Czech Republic

Cool places to visit in the Czech Republic

Last Updated on 15/05/2024 by kami

Central Europe is changing really fast and I love the way it is becoming. The majority of the big cities in most of the countries are now a cool, hip small versions of Berlin (that’s how they are often called anyway) with the amazing cafe culture, decent street art scene and some great events to attend. And so is Czech Republic too. Big cities there are often in the shadow of Prague (that is an incredible place, no matter what) but the whole country has so much to offer and it’s definitely worth spending more time there and discovering other, than just the capital city, destinations. And since Czech Republic is probably my favourite country here’s my subjective list of cool places to visit in Czech Republic and reasons to include them in your next trip there!

Czech Republic essentials

Planning a trip to the Czech Republic? Here are the services I always use and personally recommend:

  • Accommodation: I always book a place to stay on Booking.com
  • Tours: when I decide to go on a tour I either use Viator
  • Get insured for your trip to the Czech Republic with SafetyWing

Prague

For most of the visitors in Czech Republic this is the only place they see during their trip. And even then they only focus on the historical sights that surely are incredible (after all Prague is known as the most beautiful city in Europe for a reason). But the Czech capital has so much more to offer! From the amazing cafes to great street art scene and controversial sculptures by David Cerny, everyone will find something for their taste in Prague! My favourite places and activities there are:

– Naplavka. In the summertime the banks of Vltava river turn into the major hotspot in the city. Every evening hundreds of people enjoy the warm and long days there, meeting with friends, sipping beer and attending various events (exhibitions, concerts etc). That’s probably the best way to spend any evening in Prague!
– DOX gallery in Holesovice – an independent center for contemporary art that always has some good exhibitions and a really decent gift shop
– view from Letna park – probably the best one in Prague! And Letna itself is a great place to relax in!
alternative Prague tour where you can see some less known yet extremely interesting spots in the city
Zizkov with its quirky atmosphere and the biggest number of pubs in Europe. Wandering around the random streets is a pure pleasure!

Liberec

I spent quite some time there, back in the days when I was really into winter sports and loved seeing nordic combined competitions live. Liberec is this lucky place that has both interesting downtown (with beautiful architecture, museums and another David Cerny’s work – a bus stop right behind the town hall) and an amazing nature just a tram ride away. It’s perfect especially for hiking and skiing in Jizera Mountains and the futuristic building at the top of Jested peak, that serves as a hotel and restaurant, offers some breathtaking views of the area.

Liberec Siroka street

Liberec cafes

Visit Liberec Czech Republic

David Cerny in Liberec

Jested Hotel

Visit Liberec Czech Republic

Olomouc

Many people say it’s their favourite Czech city after Prague and I surely can see what they mean. Olomouc feels small and cozy but since it’s an important university town there’s always something going on and students make it a very vibrant place. Also, Olomouc is a home to probably the quirkiest Czech attraction – an astronomical clock, similar to Orloj in Prague yet made in the socialist realism style. If you ask me it’s so much better than its more famous brother in the capital!

Visit Olomouc Czech Republic

Visit Olomouc Czech Republic

Visit Olomouc Czech Republic

Visit Olomouc Czech Republic

Visit Olomouc Czech Republic

Visit Olomouc Czech Republic

Ostrava

The post-industrial city is the home of one of the best music festivals in Europe – Colours of Ostrava. In the former steel grounds thousands of people enjoy some most famous artists that play in numerous stages hidden in the corners of the factory. But Ostrava knows how to party all year round. A small street – Stodolni – is famous for its pubs and clubs and it’s basically the place that never sleeps. Also, when you make it to Ostrava be sure to visit nearby Cesky Tesin/Cieszyn, a town divided by the Polish-Czech border that happens to be my favourite place on earth too!

