209 Best Sights in Czech Republic

The city's Art Nouveau showpiece still fills the role it had when it was completed in 1911 as a center for concerts, rotating art exhibits, and café society. The mature Art Nouveau style echoes the lengths the Czech middle class went to at the turn of the 20th century to imitate Paris. Much of the interior bears the work of Alfons Mucha, Max Švabinský, and other leading Czech artists. Mucha decorated the Hall of the Lord Mayor upstairs with impressive, magical frescoes depicting Czech history; unfortunately, these are visible only as part of a guided tour. The beautiful Smetanova síň (Smetana Hall), which hosts concerts by the Prague Symphony Orchestra as well as international players, is on the second floor. The ground-floor restaurants are overcrowded with tourists but still impressive, with glimmering chandeliers and exquisite woodwork. There's also a beer hall in the cellar, with decent food and ceramic murals on the walls. Tours are normally held at two-hour intervals in the afternoon; check the website for details.

This exuberant building, built in 1765 from Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer's design, is considered one of Prague's finest rococo, late baroque structures. With its exaggerated pink overlay and numerous statues, it looks extravagant when contrasted with the marginally more somber baroque elements of other nearby buildings. (The interior, alas, was "modernized" under communism.) The palace once contained a German school—where Franz Kafka studied for nine misery-laden years—and now houses revolving temporary exhibitions and a shop. Communist leader Klement Gottwald, alongside comrade Vladimír Clementis, first addressed the crowds from this building after seizing power in February 1948—an event recounted in the first chapter of Milan Kundera's novel The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.

A break in the houses along Valdštejnská ulice opens to a gate that leads to five beautifully manicured and terraced baroque gardens, which in season are open to the public. A combined-entry ticket allows you to wander at will, climbing up and down the steps and trying to find the little entryways that lead from one garden to the next. Each of the gardens bears the name of a noble family and includes the Kolovratská zahrada (Kolowrat Garden), Ledeburská zahrada (Ledeburg Garden), Malá a Velká Pálffyovská zahrada (Small and Large Palffy Gardens), and Furstenberská zahrada (Furstenberg Garden).

In the lower part of Náměstí Krále Jiřího z Poděbrad stand two rickety-looking groups of timbered medieval buildings (11 houses in all) divided by a narrow alley. The houses, forming the area known as Špalíček, date to the 13th century, and were once home to many Jewish merchants. Židovská ulice (Jews' Street), running uphill to the left of the Špalíček, served as the actual center of the ghetto. The small, unmarked alley running to the left off Židovská is called ulička Zavražděných (Lane of the Murdered). It was the scene of an outrageous act of violence in 1350: pressures had been building for some time between Jews and Christians. Incited by an anti-Semitic bishop, the townspeople chased the Jews into the street, closed off both ends, and massacred them. Now only the name attests to the slaughter.

Under the Nazis, this unassuming building was primarily used for administration offices, but today it is a fascinating and important education facility. There's an excellent re-creation of how a former dormitory would have looked, plus exhibits detailing the arts in Terezín. Inspiring displays show how people in the ghetto continued to hold literary, musical, theatrical, and artistic happenings.

Told in words and pictures, the town's horrific story is depicted at the Museum of the Terezín Ghetto, just off the central park in town. A short documentary is also shown in many languages. Tell the staff that you speak English; they'll let you roam the building and flag you down when the next English-language video is being shown.

This domed, Moorish-style synagogue was built in 1868 on the site of an older synagogue, the Altschul. Here the historical exposition that begins in the Maisel Synagogue continues through to the post–World War II period. The attached Robert Guttmann Gallery has historic and well-curated art exhibitions. The building's painstakingly restored interior is also worth experiencing.

More trapezoid than square, this is Litoměřice's big public gathering space, which also serves as a marketplace and parking lot. The square dates to the Middle Ages, although its current paving—black tiles made of local basalt—was installed in the mid 19th century. One of the square's two fountains was built in 1715, and in the center is a plague column from 1685. Surrounding the square are houses, most from the Middle Ages, in an eye-pleasing array of styles and bright colors. Some of these houses are the country's oldest inhabited dwellings. On the south side of the square is an arcade with a few small shops and restaurants and cafés with outdoor seating. In the southeast corner you'll find the Church of All Saints (Kostel Všech Svatých) and, across the street, the Old City Hall. On the northwestern corner of the square is Czech comedian Felix Holzmann's childhood home, with a small bust of him outside.

For a superb view of the city—from a slightly more solitary perch than by the castle—the park on top of Petřín Hill includes a charming playground for children and adults alike, with a miniature (but still pretty big) Eiffel Tower. You'll also find a bludiště (mirror maze), as well as a working observatory and the seemingly abandoned Sv. Vavřinec (St. Lawrence) church, which does still hold Sunday Mass. To get here from Malá Strana, simply hike up Petřín Hill (from Karmelitská ulice or Újezd) or ride the funicular railway (which departs near the Újezd tram stop). Regular public-transportation tickets are valid on the funicular.

