Two Weeks Across Bohemia and Moravia
From Prague's Gothic Spires to the Wine Cellars of South Moravia
Trip Overview
This fourteen-day route traces a wide arc through the Czech Republic. Start in Prague. Swing west into the spa triangle of Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne. Head south through the medieval lanes of Cesky Krumlov and the Sumava highlands. Turn east into the Moravian wine country around Mikulov and Znojmo. Finish north at the sandstone labyrinths of Bohemian Switzerland. The pace balances full sightseeing days with slower stretches for thermal soaking, vineyard walks, and castle wandering. Expect cobblestones underfoot. Catch the aroma of chimney cakes spiraling from corner bakeries. Hear organ music drifting out of baroque churches. Sip crisp Moravian Riesling on warm afternoons. Spend evenings in wood-paneled pivnice where the foam on a fresh Pilsner crackles audibly as the glass lands on the table. The itinerary rewards travelers who want depth over speed. It covers both the celebrated landmarks and the quieter corners where Czech daily life carries on unhurried.
Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
Mid-range; comparable to visiting Portugal or southern Germany
Best Seasons
Late April through October offers the warmest weather and longest daylight. December transforms Prague and the smaller towns with atmospheric Christmas markets, mulled wine steam, and frost-dusted rooftops.
Ideal For
First-time visitors to Central Europe, History and architecture enthusiasts, Beer and wine travelers, Couples, Solo travelers comfortable with trains and buses
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
Arrival and the Old Town Circuit
Settle into Prague. Spend the first afternoon orienting yourself around the Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock, and the lanes of Josefov.
Morning
Arrival and check-in at your Prague accommodation
Depending on your arrival time, drop bags and walk immediately toward Old Town Square. The square hits hardest on first contact. The twin Gothic steeples of Tyn Church thrust upward against whatever sky Prague is offering. The pastel baroque facades curve around the perimeter. The low rumble of conversation from the cafe terraces mixes with the clatter of tram bells on nearby Narodni.
Lunch
Try Lokál Dlouháááá on Dlouha street. The tank Pilsner arrives so fresh it tastes grassy and sweet. Pair it with hovezi gulas thick with paprika and served with knedliky that soak up every drop.
Afternoon
Old Town Square and Josefov walking loop
Watch the Astronomical Clock perform its mechanical procession on the hour. Then thread north into Josefov, Prague's former Jewish quarter. The Old Jewish Cemetery packs twelve layers of burials into a compressed space. Headstones lean at angles like crooked teeth. The dappled shade from overgrown elders gives the whole enclosure a green underwater light. The Spanish Synagogue interior, by contrast, blazes with Moorish gilding and geometric stucco that catches late-afternoon sun through stained glass.
Buy the combined Jewish Museum ticket online. Skip the queue at the entrance on U Starého hřbitova.
Evening
Dinner and an evening walk along the Vltava
Eat at Kantyna on Politickych veznu, a butcher-restaurant where you point at cuts behind the glass and they grill them on the spot. The smell of rendering fat and charcoal fills the tiled room. Afterward, walk south along the Vltava embankment toward the National Theatre. The gold-crowned roof glows under floodlights. The river surface fractures the reflections of Mala Strana across the water.
Where to Stay Tonight
Prague 1, Old Town or near Namesti Republiky (Mid-range hotel or well-reviewed guesthouse)
Central to most Day 1 through Day 3 sights. Within walking distance of the main train station for later departures.
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →The Astronomical Clock is most enjoyable if you arrive five minutes before the hour. Position yourself slightly east of center. The crowd packs directly below. But the mechanical saints are easier to see from the angled view. Avoid the pickpocket clusters that work the dense knot at noon.
Day 1 Budget: Budget-friendly to mid-range depending on dining choices
2
The Castle Hill and Mala Strana Descent
Spend the morning inside Prague Castle's cathedral and courtyards. Then descend through the terraced gardens of Mala Strana to the river.
Morning
Prague Castle complex and St. Vitus Cathedral
Enter from the Hradcany gate for the ceremonial approach. St. Vitus Cathedral looms ahead as you cross the first courtyard. Inside, the Mucha stained-glass window in the north nave saturates the stone floor with violet and emerald light on sunny mornings. The Old Royal Palace's Vladislav Hall has a vaulted ceiling whose ribs interlock like fingers. The scuffed stone ramp beside it was built wide enough for mounted knights to ride their horses directly into the hall for indoor jousting tournaments.
Arrive by 9 AM before the tour groups converge. Buy Circuit B tickets online for the essential interiors without the exhaustive deep-dive.
Lunch
Try U Maleho Glena on Karmelitska in Mala Strana. It's a narrow cellar bar that serves satisfying open-faced sandwiches. A jazz club downstairs opens in the evening.
