Czechia

Czechia offers a mix of major historic capitals, castle towns, spa towns, wine regions, monastery sites, and UNESCO-listed urban centers. Prague and Cesky Krumlov provide the foundation of the current Old Town Explorer Czechia coverage.

Our Prague and Cesky Krumlov pages introduce Czechia through two different historic bases: Prague for the country’s broadest architectural and cultural overview, and Cesky Krumlov for a compact South Bohemian old town organized around the Vltava River, castle complex, and preserved historic center.

Czechia food reflects Central European cooking traditions, with roasted meats, sauces, dumplings, soups, breads, pastries, open-faced sandwiches, freshwater fish, beer snacks, and regional cheeses appearing across the country. Prague is the best-known city base for classic Czech food, while South Bohemia and Moravia add regional products, carp, wine-country cooking, and smaller-town food traditions.

Our Czechia Food page is the best starting point for comparing traditional dishes, regional products, and the foods that appear across Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Moravia, South Bohemia, and other parts of Czechia.

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)

• Všestary Onions
• Bohemian Chamomile
• Czech Caraway Seeds
• Nošovice Pickled Cabbage
• Pohořelice Carp
• Žatec Hops
• Chelčice-Lhenice Fruits

• Goulash (Guláš)
• Svíčková
• Vepřo-knedlo-zelo
• Trdelník
• Chlebíčky
• Palačinky
• Bramboráky
• Kulajda
• Olomoucké tvarůžky
• Moravský vrabec

Czechia wine is centered mainly in Moravia, where most of the country’s vineyards produce crisp white wines, light reds, sparkling wines, and aromatic varieties suited to the cooler Central European climate. Smaller Bohemian wine areas add historic vineyards closer to Prague and the Elbe River.

Our Czechia Wine page is the best starting point for comparing the country’s wine regions, grape varieties, and the places where wine fits naturally into a Prague, Moravia, or broader Czechia itinerary.

• Moravia (96%)
• Bohemia

White Grapes

• Grüner Veltliner
• Müller-Thurgau
• Riesling

Red Grapes

• Pinot Noir
• Blaufränkisch

Czechia architecture connects medieval town centers, Gothic churches, Renaissance squares, Baroque palaces, Art Nouveau façades, Cubist buildings, modernist villas, industrial heritage, and UNESCO-listed cultural landscapes. Prague gives the broadest architectural overview, while Cesky Krumlov is especially strong for a preserved castle town and South Bohemian historic center.

Our Czechia Architecture page is the best starting point for comparing major styles, UNESCO sites, and the architectural layers that appear across Czechia’s cities, towns, castles, monasteries, and historic landscapes.

Czechia has several sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List that help explain the country’s architectural, urban, religious, industrial, and landscape history. The most relevant sites for Old Town Explorer readers include historic city centers, castles, religious complexes, spa towns, cultural landscapes, and modernist architecture.

• Historic Centre of Prague
• Historic Centre of Cesky Krumlov
• Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec
• Historic Centre of Telč
• Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora
• Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape
• Holašovice Historic Village
• Gardens and Castle at Kroměříž
• Litomyšl Castle
• Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc
• Tugendhat Villa in Brno
• Jewish Quarter and St Procopius' Basilica in Třebíč
• Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region
• The Great Spa Towns of Europe
• Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops

Together, these UNESCO sites show the range of Czechia’s heritage, from medieval towns and religious landmarks to spa culture, beer landscapes, modernist architecture, and cross-border mining history.

Czechia (also known as the Czech Republic) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders Germany to the west, Poland to the north, Slovakia to the east, and Austria to the south. Its central position has made it a historical crossroads of European trade and culture.

Czechia is often easiest to understand through its major historical and geographic regions: Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia.

Bohemia covers the western and central parts of Czechia and includes Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Karlovy Vary, Kutna Hora, Plzen, and many of the country’s best-known castles, spa towns, and historic centers.

Moravia covers the eastern part of Czechia and is especially important for wine, regional food, historic towns, folk traditions, and cities such as Brno, Olomouc, Znojmo, and Mikulov.

Czech Silesia occupies the country’s northeast and is connected to industrial heritage, borderland history, mountain landscapes, and the wider Silesian region shared with Poland.

Czechia is a year-round destination, but the best time to visit depends on whether your focus is historic towns, festivals, wine, Christmas markets, or lower-crowd sightseeing.

Spring is one of the best periods for walking historic centers, visiting castles, and exploring Prague and smaller towns before peak summer crowds arrive.

Summer brings the warmest weather and the busiest travel period, especially in Prague and Cesky Krumlov. It works well for longer daylight hours but usually comes with larger crowds.

Fall is excellent for wine travel, food-focused trips, and exploring historic towns with cooler weather and fewer visitors than summer.

Winter is best for Christmas markets, museums, cafés, beer halls, and lower-crowd city travel, though weather can be cold and daylight is limited.

Czechia is relatively easy to explore by train and bus, especially for travelers using Prague as a starting point.

Trains connect Prague with many major cities and regional destinations, including Brno, Olomouc, Plzen, Ceske Budejovice, and other useful bases.

For current rail routes, schedules, and tickets, check the official České dráhy site before planning train travel in Czechia.

Buses are often useful for destinations where trains are slower or less direct, including some smaller towns, castle areas, and regional routes.

A rental car can help with smaller villages, castles, wine regions, and countryside routes, but it is usually not needed for Prague itself.

Prague has one of Central Europe’s strongest local transit systems, with metro, tram, and bus connections that make it easy to explore without a car.