Prague receives 8 million tourists per year; the rest of the Czech Republic receives a fraction of that despite containing several world-class historic sites, extraordinary landscapes, and a distinct wine and beer culture. Here is what exists beyond the capital.
Český Krumlov
South Bohemia, 3 hours from Prague by bus. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Czech Republic’s most visited non-Prague destination. The castle (Krumlov Castle, 13th century, the second-largest in the Czech Republic after Prague Castle) sits above a loop in the Vltava River with the medieval town below — one of the most photogenic settings in Central Europe. The castle theatre (18th century Baroque) is one of the best-preserved Baroque court theatres in Europe, with original stage machinery still working. The town itself is small (13,000 residents) and almost entirely preserved as a medieval settlement. Practical consideration: like Bruges, it is very crowded in July–August (1+ million visitors per year for a town this size) and very quiet and atmospheric in late October–March. The Vltava river here is canoe-able — a common local summer activity. Stay overnight rather than day-tripping from Prague to get the early morning atmosphere.
Kutná Hora
Central Bohemia, 1.5 hours from Prague. A medieval silver-mining city that was briefly (14th century) the second-richest city in the Holy Roman Empire. Two UNESCO-listed sites: the Cathedral of Saint Barbara (a Gothic cathedral built by the silver miners, begun 1388, unfinished for centuries — the flying buttresses and the interior with miner-themed frescoes are extraordinary) and the Italian Court (the former royal mint, where the Prague Groschen silver coin was minted). The Sedlec Ossuary: the most famous site in Kutná Hora — a small chapel at the edge of the town whose interior is decorated with the bones of approximately 40,000–70,000 people (an artist, František Rint, was commissioned in 1870 to arrange the bones; the result includes a chandelier containing every bone in the human body). Equal parts macabre and extraordinary.
Olomouc
Moravia, 2 hours from Prague by train. The Czech Republic’s sixth-largest city and one of its most underrated. A university city (25,000 students in a city of 100,000), with a remarkably well-preserved baroque old town centre, seven baroque fountains, and the Holy Trinity Column (Sloup Nejsvětější Trojice, 2000, UNESCO, the finest Baroque plague column in Central Europe). The Moravian Museum has strong natural history and cultural collections. The food: Olomouc is known for olomoucké tvarůžky (pungent, sticky ripened cheese — an acquired taste but locally beloved) and generally for good food at half Prague prices. The wine: Moravia is the Czech Republic’s wine region — 96% of Czech wine is from Moravia, particularly Welschriesling (Ryzlink vlašský), Müller-Thurgau, and Moravian Muscat. The wine roads (Moravian Wine Trails) connect villages through vineyards south of Olomouc and Brno.
Bohemian Switzerland National Park
North Bohemia, 2.5 hours from Prague. A sandstone landscape of deep gorges, rock towers, and forests — technically the corner of the Czech Republic adjacent to Saxon Switzerland (Germany). The Pravčická brána is the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe (16m high). The Kamenice gorge (accessible by boat, as the gorge floor floods in spring) is extraordinary. The area was badly hit by wildfires in 2022, with significant forest damage, but the rock landscapes themselves were unaffected and the park remains visitable.