Afternoon
Mala Strana gardens and Lennon Wall descent
Walk downhill through the Vrtba Garden, a compact baroque terrace garden where gravel paths switchback past clipped hedges and stone putti. The panorama opens across the red rooftops to the river. Continue past the Lennon Wall on Velkopřevorské náměstí, which smells faintly of fresh spray paint and marker ink. Cross to Kampa Island. The narrow channel called Čertovka runs beside a creaky old watermill wheel that still turns. Its paddles slap the surface and throw a fine mist into the air.
Evening
Dinner in Mala Strana and Charles Bridge at dusk
Eat at Cafe Savoy on Vitezna. The neo-Renaissance ceiling presides over plates of duck confit with red cabbage that arrives steaming and mahogany-dark. Walk Charles Bridge after 9 PM when the vendor stalls pack up. The bridge belongs to the stone saints and whatever breeze is sliding off the river.
Where to Stay Tonight
Prague 1, same as Day 1 (Same hotel or guesthouse)
Two full nights in Prague eliminates unnecessary bag-hauling
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →The castle's Golden Lane is charming but tiny. Go first thing in the morning. Skip it when crowds are thick. Spend that time instead in the Royal Garden across the Powder Bridge. The Renaissance Belvedere summer palace stands virtually empty there. The fountain in front of it produces a metallic singing tone when water strikes the basin.
Day 2 Budget: Budget-friendly to mid-range
3
Vysehrad, Vinohrady, and Czech Beer Culture
Explore the southern fortress of Vysehrad and the residential neighborhood of Vinohrady. Finish with a proper Czech beer pilgrimage.
Morning
Vysehrad fortress and cemetery
Vysehrad sits on a bluff above the Vltava where Prague began before the castle hill took over. The rampart walk gives an unobstructed view south along the river gorge, the water iron-gray in morning light. Inside the walls, the cemetery holds Dvorak, Smetana, Mucha, and Kafka in a compact necropolis shaded by linden trees whose leaves rustle constantly in the updraft off the cliff. The Romanesque rotunda of St. Martin, one of the oldest intact structures in the Czech Republic, stands nearby. Its rough stone walls stay cool to the touch even in summer.
Lunch
Olympia Vinohrady on Vinohradska, a neighborhood canteen where locals queue for svickova, the marinated beef sirloin in a cream sauce with cranberries and knedliky that is effectively the Czech national dish
Afternoon
Vinohrady neighborhood stroll and Riegrovy Sady beer garden
Vinohrady radiates outward from Namesti Miru, anchored by the neo-Gothic St. Ludmila church. The residential streets are lined with art-nouveau apartment buildings whose facades carry plaster garlands, wrought-iron balconies, and the occasional ceramic tile mural. Walk east through the streets to Riegrovy Sady park, where the beer garden occupies a hilltop terrace with a direct sightline to Prague Castle. Order a Kozel or a Bernard, both Czech lagers that stay closer to the grain-forward, slightly bitter end of the spectrum. Settle in as the late-afternoon light turns the distant castle apricot.
Evening
Prague craft beer exploration
Start at Pivni Filozofie near IP Pavlova for rotating taps of Czech microbreweries, then walk to BeerGeek Bar on Vinohradska for their curated fridges of sour ales and barrel-aged stouts. The Czech Republic produces more beer per capita than any other country, and the scene has diversified far beyond Pilsner Urquell. End the evening with something to eat at Eska in Karlin, where fermented and smoked ingredients dominate the menu. The sourdough bread alone justifies the visit.
Where to Stay Tonight
Prague 1 or 2 (Same accommodation)
Final Prague night before heading west
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →The Vysehrad casemates, the underground brick corridors inside the ramparts, house several original baroque statues from Charles Bridge that were moved here for preservation. The statues stand in near-darkness, dramatically side-lit. You can examine the chisel marks and weathering up close without the bridge crowds.
Day 3 Budget: Budget-friendly
4
Kutna Hora's Bone Church and Silver Legacy
Visit the Sedlec Ossuary and the Gothic cathedral in Kutna Hora, then take the afternoon train west to Karlovy Vary.
Morning
Sedlec Ossuary and Cathedral of the Assumption
The ossuary beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec is arranged from the bones of roughly forty thousand people. Garlands of skulls drape from the vault, a chandelier made of every bone in the human body hangs in the center, and the Schwarzenberg coat of arms rendered in femurs and tibias covers one wall. The air is dry and faintly chalky. A short walk away, the Cathedral of the Assumption rises in a pale sandstone Gothic that feels spacious and calm after the ossuary's density. Tall clerestory windows flood the nave in white light.
Buy the combined Sedlec ticket online. Timed entry controls the crowd inside the small ossuary
Lunch
Dacicky on Rakova in Kutna Hora's center, a restaurant named after a local Renaissance chronicler, serving game dishes like venison stew and roasted boar with dumplings in a vaulted stone dining room
Afternoon
St. Barbara's Cathedral and transfer to Karlovy Vary
Walk the Jesuit promenade lined with baroque saint statues to reach St. Barbara's Cathedral, Kutna Hora's crown jewel. The flying buttresses and triple tent roof silhouette against the sky like a ship under sail. Inside, late-medieval frescoes in the side chapels depict silver miners at work, a direct record of the wealth that built this town. After visiting, return to the train station for the cross-country connection to Karlovy Vary, switching in Prague if necessary. Arrive in time for an evening walk.