From Hradčany, you can also stroll over from Strahov klášter (Strahov Monastery), following a wide path that crosses above some fruit orchards and offers breathtaking views over the city below.

While Plzeň lacks the bitter thermal waters that are a draw in the spa region, it is better known for bitter pilsner-style beer. So the opening of a beer spa was inevitable. You can bathe in a custom-made larchwood tub filled with warm beer for a 60-minute treatment. Potable beer is available from a barrel at the same time. The room is lined with stone tiles, and relaxing music plays in the background. The treatment can be combined with a beer massage, or a honey or chocolate massage. Other procedures are also available. The spa is a bit outside of the city center.

Here you'll find two moving testimonies to the appalling crimes perpetrated against the Jews during World War II. One astounds by sheer numbers: the walls are covered with nearly 80,000 names of Bohemian and Moravian Jews murdered by the Nazis. Among them are the names of the paternal grandparents of former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright. The second is an exhibition of drawings made by children at the Nazi concentration camp Terezín, north of Prague. The Nazis used the camp for propaganda purposes to demonstrate their "humanity" toward Jews, and for a time the prisoners were given relative freedom to lead "normal" lives. However, transports to death camps in Poland began in earnest in 1944, and many thousands of Terezín prisoners, including most of these children, eventually perished. The entrance to the Old Jewish Cemetery is through this synagogue.

The slogan for this brewery on the riverside in Smíchov could be "For beer, go directly to the source." Staropramen literally means "old source," and it's definitely one of the most ubiquitous beers in the city—and beyond. This visitor center offers 50-minute "guided" tours every day, where a video projection of early brewmaster Josef Paspa (well, a suitably ruddy-cheeked actor) takes you through the history of the site, the beer brewing method, and how far and wide the beer is exported. It all culminates in a tasting of four different Staropramen brews, from the excellent unfiltered lager to the dark beer. If you're feeling peckish afterward, one of the brewery's chain of Potrefená Husa restaurants, serving classic Czech food and beer, is just around the corner.

In a late-Gothic malthouse, this museum sits one block northeast of Náměstí Republiky. All kinds of fascinating paraphernalia trace the region's brewing history, including the horse-drawn carts used to haul the kegs.

A phone app is available with info in English.

Dating to the 13th century, this is a web of multilevel tunnels. Used for storing food and producing beer and wine, many of the labyrinthine passageways are dotted with wells and their accompanying wooden water-pipe systems. Tours last about 50 minutes. The entrance is in the Brewery Museum.

Inside a 13th-century castle's frescoed medieval halls, this museum documents the history of Písek and its surroundings, including the Czech fishing industry (with the additional original touch of live fish in a large aquarium) and the history of local gold panning and mining in the nearby hills. There are two galleries devoted to temporary exhibits. Everything is in Czech, but ask for an info sheet in English.

Once used as storage space for gunpowder, this dark, imposing tower, covered in a web of carvings, offers a striking view of Staré Mĕsto and Prague Castle from the top. King Vladislav II of Jagiello began construction—it replaced one of the city's 13 original gates—in 1475. At the time, the kings of Bohemia maintained their royal residence next door, on the site now occupied by the Obecní dům (Municipal House). The tower was intended to be the grandest gate of all. Vladislav, however, was Polish and somewhat disliked by the rebellious Czech citizens of Prague. Nine years after he assumed power, fearing for his life, he moved the royal court across the river to Prague Castle. Work on the tower was abandoned, and the half-finished structure remained a depository for gunpowder until the end of the 17th century. The golden spires were not added until the end of the 19th century. The ticket office is on the first floor after you go up the dizzyingly narrow stairwell.

The largest collection of modern and contemporary Czech art outside of Prague lines the walls of this handsome, 19th-century neo-Renaissance building. If you've already seen these same artists represented in Prague's major galleries, you may be tempted to adopt a been-there-done-that attitude. But the emphasis here is on Moravian artists, who tended to prefer rural themes—their avant-garde concoctions have a certain folksy flavor. Modern and contemporary art is on the second floor; other sections have temporary exhibits.

The main route to the newer part of town, this street is delightfully lined with beautiful Renaissance façades. If you turn right at Divadelní and head to the Lužnice River, you can see the remaining walls and fortifications of the 15th century, evidence of the town's function as a vital stronghold.

The main entrance to Prague Castle from Hradčanské náměstí is certain to impress any first-time visitor. Going through the wrought-iron gate, guarded at ground level by uniformed Czech soldiers and from above by the ferocious Battling Titans (a copy of Ignaz Platzer's original 18th-century work), you enter this courtyard, built on the site of old moats and gates that once separated the castle from the surrounding buildings and thus protected the vulnerable western flank. The courtyard is one of the more recent additions to the castle, designed by Maria Theresa's court architect, Nicolò Pacassi, in the 1760s. Today it forms part of the presidential office complex. Pacassi's reconstruction was intended to unify the eclectic collection of buildings that made up the castle, but the effect of his work is somewhat flat.

