Must-see attractions in Bohemia

  • Konopiště Chateau

    Bohemia

    Archduke Franz Ferdinand d’Este, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is famous for being dead – it was his assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 that sparked…

  • Czech Republic - Central Bohemia - Kutna Hora. Sedlec Cemetery near Kutna Hora.

    Sedlec Ossuary

    Kutná Hora

    When the Schwarzenbergs purchased Sedlec monastery (2.5km northeast of the town centre) in 1870 they allowed local woodcarver František Rint to get…

  • View of Cesky Krumlov Castle seen across town's rooftops, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

    Český Krumlov State Castle

    Český Krumlov

    Český Krumlov's striking Renaissance castle, occupying a promontory high above the town, began life in the 13th century. It acquired its present…

  • Karlštejn Castle

    Bohemia

    Karlštejn Castle, 30km southwest of Prague, started life in 1348 as a hideaway for the crown jewels of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. After falling into…

  • Plzensky Prazdroj Brewery, home of the Pilsner Urquell Beer. Plzen. West Bohemia. Czech Republic

    Pilsner Urquell Brewery

    Plzeň

    Plzeň's most popular attraction is the tour of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, in operation since 1842 and arguably home to the world's best beer. Entry is…

  • Hluboká Chateau

    Bohemia

    Hluboká Chateau was built by Přemysl rulers in the 13th century and the building changed ownership several times until it landed in the hands of the…

  • Techmania Science Centre

    Plzeň

    Kids will have a ball at this high-tech, interactive science centre where they can play with infrared cameras, magnets and many other instructive and fun…

  • Cathedral of St Barbara

    Kutná Hora

    Kutná Hora’s greatest monument is the Gothic Cathedral of St Barbara. Rivalling Prague’s St Vitus in size and magnificence, its soaring nave culminates in…

  • Hot Spring Colonnade

    Karlovy Vary

    The Hot Spring Colonnade is in an incongruous concrete-and-glass functionalist structure built in 1975 and once dedicated to Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin…

  • Mill Colonnade

    Karlovy Vary

    The most impressive piece of architecture in Karlovy Vary is the neo-Renaissance Mill Colonnade (built 1871–81), with five different springs, rooftop…

  • Loket Castle

    Bohemia

    The village's impressive castle was built on the site of an earlier Romanesque fort, of which the only surviving bits are the tall square tower, and…

  • Czech Silver Museum

    Kutná Hora

    Originally part of the town’s fortifications, the Hrádek (Little Castle) was rebuilt in the 15th century as the residence of Jan Smíšek, administrator of…

  • Ghetto Museum

    Bohemia

    The town's main museum is spread out over two buildings and explores the rise of Nazism and life in the Terezín ghetto. The main building once housed a…

  • Underground Plzeň

    Plzeň

    This extraordinary 60-minute guided tour explores the passageways below the old city. The earliest were probably dug in the 14th century, perhaps for beer…

  • Lesser Fortress

    Bohemia

    Terezín’s Lesser Fortress, which served as a prison and concentration camp, lies 700m east of the town centre. The best way to see it is to take a self…

  • Brummel House

    Plzeň

    Fans of early-modern architecture will want to tour this restored villa, designed by renowned architect Adolf Loos. In the 1920s and '30s Loos designed…

  • Terezín Transports

    Bohemia

    This small but fascinating exhibition in the town's former weighing office opened in 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death…

  • Colonnade

    Bohemia

    The cast-iron Colonnade, built in neo-baroque style in 1889, is the spa's visual centrepiece. Classical and brass-band concerts are performed here two or…

  • Egon Schiele Art Centrum

    Český Krumlov

    This excellent private gallery houses a small retro­spective of the celebrated and controversial Viennese painter Egon Schiele (1890–1918). Schiele's…

  • Castle Museum & Tower

    Český Krumlov

    Located within the castle complex, this small museum and adjoining tower is an ideal option if you don't have the time or energy for a full castle tour…

  • Náměstí Svornosti

    Český Krumlov

    The centre of the Old Town is defined by náměstí Svornosti, with its 16th-century Town Hall and Marian Plague Column, dating from 1716. Several buildings…

  • Singing Fountain

    Bohemia

    The Singing Fountain sashays to coloured lights and recorded music – anything from Dvořák to Celine Dion – every two hours on the odd hour, with the last…

  • Diana Lookout Tower

    Karlovy Vary

    This hilltop lookout tower affords fine views across Karlovy Vary and the surrounding forested hills, and is the starting point for waymarked hikes…

  • Terezín Fortress

    Bohemia

    From the ground, the sheer scale of the maze of walls and moats that surrounds the town of Terezín is impossible to fathom. Take a peek at the aerial…

  • Italian Court

    Kutná Hora

    East of St James Church (kostel sv Jakuba; 1330) lies the Italian Court, the former Royal Mint – it gets its name from the master craftsmen from Florence…

  • Hussite Museum

    Bohemia

    Situated in Tábor's former late-Gothic Town Hall (Stará radnice), this museum traces the origins of the Hussite movement in the Czech lands. The…

  • Mělník Chateau

    Bohemia

    This Renaissance chateau was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1739, and they opened it to the public in 1992. You can wander through the former living…

  • Třeboň Chateau

    Bohemia

    Třeboň's main attraction is its Renaissance chateau, which includes a museum displaying furniture and weapons. Today's chateau dates from 1611, the…

  • Rybník Svět

    Bohemia

    This is one of hundreds of fish ponds in the region that date back centuries to when this part of Bohemia first developed fish-raising and harvesting…

  • Bechyně Gate & Kotnov Tower

    Bohemia

    The Bechyně Gate, just next to the ruins of Kotnov Castle, is the last of the town's original Gothic portals to remain standing, and it still retains the…

  • Ossuary

    Bohemia

    The crypt of the Church of Sts Peter & Paul houses an ossuary, packed with the bones of around 15,000 people, dug up to make room for 16th-century plague…

  • Underground Passages

    Bohemia

    At the Hussite Museum in the former Town Hall, you'll find the entrance to a fascinating 650m stretch of underground passageways, which you can visit by…

  • Barborská

    Kutná Hora

    Barborská street runs along the front of the 17th-century former Jesuit College, with glorious views over the valley below, and is decorated with a row of…

  • St Bartholomew Cathedral

    Plzeň

    Gigantic St Bartholomew Church looms over the surrounding facades from the centre of náměstí Republiky. The early years of the church are shrouded in…

  • Church of Mary Magdalene

    Karlovy Vary

    Karlovy Vary's most important Catholic church and one of its grandest baroque buildings, this imposing, twin-steepled structure in the heart of the spa…

  • Church of the Virgin Mary & St Giles

    Bohemia

    This stately Gothic church and attached Augustine monastery complex date to the 14th century. Peek inside the church to see original late-Gothic artwork…

  • Patton Memorial Pilsen

    Plzeň

    The Patton Memorial details the liberation of Plzeň in May 1945 by the American army, under General George S Patton. Especially poignant are the…

  • DEPO2015

    Plzeň

    Housed in a former tram depot, this 'makerspace' is a creative hub that provides working space for tech start-ups, artists and craftspeople, and houses…

  • Žižkovo Náměstí

    Bohemia

    Tabor's handsome main square is lined with late-Gothic, Renaissance and baroque houses. In the middle is a fountain (1567) and a commanding statue of the…

  • Regent Brewery

    Bohemia

    Třeboň's municipal brewery was founded in 1379, and still turns out excellent beers sold under the 'Bohemia Regent' label. Times for an hour-long tour of…

More destinations you need to see