Who has been to the Czech Republic? Got travel suggestions?

[Worsted Skeins]

(With a nod to KS who started a similar thread on Belgium.)

Many Americans have been to Prague; other Czech cities and towns not so much.

What are your recommendations for a two week trip?  Lonely Planet and Rough Guide often note that buses are more frequent, faster and less expensive than trains.  We know we want to spend some time in Prague, go to Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov.  We enjoy hiking and biking, love castles and historical sites.

I would love to hear your travel suggestions and tips.

Thanks in advance.

[Conjou]

I went there in 2012 on my backpacking trip and spent 7 nights at this super great campground: http://www.praguecamping.com. Camp Zizkov had live music several nights, a great beer garden/common area for hanging out with other people, goats, and great facilities for cooking your food if you don't want to eat out. A nice 30 minute walk through a gorgeous city park gets you downtown. I found the entire city to be very walkable. Plus, I also thought stuff was pretty inexpensive despite all the warnings--particularly the beer!--but then I had just been in London which I found to be super expensive.

If you are into hiking and biking, I'd recommend checking out the more hilly/mountainous region that borders Poland. Some super fun and beautiful riding and hiking there, plus the farther one goes from Prague, the less expensive things get and far more interesting!

Have a great trip!

[Worsted Skeins]

Thanks Conjou.  Almost everything looks reasonable in cost after London!

Still researching away...

[Bobberth]

If you enjoy beer, I would HIGHLY suggest taking a trip to Pilsen (Plzen) and the Pilsner Urquell brewery.  At first I was disappointed as I live in St. Louis and have visited the Budweiser brewery many times for free while Pilsner Urquell is owned by Miller and they charged for a tour and you had to pay extra to be able to take pictures :-(  Wow was it worth it!  You get to sample the grain they brew with which tastes amazing and go down into the caves where they still lager some of their beer and get served a cup right from one of the large wooden barrels.  They don't have to pasteurize the beer for serving on premise so OH MY GAWD did it taste AWESOME! I suggest also sticking around for food and more drinks afterward at the on site restaurant to enjoy more of the beer.  We did a day trip on the train from Prague and it was a good day trip and we got back for the evening in Prague.  Definitely worth a day out of a two week trip-or more if you're in that part of CR and can cut out the train ride.

Prague was pricey but once you got out into the smaller places, the prices went down dramatically.

[Middlesbrough]

If you enjoy hiking I hear that there are some good climbing mountains when I was in Prague.

[Panly]

The answer to your question is already included

What are your recommendations for a two week trip?   hiking and biking, love castles and historical sites.

If I had two weeks in CZ Republic, I'd go on a cycling trip.
If you haven't visited the country, the cycling loop would start in Prague, go west/southwest via Plsen and further through Sumava/Bohemia national park. Then down south past Budovice until Cesky Chrumlov.    Then east again,  Telc  is certainly worth visiting,  and from there on you work your way back up to Kutna Hora and Prague.    If you avoid the major roads, you might not meet two other vehicles on the road per day.   

Moreover, if you have energy left (and a decent offroad-oriented bike) everywhere in CZ there are numbered cycling routes, just follow the signposts.     

It'll only make you wanting to go back.

[Worsted Skeins]

The answer to your question is already included

What are your recommendations for a two week trip?   hiking and biking, love castles and historical sites.

If I had two weeks in CZ Republic, I'd go on a cycling trip.
If you haven't visited the country, the cycling loop would start in Prague, go west/southwest via Plsen and further through Sumava/Bohemia national park. Then down south past Budovice until Cesky Chrumlov.    Then east again,  Telc  is certainly worth visiting,  and from there on you work your way back up to Kutna Hora and Prague.    If you avoid the major roads, you might not meet two other vehicles on the road per day.   

Moreover, if you have energy left (and a decent offroad-oriented bike) everywhere in CZ there are numbered cycling routes, just follow the signposts.     

It'll only make you wanting to go back.

Your list includes places outside of Prague on which I have been focusing:  Kutna Hora, Cesky Krumlov and Telc.   

Thanks to everyone for their food for thought!

[curlycue]

+1 for Cesky Chrumlov

Also, I recommend "Student Agency" - if you are a student it is cheapest, but even if you are not, they are the best buses ever, and I don't like bus travel. It is a Czech company, but goes to many countries in the area as well as between cities. You can buy tickets online or at offices in most major cities:
http://www.studentagencybus.com/

I also recommend the city of Brno. It is less crowded than Prague, and with all the advantages of a major city, but small enough to walk through. Also, the university there rents out dorm rooms by the day if you want cheap housing during the summer.