At its eastern end of the courtyard is Matyášova brána (Matthias Gate). Built in 1614, this stone gate once stood alone in front of the moats and bridges that surrounded the castle. Under the Habsburgs, the gate survived by being grafted as a relief onto the palace building. As you go through it, notice the ceremonial white-marble entrance halls on either side that lead up to the Czech president's reception rooms (which are only rarely open to the public).

Try to arrive on the hour to witness the changing of the guard; the fanfare peaks at noon with a special flag ceremony in the First Courtyard.

Olomouc's central square is marked by the bright, spire-bedecked Renaissance Town Hall with its 220-foot tower. The tower was constructed in the late 14th century. The modern socialist-realist mosaic decorations of the current clock on the face of the tower date to 1955. It replaced an astronomical clock built in 1422 that once rivaled the one in Prague. It was mostly destroyed by an artillery shell on the last two days of World War II. Be sure to look inside the Town Hall at the beautiful stairway. You can also visit a large Gothic banquet room in the main building, with scenes from the city's history, and a late-Gothic chapel. The Town Hall was renovated in late 2019 and early 2020, and the wooden interior of the tower was completely rebuilt. Tours of the tower are given several times daily; tours of the rest of the building are by appointment. An audio guide to the city can be borrowed from the information center in the Town Hall.

The Rear Synagogue has an exhibition of Jewish religious items and a wooden model of the ghetto as it was in the 1800s. A touch screen attached to the model provides audio information about the various buildings, with English as an option. Guided tours to the synagogue are available and include a tour of the house of Seligmann Bauer.

On Litomerice's Peace Square, the city's original town hall, now a history museum is a beautiful building with Gothic and Renaissance influences that dates to the 14th century. The museum has four permanent exhibitions covering the history of the region up to 1945, archaeology, the geologic evolution of the region, and a memorial to 19th-century Czech romantic poet Karel Hynek Mácha, who was once buried in Litoměřice. Other shows have included an exhibition of traditional Czech cribs, one on mail and the then-country's postal service during World War I, and another on the history of bathing suits and swimming from 1905 through the 1980s.

From the main square, a street called Horní ulice leads off toward the regional museum. A quick visit gets you acquainted with the history of the region from prehistoric times. A ceramic model of the city is one of the highlights.

In the middle of the central square, Náměstí Krále Jiřího z Poděbrad, this statue is similar to other Roland statues seen throughout Bohemia, attesting to the town's royal privileges. (Roland is a figure in medieval and Renaissance literature; his statues are found throughout Europe.) This one represents the town hero, Wastel of Eger. Look carefully at his right foot, and you can see a small man holding a sword and a head—this shows the town had its own judge and executioner.

Next to the Cathedral of St. Wenceslas is a complex of buildings that for centuries were the center of the archdiocese. The oldest, commonly called Palác Přemyslovců (Přemyslid Palace), houses a museum where you can see early-16th-century wall paintings decorating the Gothic cloisters and, upstairs, a wonderful series of Romanesque windows and displays of sculpted stonework fragments. This part of the building was used as a schoolroom some 700 years ago, and you can still make out drawings of animals engraved on the walls by young vandals.

Give your feet a rest. You won't need to walk to one of the best views of the town. Even higher than Stag's Leap sits this observation tower, accessible by funicular from behind the Grandhotel Pupp. There's an elevator to the top of the tower, and a restaurant at the tower's base.

Laced with white wrought iron, this elegant colonnade at the edge of Dvořákovy sady was built in 1882 by the Viennese architectural duo Fellner and Helmer, who sprinkled the Austro-Hungarian Empire with many such edifices during the late 19th century. They also designed the town's theater, the quaint wooden Tržní kolonáda (Market Colonnade) next to the Vřídlo Colonnade, and one of the old bathhouses.

Franz Kafka had an apartment in this massive baroque building at the top of Tržiště ulice in mid-1917, after moving from Golden Lane. The U.S. Embassy and consular office now occupy this prime location. Although security has been stepped down compared with a few years ago, the many police, guards, and Jersey barriers don't offer much of an invitation to linger.

These two beautiful historical buildings, which stand on opposite sides of Hradčanské náměstí, are home to the National Gallery's collection of antiquities and paintings by European masters from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Holdings include impressive works by El Greco, Hans Holbein, Rubens, Rembrandt, and van Dyck. The exterior of the Schwarzenberg Palace is particularly striking, with its black-and-white sgraffito, though the interior is less impressive. Pick up a combined ticket for 500 Kč—free if you're 26 or under—and you'll get entry not only to these two exhibitions but to all of the National Gallery's buildings throughout Prague for 10 days.

Písek has a brewing history dating back to the Middle Ages. This malt house was built in the 19th century and continued producing malt for 100 years. In 2008, the city opened Sladovna, a cultural facility that houses two permanent exhibitions and five playrooms for kids. There's a spot for inspired kids to color, a reading area, plus an igloo that shows fairy tales. It's all in Czech, but children should appreciate the bright colors and great graphics.