Travel in the Czech Republic

Fabian Alexis Aranguren Campos

Living in Europe offers you several opportunities for travelling: Natural paradises, historic buildings, antique cities etc. Every country in this continent has its history, its heritage, so travelling around it is one of the greatest experience that even you cannot imagine. Our focus in this text is in one country located in Central Europe: the Czech Republic. If you look for it on the map, you will realize that it is small, however, it offers several opportunities if you are a travel lover. Normally when we talk or mention the Czech Republic, the first thing we get in mind is Prague, one of the most beautiful cities that I have visited in the whole of Europe. This is absolutely the masterpiece here, nevertheless, if you make a deeper research, you will discover plenty of amazing places to visit, such as natural parks, historical heritage castles or buildings, monuments etc. and the really good piece of news is you can reach all of them easily by public transportation (train, bus) in a good price actually. In the next paragraphs, I would like to share with you my experience travelling in the Czech Republic during my stay as a master student at the Brno University of Technology; I want to show you the places I visited and mention the places that I have not been yet but you should visit for sure!

Let’s start with the marvellous capital city of the Czech Republic. Prague has been considered as one of the most important and visited places not only in Central Europe but in the world. It is located on the banks of the Vltava river. In the city, you will be amazed by the impressive and classical architecture in all the streets. Prague Castle is in my opinion, the most impressive structure in the city. You can walk as well in the golden lane that is beside the castle and try to find the house number 22 where Franz Kafka – one of the famous Czech writers - wrote most of his stories. You should have a look as well to the Gardens below the castle and The Royal Garden. The castle is located near to Old Town square (Staroměstské náměstí), that is another amazing place to visit. There you will admire the famous Astronomic clock (Staroměstský orloj or Pražský orloj) and the monument of Jan Hus. You just have to let yourself be carried away by the charm of the cobbled streets and you will find other beautiful historical buildings as the library and the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, The Powder Tower (Prašná brána), Václavské náměstí, The National Museum, Rudolfinum, Kafka statue, the Charles bridge among others pleasant places.

But keep the mind as well that not only the city center of Prague is a touristic spot. Outside them you could find as well some enjoyable places where you can hang out with your friends and have a really good pic. In that case, I could recommend you visit the dancing house, Vyšehrad, Petřin, the Prague Zoo including the small castle over there with the gardens and Žižkov Television Tower.

Out of Prague, you will discover more amazing places to visit. One of those is Karlštejn, that is a gothic castle founded in 1348. It is located about 30 kilometres southwest of Prague above the village of the same name; it is one of the most famous and most frequently visited castles. In order to reach this place, you just need to take a train to the main station in Prague and the travel would take around 30 minutes.

Near this castle is worth to visit as well Velká Amerika or the Czech Grand Canyon, that is a partly flooded, abandoned limestone quarry near Mořina village. If you walked from Karlštejn to this Canyon, it would take around an hour and a half.

Another place you could find really interesting is Kutná Hora, located at an hour and a half from Prague. In this small town you can have a look to The Bones Church (Kostnice), the special Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and St. John the Baptist, the stunning church of St. Barbara, the royal route and the Jesuit College beside the St. Barbara Church and the plague column of the Virgin Mary Immaculate.

Near Kutná Hora, you could have a short trip to some small towns like Kolin and Poděbrady, this last one is a historical spa town in the Central Bohemian Region and it lies on the river Labe. There you could walk beside the river, visit the main square where you can find the castle and go for a walk in the manmade lake.

Between Prague and Brno, there is another pretty city: Pardubice. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the river Elbe. You can reach this city easily by train (one hour from Prague). You could find interesting visiting the city center to admire the historical buildings and the Pardubice castle and its garden. You should taste as well the gingerbread, that is really famous in this Czech city.

Another good option is Liberec, it is located in the Northern Bohemian region not far from the borders with Poland and Germany. In winter, this city is a prime snow sport destination and a fixture on the ski jumping circuit, while in summer the opportunities for outdoor adventure are almost endless (for instance you can try the Jizera Mountains). As well you can try walk in the City Centre, visit the iQLANDIA, the Liberec Botanical Garden and the Liberec Zoo.

