Budweiser Budvar Brewery

Bohemia

　　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 11am July and August, less frequently from November to March). The tour highlights modern production methods, with the reward being a glass...

Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II

Bohemia

　　The attractive arcaded buildings grouped around Samson's Fountain (Samsonova kašna; 1727) constitute the biggest town square in the country, 133m on each side. Among the architectural treats is the 1555 Renaissance town hall (Radnice), which received a baroque facelift in 1731. The figures on the balustrade – Justice, Wisdom, Courage...

Black Tower

Bohemia

　　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 ‒ the Marta (1723) and Budvar (1995; a gift from the brewery) ‒ are rung daily at noon. 　　Beside the tower is the Cathedral of...

Town Hall

Moravia

　　Olomouc's Town Hall dates from the 14th century and is home to one of the quirkier sights in town: an astronomical clock from the 1950s, with a face in socialist realist style. The clock was undergoing extensive renovation during the time of research, and the building and tower were closed...

Civil Defence Shelter

Moravia

　　Olomouc is all about centuries-old history, but this more recent relic of the Cold War is also worth exploring on a guided tour. The shelter was built between 1953 and 1956 and was designed to keep a lucky few protected from the ravages of a chemical or nuclear strike. Book...

Museum of Modern Art

Moravia

　　There's always something exciting happening at the region's most important art museum. Rotating exhibitions, scattered over two floors, draw from the museum's extensive holdings of some 185,000 works of art and highlight the best in architecture, graphics, photography and the visual arts. Entry is free on Sundays. 　　You can buy...

St Michael's Church

Moravia

　　This beautiful church on Žerotínovo náměstí dates from the 13th century, and was given the current baroque makeover from 1676 to 1703. The church is topped by an ageing green dome and a robust baroque interior with a rare painting of a pregnant Virgin Mary. Wrapped around the entire block...

St Wenceslas Cathedral

Moravia

　　This magnificent cathedral, the seat of the Olomouc Archbishop, was originally a Romanesque basilica that was first consecrated way back in 1131. It was rebuilt several times, before finally (in the 1880s) having the neo-Gothic makeover you see today. The cathedral hides some intriguing stories, including the 1306 murder of...

St Moritz Cathedral

Moravia

　　This vast Gothic cathedral is Olomouc's original parish church, built between 1412 and 1540. The western tower is a remnant of its 13th-century predecessor. The church was closed for reconstruction during the time of research and is not expected to reopen until 2021. ...

Holy Trinity Column

Moravia

　　The town's pride and joy is this 35m-high baroque sculpture that dominates Horní náměstí and is a popular meeting spot for local residents. The trinity column was built between 1716 and 1754 and is allegedly the biggest single baroque sculpture in Central Europe. In 2000 the column was added to...

Archdiocesan Museum

Moravia

　　The impressive holdings of the Archdiocesan Museum trace the history of Olomouc back 1000 years. The thoughtful layout, with helpful English signage, takes you through the original Romanesque foundations of Olomouc Castle, and highlights the cultural and artistic development of the city during the Gothic and baroque periods. Don't miss...

Brewery Museum

Plzeň

　　The Brewery Museum offers an insight into how beer was made (and drunk) in the days before Pilsner Urquell was founded. Highlights include a mock-up of a 19th-century pub, a huge wooden beer tankard from Siberia and a collection of beer mats. All have English captions and there's good printed...

DEPO2015

Plzeň

　　Housed in a former tram depot, this 'makerspace' is a creative hub that provides working space for tech start-ups, artists and craftspeople, and houses various exhibitions of art, design and ideas for alternative lifestyles. There's also a good cafe, and a street food festival that takes place two or three...

Patton Memorial Pilsen

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 handwritten memories of former American soldiers who have returned to Plzeň over the years, and the museum's response to the communist-era revisionist fabrications that claimed Soviet...

St Bartholomew Cathedral

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 mystery, but construction probably started at the end of the 13th century. The church boasts the tallest tower in Czechia, at 103m. At the time of...

Brummel House

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 several interiors in Plzeň, though this house, created for industrialist Jan Brummel and his family, is considered the best representation of his work locally. Guided tours...

Underground Plzeň

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 production or defence; the latest date from the 19th century. Of an estimated 11km that have been excavated, some 500m of the tunnels are open to...

Techmania Science Centre

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 exhibits. There's a 3D planetarium (included with admission fee) and a few full-sized historic trams and trains manufactured at the Škoda engineering works. Take the...

Pilsner Urquell Brewery

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 by guided tour only, with at least three tours daily in English (1pm, 2.45pm and 4.30pm). Highlights include a trip to the old cellars...

Regional Museum

Český Krumlov

　　This small museum features folk art from the Šumava region, archaeology, history, fine arts, furnishings and weapons. The highlight is a room-sized model of Český Krumlov c 1800. Just next to the museum is a small grassy area with an amazing view out over the castle. ...

Marionette Museum

Český Krumlov

　　This is the better of two museums in town dedicated to puppetry and marionettes. It's a branch of the National Marionette Theatre in Prague and is housed in the former Church of St Jošt. On display is a full range of Czech marionettes and puppets through the ages, including theatres...

Museum Fotoateliér Seidel

Český Krumlov

　　This photography museum presents a moving retrospective of the work of local photographers Josef Seidel and his son František. Especially poignant are the images recording early-20th-century life in nearby villages. In the high season you should be able to join an English-language tour; if not, let the pictures tell the...

Graphite Mine

Český Krumlov

　　Don a hard hat and ride a clanking electric wagon through 2km of underground workings in Czechia's last graphite mine, only recently abandoned. Tours are available in English and German or, for a lower admission fee (150Kč) in Czech with a text handout in your own language. The mine is...