Ceske Budejovice

It is mostly know for its famous beer – Budweiser – but there’re more reasons to visit this lovely town. It feels even calmer and quieter than Olomouc but that’s just fine as Ceske Budejovice is a perfect getaway from hustle and bustle of big cities. However, once a year students take over the city and organize Budejovicky Majales – the biggest non-commercial and free of charge festival of live culture in Czech Republic that lasts for few days. The city is also a perfect base to explore beautiful southern part of the country, with picturesque Cesky Krumlov only 20 kms away.

Brno

This is probably the most perfect Central European city you can think of! Brno has everything: incredible architecture, vibrant students’ life, excellent cafes, intellectual vibe and this charming spirit that makes you love the place from the moment you arrive. And at the same time it doesn’t feel overwhelming, even if it’s a second biggest Czech city. I fall in love with Brno big time and for me it’s the coolest place in Czech Republic (right after Prague).

There’s one more place worth mentioning here yet I haven’t been there yet (even though it’s always on my list when I go to Czech Republic!). It’s Pilsen – 2016 European Capital of Culture. This year is pretty special for the city, with lots of events and things going on but it’s worth visiting it no matter when! I know I will do my best to finally make it there soon!

Further reading

I published many articles about the Czech Republic that you might find useful when planning your trip there. Here are some of them:

If you are looking for articles about a specific destination – check out the map with all the articles I’ve published (and their locations). You can also join my Facebook group about traveling in Central Europe and ask your questions there.


Travel Resources

You can find the best accommodation options at Booking. They have many discounts and excellent customer service. Click here to look for the place to stay in the Czech Republic

Never travel without travel insurance, you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry. You can check the insurance policy for the Czech Republic here.

I recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip. You can find a great selection of tours at Get Your Guide – click here.

Make sure to have the offline map always installed on your phone, they can save you so many troubles. I always use the free app Maps.Me.


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Note: This post was written in partnership with Czech Tourism however all the opinions are 100% mine and I really believe you should visit Czech Republic as soon as possible! It’s such a wonderful country and has so much to offer!


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61 Comments

  • Reply
    Jolanta Wicińska
    22/06/2015 at 20:06

    Chętnie bym się tam wybrała ;)

  • Reply
    Demi Marszewska
    22/06/2015 at 20:09

    Czechy, Czechy, Czechy – niby tak blisko, a tak daleko. Nigdy mi nie po drodze… Dobra, byłam raz, jakoś 10 lat temu… Chyba muszę to zmienić! :D

  • Reply
    Heather Cole
    22/06/2015 at 20:15

    Loved Prague and also Karslbad, but these spots look cool too!

  • Reply
    Tatiana
    22/06/2015 at 21:20

    Shame on me. Byłam tylko w Pradze i Kutnej Horze. Zamierzam to naprawić przy najbliższej okazji – najbardziej chce mi się pojechać do Brna i Krumlova.

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 10:26

      no wstyd!! Zaplanujcie sobie jakiś weekend czy trzy w Czechach, bo naprawdę warto :) bardzo się tam miasta wyrobiły, zresztą tak samo jak u nas :)

  • Reply
    Hanna Szczypiór
    22/06/2015 at 20:20

    A ja się właśnie zastanawiam nad wycieczką motocyklową do Czech i zdecydowanie mnie zachęciłaś :)

  • Reply
    Melody Pittman
    22/06/2015 at 20:53

    Great spots to use in planning my trip there next year!

  • Reply
    Crysta @ WellWornSuitcase
    22/06/2015 at 22:13

    Gorgeous places – such vibrant, beautiful colors! And thank you for the tips! Brno was not previously on our to do list, but it is now!

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 10:30

      You definitely should visit Brno, it’s pretty awesome and not so overcrowded as Prague! I love it!

