|
If you thought that Czech Republic is just Prague you are very mistaken, in fact, some of the best things of the country are away from it, but... They are easily reachable from the capital with public transport, so there is no excuse for not seeing them.  This guide will include destinations of the Bohemia region (Czech Rep. is divided in Bohemia, west and Moravia, east). For places in Moravia such as Brno check the guides around Bratislava.  For seeing Bohemia region you can rent a car, but if you are not more than 2 it doesn't worth it, so the best would be to stay in a centric hostel close to transportation, specially if you plan to visit other further places from Prague such as Dresden, Brno, Wien or Bratislava. For this, the best hostel is Florenc hostel/hotel, located in the very Florenc bus station (in fact all signs and small business seem to be owned by it) with rooms from 6,5€ you can have the perfect place to rest after your day trip, also the friendly staff will help you to plan your trip and will make you feel lile home, the location is good because most buses and city public transportation go throught there and also is less than 10 minutes walking to the centre. About the transportation, I choose always Student Agency because of the confort, they have good prices and individual screens with films and shows as well as a plug for charging your devices, also they allow you to book throught internet and cancel or change time even one hour before the trip. But this is not the only way, other company buses and national trains are avaliable. So, let's get started and see those amazing places you can see!! Plzen Plzen is one of the most famous Czech cities, who didn't heard of Pilsen Urquell beer? Also, the beer from this city is so famous, that the Pils beer is named after it. It's a good destination since is just 1h from Prague, with Student Agency bus you can go for 3€ each way from Zličin bus station (end of B Yellow metro line). The bus station in Plzen is less than 10 minutes from the city centre, you can get there easily.  Once in the main square, you should go to the information office, in the eastern side of the square, close to the cathedral. Once there, ask for the map, where every tourist attraction is pointed by a number, and in the back you have a description so you will choose what you like more. I think you should not miss the Pilsner Urquell factory tour if you have never been in one, and check its pub since is one of the biggest of Czech Republic. If you still want more beer, check the beer museum and the cellars (the biggest in Europe), in one corner of the old town. In the beer factory visit you will have some time at then end for beer tasting and in the ebd of the cellar tour you get a voucher for a free small beer, of course, do not leave Plzen without trying Pilsner Urquell as draft beer! There is also a puppet museum, and in one corner of the city is the main city museum, with archeological and historical expositions. Close to the bus station is General Patton museum, where you will learn the history about the US liberation of Plzen in the WW2. Take your time to explore the city centre, but it is actually not so big, so better have good times in a bar, with one of the most famous beers in the world! Cesky Krumlov By far, the most stuning place in Bohemia is Cesky Krumlov, a town from a fairytale, it's 3h from Prague, with direct connection with Student Agency bus for 7,5€ each way. It goes from Na Knizeci bus station, connected with Andel metro station (B Yellow line). At the very moment you step out of the bus, the view will be breathtaking, and getting to the main square is so easy, just follow signs and the flow of tourist and in a few minutes you will be in the tourist information, where you can ask for a map. Once you have your map, you should choose which museums to visit, most of them are quite cheap and they offer awesome student discounts, I recomend the tower and castle museum and the free museum in an antique shop, very close to the bridge that connects to the castle (you will see it written in the outside part of the shop with a lot of tin signs).  Take your time to explore the castle and do not miss the gardens in the very top of the hill (after the castle arched bridge). To go down, you can go downhill through the street or again by the castle, if you do this last check the town gate in the corner of the map, and go to Pivovarska street, where there is the Eggenberg brewery, offering half a litre of great beer for 25 Kc! Afer this, the best is to wander around the main part of the town, since every street worths seeing, there are plenty of restaurants in those streets and prices are not so bad for beign such a turistical place. Photo lovers will take long time walking around since there are many spots for a postcard worth picture. There are many Czech sweets and street food along the town, also, if you like antiques or tin signs, you came to the right place, there are a lot of shops of this kind, finally if you are looking for a funny budget costume, check the army shop in Latrán street, where Czechkoslovakian uniforms are just 4'8€! Other places such as Kutna Hora, Karljstein Castle and Karlovy Vary will be avaliable in two weeks! Comments are closed.
|