Czech Republic

INTRODUCTION

The Czech Republic is still all things to all people. From the pulsing capital Prague to the back-in-time villages of Moravia , from toiling up mountains to lounging in spas, from the world-famous Pilsner to the strains of Smetana and Dvorak , there’s an experience to suit every taste.

Stunning architecture is not limited to Prague – there are plenty of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque facades in other towns. Among the richest are Kutna Hora in Central Bohemia ; Cheb , Loket and Domazlice in western Bohemia ; Olomouc in northern Moravia; and Tela and Kromeriz in southern Moravia .

Cyclists will appreciate the undulating Bohemian plateau, drained by the Vltava , the republic’s longest river, and its parent river, the Labe , and dotted with castles and modest villages. A natural pathway through Moravia is the ‘ Moravian Gate ‘, the linked valleys of the Morava , Beava and Odra rivers, the only lowland corridor across the Czech Republic . Though this is the most densely populated part of the republic, the hills to both sides offer some of its most peaceful travelling .

Language: Czech

Religion: 40% Roman Catholic, 10% Protestant

Time Zone: 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+1 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed from the last Sunday of March to the last Saturday of October.

Voltage Requirements: 220 volts.

Telephone Codes: 42, country code; 2, city code for Prague .

Money & Costs

Currency: Czech Koruna

Meals

Budget: Kc60-150
Mid-range: Kc150-300
High: Kc300+

Lodging

Budget: Kc300-450
Mid-range: Kc450-2400
High: Kc2400+

CLIMATE

The weather is best May-September, when days are warm and the nights are cool (take a sweater). Spring is preferable to summer for avoiding crowds, but summer is preferable to spring for avoiding rain (take along an umbrella). October, usually a little chilly and wet, is an excellent time to go if you’re primarily interested in museums, inside activities or just driving around. Winters are very cold, damp, snowy, often foggy and (because of the country’s reliance on coal for heat) polluted.

ACTIVITIES

The Czech Republic ‘s rolling hills and low mountains are perfect for hearty hiking. Cavers and climbers have a profusion of sites to choose from, although they and river-boaters may be shocked at some areas that have been devestated by pollution. Skiing is popular in the Czech Republic , but hired gear is generally of poor quality, so it’s best to bring your own equipment.

Attractions

Prague

Maticka Praha – ‘little mother Prague ‘ – was largely undamaged by WWII, and the cityscape is stunning. Its compact medieval centre remains an evocative maze of cobbled lanes, ancient courtyards, dark passages and churches beyond number, all watched over by an 1100-year-old castle.

Sightseeing in Prague means wandering through an invigorating diversity of neighbourhoods and pounding the cobblestones between old fortifications, historically resplendent squares and streets, majestic church-fronts, green open-air cuttings, and countless museum and gallery ticket booths.

Karlovy Vary

World famous for its regenerative waters, Karlovy Vary is the oldest of the Bohemian spas. In spite of its purging qualities, it still manages a definite Victorian air. The elegant colonnades and boulevards complement the many peaceful walks in the surrounding parks, and the picturesque river valley winds between wooded hills.

Krivoklat

Krivoklat is a drowsy village beside the Rakovnicky potok , a tributary of the Berounka River . Half the pleasure of going to Krivoklat is getting there – by train up the wooded Berounka valley, dotted with bungalows and hemmed in by limestone bluffs. Krivoklat Castle was built in the late 13th century as a royal hunting lodge, and contains an exemplary late-Gothic chapel, impressive halls and the requisite prison and torture chambers. There’s no hunting in Krivoklat anymore, as much of the upper Berounka basin, one of Bohemia ‘s most pristine forests, is now the Krivoklat Protected Landscape Region and a UNESCO ‘biosphere preservation’ area.

If you’ve got the gear and an extra day or two, consider a hearty walk along the 18km trail up the Berounka valley to Skryje . Along the way you’ll pass the Nezabudice Cliffs (part of a nature reserve), the village of Nezabudice and Tyrov , a 13th-century French-style castle used for a time as a prison and abandoned in the 16th century. The summer resort of Skryje has some old thatched houses. You can also walk down the other side of the valley for a closer look at Tyrov .

Moravian Karst

If it’s picture-postcard views you’re after, the Moravian Karst is a beautiful heavily-wooded hilly area north of Brno , carved with canyons and honeycombed with some 400 caves, created by the underground Punkva River . Traces of prehistoric humans have been found in the caves.

