of it per head than anyone; castles and chateaux, of which the country has hundreds; and the colonnaded spa towns of western Bohemia.
Do people speak English in Czechia?
Widely in Prague and the main tourist towns, and among younger Czechs generally — hotels, restaurants and ticket offices will not be a problem. In smaller towns and rural Moravia it thins out, and German is often the more useful second language near the borders. A few Czech greetings go a long way.
Does Czechia use the euro?
No. Czechia has been in the European Union since 2004 but has kept its own currency, the Czech koruna (CZK, written Kč), and has not adopted the euro. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, and you should be wary of places quoting prices in euros or offering to convert at the till, which rarely favours you.
What should you eat in Czechia?
Hearty, slow-cooked and built around dumplings. Look for svíčková, beef in a cream-and-root-vegetable sauce with bread dumplings; guláš with the same; and roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut. Open-faced chlebíčky make a good quick lunch, and the beer — served properly, with a thick head — is treated as part of the meal rather than a drink alongside it.
What kind of trip is Czechia best for?
City breaks, architecture, walking and road trips.
We use cookies to analyse site traffic and improve your experience.
You can accept or reject analytics cookies. See our Cookie Policy.