Check Czech Railways (CD) schedules; the Kutna Hora to Prague leg runs frequently, and Prague to Karlovy Vary departs from hlavni nadrazi roughly every two hours
Evening
Evening arrival walk in Karlovy Vary
Drop bags and walk the main colonnade along the Tepla River. The thermal springs vent steam into the evening air, and the pastel spa facades lit from below look like an opera set. Buy a porcelain spa cup from one of the vendors and sip the mineral water from the springs. It tastes of warm iron and sulfur. Unpleasant, but ritual.
Where to Stay Tonight
Karlovy Vary, near the main colonnade (Spa hotel or pension)
You are here for the thermal culture. Staying along the Tepla puts you steps from the spring colonnades and spa houses
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →In Kutna Hora, the Italian Court (Vlassky Dvur) is the original royal mint where Prague groschen were struck. The minting demonstration lets you hammer a coin yourself. The courtyard chapel has painted walls that smell of old plaster and beeswax candles.
Day 4 Budget: Mid-range with transit costs included
5
Spa Rituals and Thermal Springs
A full day immersed in Karlovy Vary's spa culture, thermal colonnades, and the surrounding forested hills.
Morning
Colonnade spring walk and spa treatment
Walk the full sequence of five colonnades from the Hot Spring (Vridelni), which erupts in a geyser-like jet inside a modernist glass pavilion, through the Mill Colonnade's neoclassical row of Corinthian columns, to the wooden Market Colonnade smelling of damp timber. Each spring has a different temperature and mineral content. Locals prescribe specific ones for specific complaints. Book a morning spa treatment at one of the traditional spa houses like Spa Hotel Thermal or Lazne III for a mineral soak followed by a peat wrap. Your skin will tingle and smell of earth.
Reserve spa treatments a day ahead in high season; walk-in slots are rare at the popular houses
Lunch
Buy oplatky, the thin wafer cookies filled with hazelnut cream, from a street vendor near the Mill Colonnade and pair them with a coffee at Cafe Elefant, one of the oldest cafes in Karlovy Vary, where the ceilings are stuccoed and the coffee arrives on a silver tray
Afternoon
Diana lookout tower and forest walk
Take the funicular from the Grand Hotel Pupp up to Diana Tower. The cabin creaks uphill through beech forest that smells of leaf mold and damp bark. The observation deck surveys the entire valley. The town below looks like a ribbon of candy-colored buildings squeezed between green hillsides. Descend on foot via forest trails that zigzag through the woods. The air is noticeably cooler. The only sound is birdsong and the crunch of pine needles underfoot.
Evening
Dinner and Becherovka tasting
Dine at Le Marche on Trziste, which serves updated Czech cooking using local ingredients. After dinner, visit the Jan Becher Museum on T.G. Masaryka street. Becherovka, the cinnamon-and-anise herbal liqueur, has been distilled there since 1807. The tasting room lets you sample the original alongside newer variants. The aroma of the spice blend hangs in the old factory air like mulled wine without the fruit.
Where to Stay Tonight
Karlovy Vary, same as previous night (Same spa hotel or pension)
Two nights allows a proper spa-day rhythm without rush
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in early July transforms the town into a Central European Cannes. Screenings happen in the Hotel Thermal's brutalist cinema. Actors walk the colonnade. If your visit overlaps, public screenings are cheap and the atmosphere is electric. If not, the Thermal's architecture alone merits a look.
Day 5 Budget: Mid-range with spa treatment. Budget without
6
Loket Castle and Onward to Plzen
Loket, then Plzen
Morning at the dramatic riverside castle of Loket. Afternoon arrival in Plzen for the birthplace of Pilsner beer. Plan accordingly.
Morning
Loket Castle and old town
Loket is a twenty-minute bus ride from Karlovy Vary. The castle occupies a granite promontory inside a tight meander of the Ohre River. The town is nearly an island. The fortress is raw and medieval. The torture exhibit in the basement is ghoulishly detailed. The real draw is the Romanesque tower and the view from the ramparts down to the river where the water runs clear over pale stones. The town square below the castle is intimate and quiet, ringed by painted burgher houses with steep roofs and shuttered windows.
Lunch
Eat at Pivovar Svatý Florian, a microbrewery in Loket that serves a copper-colored lager alongside pork knee with mustard and horseradish. The meat pulls apart in tender strands under a crackling skin. Order it.
Afternoon
Transfer to Plzen and Pilsner Urquell Brewery tour
Take the train south from Karlovy Vary to Plzen, roughly two hours through rolling farmland. Head directly to the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, where the tour descends into the original sandstone cellars. These tunnels run for nine kilometers beneath the brewery, cool and damp year-round. The unfiltered, unpasteurized lager drawn straight from the oak lagering barrels at the end of the tour is sharper, more bitter, and more alive than anything in a bottle. The yeasty, malty smell of active fermentation saturates the cellar air.
