Czech Republic

Holidays by Destination Europe Czech Republic Beyond Prague 

Prague sees around 90% of all tourists to the Czech Republic but if you have time it is a nice idea to venture further afield. Bohemia for example offers a traditional provincial feel, with towns and villages below castles, little changed from their medieval selves.

Day trip options include Melnik, a medieval town in wine-growing Bohemia where the castle has been restored and houses an extensive art collection. There are also spa towns. Karlovy Vary for example is 80 miles west of Prague.

Further afield are Pilzen and Ceske Budejovice, known for their beers, the second a grid-plan medieval city. Kutna Hora was a medieval silver mining town, known as being home to one of the country's finest gothic cathedrals. However, Cesky Krumlov is probably the most attractive of the medieval towns in a country notable for them.

Outside the towns Bohemia offers rolling countryside and a slower pace of life, for example in pine covered mountains. Some of the specialist operators can offer for example cottage accommodation as a base for exploring.