Czech Republic Travel Destinations
Jul 17th, 2006, 05:20 PM
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Czech Republic Travel Destinations
We are planning on renting a car from Prague and spending about 5 to 6 days driving through the countryside. Other than the "mandatory" trip to Cesky Krumlov, does anyone have suggestions on where to go. We like small villages and untouristy places.
Here are some places I have heard/read about: Telc, Tabor, Melnik, Slovanice, Liberec, Hruba Skala, Valdstejn, Frydlant, Lemberk, Ceske Budejovice, Trabon, Prachatice. Does anyone have any suggistions/opinions? Is Hutna Hora worth a visit?
Here are some places I have heard/read about: Telc, Tabor, Melnik, Slovanice, Liberec, Hruba Skala, Valdstejn, Frydlant, Lemberk, Ceske Budejovice, Trabon, Prachatice. Does anyone have any suggistions/opinions? Is Hutna Hora worth a visit?
Jul 17th, 2006, 08:09 PM
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This is based on really brief, almost buzz-through "visits"...
Telc - - stopped there, near the end of normal business hours, and though it's a fantastic "photo-op" (which is kind of the point of how the place ws built), it was rather dead. Plan for a lunch hour, maybe? probably not a lot more than that?
Ceske Budejovice - - again, more like we drove through it, en route to CK. I didn't see much that looked any different than any other working class town (not that there's anything wrong with that). Maybe there is touristic appeal somewhere - - that would require scratching below the surface, perhaps, which I didn't do.
From the pictures, Kutna Hora looks neat to me.
You didn't mention Olomouc - - looks good in pictures, and there are some favorable comments from others about it. Haven't actually been there myself. Logical as a stop on the way to Krakow, so it may or may not fit your itinerary.
Best wishes,
Rex
Telc - - stopped there, near the end of normal business hours, and though it's a fantastic "photo-op" (which is kind of the point of how the place ws built), it was rather dead. Plan for a lunch hour, maybe? probably not a lot more than that?
Ceske Budejovice - - again, more like we drove through it, en route to CK. I didn't see much that looked any different than any other working class town (not that there's anything wrong with that). Maybe there is touristic appeal somewhere - - that would require scratching below the surface, perhaps, which I didn't do.
From the pictures, Kutna Hora looks neat to me.
You didn't mention Olomouc - - looks good in pictures, and there are some favorable comments from others about it. Haven't actually been there myself. Logical as a stop on the way to Krakow, so it may or may not fit your itinerary.
Best wishes,
Rex
Jul 18th, 2006, 04:38 AM
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Just saw Kutna Hora this past weekend, and it was fascinating (in a truly bizarre way). A good day trip, I think.
I would second Rex's observations about Cesky Budejovice unless you are going to the Budvar brewery (which I think is there or near there).
A different sort of day trip might be to the "Czech Switzerland" area in the north, near the German/Polish border. The new Narnia movie was filmed there, and it is supposed to be spectacular. It would be a full day, as it is about 2 hours from Prague, plus hiking etc. You could also look at spending the night as there are inns there, etc.
Just an alternative to consider.
Have fun!--MP
I would second Rex's observations about Cesky Budejovice unless you are going to the Budvar brewery (which I think is there or near there).
A different sort of day trip might be to the "Czech Switzerland" area in the north, near the German/Polish border. The new Narnia movie was filmed there, and it is supposed to be spectacular. It would be a full day, as it is about 2 hours from Prague, plus hiking etc. You could also look at spending the night as there are inns there, etc.
Just an alternative to consider.
Have fun!--MP
Jul 18th, 2006, 04:41 AM
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also agree with IoC--terezin is a fascinating day trip, and one I enjoyed more than Kutna Hora, in fact.
For the record, I was not terribly impressed at all with Cesky Krumlov (but that could be because we were not there in the tourist season. Terezin is higher on the list than CK for me. Interesting and significant historically.
Where else are you going on your trip? Only Prague or other areas as well? (My reasoning, if you will have no other ops for medieval villages, then CK makes sense. If you will be seeing others, then maybe a bit of variety could be a good thing.
