Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and one of the largest cities in Central Europe which has been the center of the historic region of Bohemia for centuries. Prague is well known for its medieval architecture, with the central old town included on the World Heritage List.
Prague is an amazing city which survived World War II largely unscathed so its historical bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers, church domes cobbled lanes along the Vltava River survive to this day. The medieval centre, parts of which are over ten centuries old, are a delightful collection of cobbled lanes, walled courtyards, cathedrals and seemingly endless church spires all overlooked by the imposing 9th century Prague Castle which is the largest ancient castle in the world.
It is one of the most popular destinations in Europe with a modern charm and vibrant feel, full of energy, music, cultural art and hostels for the intrepid traveller who seeks to explore a medieval city. While in Prague we again met some friendly and interesting travellers at the local hostels, we even managed to watch an All Blacks test match which reminded us of home.
From Prague we wanted to visit another of the Czech Republic’s popular towns, albeit much smaller, so we would board several of the local ‘Soviet style’ trains to Český Krumlov. Český Krumlov is a beautiful town in Southern Bohemia full of Baroque buildings with a magical small castle and delightful old town square which is little changed in several hundred years.
After a morning of walking around this idyllic southern Czech Republic village we joined a ‘river rafting’ trip (mainly with people from NZ and Australia and was organized by the hostel) down the Vltava River that runs through the village. That was a fun day, so it comes highly recommended for any other intrepid travellers.
Another day my friend and I hired a couple bicycles and headed up to Horská chata Kleť which is a small castle viewpoint and TV tower in the forest atop the highest hill in the region. From here after the grueling ride up we were rewarded with fantastic views and were able to see Germany and Austria in the distance across the border. Český Krumlov is a charming village which you could so easily spend a week relaxing in and soaking up the quiet atmosphere, but beware it’s popular with tourists in the summer and its population is known to double over the summer months!
