The exotic can wait. This year, many of us will find our holiday dreams a little closer to home. And that's a good thing, because it means you can finally visit the places you've only ever rushed past. Just a few hours stand between you and pure enchantment. Off we go to the Czech Republic!
- No, we're not suggesting you spend a weekend in "magical Prague" (though, by the way, a trip to the capital is always a great idea).
- In the Czech Republic you'll find breathtaking views, fairytale castles, hiking trails of every difficulty, legendary spa towns, charming vineyards, and local breweries, all packed into an area four times smaller than Poland.
- So if you plan your trip well, you can easily explore this remarkably tourist-friendly country from end to end. Where to start? We have a few ideas.
You can carefully map out your trip to the land of a thousand castles (really!) or... just go wherever the road takes you. The Czech Republic is so "compact" that a single holiday is enough to visit several regions with ease. The only question is where to set up your first base.
Bohemian Paradise (in Every Sense of the Word)
Less than 200 km from Wroclaw lies the first Czech geopark, an area of exceptional geological importance. And although at first glance the name doesn't sound especially poetic, a single moment is all it takes to fall in love with the extraordinary landscapes of this region.
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Bohemian Paradise is a cluster of monumental sandstone rocks scattered around the town of Jicin, not far from Zelezny Brod. These strange formations peek out from behind the trees or tower over the surrounding countryside, and some of them reach heights of up to 60 metres, taking on shapes that leave plenty of room for the imagination (the Guide, the Lighthouse, and the Dragon's Tooth are just a few examples).
So if you're in the mood for a bit of rock climbing, go ahead and give it a try. And if you'd rather simply watch the "spider-people" in awe, head to the area around Hruba Skala, home to one of the most popular climbing spots.
Hruba Skala is also a monumental castle built on, you guessed it, a rocky hillside. It looks impressive and elegant, so it's worth stopping by for a coffee at the hotel restaurant. As you sit on the terrace, your eye will inevitably be drawn to some oddly shaped ruins. That's Trosky Castle, which, for a change of pace, didn't quite stand the test of time. Still, it's worth a visit, because in summer you'll often meet "professional" knights there, ready to share tales from the past, along with falconers putting on a show.
Bohemian Paradise is just one of the so-called "rock towns" you'll find in the Czech Republic. If you enjoy this kind of hiking, your next stops should be the Teplice and Adrspach rocks.
Bohemian Switzerland, home to one of the region's most beautiful national parks, also deserves to be called a natural "paradise." The hiking trails wind gently, dipping down to the level of the gorges and then climbing back up to the tops of the rocky hills. Perfect conditions for a leisurely walk.
Bohemian Switzerland will also appeal to film buffs. Its fairytale scenery served as a filming location for "The Chronicles of Narnia."
Mikulov and the Wine Treasures of South Moravia
If a stay in "paradise" doesn't quite tempt you, you might consider some more earthly pleasures. How about a glass of fine wine? The Czechs may not be world-famous for it, but the Moravians... that's a whole different story.
Joking aside, the Czechs are convinced that the people of South Moravia, one of the best-known winemaking regions in this part of Europe, are something special. How else would you describe wine lovers in a country where beer is the national drink?
But that doesn't mean there's any rivalry between them, quite the opposite. The Czechs take pride in their winemaking traditions and wholeheartedly support the tourism that grows around them. And there's plenty to admire, because the local cellars hold real treasures, such as ice wines and straw wines.
The former is pressed from grapes that have been frozen. To achieve the desired effect, the temperature must stay below seven degrees throughout the entire process. The greatest care goes into reaching the highest possible concentration of sugars, which is what gives ice wines their signature dessert flavour.
Straw wines are sweet too, and they take their name from the... drying process. The ripened grapes are dried on straw before being sent to the crushing press.
These and other wines can be sampled right at the vineyards, but it's well worth visiting the atmospheric pubs in the surrounding towns. And if you had to pick just one, let it be Mikulov, which seems almost "tangled up" in the vines of the nearby vineyards. With its baroque castle perched on a small rocky rise and its richly decorated town square, Mikulov fully lives up to the name "fairytale."
Pilsen, the Heart of Czech Brewing
We started with the wine routes because it's perhaps a less obvious and more intriguing path, but credit where credit is due: the Czechs know beer like no one else, and they can pass on their love for it to nearly every visitor.
It's estimated that the Czech Republic is home to around 300 breweries and microbreweries. Many of them offer not only occasional tastings but also regular tours. If you want to learn the history of beer, one of the best places to visit is Pilsen, the birthplace of pilsner beer, or pils for short.
The brewery is the heart of this little town, and the history of beer is firmly woven into its DNA. On the market square, you can pick a beer bar at random and be sure of the drink, as well as the snacks traditionally served alongside it, such as pickled sausages (utopenci) or marinated hermelin cheese.
Just stroll through the park's tree-lined avenues and you'll reach the gates of the brewing works. From there, you'll be taken on a tour in a horse-drawn carriage, the very kind that still delivers beer to the local restaurants.
Along the way, you'll meet the coopers, some of the last remaining in the Czech Republic, who still make sure the local pilsner is aged in top-quality barrels. Once inside the brewery, skilled guides will reveal the secrets of every stage of production. And of course, at the end of the tour, you'll be invited to a tasting.
The Bohemian-Moravian Borderland
Some love wine, some love beer, but the Czech Republic has something for music lovers too. The perfect place for that is the Bohemian-Moravian Borderland. This is where the legends of Czech classical music were born: Bedrich Smetana and Bohuslav Martinu.
The first was born in Litomysl, the second in Policka. The distance between them is about 20 km, which makes the perfect excuse for a walk.
The meeting point is on the square in Litomysl, considered one of the most beautiful in all of the Czech Republic. Judge for yourself whether that's true, but the fact that it's inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List is certainly a strong recommendation.
Besides enchanting music lovers (who will surely enjoy a visit to the house-museum of the Bohuslav Martinu family), Policka will also delight history enthusiasts. It's home to one of the most heavily fortified towns in Central Europe. A wall with nineteen towers, stretching 1,200 metres, encircles the entire historic centre of the town.
The Czech Spa Triangle
Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne, Frantiskovy Lazne, and Jachymov are the names of the Czech Republic's most famous spa towns. They rose to fame back in the 19th century, when they were known as the "salons of Europe," and Goethe, Chopin, Metternich, Twain, King Edward VII of England, and Peter the Great of Russia relaxed on the benches surrounding the colonnades with their thermometer towers and mineral-water fountains.
Today, the architecture is still dominated by an aristocratic style, but the atmosphere has become far more democratic. The spas are open to anyone who wants to breathe freely and escape the ever-present smog that shrouds the cities.
Czech spas are also famous for their healing waters. The minerals they contain have an exceptionally beneficial effect on the cardiovascular and muscular systems. Treatment can be paired with an active holiday: the surrounding area offers golf courses, horse studs, and a dense network of cycling routes (not to mention hiking ones).
