WHERE TO GO
The Czech Republic is not a large country, but it has a rich and eventful history. The variety in landscape and architecture is enormous, encompassing the forests and rolling countryside of Bohemia, peaceful spa towns like Karlovy Vary and historic towns like Olomouc and Češki Krumlov.
IN NUMBERS
- There are over 2,000 castles and castle ruins in the Czech republic, one of the highest density in the world.
- 90% of Czechs have completed at least secondary education — the highest score in Europe.
- The country has a total of 46 airports with paved runways, six of them providing international air services.
- The Czech Republic is one of the top 10 countries worldwide in terms of the fastest average Internet speed.
TOP 5
Prague Castle: is Prague’s most popular attraction. According to the Guinness World Records, it’s the largest ancient castle in the world.
Češky Krumlov: with a spectacular castle and centered on an elegant old town square it is like a pocket sized Prague. Unesco World Heritage town since 1992.
Karlovy Vary: spa town with a more than 650-year-old tradition of balneology. The town has been recapturing its former glory with its Baroque and Art Nouveau buildings.
Karlštejn Castle: medieval castle 30km southwest of Prague. It is the most visited and one of the most beautiful castles in the Czech republic.
Jewish Prague: The only Central European Jewish town quarters that survived the Holocaust. Known as Josefov, this Jewish quarter contains the remains of the former Jewish ghetto.
THE MOST ...
- The Czech republic is the second richest Eastern European Country after tiny Slovenia
- The Charles University in Prague, founded in 1348, is the oldest university in Eastern Europe and one of the oldest in the world
- Some of the most renowned spa towns are in the Czech Republic. The famous ones are those of Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), Frantiskovy Lazne (Franzensbad) and Teplice (Teplitz.)
- The highest point in the Czech Republic is Snezka, a mountain that reaches 1,602 metres.
- Many of the world’s best tennis players – Ivan Lendl, Mandlikova, Sukova, Navratilova, Korda, and Novotna, to name a few – were born and raised in the Czech Republic.
WHAT ELSE TO DO
- Sample the best Czech beers in Prague, or even better, in Plzen.
- Visit quirky nightclub Parukarka housed underground in what was a 1950s Cold War nuclear bunker in Prague.
- Take in Zizkov, a former industrial suburb and the epicenter of Prague’s edgy nightlife, with more than 300 bars .
- Kutna Hora – ancient silver mine and Unesco World Heritage pretty medieval town that once rivaled Prague and even London.
ARE YOU KIDDIN’ ME?
Czechs are the biggest consumers of beer per male in the world. They drink more beer per capita than anyone else, consuming on average 160 litres per person, per year. Incidentally, a Czech man called Honza Zampa holds the record for beer guzzling, after drinking a litre of beer in 4.11 seconds.