Book the Pilsner Urquell tour online in advance. English-language tours run at fixed times and fill in summer. Do not wait.
Evening
Dinner in Plzen center
Na Parkanu, the brewery's own pub adjacent to the factory gate, pours the freshest Pilsner in the world alongside hearty plates of beef tartare with raw garlic and toasted bread. The pub is cavernous with copper brewing equipment visible through glass walls. Afterward, walk across Republic Square to see the Gothic St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, whose single spire is the tallest church tower in the Czech Republic, dramatically floodlit at night.
Where to Stay Tonight
Plzen, city center near Republic Square (Mid-range hotel or pension)
Central location for both the brewery and the morning market before departure
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →Beneath Plzen's center runs a network of medieval cellars and passageways called the Plzen Historical Underground. The guided tour winds through cold tunnels that were used for beer storage, wells, and defense. Combine it with the brewery visit for a full picture of how beer culture penetrates this city, from the bedrock up.
Day 6 Budget: Mid-range
7
South to Cesky Krumlov
Travel south to the fairy-tale river town of Cesky Krumlov. Spend the afternoon wandering its UNESCO-listed center. Start early.
Morning
Transfer from Plzen to Cesky Krumlov
The train or bus ride south from Plzen to Cesky Krumlov takes roughly three hours and passes through the Sumava foothills, where the landscape shifts from flat Bohemian farmland into forested ridgelines and small valleys. Arriving in Cesky Krumlov, the first glimpse of the round painted tower rising above the Vltava meander is one of the most photogenic moments in the Czech Republic. The river wraps the old town in a tight S-curve. The castle and town occupy opposite banks like two halves of a locket.
RegioJet and FlixBus both run direct routes. The bus is often faster than the train for this particular connection. Check schedules.
Lunch
Na Louzi on Kajovska, a wood-paneled pub where the walls are covered in old skis, antlers, and faded photographs. The kulajda soup arrives thick with dill, potatoes, and a poached egg floating on top, tasting of sour cream and wild mushrooms. Go hungry.
Afternoon
Old Town exploration and castle courtyards
Cross the river and climb through the castle's five courtyards, each opening onto the next through painted Renaissance archways. The sgraffito facades simulate three-dimensional masonry in flat paint. Touch the wall and it is smooth plaster, though your eyes insist on depth. The castle bears live in the dry moat below the first bridge, a tradition since the sixteenth century. From the uppermost terrace, the view drops straight down to terracotta rooftops, green water, and the weir where the Vltava foams white over a stone ledge.
The castle tower and interior tours require tickets. Buy at the castle information center early in the day. Lines form fast.
Evening
Riverside dinner
Eat at Laibon on Parkán, a vegetarian restaurant on the riverbank where you can sit outside and watch kayakers navigate the weir as swallows skim the water surface. Even dedicated meat-eaters find the mushroom dishes here compelling. As darkness falls, the castle tower is illuminated and its reflection wobbles on the current.
Where to Stay Tonight
Cesky Krumlov, old town within the river loop (Pension or small hotel)
Staying inside the old town lets you experience the place after the day-trippers leave, when the cobblestone lanes empty out and the town reverts to its residents. This matters.
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →Rent a kayak or inner tube from one of the rental spots at the north end of town and float the Vltava through the center. The river is gentle here, Class I at most. The perspective from water level looking up at the castle and town walls is entirely different from walking the streets. The water is cold enough to make you gasp on entry even in July.
Day 7 Budget: Budget-friendly to mid-range
8
Sumava Wilderness and South Bohemian Ponds
Cesky Krumlov area and Sumava foothills
Spend a day south and west of Cesky Krumlov. Hike Sumava trails. Visit the fishpond country around Trebon.
Morning
Sumava National Park hike to Certovo jezero (Devil's Lake)
Drive or catch a local bus southwest toward Zelezna Ruda. Hike to Certovo jezero, a glacial lake cupped in a dark cirque of spruce forest. The trail climbs through woods where fallen trunks wear emerald moss and the air carries resin and wet stone. The lake is black as ink. On calm mornings it is well still, reflecting cliff walls so precisely you cannot tell where rock ends and water begins. Sumava is the Czech Republic's largest national park. It is one of the last wild landscapes in Central Europe.
Check the seasonal bus timetable for Sumava if using public transport. Summer frequency is much higher than shoulder season.
Lunch
Pack a picnic from the Cesky Krumlov morning market: smoked cheese, dark rye bread, a jar of homemade mustard, and South Bohemian apples. Eat on the lakeshore. Find a trailside clearing.
