14 AMAZING PLACES IN CZECH REP. THAT AREN’T PRAGUE

1 | Karlovy Vary

Czech Bohemia, in which you will find the town of Karlovy Vary, was once famous for the Spa Triangle. Three resort towns, whose natural healing powers restored Emperors. The last and most beautiful of the three, is Karlovy Vary. Designed to play host to wealthy visitors from around the world, the town is very good at being ANNOYINGLY good looking, from every angle!

Karlovy’s beautiful riverside boulevard and Grande Hotel Pupp even starred in Casino Royale! Though the film was set in Montenegro, Bond and Vesper arrive outside of their hotel in Karlovy Vary. The entire town looks like a grand film set really. Money has evidently been lavished upon the town houses as wealthy families came to ‘take the water’.

People still visit Karlovy Vary for health reasons. You will come across people sitting in cafes by the river drinking from their mug’s handle. This unusual handle is actually a spout designed for Karlovy Vary spa water. Apparently this is the only way to drink in town! Once you’ve bought your souvenir mug, go and visit the colonnades in the parks of the old bath houses. Colonnades are raised covered walkways, and in this town they are one of the main attractions. The most beautiful one is the ornate wooden walkway of Park Colonnade (photo above).

The houses along the river aren’t the only examples of grandeur. Head up the valley slopes to the backstreets of the city, and explore the extravagant villas once home to Karlovy’s richest residents.

Krále Jiřího and Petra Velikého street in particular have some of the biggest-budget constructions. How many people can say they live on a street populated by hillside villas which leads to a Russian Orthodox cathedral? Well, technically you could, if you stay for a night in one of the mansions turned hotel. You could even say you had seen the Grand Budapest Hotel. The Bristol Palace Hotel on Petra Velikého was the inspiration for Wes Anderson’s film.

Read my Copenhagen post to find another Wes Anderson-esque location

Palace Bristol by Richard Schubert is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Once you have explored the town climb, up the wooded hills to the viewpoints edging out of the rock. There are about five to choose from. Deer Jump viewpoint is the lowest, but has a beautiful romantic gazebo hanging off the rock (Deer Leap is also in the Grand Budapest Hotel film). Walk a little higher and you’ll emerge on to the spacious U Tri Krizu viewpoint. The next was named after Tsar Peter, who visited Karlovy and made a bet with friends that he could ride up the steep mountain (no path then) on his horse without a saddle. Needless to say, he won the bet. The highest viewpoint is Diana’s Tower, from which you can see not just Karlovy but the entire valley.

2 | Kutná Hora

Just 40 minutes outside of Prague is a gruesome but increasingly popular attraction, known as the Kutna Hora Bone Church. In the vaults, beneath the Church of All Saints are an alarming number of individual human bones. Bones that have been stripped from 40,000 skeletons and used as decorations. They have been used for every decoration imaginable: a chandelier, a coat of arms, 2 large goblets, 6 mountainous bone pyramids and even a kind of skull chain hanging fromm the ceiling and walls. If you look closer at the skull chain, you’ll notice each skull is made to look as though it’s holding a femur bone between its jaws.

TIP…The Bone Church is in Sedlec not Kutna Hora despite its name

Sedlec Ossuary by Richard Mortel is licensed under CC BY 2.0

But what on earth inspired this underworld I hear you whisper.

It all started when the church’s abbot was ordered to bring soil back from the Holy Land which he was to scatter in the church cemetery. Before long, everyone wanted to be buried in the holy earth, even people from other parts of the country. The graveyard started to fill up, and with the outbreak of plague even more space was needed. It was decided a collection of between 40,000 to 70,000 skeletons would be moved into the crypts of the church to create the necessary space. A partially blind monk was given the job of stacking the bones in to pyramids, which seemed to sort the problem. It was only later in 1870 that a craftsmen was given the job of reorganising the bones. Faced with a mammoth task, he decided to bleach the bones to make them all one colour and set about creating the macabre decorations you see today. It would be a strange twist to think the artist himself had later been added to his own work.