      • Reply
        Varnavas Nicolaou
        23/04/2024 at 19:43

        Hi Kami
        I need your quick advice please!
        I have just 1 free day tomorrow to visit a location outside Prague.
        Would you recommend Brno or Karlovy Vary ?
        Please let me know?
        Many thanks in advance!
        Best wishes
        Varnavas (from Cyprus)

        • Reply
          kami
          11/05/2024 at 12:36

          I’m so sorry for this late answer. Where did you decide to go? I don’t think I could easily decide between these two, both are great destinations but also both are different

  • Reply
    Tami
    22/06/2015 at 22:37

    Wow! I really enjoyed seeing all of your photos! Another place I’d like to visit–thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us!

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 10:33

      Thank you! Hope you will go there soon!

  • Reply
    Maureen Baeck
    22/06/2015 at 22:39

    Great post! I have wanted to go to the Czech Republic so badly and now I have more than just Prague to add to my list! Thank you for that!!!

    By the way if you like Ostrava and you come to the US we have a very similar place in Bethleham, Pennsylvania called Steelstacks. It’s a very cool artsy place and every year there is a 2 week long festival called Musik Fest.

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 10:34

      Thank you Maureen! Fingers crossed you will go to Czech Republic soon!
      And thank you for telling me about Steelstacks! I wrote it down in case I will travel to the US anytime soon! I’d love to visit that one!

  • Reply
    Paulina Szałamacha
    22/06/2015 at 22:11

    Stolica zaliczona, ale patrząc na zdjęcia stwierdzam, że chyba czas podbijać resztę Czech :)

  • Reply
    Catherine Houlahan
    22/06/2015 at 23:23

    Wow! Great list and I just love the pictures!!! What beautiful architecture all around :)

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 10:35

      thank you! I really like Central European architecture :)

  • Reply
    Katarzyna Pięta
    22/06/2015 at 23:16

    czechy to czasem jak się odwiedzi to ma się wrażenie jakby się było w domu. lubię bardzo :))

  • Reply
    Sue Reddel
    23/06/2015 at 02:21

    Terrific post! Can’t wait to get there myself.

  • Reply
    Marcin Wesołowski
    23/06/2015 at 06:29

    Tylko stolica niestety :/

  • Reply
    jolasolotrips
    23/06/2015 at 07:46

    That right … is so beautiful. Its so many to see and so many to eat ad drink. People ar. very friendly and helps the turist. They will give good tips to see nice places. The culture is religious as we csn see everywhere. City the big and the small have architecture which catch eye .. as we can see on yr photos too. Regards

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 10:36

      Thank you for the comment! it’s all true!

  • Reply
    Natalia | Biegun Wschodni
    23/06/2015 at 08:04

    Nie napisałaś najważniejszego o Czeskich Budziejowicach! To destynacja Dzielnego Wojaka Szwejka, do której tak długo zmierzał :)
    Powiem Ci, że wstrzeliłaś się z tym wpisem idealnie, bo ja właśnie rozważam, czy nie wybrać się do Czech we wrześniu. Niby tak blisko, a tak niewiele wiem o tym państwie.

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 10:38

      a wiesz, że na śmierć o tym zapomniałam?! a przeciez tak było!!! :)
      jedź koniecznie jak będziesz miała okazję! Czechy są fantastyczne i pełno w nich perełek! Jakbyś potrzebowała jakiejś pomocy co gdzie kiedy pisz śmiało :)

  • Reply
    Darek
    23/06/2015 at 08:11

    Great list! Try Cesky Krumlov (near Ceske Budejovice) next time. It is IMHO one of the loveliest cities in the world.

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 10:51

      I will, it’s on my list for ages! Thanks!

  • Reply
    Kuba
    23/06/2015 at 08:29

    I think the Czech Republic, is so small, and big in the same time. It’s something like Poland. You can find there whatever you looking for. I like big cities, but I’d prefer the small one. Where time going slower, people have more time to admire environment. Where the nature is closer to people. Zdravím!