Afternoon
Trebon fishpond country
Drive or bus east to Trebon, a small Renaissance town ringed by an interconnected system of medieval fishponds that stretches to the horizon. The ponds were engineered in the fifteenth century. They still produce the carp that appears on every Czech Christmas table. The flat landscape around Trebon suits cycling well. The pond surfaces shimmer silver in afternoon light. Herons stalk the reed margins. The wind carries the brackish, organic smell of warm shallow water and algae.
Evening
Dinner back in Cesky Krumlov
Try Krcma v Satlavske on Horni street. It is a medieval-themed cellar restaurant where meat roasts on an open spit and fire casts flickering shadows on the vaulted stone ceiling. The ambiance is theatrical. The food is honest: spit-roasted pork, dark bread, and mugs of local ale.
Where to Stay Tonight
Cesky Krumlov, same pension (Same as previous night)
Returning to a known base after a countryside day is simpler than hauling luggage through trails.
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →In Trebon, the Regent Brewery offers tours and tastings of their unfiltered lager. It is less well-known internationally than Budvar or Pilsner Urquell. It is equally good. The brewery sits inside the Renaissance chateau complex. The tap room looks out over the main square.
Day 8 Budget: Budget-friendly
9
Ceske Budejovice and Hluboka Castle
Ceske Budejovice and Hluboka nad Vltavou
Visit the Budweiser beer city. See the white neo-Gothic castle that looks transplanted from the Loire Valley.
Morning
Ceske Budejovice town square and Budvar Brewery
Take the morning bus or train north from Cesky Krumlov to Ceske Budejovice. The main square, Premysl Otakar II Square, is the largest in the Czech Republic. It is a vast rectangle of baroque and Renaissance facades surrounding the ornate Samson Fountain. Walk to the Budweiser Budvar Brewery on the town's outskirts for the tour. Unlike the Pilsner Urquell experience, Budvar's lagering cellars remain active production spaces. The smell of fermenting wort is heavier and sweeter here. It is almost bread-like.
Budvar tours run in English at set times. Confirm the schedule on their website. Arrive early.
Lunch
Try Masne Kramy on Krajinska, a restaurant housed in the former Renaissance meat market. The rib-vaulted ceiling is original. The South Bohemian carp fried in breadcrumbs is crisp outside and flaky within.
Afternoon
Hluboka nad Vltavou castle
A short bus ride north from Ceske Budejovice brings you to Hluboka Castle, a white neo-Gothic confection modeled after Windsor Castle. It sits above the Vltava on a forested ridge. The approach through the landscaped grounds reveals turrets, crenellations, and pinnacles that look almost edible in their decorative excess. The interiors are opulent: carved wooden ceilings, Flemish tapestries, and a library of tooled leather spines that smell of old binding glue and beeswax polish.
The castle offers several tour routes of different lengths. The Representative Rooms tour covers the highlights efficiently.
Evening
Transfer to Telc
Take the late-afternoon bus or drive east to Telc. Arrive in time for an evening walk around the UNESCO-listed town square. The Renaissance facades reflect in the fishpond that borders the square. The stillness at dusk is notable. No traffic noise. Just ducks on the water and the occasional clang of a church bell.
Where to Stay Tonight
Telc, on or near the main square (Pension or small family hotel)
Sleeping on the Telc square itself is an experience. Several pensions occupy the Renaissance houses. You wake to a view that has not changed in five centuries.
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →In Ceske Budejovice, climb the Black Tower next to the cathedral. Get a birds-eye view of the square that puts its scale in perspective. The 225 steps are narrow and wind-scoured at the top. The panorama across the South Bohemian plain is worth the burning calves.
Day 9 Budget: Mid-range
10
Telc and the Road to Moravia
Telc, then Znojmo
Spend morning in the well preserved Renaissance town of Telc. Then travel east into the Moravian wine region.
Morning
Telc main square and chateau
Telc's main square is an almost unreasonably scenic sequence of gabled Renaissance and baroque houses. Each is painted a different pastel shade. Their reflections tremble on the surface of the pond that runs along the square's south edge. The chateau at the north end contains halls decorated with trompe-l'oeil frescoes and coffered ceilings. The town is small enough that you feel you know it after one morning. Yet the details keep revealing themselves: an ornate sundial painted on a facade, a stone passage leading to a hidden garden, the faint ammonia tang of the pond's edge in the warm air.
Lunch
Try Svejk Restaurant on the main square. The pork schnitzel is pounded thin and fried to a shattering golden crust. It is served with a potato salad that is distinctly Czech: mayonnaise-based, slightly sweet, with pickles and carrots diced small.
Afternoon
Transfer to Znojmo and old town walk
Drive or bus southeast into Moravia. Arrive in Znojmo in the early afternoon. Znojmo is perched above a bend in the Dyje River. The old town clusters around a Romanesque rotunda from the eleventh century. Its interior frescoes depicting the Premyslid dynasty are the oldest secular paintings in the Czech Republic. Their pigments are faded but still readable in ochre and charcoal tones. The town smells of grape must in autumn and warm stone year-round.
The Rotunda of the Virgin Mary requires a guide. Check opening hours. They are limited.