For the record, I was not terribly impressed at all with Cesky Krumlov (but that could be because we were not there in the tourist season. Terezin is higher on the list than CK for me. Interesting and significant historically.
Where else are you going on your trip? Only Prague or other areas as well? (My reasoning, if you will have no other ops for medieval villages, then CK makes sense. If you will be seeing others, then maybe a bit of variety could be a good thing.
Jul 18th, 2006, 05:39 AM
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Obviously this all boils down to personal tastes. We were in Cesky Krumlov in peak tourist season & really enjoyed it. In fact, we tried to extend our stay for a 3rd night, but our hotel was fully booked. Trebon was in a very interesting area. We rented bikes for the afternoon and biked through the forrests, carp ponds, tourist camps etc. It was very interesting to see how and where Czechs spend their vacation time.
Telc is a nice visit for a late afternoon and then an overnight. If you go to the bone church in Kutna Hora also be sure to seek out the nearby church that is completely unrestored; it is an interesting comparison in what it really takes to maintain and restore these gleaming churches we all so admire. We really liked Karlovy Vary a lot & would spend 2 nights there again easily.
Now here are the places that didn't really call to us. We drove all the way east to Lednice & Valtice (sp. ????) and wouldn't do it again. Too much driving through nothing to get to a destination that wasn't really all that great. I beg to differ on Terezinstadt. We were not particularly impressed even though it obviously has WWII historical significance. Perhaps our feeling were because we had already visited Auschwitz.
Telc is a nice visit for a late afternoon and then an overnight. If you go to the bone church in Kutna Hora also be sure to seek out the nearby church that is completely unrestored; it is an interesting comparison in what it really takes to maintain and restore these gleaming churches we all so admire. We really liked Karlovy Vary a lot & would spend 2 nights there again easily.
Now here are the places that didn't really call to us. We drove all the way east to Lednice & Valtice (sp. ????) and wouldn't do it again. Too much driving through nothing to get to a destination that wasn't really all that great. I beg to differ on Terezinstadt. We were not particularly impressed even though it obviously has WWII historical significance. Perhaps our feeling were because we had already visited Auschwitz.
Jul 18th, 2006, 08:46 AM
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If you are into history, stop in Stara Boleslav. There is the church where King Wenceslas was slain, and you can get a tour. You have to make advance reservations, but i can find out how, because I'll be there next week. It is near Brandys nad Labem, which has a beautiful chateau that you can tour. Good Italian restaurant right there, also, with English menus! (even though the place is NOT in a touristy area!)
Also, the bone ossuary near Kutna Hora is neat. Spend time there, because there are great little shops that are cheap, and it's a relaxed environment. Tours usually blow through there in a few hours, but you can wander through the streets! There was a post on here with the name of the inn near the bone church. Got high ratings.
Olomuc was rated very highly by a person I know, and there are lots of places to stay overnight there. I would look through a Czech guidebook & read up on towns, and then plan your route. Have fun!
Also, the bone ossuary near Kutna Hora is neat. Spend time there, because there are great little shops that are cheap, and it's a relaxed environment. Tours usually blow through there in a few hours, but you can wander through the streets! There was a post on here with the name of the inn near the bone church. Got high ratings.
Olomuc was rated very highly by a person I know, and there are lots of places to stay overnight there. I would look through a Czech guidebook & read up on towns, and then plan your route. Have fun!
Jul 18th, 2006, 08:53 AM
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We took a day trip to Kutna Hora from Prague this past winter. The bone church (ossuary) at Sedlec was the draw for my 20yo daughter. The guide took us around the town of Kutna Hora which is very old, has lots of importance in Czech history (it's where they minted the money), and has some lovely buildings and a very cool well in the center of town. The Cathedral of St. Barbara is an impressive Gothic structure. It was bitter cold and windy the day we went, but well worth the time.
Jul 18th, 2006, 08:59 AM
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We detoured through Cesky Budejovice on the way from Cesky Krumlov back to Austria and weren't that impressed. There is a main square with some lovely painted row houses and a fountain, but other than that we didn't find much that appealed to us. In retrospect we would have skipped it and spent more time in Cesky Krumlov.
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