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 10:58

      You are so very right! That’s why I like both Poland and Czech Republic so much, there’re just so many places to choose from, so different one that you cannot be bored in either of these places! So far I’ve been mostly visiting bigger Czech cities but I know I should pay more attention to smaller ones too. Thanks for the inspiration! :)

  • Reply
    California Globetrotter
    23/06/2015 at 10:16

    Sad to see that Cesky Krumlov wasn’t on that list! THAT was an amazing town! We were just there a few weeks ago! http://www.facebook.com/caliglobetrotter

  • Reply
    Magdalena Bodnari
    23/06/2015 at 10:40

    Niestety tylko w Pradze. Ale teraz właśnie z dziećmi jest czas na bliskie kraje, więc niedługo to się zmieni -)

  • Reply
    Zygmunt Kuba
    23/06/2015 at 11:28

    Soczyste zdjęcia, zachęcają do wyjazdu :D

  • Reply
    Travels and Tipples
    23/06/2015 at 17:44

    We spent five nights in Ostrava this past April and did several day trips, including one to Olomouc. We were impressed by that whole region of the Czech Republic – and loved the prices!

  • Reply
    Samiya Selim
    23/06/2015 at 21:53

    havent been to Czech Republic yet but it’s on my list :-)

  • Reply
    Sianna
    24/06/2015 at 07:50

    I wish I had more time in prague to explore not only the historic and most popular places. But hopefully will be back for more one day. I would also love to visit Cesky Krumlov and Kutna hora.

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 11:00

      Kutna Hora is a perfect daytrip from Prague, such a lovely little town! I also would love to visit Cesky Krumlov!

  • Reply
    Natalia Malec
    24/06/2015 at 07:04

    My one of my favourite neighborhood countries :)

  • Reply
    Henry | @fotoeins
    24/06/2015 at 10:54

    Dang, i have a couple of personal contacts in Plzen and Brno, and I keep meaning to go. But in the recent past, Praha kept her pretty and sharp claws on me. :)

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 11:02

      ha, I understand that so well!!! Prague just can’t get boring! But it’s worth seeing more of the country too! Hopefully next time you will go to Brno and Plzen as well :)

  • Reply
    Piotr Goroh
    25/06/2015 at 05:40

    Nie wiem czy wpuszczenie ‘gości’ z zachodniej granicy było dobrym ruchem, ale porównując np.Warszawę do Pragi…

  • Reply
    Beata Redzimska
    25/06/2015 at 09:55

    Musze w koncu tu dotrzec, wszyscy tak sie zachwycaja Praga.

  • Reply
    Jarek Szczygielski
    25/06/2015 at 14:18

    Czechy kocham! :)

  • Reply
    Hannah
    26/06/2015 at 00:45

    I’ve only been to Prague and the nearby Kutna Hora but I would love to go back and see more. Brno especially looks amazing- very picturesque and fairytale-like which I am all for!

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 11:04

      Brno is so great!! It was one of my biggest travel surprises of last year, I loved it big time!! Since you’ll be in Vienna you should go to Brno, is pretty close and probably can be done as a day trip!

  • Reply
    Marta
    26/06/2015 at 12:32

    Wszyscy moi znajomi namiętnie jeżdżą do Ostravy… Podobno jest to mega imprezowe miasto :D

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 11:05

      oj jest! jedna ulica, Stodolni, a wymiata!

  • Reply
    Ewa
    26/06/2015 at 16:13

    Since I am more a nature-lover than city-lover, my number one in the czech Republic is and probably always be Moravsky Kras. I have been to Prague and Brno, but the caves and rocks of Moravsky Kras are for me so much better :)

    • Reply
      kami
      27/06/2015 at 11:06

      I was there ages ago (15 years) but I remember it was pretty spectacular! I still would love to visit Czech Switzerland and cave towns! Czech Republic really has so much to offer!

  • Reply
    Nancie
    30/06/2015 at 09:12

    I need to go back to Czech to visit all of these glorious sounding/looking places. I did make it to Pilsen, which was wonderful.

    • Reply
      kami
      28/07/2015 at 11:17

      I really hope you will make it there soon, Czech Republic has so much to offer!!! And I need to go to Pilsen soon, I heard only good things about it!