Evening
First Moravian wine tasting
Visit Loucký Klášter (Louka Monastery), a vast former Premonstratensian abbey that now houses a wine center in its cellars. The underground corridors are cool and damp, lined with barrels. The Znojmo sub-region specializes in Veltlinske zelene (Gruner Veltliner) and Ryzlink rynsky (Rhine Riesling). These wines taste of green apple, white pepper, and flint. Pair them with local cheeses and cold cuts.
Where to Stay Tonight
Znojmo old town or nearby winery accommodation (Wine pension or boutique hotel)
Znojmo is the western way into Moravia's wine trails. Sleep here. It puts you in position for the next day's vineyard exploration.
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →Znojmo's underground extends for nearly thirty kilometers of tunnels carved into the rock beneath the old town over centuries for storage, defense, and hiding. The guided tour visits only a fraction. The scale is staggering. The consistent cool temperature underground on a hot summer day makes the descent feel like stepping into a refrigerator.
Day 10 Budget: Mid-range
11
Moravian Wine Country and Mikulov
Palava region and Mikulov
Cycle or drive through the Palava wine landscape of white limestone hills and terrace vineyards. End in the wine capital of Mikulov.
Morning
Cycling the Moravian Wine Trails from Znojmo toward Mikulov
The Moravian wine cycling trails are paved and signposted across the entire region. Pedal east from Znojmo through the rolling countryside, where the road cuts between vineyards planted in disciplined rows that follow the contours of chalky hillsides. The morning sun heats the limestone. The vines release a green, herbaceous scent. Stop at family cellars along the route, identifiable by their arched stone doorways built into hillsides. Winemakers pour tastes of their current vintage directly from the tank. This stretch of the Czech Republic feels more Austrian or Slovakian than Bohemian, with open steppe grasslands and a drier, warmer climate.
Rent e-bikes in Znojmo if the hills concern you. The route is gentle but long
Lunch
Stop at a vineyard sklipek (wine cellar) in Valtice or Sedlec. Eat what the winemaker offers: usually bread, lard with cracklings (skvarky), pickled peppers, and a slab of hermelín cheese marinated in oil and garlic. It is served on a wooden board at a rough table outside the cellar door.
Afternoon
Mikulov castle and Holy Hill
Arrive in Mikulov, where the baroque castle dominates the town from a limestone cliff. The castle houses a wine museum and one of the largest wine barrels in Central Europe, a cooper's showpiece that held over a thousand hectoliters. Climb Svaty Kopecek (Holy Hill) behind the town, a bare limestone knob topped by a chapel and Stations of the Cross. The summit view sweeps across the Palava hills, the Nove Mlyny reservoir glinting in the distance, and the Austrian border just beyond. The warm rock underfoot radiates heat. The dry grass crackles as you walk.
Evening
Dinner and open-cellar evening in Mikulov
Eat at Tanzberg on the main square, whose menu leans into the local terroir with dishes like rabbit with Palava Riesling sauce. Afterward, walk to the wine cellar lane behind the castle. On summer evenings several family cellars open their doors. You can taste between them, moving from dry Sauvignon to aromatic Palava to late-harvest Tramín. The lane smells of grape skins and damp limestone.
Where to Stay Tonight
Mikulov, old town (Wine pension or boutique hotel)
Mikulov is compact. Everything is walkable. Staying overnight lets you enjoy the cellars without worrying about driving.
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →The Palava Protected Landscape Area south of Mikulov is one of the warmest, driest spots in the Czech Republic. In late September and October, the harvest is underway and the vineyards turn amber and rust-red. Many wine cellars host burcak season, where the still-fermenting young wine is sold cloudy and sweet-tart, fizzing gently on the tongue. It is legally only available during harvest.
Day 11 Budget: Mid-range
12
Brno, Capital of Moravia
Brno
Explore the Czech Republic's second city: its ossuary, modernist architecture, underground labyrinth, and sharper-edged culture scene.
Morning
Transfer to Brno and Spilberk Castle
Take the morning bus or train from Mikulov to Brno, about two hours through flat vineyard country. Head uphill to Spilberk Castle, a thirteenth-century fortress that later served as the Habsburg Empire's harshest political prison. The casemates where prisoners were held are damp, dark, and confining. The iron-ring anchors in the walls and the narrow shafts of light from slit windows make the cruelty tangible. The terrace above, by contrast, opens onto a sweeping view of Brno's red rooftops and the twin spires of the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul.
Lunch
Try Koishi Fish and Sushi on Udolni, an unexpected but excellent sushi spot in landlocked Moravia. For something more traditional, go to Pivnice Pegas on Jakubska for their house-brewed unfiltered lager and Moravian sparrow (pecene vepřove), which despite the name is roasted pork belly.