Moravske Slovacko Region

This region is one of central Europe ‘s richest repositories of traditional folk culture and one of the most delightful places to stay in the republic. The region’s special flavour arises not only from a mild climate but also from the character and temperament of the people – friendly, easy-going and full of life.

Dining

While Czech food once consisted of many variations of gravy, meat and dumplings, an increasing number of restaurants, especially in Prague, serve not only imaginative variations of local dishes but also foreign delicacies, especially Italian and Asian dishes. These cuisines are now represented on the menus of many “Czech” restaurants, and virtually every town, large or small, offers a pizzeria or Chinese bistro. Roast pork, sauerkraut and dumplings is the traditional national meal – it’s served almost everywhere, in more or less elaborate versions. Other favorites are potatoes, beef and goose.

Sample dishes from both Moravian and Bohemian restaurants – there’s a difference. We did enjoy Prazska sunka ( Prague ham, best served with cream and horseradish), gulas (the Czech version of goulash) and palacinky (dessert crepes filled with chocolate, jam or ice cream). Don’t be shy about trying the street food – the sausages with mustard on rye bread served from tiny windows along the sidewalk make a greasy-but-good lunch, as does smazeny syr (fried cheese). For a quick meal, a plate of cheese and salami with rye bread is available at many beer and wine bars. A standard Czech fast-food item is langos (fried dough brushed with garlic sauce or topped with ketchup).

One good thing about eating Czech food is that you can wash it down with Czech beer (the locally brewed Pilsner Urquell and Budvar are among the best beers in Europe ). Beer plays a major role in Czech social life, so the beer halls are good places to take in some local color (although single women may feel uncomfortable in them). As well as the beer bars (called hospoda or pivnice ), there are also vinarnas (wine bars). The better Czech wines come from Moravia . Because of its location farther north than many wine-growing regions, Czech whites such as Muller- Thurgau tend to outshine the reds. Frankovka is the restaurant-standard red and quite average, though some of the region’s Modry Portugals are brilliant.

The national spirit, Becherovka , is an herbal liqueur that makes for a great before- or after-dinner liqueur. While the healing atmosphere of Karlovy Vary , where it is distilled, seems the most appropriate place to sip it, it is available at restaurants and bars across the country. Strong Slivovice (plum brandy) is also served frequently. Many village Moravians will proudly offer you a taste of their home blend, which is usually much smoother than the store-bought variety

Shopping

Shop for Bohemian hand-cut crystal, garnets, antiques, jewelry , handmade tablecloths and puppets, peasant frocks, hand-knit shawls, wooden toys, embroidered clothing, hand-painted eggs, caviar, fur hats, classical music (CDs and records), ceramics and china. Be on the lookout for sidewalk vendors – they often have interesting collections of small antiques for sale.

Today, Western-style department stores, boutiques and shops containing quality, name-brand products have become the norm and are taken for granted by locals. It is not uncommon nowadays for Czechs to visit the local ” hypermart ,” usually on the outskirts of town, and load up the car with purchases.

That said, the Czech people did not emerge from a past marked by limited goods and services with a customer-oriented mentality. Though the service-with-a-scowl approach has yielded to a more Western approach to retail, don’t expect shop assistants to bend over backward to help you.

Especially in small towns, visitors often find it strange that in many smaller shops, such as potraviny (small supermarkets) and drug stores, customers tell the shop assistant their order and remain at the cash register while the assistant fetches it from the shelves. The practice of counter service dates back to Austro-Hungarian times. That said, larger samoobsluha (self-service shops) now predominate, though many of these older shops still require customers to take a shopping basket before being admitted.

Shopping Hours: Generally Monday-Friday 8 am-5 pm or 6 pm , Saturday 9 am-noon. Expect shops in the center of most larger towns to be open much later and on Sunday. Some hypermarts are now open 24 hours a day.

Banking Hours: Generally Monday-Friday 8 am-5 pm .

Travel Tips

More and more Czechs speak English, especially among younger people. In Prague , many speak it well. That said, don’t expect everyone to speak English. Those who deal with visitors regularly know enough to be helpful. The older generation will most likely speak only German or Russian as a second language. Nonetheless, most people will go out of their way to bridge the language gap.

Do learn a few words in Czech, such as prosim (pronounced PROH-seem ), “please”; dekuju (pronounced DAY- koo-yoo ), “thank you”; and prominte (pronounced PROH-min- tay ), “excuse me.”