3 | Pernštejn Castle

Pernštejn Castle erupts from a rock outcrop in the forests of the Moravian Highlands. Once home to the outrageously wealthy Pernštejn family, the castle has been built to withstand any attack. The castle was never taken over in all its history. Possibly, because so many extravagant defensive measures were taken.

For instance, the wooden gallery which bridges the outer tower and the main castle. This was designed so that the family could hide in the tower and either burn or destroy the bridge. Just in case that didn’t deter the attackers, the tower’s staircase was made too narrow for a knight in armour to pass through. Visit to find out about all the other little tricks the castle is hiding.

TIP… The full tour costs the equivalent of €8 (available in English)

Hrad Pernštejn by Pudelek is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

4 | Štramberk

Štramberk, a story book mountain town among wooded hills beneath a medieval tower. I keep imagining what it must be like to live there, always driving home towards the fairytale tower. Even without the tower, the village has earned nicknames for its historical wooden houses, unique to Moravia. Such as ‘the cradle of Wallachia’ and even ‘Moravian Bethlehem’.

Štramberk3 by Kankovaa is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

The town chooses to celebrate its history in a very unusual way, with ear shaped biscuits. The Stramberk Ear is a delicious gingerbread wafer/biscuit. Only permit holders are allowed to bake them and consequently the recipes are closely guarded. The strange name supposedly comes from the story of a Tartar invasion. The invaders conquered the town and took the ears of the dead as trophies for their Kahn. Then one night a terrible storm struck the town and they were drowned. Villagers who had escaped before the attack, came out of hiding to find their captors dead and sacks of their neighbours’ ears. Not your usual cooking inspiration!

They look like Italian Cannoli and resemble a sheep’s ear if any ear at all.

Štramberk, Jaroňkova by Palickap is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

I should also mention Stramberk’s two other claims to fame. One, it’s home to a beer spa. Two, the ancient caves hidden in its forests have revealed Neanderthal bones, which are currently being excavated.

TIP… The view from one of these caves perfectly frames the castle tower and the town for a panoramic photo

5 | Czech Bohemia

Oooooh you’re in for a surprise! This incredible national park straddles the borders of Germany and the Czech Republic and it’s at the top of the list for my next visit to both countries! I don’t know how to tell you about this park because the only words coming in to my head are ‘WOW’.

The park is split into two areas, the German half is known as Saxon Switzerland and the Czech half is known as Bohemian Switzerland. Despite being far from Switzerland, the parks got their names for their incredible beauty, similar to what you would expect to find in Switzerland.

The main attractions in Czech Bohemia are Pravcicka Bridge and the Hrensko River Valley (and one more secret attraction – read on). The incredible sandstone bridge is entirely the work of nature and in my opinion, the Czech’s greatest natural wonder. The bridge is the largest natural arch in all Europe! Unfortunately, you aren’t allowed to walk on the bridge, but you can have picnics underneath it, or hike up the mountainside for an amazing aerial shot. Before you leave the bridge, visit the Falcon’s Nest (photo below) hiding in the trees beneath the bridge. It was once a private chateau, now it’s a teahouse. Go and grab a seat by the window and let your tea warm you up as you gaze out at the arch.

TIP…Anyone who loves fantasy films may recognise the bridge from the Narnia Chronicles. It featured in the scene where Mr and Mrs Beaver lead the children to safety across the river.

The second attraction is the Kamenice River flowing through Hrensko. The river can be seen by boat or by hiking the rock walls of the river canyon which rise 150m high above the crystal clear waters. Join a boat tour from a mossy boathouse hidden in the valley and listen as your bargeman regales local folklore to you. Their voice echoing off the walls as you flow down the river.