Near Liberec is another amazing place: Bohemian paradise. Basically, it is a protected landscape area. One of the most recognizable elements of Bohemian Paradise is the sandstone rock which many of the surrounding towns are constructed of. There are many rocks which have been shaped by wind, water, frost, erosion, and humans into unique shapes. Over there you can spend the whole day walking in this natural destination. You could find as well some restaurants where you can taste the typical Czech food.

All options we have covered until now are located near to Prague (maximum one hour and a half travelling). Nevertheless, as I mentioned before, the Czech Republic is a small country so travelling inside is really easy; means of transportation are good (bus and train), they are good connections between the places and if you are student, you could receive a discount in the tickets in some companies. Even you can rent a car and discover all those astonishing places!

If you decide to go to the south of the country, you will reach two good cities to visit: České Budějovice a Český Krumlov. České Budějovice is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region, it is located in the center of a valley of the Vltava River, at the confluence with the Malše and it is famous for the brewery Budweiser. If you are interested in walking in the city I would recommend you to check Přemysl Otakar II Square, visit the České Budějovice Town Hall, climb up the Black Tower and see the Sights by the Riverfronts.

Near České Budějovice you will find, in my opinion, the most beautiful castle in the Czech Republic: Hluboká nad Vltavou (historic château).

In the castle you can pay and go inside to some important rooms with historical furniture, you can go to the top of the tower and see the beautiful see sight. To reach this place you need to go first to the main bus station in České Budějovice. The time you will spend to reach this castle is around 1 hour.

Český Krumlov is a town in the South Bohemian region. It has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1992. Over there I could recommend you walking in the Old town centre, exploring the Český Krumlov Castle, go for a stroll through the Castle Gardens and walk along the river.

Another important city that worth visiting is Olomouc, that is located on the Morava River, the city is the ecclesiastical metropolis and it was the historical capital city of Moravia, before having been sacked by the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War. You can enjoy visiting the city centre, where you could find the Holy Trinity Column. As well you could have a look to St. Wenceslas’ Cathedral, Olomouc town hall, the astronomical clock and the Arion fountain. You should taste as well the Olomouc cheese (olomoucký syrečky), really famous there!

Near Brno, we could find wonderful places to visit as well. I could mention for instance Valtice, that is a small town in Břeclav district in the South Moravian Region. If you really enjoy wine, you are now in the best place: Valtice is called the Moravian capital of wine, you could find the Wine Salon, several wine collections and wine restaurants. Another good spot to visit for sure is the Valtice Castle and walk in its Gardens.

Žďár nad Sázavou could be another possible option to visit. It is one hour and a half from Brno by train. It is a town in the Vysočina Region. The city is a prominent centre of tourism, as a cross country ski resort in winter and a popular destination for cycling and bathing in the summer. I could recommend you walk in the city centre, visit the castle near to the Green Hill, have a look to the church of St. John of Nepomuk in Zelena hora (Green Hill) consider by UNESCO as a heritage and walk in nature around this beautiful town.

The places showed before are those that I had the chance to visit. However, there are more interesting places to visit in the Czech Republic. I could mention for instance a trip to Lednice, that is near to Valtice. There you will find a lovely castle as well. If you are interested in hiking/mountains activities, I can say the best option for you would be the mountain Sněžka, located on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the most prominent point of the Silesian Ridge in the Krkonoše mountains and the highest point in the Czech Republic. If you prefer natural places, you can go and enjoy the Bohemian Switzerland, also known as Czech Switzerland. It is a picturesque region in the north-western Czech Republic. It lies on the Czech side of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains north of Děčín on both sides of the Elbe River. Its highest elevation is the mountain Děčínský Sněžník at 726 m above sea level. As well you could try The Adršpach-Teplice Rocks are an unusual set of sandstone formations in northeastern Bohemia; the Šumava national park, Machova forest and the Punkva Caves (Punkevní jeskyně), that are a cave system located north of the city of Brno, near the town Blansko. The Punkva River flows through it. Part of it is the Macocha Gorge, its sinkhole is about 138.7 meters deep and also the deepest of its kind in Central Europe.

Date: 16. July. 2020 Student ambassador: Fabian Alexis Aranguren Campos

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Published	2020-07-15 09:30
Link	https://www.vut.cz/en/study-options/degree-studies-en/ambassadors/blog/f100654/d200694