  • Reply
    Przemysław Pawcliki
    01/07/2015 at 19:07

    The Czech republic is very beautiful. I remember how I used to be in this beautiful country and got a delicious meal. This country immediately grabbed my heart. His monuments, market, alleys, there are beautiful places to stroll. I want to go back …

    I remember that I was in a museum of old fairy tales.Very interesting was to look like once without technology, humans could do such miracles. The Czech Republic is a very nice country. And up in their vicinity refresh my chest … :)

  • Reply
    Stefania - the Italian Backpacker
    13/07/2015 at 21:18

    Hey Kamila! One of my favourite places in Czech Republic was Telc, I have such a fond memory of it!

    • Reply
      kami
      28/07/2015 at 14:23

      I’ve heard only good things about Telc but haven’t made it there yet… hopefully soon! Thanks for telling me about it Stefania!

  • Reply
    Agnieszka /Zależna w podróży
    28/08/2015 at 23:12

    I have some problems with Czech Republic. I’ve been there so many times as a kid and I totally don’t remember which towns I’ve visited. I look at your photos and I think – “yeah, I’ve been there”. But then I think it’s not possible that I’ve visited them all. I guess it just means I have to go there again.

    • Reply
      kami
      03/09/2015 at 22:14

      you definitely should! And well, that’s the problem with Central Europe, the architecture is so similar you don’t know anymore where you are, in Brno or Sarajevo, in Lviv or Przemyśl ;)

  • Reply
    Michal
    05/12/2015 at 21:48

    Hi, I came across on your blog and I’m really surprised that you say thay you consider Brno as the 2nd coolest city in the Czech Republic! The thing is, I come from not far away from Brno and I’ve been always thinking that you can fully appreciate the vibe of this city only as a citizen or if you’re from the region. Usually people say that it’s boring and ugly and there’s nothing to see. I study in Olomouc, which is slightly different and all the people I know, who don’t come from South Moravia, say that they hate Brno. Actually, I think that city has really changed – it’s really became a hipster, intelectual city with lots of cafés, events and stuff…sometimes I come back from Olomouc and I feel lost :D

    • Reply
      kami
      07/12/2015 at 23:19

      Thank you for your comment Michal! Brno is really cool, and exactly how you described it – intelectual, hispter and with so many things to do and see. And it’s really beautiful, but so is Olomouc! i visited both this summer (not for the first time) and while Olomouc felt really deserted on the Saturday afternoon Brno was lively, with lots of people outside and busy cafes and pubs. It was in August so maybe Olomouc is different when students are back but overall I appreciate Olomouc but definitely prefer Brno :)

  • Reply
    David Holdcroft
    17/02/2018 at 12:53

    myself and my wife also loves travelling, last years trip took us from Zadar to Bucharest via Mostar,Sarajevo, Belgrade,Timosora,Cravioa, mostly by train , we are hinting of flying to Bratislava this year and head for prague, through Brno,Olomouc and Jihlava,,,,,,,,,,,,, Is there a nicer route and whats the train system like ?, we have been in prague and ceske budejovice before and enjoyed it. Also we been to your country too ( Wroclaw,Pozan,Gnask ) and loved it

    Regards

    David
    Ireland

  • Reply
    kami
    29/03/2018 at 20:52

    Hi David! It sounds like a good plan! Between Brno and Jihlava you should also stop in Trebic – the town with two UNESCO sites, it’s really interesting. Train system in Czech Republic is really easy, the trains are good and almost always on time. You can check the connections and prices at http://www.cd.cz

  • Reply
    Mariana Banasova
    01/04/2024 at 16:31

    Beautiful post and pictures
    Please add Moravia Jesenik,
    Thank you
    Mariana

    • Reply
      kami
      09/04/2024 at 20:25

      Thank you. This article definitely needs an update and I’ll make sure to include both places in it!

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