Before leaving the valley and heading back to Hrensko town for a well earned break, you absolutely must see a third secret attraction. The old gasworks. Sounds strange, I know, but the fairytale cottage that used to conceal the gas works is now an enviable and much sought after Air BnB. It would be very tempting to rent it, even just for one night. Even if you might spend half of your time batting Instagrammers off the doorstep. This fairytale cottage is all thanks to the owner who bought it in 2004 and saved it from being a ruin discarded by the state. He was dedicated to restoring the castle-like cottage and found photographs of it taken 100 years ago which were his guide for the restoration.

Acetylenwerk by david_drei is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

6 | Adršpach-Teplice Rocks

I never expected to find rocks like this in Europe, and was so excited when I first came across them while researching the Polish half of the park. The Czech side is even more impressive due to higher levels of erosion, which have created a more extensive labyrinth. This is the country’s second greatest natural attraction after Czech Bohemia’s sandstone bridge. These towering fingers of rock crowd the valley for 17sq km, providing endless photo opportunities and passages to get stuck in. Amazingly, it wasn’t until a fire cleared a lot of the forest that the true extent of the rocks was discovered.

TIP… The ruins of Bischofstein rock castle are nearby and are great climb, as a staircase was carved in to the rock tower at its center!

Walking through the surreal landscape of towering rocks will really make you question wether you are in the Czech Rep. or an a fantasy film. With walls as high as cathedrals, you are completely immersed in a fairytale world. Nothing emphasises this more than the entrance to the park through a Narnian stone gate.

Check out my Poland post to see which Narnia scenes were filmed in the Polish half of the park

There are two trails through the park. One starts in Adrašpach and one in Teplice, both take about 3 hours. Why not combine them and stay even longer. Both trails are incredible, so don’t make yourself choose. Part of the fun of the trails is reading the names on the information boards in front of the rocks and trying to work out how the rock got its name. Some of the most memorable names are Sleeping Swan, Turtle, Butcher’s Axe and even Giant’s Shorts!

7 | Krkonoše National Park

There are lots of beautiful natural attractions hidden in the corners of Krkonose National Park. The mountain range overlaps the Polish border and is home to the highest peak in the Czech Republic.

Outside of ski season, the main attraction is the waterfalls. The first of the two craggy falls, Mumlava (photo below), flows over large slabs of stone hidden in the mountain valley. The second, Pancava Falls, requires a hike to see the unusual blocky granite columns beneath the flowing water as it cascades nearly 150m. This also makes Krkonoše Park home to the tallest waterfall in the Czech Republic.

8 | Hruboskalsko Rock Town

Another popular rock town, though less well known than Adrašpach-Teplice and one hour closer to Prague.

TIP…For an extra unique viewpoint, include Hrubá Skála Château in the background

Česky Ráj, Prachovské Skály by Olgierd Pstrykotwórca is licensed under CC BY 2.0

9 | Sloup Castle

Failing to hide behind the trees is Sloup Hrad (column castle). This lonely sandstone column in the town of Sloup has been made into a tiny medieval fortress, complete with walkways and a small chapel carved from the rock it sits on. At times, the land around the foot of the castle was routinely flooded as an extra layer of defence. Despite becoming a partial ruin, it doesn’t just look incredibly unique and photogenic, the castle’s walkways command fantastic views of the Lusatian Mountains beyond.

Sloup Skalni Hrad by VitVit is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Around the other side of the rock, is the entrance via the ‘Knights’ Stairway’ to the top of the rock. As you climb up, you may notice tiny rooms and windows carved into the rock, one of which was a dungeon. Up on the castle walkways you will find a wooden statue of a hermit holding a telescope. I know hermits lived on this rock for the last few hundred years, but I’m not sure why they have a statue.

Amazingly, weddings and concerts are held in the rock-hewn church, the best preserved part of the fortress. It would definitely be a memorable party, though I wouldn’t be surprised if someone got drunk and tried jumping into the field below.

10 | Rešov Waterfalls

As you know by this stage in the post, there is a lot of competition for the most beautiful natural attraction in the Czech Republic. If you’re after a calm, peaceful hike through folkloric forests, crossing tumbling waterfalls, then head to Resov Falls in the canyons of the Nízký Jeseník Mountains. It may not be the most dramatic waterfall you have ever seen, but it is the nation’s favourite and promises a peaceful hike.

