By now, just about every savvy traveler knows about the beauty and vitality of Prague. Yet fewer know that the rest of Czechia also enchants, and its capital is by no means the country’s only beautiful city.
Towns like Olomouc, Český Krumlov and Karlovy Vary showcase stunning historic architecture. Protected areas like the Czech Switzerland National Park offer unexpected natural beauty. And throughout the country, you’ll find offbeat attractions – like Kutná Hora’s bone church – that you won’t soon forget.
What’s more, it’s easy to get around Czechia to see it all. Roads are excellent, and a public transport network of trains and buses serves every corner of the country. The country is small enough that just about anywhere is within a few hour’s reach of Prague.
Here are some of the best places to consider including on any Czechia itinerary.
1. Prague
Best for medieval architecture
In the 14th century, Prague was a true megalopolis: the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and one of Europe’s largest cities. And you can still see what that city looked like today. Stroll around Old Town Square and gawk at the medieval Astronomical Clock, then 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 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.
2. Brno
Best for cafes and bars
Czechia’s second city, Brno brims with authenticity and a youthful vibe, evident in a local bar and cafe scene that 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 Cabbage Market or the Ossuary at the Church of St James. Pushing the envelope on ghoulish, the Capuchin Crypt below Capuchin Sq 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 a Jewish industrialist family.
3. Český Krumlov
Best for a fairy-tale setting
Wrapped lovingly around a tight bend in the Vltava River in the 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 lanes in the Old Town. Tour the castle, then 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, as in Prague, the crowds pack in from May to September. Try to visit out of season, and book hotels and restaurants in advance. We recommend snagging a table at Krčma v Šatlavské, an atmospheric medieval cellar with a mouthwatering menu of grilled meats.
4. Karlovy Vary
Best for historic 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. Today, you can buy a porcelain drinking cup and sip the sulfurous waters yourself: they’re 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.
5. Czech Switzerland National Park
Best for hiking and 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. While the main attraction is the Pravčická Gate, Europe’s largest natural stone arch, park 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. Not far from the national park, the Elbe Sandstone Rocks offer their own stone towers and dramatic views.
6. Olomouc
Best for baroque splendor
Olomouc is arguably Czechia’s prettiest large city (outside of Prague, of course), yet only 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 (105ft-high) Holy Trinity Column – the largest baroque sculpture in all of Europe. The adjoining Lower Square is punctuated by a baroque Marian Column. Around these landmarks stand six mythological baroque fountains.
The historic center is stuffed with beautiful Gothic and baroque churches. The sky-poking 100m-high (328ft-high) St Wenceslas Cathedral boasts a crypt entombing local bishops. The 15th-century Church of St Maurice houses Central Europe’s largest organ, while the triple-domed 17th-century Church of St Michael glimmers with baroque adornments. Olomouc was once a Habsburg fortress town, and today you can trace the Theresian Walls in Bezruč Park, a ribbon of gardens along the fortress’s remnants.
7. 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 trip from Prague to take in the grand Gothic Cathedral of St Barbara, 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. In the 19th century, local wood carver František Rint fashioned this installation from the bones of some 40,000 victims of plague and war, creatively re-purposing them as garlands of skulls and femurs. Pyramids of stacked bones squat in the corner chapels, while crosses and chalices of bone adorn the altar. The effect is both disturbing and strangely beautiful.
8. 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. Outside of town, you can stretch your legs along the 82km-long (51-mile-long) Mikulov Wine Trail.
The town center is impossibly picturesque, its centerpiece castle rising dramatically from a rocky outcrop. Mikulov was also once the most important center of Jewish life and culture in Moravia: channel this legacy with a stroll along quiet Husova St, the heart of the old Jewish Quarter.
Planning tip: Mikulov is within easy reach of two UNESCO-protected noble estates. Mighty Lednice Chateau is visually stunning, with showpiece interiors and gardens adorned with noble architectural flexes. Valtice Chateau was seat of the noble Liechtenstein family, with its own sprawling gardens.