5 Best Sights in Ceske Budejovice, Southern Bohemia

Tours of the brewery start at the modern glass-enclosed visitor center. On the 60-minute route, you'll see the wells that source the water, the brewhouse, and other parts of the process up to the bottling plant. A beer tasting is included at the end of the tour. Advanced booking (online) is required for tours outside the normal times.

To get a good view over the city, climb the 225 steps up to the Renaissance gallery of the Black Tower at the northeast corner of the square next to St. Nicholas's Cathedral. Don't look for a black tower; it's actually white but got the nickname after a fire left some charred marks.

Peppered with small country homes and farmsteads, this traditional Czech village is so well preserved it's been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hardly touched by reconstruction or modern meddling, some of the houses date back to the town's founding in the 13th century. Don't expect grand châteaux or extensive decoration; this is "rural baroque" but every bit as picturesque with custard-yellow façades. The information center at No. 43 has a small exhibit about rural life. Budget about an hour for a visit or longer if you'd like to enjoy traditional fare at Špejchar u Vojty ( Holašovice 3  777–621–221). Every July a "peasant" festival, Selské slavnosti, is held with traditional crafts and entertainment.

You can't miss the imposing neo-Renaissance building of the Museum of Southern Bohemia. It was originally founded in 1877 in a small building next to the town hall, but generous donors flooded the facility with so many artifacts that the space had to be expanded. The major exhibits include theme collections portraying the history of the town and the region through an extensive variety of artifacts including metalwork, ceramics, glass, and furniture. A fascinating large-scale model shows the Old Town and its picturesque medieval walls and towers. A regular series of temporary exhibits also runs alongside the permanent ones.

A source of pride for České Budějovice, Koněspřežka is the oldest railway station on the continent. Designed to transport salt to Bohemia from Linz in Austria, a horse-drawn railway was built between 1825 and 1832. One of the first major industrial developments in Europe, it reduced the journey between Linz and České Budějovice from two weeks to four days. Public transport was introduced soon afterward. The station is now a part of the city museum and houses an exhibit dedicated to the horse-drawn railroad. You can also pick up a brochure from the tourist office that details other buildings throughout town that played a role in the transport.