Don't know if you are planning to visit any other countries nearby, I went to Germany, Poland, and Hungary, on that regional trip with friends who went to a few other places in the region. It seems that Budapest would be another great option and is most peoples favorite, easy access while you are there.

Also, have you traveled in Europe lately? Two things have emerged from hostels that you can take advantage of, even if you are not staying in hostels.

1. The "Free Walking Tour" of all major cities, usually not too early in the morning. The gimmick is they ask for tips at the end, whatever you want to give. I've done this in about five cities and every one was top notch. It is cheaper and better than any paid for tour and perfect for your first day in the city as they will  give you history, walk you around the major sites to get familiar, and give you advice like for all the cheap activities and cafes. At the end you can ask them anything. I would do this first day in any city, the next day you can do things like pay for a tour of the castle there, or go to a place they pointed out like a museum or theater they have pointed out.

2. Free Bar Crawl - you don't have to be a big drinker for this, but every evening most hostels have a bar crawl set up with deals where they take you. The main going of this is if you want to meet people and socialize. It can be cool because you tend to meet tourists from all other the world who are friendly and have tons of interesting stories.

Both of these are advertised at whatever hostel you are staying at - or if not, you can stop by and ask about them, they are happy to have anyone join.

Eastern Europe is great, and I think Czech Republic was my favorite country so have fun!

[Worsted Skeins]

+1 for Cesky Chrumlov

Also, I recommend "Student Agency" - if you are a student it is cheapest, but even if you are not, they are the best buses ever, and I don't like bus travel. It is a Czech company, but goes to many countries in the area as well as between cities. You can buy tickets online or at offices in most major cities:
http://www.studentagencybus.com/

I also recommend the city of Brno. It is less crowded than Prague, and with all the advantages of a major city, but small enough to walk through. Also, the university there rents out dorm rooms by the day if you want cheap housing during the summer.

Don't know if you are planning to visit any other countries nearby, I went to Germany, Poland, and Hungary, on that regional trip with friends who went to a few other places in the region. It seems that Budapest would be another great option and is most peoples favorite, easy access while you are there.

I have not been in Eastern Europe since before many of the people on this forum were born!  I traveled to the former Yugoslavia when Tito was still ruling the roost and also went to Poland pre-Solidarnosc, crossing through Czechoslovakia by train which required visas, luggage inspection, etc.  A different world then, you know?

I am now at a stage of life in which time and finances permit more travel.  Two weeks in the Czech Republic will only allow us to scratch the surface--especially since we are blocking out some time in Prague.  Budapest is on my list for a future trip; I would love to see Krakow again and explore some other areas of Poland.  It will happen.

[KS]

(With a nod to KS who started a similar thread on Belgium.)

Yay! I thought the subject line looked familiar. :)

If you enjoy beer, I would HIGHLY suggest taking a trip to Pilsen (Plzen) and the Pilsner Urquell brewery.

+1 to this! Sadly their production lines were down for cleaning the day we went so we didn't get to see it all in action, but it was still a fun tour and we enjoyed a brief wander in the town as well. We spent a week in Prague a couple years ago and this was our only excursion outside that city; we would love to go back and see more of the rest of the country someday. We went just before Christmas which was pretty awesome for the holiday markets (hooray for cheap street food and hot honey mead!) and atmosphere but the cold weather and our short timeline did make it hard to squeeze as much into the trip as we would have liked.

[Luck better Skill]

Kutna Hora well worth the time. 

[wileyish]

Českı Krumlov was stunning. Highly recommend a stop there for at least a few nights. Use Google Images to see how pretty it is.

Also, BEWARE: my ATM card did not work in the Czech Republic. It worked earlier in the day in Austria...then not so much in the Czech Republic. Apparently my bank doesn't deal with the Eastern Bloc due to high rates of fraud. I had called the bank before leaving and told them what countries I was visiting and they said "no problem!" Argh. Have a plan B.

[wileyish]

Oh, sorry. Just saw that Českı Krumlov was already on your list. One tip: the bus will drop you off outside of town and there will be cabs there waiting to rob take you into the city. Ignore them. It's an easy walk, especially if have a backpack rather than a roller bag.

