Prague and beyond: 8 amazing places to visit in Czechia

By now, just about every savvy traveler knows about the beauty and vitality ofPrague. Yet fewer know that the rest of Czechiaalso 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 aroundOld Town Square and gawk at the medievalAstronomical Clock,then cross the GothicCharles Bridgebefore climbing up toPrague Castle, by some accounts the world’s largest castle complex. Explore thePrague Jewish Museum and tour beautifully manicured baroque gardens, like the one atWallenstein 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 likeLokál, or traditional Czech duck or schnitzel at restaurants likeHostinec na Výtoni orVýčep.

2. Brno

Best for cafes and bars

Czechia’s second city,Brnobrims with authenticity and a youthful vibe, evident in a local bar and cafe scene that feels buzzier than Prague’s. Bars like the secretiveSuper Panda Circus or centrally locatedBar, Který Neexistuje (the “Bar that Doesn’t Exist”) set a trendy, speakeasy tone. Emerging coffee shops likeKimono andKafe Friedrich keep the scene fresh.

Between pit stops, check out quirky underground attractions like theLabyrinth under the Cabbage Market or theOssuaryat the Church of St James. Pushing the envelope on ghoulish, theCapuchin Crypt below Capuchin Sq shows off the mummified remains of 18th-century monks and benefactors.

Planning tip: Book ahead to tour the UNESCO-listedVilla 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 hugeRenaissance 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 theEgon 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 atKrčma 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 theMoser 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 theCzech 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 theSaxon 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, theElbe Sandstone Rocks offer their own stone towers and dramatic views.

6. Olomouc

Best for baroque splendor

Olomoucis arguably Czechia’s prettiest large city (outside of Prague, of course), yet only attracts a fraction of the visitors.Moravia’sfirst 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 baroqueMarian 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 Cathedralboasts a crypt entombing local bishops. The 15th-centuryChurch of St Mauricehouses Central Europe’s largest organ, while the triple-domed 17th-centuryChurch of St Michaelglimmers with baroque adornments. Olomouc was once a Habsburg fortress town, and today you can trace the Theresian Walls inBezruč 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 ofKutná Hora wasn’t home to Czechia’s eeriest attraction, it would still be worth the trip from Prague to take in the grand GothicCathedral of St Barbara, theCzech Silver Museum (which includes a visit down an ancient silver mine), and theItalian Court, home to the opulent Royal Mint. But toss in the chance to tour theSedlec 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 likeZahrádka 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 centerpiececastlerising 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. MightyLednice 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.