Rešovské vodopády na podzim by Danuše Kotrlová is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

11 | Karlstejn Castle

This incredible castle was designed as essentially a large vault. The King of Czechoslovakia wanted a safe place to store his treasures, including coronation jewels and holy relics. The entire construction took 20 years to complete, which included the creation of 30ft thick defensive walls. Funnily enough, one of the projects that took the longest was the digging of the well. Which even after reaching 200ft, still found no water. In the end a reservoir was built and had to be refilled twice a year by hand!

Despite its elevation, the castle cannot been seen until you are in the valley beneath, perhaps another layer of secrecy.

TIP…Aside from Prague (only 40 mins drive away), Karlstejn Castle is the country’s top attraction, so plan around the crowds and prepare for the €10 entrance fee.

12 | Punkva Caves

Punkva Caves are one of the four caves open to the public within the Moravian Cave Complex. The largest karst cave system in the country. The mouth of the cave is also the deepest sinkhole in Europe (453ft), which comes complete with a grisly tale. As a clue, the sinkhole known as Propast Macocha, translates as Stepmother Abyss.

Propast Macocha by Petr Hykš is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Once upon a time, there was a widower who had only his son. When he remarried, his new wife soon got pregnant and resented her healthy stepson as her own son was always ill. The stepmother visited a witch who told her that to cure her own son, she must kill her stepson. One day, stepmother and stepson went for a walk in the woods to collect fruit. When the stepmother saw the abyss of Punkva Caves, she took her opportunity and pushed the stepson in! Luckily, he got caught in the branches of trees growing over the entrance and survived. He was rescued by woodcutters who heard his cries for help and soon the all village knew what had happened. They took the stepmother to the abyss and threw her in, making sure she fell straight to the bottom. I did say it was grisly!

13 | Česky Krumlov

I could take photos of this town all day long and not get bored. Unbelievably, Huawei felt the same way and decided to build an entire university campus modelled on Česky Krumlov! That’s an impressive task when you consider Cesky Krumlov has an incredibly well preserved fortified town with cobbled streets and timber-framed buildings. That’s not even factoring in the castle and the river which wraps around the town like a thick ribbon.

I wonder if students will be able to kayak around the campus as you can in Cesky. Or better yet, they could build the Cloak Bridge. This bridge is one of the architectural highlights of Cesky, standing at nine storeys high, the fortified bridge has one of the best viewpoints in town and certainly the grandest.

One of the biggest attractions in town are the bears in the drained castle moat. Bears have been kept in the moat since the 17th century and whilst I respect cultural traditions, I can’t help but wonder if these bears are suffering. If you feel the same, help the bears by signing this petition with Four Paws who have successfully saved thousands of bears in Eastern Europe.

TIP… You can visit the Four Paws website to find out about their other animal saving missions

TIP…Masná and Horní street are extremely narrow and steep. If you look back as you climb up, you’ll notice that they give you the perfect framed shot of the church.

14 | Loket Castle & Town

Just 12km down the road from Karlovy Vary (first on this list) is the beautiful town of Loket and its Gothic castle. The castle came first and the town sprouted at its feet. Loket castle was originally intended as a royal residence, referred to as ‘The Key to the Czech Empire’. Since then, it has experienced many upheavals. It was ransacked by the Swedes, burnt down, reconstructed and then used as a prison. Now, it’s in recovery as a museum open to the public.

When you visit, I highly recommend venturing up to the roof gallery. From there you can see the Ohre river weaving through the Slavkov Forest Reserve. You would never know that King Charles (the one who build Karlstejn Castle) was imprisoned in Loket Castle’s dungeon by his father for months when he was only 3 years old.

TIP… Make sure to explore the fairytale town and see if you can spot where they filmed a scene for Casino Royale!