Afternoon
Brno Ossuary and Villa Tugendhat
Beneath the Church of St. James in the old town lies the Brno Ossuary, the second-largest in Europe after Paris. The bones of over fifty thousand people are arranged in arched vaults, the skulls and long bones stacked with a geometric precision that is simultaneously grim and beautiful. From there, take a tram to Villa Tugendhat, the Mies van der Rohe masterpiece from 1930 that pioneered open-plan living. The onyx wall in the main living space glows amber when backlit. The chrome columns reflect the garden in elongated curves. The contrast between the ossuary's medieval mortality and Tugendhat's radical modernity captures the range of what Brno contains.
Villa Tugendhat tours MUST be booked weeks in advance. It is the most demand-constrained attraction in the Czech Republic outside Prague Castle.
Evening
Brno nightlife on Stará Brno and Zelny trh
Start with dinner at Pavillon on Jezuitska, whose modern Czech tasting menu is one of the best meals available in Moravia. Then walk to the bar cluster around Zelny trh (Cabbage Market) and Stará Brno. Super Panda Circus on Stodolni serves inventive cocktails in a graffiti-walled interior. Bar, ktery neexistuje (The Bar That Doesn't Exist) on Dvorakova is exactly as clandestine as it sounds. Brno's nightlife scene is genuine, not tourist-manufactured. You will be drinking with locals.
Where to Stay Tonight
Brno, old town near Zelny trh (Mid-range hotel or design hostel)
Central Brno is compact. The tram network connects everything. Stay near the market. You will walk everywhere.
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →Brno's astronomical clock sits on Namesti Svobody. It is a bullet-shaped black marble column. A glass ball drops at 11 AM daily. Locals love to hate it. That hatred is the point. Brno defines itself against Prague's polish. Self-deprecating humor runs through the bars, the public art, even the tourism slogans.
Day 12 Budget: Mid-range
13
Olomouc, the Overlooked Baroque Capital
Head north to Olomouc. It is a university city. It has a UNESCO-listed column. It has pungent local cheese. The crowds are a fraction of Prague's.
Morning
Transfer from Brno to Olomouc and Holy Trinity Column
The fast train from Brno to Olomouc takes ninety minutes. It crosses the Hana flatlands. Olomouc's upper square holds the Holy Trinity Column. This is the largest single baroque sculpture in Central Europe. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saints, angels, and gilded rays rise in tiers. New details appear with every circle you make. The square has fountains. It has a fifteenth-century astronomical clock. Socialists reworked it in the 1950s. Proletarian figures replaced the saints. The atmosphere feels collegiate and unhurried.
Lunch
Eat tvaruzky at Tvarůžkova cukrarna on Dolni namesti. These are small cheese wheels. They are pungent and rind-ripened. The smell clears rooms. The flavor is sharp, salty, earthy. Try them fried with tartar sauce. Do this if the raw version scares you.
Afternoon
St. Wenceslas Cathedral, Archdiocesan Museum, and parks
St. Wenceslas Cathedral has a neo-Gothic exterior. This dates from a nineteenth-century rebuild. The Romanesque crypt remains. Steep stairs lead down. The ceiling is low. Cold stone walls sweat moisture. Electric lights throw harsh shadows on Premyslid-era capitals. The Archdiocesan Museum stands next door. The architects also designed Berlin's Jewish Museum. Medieval art fills austere modern galleries. The lighting is precise. Each gold-leaf altarpiece seems warm. Walk south through Bezrucovy Sady park. Follow the old fortification walls.
Evening
University-town evening
Dinner at Entreé on the upper square. The Moravian cooking is refined. Then join students at bars on Denisova or Mlynska. Vertigo on Univerzitni serves cocktails. The bartenders know their craft. The crowd mixes Czech, Slovak, and Erasmus students. Olomouc has the highest pub-per-capita ratio in the Czech Republic after Prague.
Where to Stay Tonight
Olomouc, near the upper square (Mid-range hotel or pension)
One night in Olomouc covers the core sights. The center is compact. Nothing lies more than ten minutes away.
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →The Olomouc cheese festival runs in late August. It celebrates tvaruzky with tastings. It has cooking competitions. It has a cheese-eating race. Outside festival time, visit the Loštice town museum. It sits thirty minutes north. It tells the full production story. It offers aged variants found nowhere else. The Haná region around Olomouc has its own dialect. Its folk traditions differ from Bohemia and southern Moravia.
Day 13 Budget: Budget-friendly
14
Bohemian Switzerland and Return
Bohemian Switzerland National Park, then Prague
Spend your final day in northern Bohemia. The sandstone canyons await. Return to Prague for departure.
Morning
Pravčická brána (Pravčická Gate) hike in Bohemian Switzerland
Take an early train from Olomouc to Děčín. The journey takes roughly three hours. Change in Prague or Pardubice. Then take a local bus or taxi to Hřensko. This is the gateway village to Bohemian Switzerland National Park. Hike to Pravčická brána. This is the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe. The walk takes ninety minutes. Canyon trails flank you. Towering pillars of sculpted sandstone rise on both sides. The air in the gorges is cool and damp. It smells of moss and ferns. Pine needles carpet the forest floor. They muffle your footsteps. The arch spans over twenty-six meters. It frames a panoramic view of the forested gorge. The stone is so large it barely registers. Step back to see it whole.
