During the past few decades the Czech Republic has slowly been
emerging as a popular tourist destination, favoured particularly by
the discerning traveller seeking culture and charm rather than
pizzazz and parties.
However, most visitors still tend to explore no farther than the
capital, Prague. Fewer than 10 percent of tourists venture into the
countryside, which means they are missing out on a treat. Prague,
westernised and cosmopolitan, is a beautiful city of spires and a
visual feast of medieval, baroque and art nouveau architecture.
Leave the city behind and visitors will find a magnificent
undulating landscape of mountains and plains, forests and
farmland.
The Czech Republic is divided into two geographic and cultural
sections, Bohemia and Moravia. Bohemian spa towns and laid-back
Moravian wine villages seem to be in a time warp, welcoming
visitors as though they are living museums of a refined and relaxed
rural lifestyle. There are more than 100 castles dotted around the
countryside, ranging from forbidding fortresses to elegant
chateaux, all open to the public.
The Czech countryside is also a major drawcard for hikers,
cyclists and cross-country skiers, with hundreds of kilometres of
marked trails networking the landscape.
