Bohemia
Archduke Franz Ferdinand d’Este, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is famous for being dead – it was his assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 that sparked…
Must-see attractions in Bohemia
Kutná Hora
When the Schwarzenbergs purchased Sedlec monastery (2.5km northeast of the town centre) in 1870 they allowed local woodcarver František Rint to get…
Český Krumlov
Český Krumlov's striking Renaissance castle, occupying a promontory high above the town, began life in the 13th century. It acquired its present…
Bohemia
Karlštejn Castle, 30km southwest of Prague, started life in 1348 as a hideaway for the crown jewels of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. After falling into…
Plzeň
Plzeň's most popular attraction is the tour of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, in operation since 1842 and arguably home to the world's best beer. Entry is…
Bohemia
Hluboká Chateau was built by Přemysl rulers in the 13th century and the building changed ownership several times until it landed in the hands of the…
Plzeň
Kids will have a ball at this high-tech, interactive science centre where they can play with infrared cameras, magnets and many other instructive and fun…
Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora’s greatest monument is the Gothic Cathedral of St Barbara. Rivalling Prague’s St Vitus in size and magnificence, its soaring nave culminates in…
Karlovy Vary
The Hot Spring Colonnade is in an incongruous concrete-and-glass functionalist structure built in 1975 and once dedicated to Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin…
Karlovy Vary
The most impressive piece of architecture in Karlovy Vary is the neo-Renaissance Mill Colonnade (built 1871–81), with five different springs, rooftop…
Bohemia
The village's impressive castle was built on the site of an earlier Romanesque fort, of which the only surviving bits are the tall square tower, and…
Kutná Hora
Originally part of the town’s fortifications, the Hrádek (Little Castle) was rebuilt in the 15th century as the residence of Jan Smíšek, administrator of…
Bohemia
The town's main museum is spread out over two buildings and explores the rise of Nazism and life in the Terezín ghetto. The main building once housed a…
Plzeň
This extraordinary 60-minute guided tour explores the passageways below the old city. The earliest were probably dug in the 14th century, perhaps for beer…
Bohemia
Terezín’s Lesser Fortress, which served as a prison and concentration camp, lies 700m east of the town centre. The best way to see it is to take a self…
Plzeň
Fans of early-modern architecture will want to tour this restored villa, designed by renowned architect Adolf Loos. In the 1920s and '30s Loos designed…
Bohemia
This small but fascinating exhibition in the town's former weighing office opened in 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death…
Bohemia
The cast-iron Colonnade, built in neo-baroque style in 1889, is the spa's visual centrepiece. Classical and brass-band concerts are performed here two or…
Český Krumlov
This excellent private gallery houses a small retrospective of the celebrated and controversial Viennese painter Egon Schiele (1890–1918). Schiele's…
Český Krumlov
Located within the castle complex, this small museum and adjoining tower is an ideal option if you don't have the time or energy for a full castle tour…
Český Krumlov
The centre of the Old Town is defined by náměstí Svornosti, with its 16th-century Town Hall and Marian Plague Column, dating from 1716. Several buildings…
Bohemia
The Singing Fountain sashays to coloured lights and recorded music – anything from Dvořák to Celine Dion – every two hours on the odd hour, with the last…
Karlovy Vary
This hilltop lookout tower affords fine views across Karlovy Vary and the surrounding forested hills, and is the starting point for waymarked hikes…
Bohemia
From the ground, the sheer scale of the maze of walls and moats that surrounds the town of Terezín is impossible to fathom. Take a peek at the aerial…
Kutná Hora
East of St James Church (kostel sv Jakuba; 1330) lies the Italian Court, the former Royal Mint – it gets its name from the master craftsmen from Florence…
Bohemia
Situated in Tábor's former late-Gothic Town Hall (Stará radnice), this museum traces the origins of the Hussite movement in the Czech lands. The…
Bohemia
This Renaissance chateau was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1739, and they opened it to the public in 1992. You can wander through the former living…
Bohemia
Třeboň's main attraction is its Renaissance chateau, which includes a museum displaying furniture and weapons. Today's chateau dates from 1611, the…
Bohemia
This is one of hundreds of fish ponds in the region that date back centuries to when this part of Bohemia first developed fish-raising and harvesting…
Bohemia
The Bechyně Gate, just next to the ruins of Kotnov Castle, is the last of the town's original Gothic portals to remain standing, and it still retains the…
Bohemia
The crypt of the Church of Sts Peter & Paul houses an ossuary, packed with the bones of around 15,000 people, dug up to make room for 16th-century plague…
Bohemia
At the Hussite Museum in the former Town Hall, you'll find the entrance to a fascinating 650m stretch of underground passageways, which you can visit by…
Kutná Hora
Barborská street runs along the front of the 17th-century former Jesuit College, with glorious views over the valley below, and is decorated with a row of…
Plzeň
Gigantic St Bartholomew Church looms over the surrounding facades from the centre of náměstí Republiky. The early years of the church are shrouded in…
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary's most important Catholic church and one of its grandest baroque buildings, this imposing, twin-steepled structure in the heart of the spa…
České Budějovice
The dominating, 72m Gothic-Renaissance Black Tower was built in 1553. Climb its 225 steps (yes, we counted them) for fine views. The tower's two bells ‒…
Church of the Virgin Mary & St Giles
Bohemia
This stately Gothic church and attached Augustine monastery complex date to the 14th century. Peek inside the church to see original late-Gothic artwork…
České Budějovice
The attractive arcaded buildings grouped around Samson's Fountain (Samsonova kašna; 1727) constitute the biggest town square in the country, 133m on each…
Plzeň
The Patton Memorial details the liberation of Plzeň in May 1945 by the American army, under General George S Patton. Especially poignant are the…
České Budějovice
One of the highlights of a trip to České Budějovice is a chance to see where original Budweiser beer was born. Brewery tours depart daily at 2pm (plus…