Náměstí Svornosti

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 on the square feature valuable stucco and painted decorations: note the hotel at No 13 and the house at No 14. ...

Castle Museum & Tower

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. Through a series of rooms, the museum traces the castle's history from its origins to the present day. Climb the tower for...

Egon Schiele Art Centrum

Český Krumlov

　　This excellent private gallery houses a small retro­spective of the celebrated and controversial Viennese painter Egon Schiele (1890–1918). Schiele's mother, Marie Soukupová (1862–1935), was born here and Schiele himself lived in Krumlov in 1911. He raised the ire of the townsfolk by hiring young girls as nude models. The centre...

Český Krumlov State Castle

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 appearance in the 16th to 18th centuries under the stewardship of the noble Rožmberk and Schwarzenberg families. The interiors are accessible by guided tour only, though you can...

Technical Museum

Brno

　　Brno's Technical Museum highlights technical and industrial progress over the last two centuries and is worth a half-day of anyone's time. Don't miss the panoptikon on the first floor; this huge wooden stereoscope allows up to 20 viewers to look at 3D images from antique glass slides that are changed...

Cathedral of Sts Peter & Paul

Brno

　　This 14th-century cathedral atop Petrov Hill was originally built on the site of a pagan temple to Venus, and has been reconstructed many times since. The highly decorated 11m-high main altar with figures of Sts Peter and Paul was carved by Viennese sculptor Josef Leimer in 1891. You can climb...

Capuchin Monastery

Brno

　　One of the city's leading attractions is this ghoulish cellar crypt that holds the mummified remains of several city noblemen from the 18th century. Apparently, the dry, well-ventilated crypt has the natural ability to turn dead bodies into mummies. Up to 150 cadavers were deposited here prior to 1784, the...

Old Town Hall

Brno

　　No visit to Brno would be complete without a peek inside the city's medieval Old Town Hall, parts of which date back to the 13th century. The tourist office is here, plus oddities including a crocodile hanging from the ceiling (known affectionately as the Brno 'dragon') and a wooden wagon...

Church of St James

Brno

　　This austere 15th-century church contains a baroque pulpit with reliefs of Christ dating from 1525. But the biggest draw is a small stone figure known as the 'Nehaňba' (The Shameless): above the 1st-floor window on the southern side of the clock tower at the church's western end is the figure...

Špilberk Castle

Brno

　　Brno's spooky hilltop castle is considered the city's most important landmark. Its history stretches back to the 13th century, when it was home to Moravian margraves and later a fortress. Under the Habsburgs in the 18th and 19th centuries, it served as a prison. Today it's home to the Brno...

Labyrinth under the Cabbage Market

Brno

　　In recent years, the city has opened several sections of extensive underground tunnels to the general public. This tour takes around 60 minutes to explore several cellars situated 6m to 8m below the Cabbage Market, which has served as a food market for centuries. The cellars were built for several...

Vila Tugendhat

Brno

　　Brno had a reputation in the 1920s as a centre for modern architecture in the Bauhaus style. Arguably the finest example is this family villa, designed by modern master Mies van der Rohe for Greta and Fritz Tugendhat in 1930. The house was the inspiration for British author Simon Mawer...

Diana Funicular Railway

Karlovy Vary

　　Just beside (to the north of) the Grandhotel Pupp, a narrow alley leads to the bottom station of the Diana Funicular Railway, which climbs 166m to great views from the Diana Lookout Tower. Departures are every 15 minutes. It's a pleasant walk back down through the forest. ...

Moser Glass Museum

Karlovy Vary

　　The Moser Glass Museum on the western edge of town has more than 2000 items on display. Tours in English of the adjacent glassworks are also available. There is a shop here, but the prices aren't anything special, and there's another shop in town. To get here catch bus 1...

Market Colonnade

Karlovy Vary

　　The only one of the town's colonnades to be crafted from wood, this beautiful neoclassical structure dates from the 1880s and was the work of the fabled Viennese architectural firm of Fellner & Helmer. The bronze panel above the Charles IV Spring (pramen Karla IV) depicts the discovery of the...

Park Colonnade

Karlovy Vary

　　Also known as the Garden Colonnade, this elegant wrought-iron structure dates from 1880 and is the first of the main colonnades that you reach as you enter the spa zone from the north. It was designed by the Viennese architectural firm of Fellner & Helmer, the same company that designed...

Church of Mary Magdalene

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 dates from the 1730s and is the work of baroque master Kilian Dientzenhofer, the architect of St Nicholas Church in Prague's Malá Strana. The crypt contains an...

Diana Lookout Tower

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 through the woods. ...

Mill Colonnade

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 statues depicting the months of the year, and a little bandstand. The Petra Restaurant, opposite, is the spot (but not the original building) where Peter the Great allegedly stayed...

Hot Spring Colonnade

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. It houses the most impressive of the town's geysers, Pramen Vřídlo, which spurts some 12m into the air; people lounge about inhaling the vapours or sampling the waters...

Wallenstein Garden

Prague

　　This huge, free, baroque garden is an oasis of peace amid the bustle of Malá Strana's streets. Created for Duke Albrecht of Wallenstein in the 17th century, its finest feature is the huge loggia decorated with scenes from the Trojan Wars, flanked on one side by an enormous fake stalactite...

Church of Our Lady Before Týn

Prague

　　Its distinctive twin Gothic spires make the Týn Church an unmistakable Old Town landmark. Like something out of a 15th-century – and probably slightly cruel – fairy tale, they loom over Old Town Square, decorated with a golden image of the Virgin Mary made in the 1620s from the melted-down...