[Worsted Skeins]

Thanks for the practical tips about buses, wileyish and Curleycue.  This confirms what I have read in Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Online I see lots of car services. I don't speak Czech but it seems that you two did not have trouble figuring out the bus system, correct?

[skellig]

Definitely visit the old Jewish quarter in Praga. It's a great place to find odds and ends, and the medieval history there is amazing.

[Worsted Skeins]

Definitely visit the old Jewish quarter in Praga. It's a great place to find odds and ends, and the medieval history there is amazing.

Any opinion on visiting Terezin as a day trip?

I have also read that the Jewish Quarter in Trebic is worth a visit.

Too many places...too little time...

[skellig]

Also, if you're interested in seeing some of the culture, I do recommend for a night activity visiting the Operahouse. The seats are quite cheap if you choose the upper levels, and there are English translations. (If you're into opera.) Upper level tickets or standing room tickets run $10-25 USD.

The best places to go were to the markets outside of the Old Town (tourist area). If you wander around the Charles bridge going away from Old Town, you'll have a lot of fun. There's a lot of side streets and little niches, definitely explore them. Make sure you know a landmark close to where you want to go. If you need to find your reference point, "Promiňte (PROH-mih-nyteh), kde je (kday ya)------landmark----?" Charles bridge is the best reference point.

For Terezin, I'd do a half-day, as it's quite a somber subject, definitely do it in the morning. I visited Auschwitz, and it was hard and I was glad I went in the morning.

[Worsted Skeins]

Also, if you're interested in seeing some of the culture, I do recommend for a night activity visiting the Operahouse. The seats are quite cheap if you choose the upper levels, and there are English translations. (If you're into opera.) Upper level tickets or standing room tickets run $10-25 USD.

The best places to go were to the markets outside of the Old Town (tourist area). If you wander around the Charles bridge going away from Old Town, you'll have a lot of fun. There's a lot of side streets and little niches, definitely explore them. Make sure you know a landmark close to where you want to go. If you need to find your reference point, "Promiňte (PROH-mih-nyteh), kde je (kday ya)------landmark----?" Charles bridge is the best reference point.

For Terezin, I'd do a half-day, as it's quite a somber subject, definitely do it in the morning. I visited Auschwitz, and it was hard and I was glad I went in the morning.

Yes, I understand about Auschwitiz.  It was a hard but necessary journey for me.

Between the opera and the Dvorak festival, I should be a happy camper musically speaking!  (Last summer we went to a BBC Proms concert at Royal Albert Hall.  This is something that I definitely recommend to those visiting the UK in the summer.)

[wileyish]

Thanks for the practical tips about buses, wileyish and Curleycue.  This confirms what I have read in Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Online I see lots of car services. I don't speak Czech but it seems that you two did not have trouble figuring out the bus system, correct?

You’ll be fine without any sort of car service, and will likely have oodles more fun. A lot of the public transportation booths are staffed with English speakers, and when they are not you can still get by with miming and map-pointing. The one time I found myself in a sticky bind (not bus related - the pension I had booked was closed and dusk was descending) I just asked an idle cop for help using a pay phone. He was happy to help. In general, people are kind and willing to help a flustered stranger. Happy travels!

[Luck better Skill]

Thanks for the practical tips about buses, wileyish and Curleycue.  This confirms what I have read in Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Online I see lots of car services. I don't speak Czech but it seems that you two did not have trouble figuring out the bus system, correct?

  My visit was about 20 years ago.  I learned about 25 words of Czech before my visit.  I survived.  A few know English.  Although I don't think any have every played charades. 

[curlycue]

Thanks for the practical tips about buses, wileyish and Curleycue.  This confirms what I have read in Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Online I see lots of car services. I don't speak Czech but it seems that you two did not have trouble figuring out the bus system, correct?

It is easy, Student Agency (not just for students) speaks English and offers full services, not just transportation, for tourists. Also, they sold us a ticket for a different bus agency then the bus didn't show up (well, was about 6 hrs late, by then we just had bought train tickets and jumped on a train). We then went to the office and they gave us a full refund, no problems. They really had fantastic customer service. It started off as a cheap bus for students but has grown and expanded to full services for tourists or anyone who wants cheap travel.

[skellig]

There is also a tram system, and it's easily done. There are machines located at the stops that you can buy passes.

I mostly rode the tram, but if you buy from city municipal machines, your passes are good for any form of transportation. Bus, tram, subway.

Schedules are easy to read. Learn the stop name that is closest to the place you're staying, that's another good reference point.