Start early. The arch area crowds by midday in summer. The gorge trail to Edmund's Gorge closes sometimes. High water is the cause. The boat ride through the narrow canyon goes with it.
Lunch
Eat smoked trout and bramboraky in Hřensko or Mezní Louka. The potato pancakes are crispy. They carry garlic and marjoram. The trout comes from local streams. It is smoked on-site. The flesh is pink. It flakes apart. The taste is woody, smoky, sweet.
Afternoon
Return to Prague
Take the train from Děčín south to Prague. It follows the Labe river valley. This is one of the most scenic rail routes in the Czech Republic. The track hugs the river through a narrow gorge. Sandstone bluffs tower above. Ruined castles top them. Vineyards cling to south-facing slopes. Small villages line the river. Flood marks paint their walls. The ride takes ninety minutes. It delivers you to Prague's hlavní nádraží. You arrive in time for a final evening.
No reservation needed on local trains. Buy at the station. Or use the CD app.
Evening
Final Prague evening
Close the trip at U Fleků. This is the oldest continuously operating brewery in the Czech Republic. It has poured dark lager since 1499. Only one variety exists. It is a dark thirteen-degree lager. Caramel sweetness meets roasted malt finish. The courtyard and wood-paneled halls stay full. A brass band circles the tables in evening. It is a tourist institution. It is also authentic. Locals still come. The recipe never changed. The accordion player knows his instrument. Prefer quiet? Walk to Letná Park above the river. The panorama shows Prague's bridges and spires. The beer garden serves Letenský Profil lager. The city spreads below like an illuminated manuscript.
Where to Stay Tonight
Prague, near hlavní nádraží or Old Town (Mid-range hotel convenient to departure transport)
Stay near the main station. Or near airport bus connections. Your departure morning becomes simple.
See all Czech Republic accommodation options →Late departure on Day 15? Slot the gorge boat ride into the morning of Day 14 before your hike to the arch. A boatman poles you through Edmundova soutěska (Edmund's Gorge), a narrow sandstone canyon where walls climb thirty meters on both sides. The water stays glass calm, stained tea brown by tannins. Silence rules. Only the pole dripping breaks it.
Day 14 Budget: Mid-range with transit costs
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Czech Railways (České dráhy, CD) links every major city with reliable, cheap service. RegioJet runs private buses and trains on busy routes like Prague to Brno. Trams dominate city transit and run often. For Sumava and the Moravian wine trails, rent a car or grab an e-bike. Direct trains and buses serve Prague to Karlovy Vary, Plzen, Cesky Krumlov, and Olomouc. Download the IDOS app before you leave. It maps every bus, train, and tram in the country.
Book Ahead
Book Villa Tugendhat in Brno weeks ahead. It is the tightest reservation on this entire itinerary. Reserve Pilsner Urquell English tours a few days early in summer. Buy Prague Castle and Sedlec Ossuary tickets online to dodge lines. Old town Cesky Krumlov and central Mikulov rooms vanish fast in July and August.
Packing Essentials
Pack shoes with grip for cobblestones and trails. Bring layers. Mornings run cool, afternoons warm, in Sumava and Bohemian Switzerland. Carry a light rain jacket. Weather turns fast outside high summer. Bring a wide-mouth water bottle for mineral springs. Take a small daypack for hikes. Wear sunscreen on exposed Palava vineyard walks.
Total Budget
Two weeks in the Czech Republic at mid level costs far less than equivalent Western Europe trips. Daily spending matches Poland or Hungary. Accommodation and food run cheaper outside Prague.
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Sleep in hostels and private rooms, not hotels. Eat at milk bars (jídelna or kantýna); set lunches cost a fraction of restaurant prices. Stick to trains and buses. Skip taxis. Trade Karlovy Vary spa treatments for free spring water and forest walks. Cook picnic lunches from supermarket runs. Czech pub beer ranks among Europe's cheapest. Nights out stay cheap even on tight budgets.
Luxury Upgrade
Stay at Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary and the Augustine in Prague. Book private castle tours in Cesky Krumlov and Hluboka. Hire a private wine guide through Palava cellars with a driver. Upgrade to the Brno tasting menu at Pavillon with wine pairing. Charter a private boat through Bohemian Switzerland's gorges. Add a night at Chateau Mcely, a restored baroque estate east of Prague, for spa and fine dining.
Family-Friendly
Trim hiking days. Add Prague Zoo in Troja. It ranks among the world's best. Swap wine tastings for Prague's Chocolate Museum and Lego Museum. Cesky Krumlov's castle moat bears hook children. Older kids love the ossuary's macabre show. Trade Brno nightlife for the Technical Museum's interactive exhibits. Rent a car for the full trip to ease logistics with strollers and car seats. Trebon's fishpond country offers flat, paved cycling paths good for children.
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