Czech Republic Travel Guide: Self-Guided City Walks

If you’re looking for things to do in Czech Republic, you’ll find a country where medieval towns sit beside rolling hills, and a rich cultural heritage stretches from prehistoric art to modern architecture. Neywo offers a free audio guide covering 18 cities across the Czech Republic, with 1,850 narrated places and 50 walking tours, so you can explore at your own pace with no group and no schedule.

The story of the Czech Republic is one of shifting names and rulers. A centralized Duchy of Bohemia emerged in the late ninth century under the Přemyslid dynasty, later becoming a kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire and then part of the Habsburg monarchy. After World War One the lands formed Czechoslovakia, which endured Nazi occupation, communist rule, and the Prague Spring before the Velvet Revolution restored democracy. In 1993 Czechoslovakia split peacefully, creating the modern Czech state.

Geographically the country is landlocked in Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovakia. Its terrain mixes hills, river basins and low mountain ranges. The western historic region of Bohemia forms a basin drained by the Elbe and Vltava rivers, while the Giant Mountains rise nearby and hold the nation’s highest point, Sněžka. To the east Moravia is also hilly, fed mainly by the Morava River and home to the source of the Oder. The climate blends oceanic and continental influences, giving warm winters and cold, snowy winters that vary with elevation. The landscape supports broadleaf and mixed forests as well as mountain conifer woods, shaping a diverse natural setting.

Culturally the Czech Republic draws from several languages and artistic traditions. Czech, a West Slavic tongue, is the mother tongue of most residents and is highly mutually intelligible with Slovak. Writing has appeared in Czech, Latin, German and Old Church Slavonic—Franz Kafka, for example, wrote in German though he also knew Czech. Artistic roots run deep: the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, dated to roughly 29,000–25,000 BC, is considered the world’s oldest known ceramic figurine. Musical traditions began with early church hymns, theatre traces back to the Middle Ages, and today many people declare no religion, reflecting a tolerant and largely secular outlook alongside deep cultural inheritance.

Food in the Czech Republic centers on meat. Pork, beef and chicken dominate the table, with goose, duck, rabbit and venison also appearing. Fish is less common, though fresh trout is eaten and carp holds a special place at Christmas, giving fish a seasonal role rather than an everyday focus.

Best cities to visit in the Czech Republic

Brno

Brno features the modernist Villa Tugendhat, the Gothic cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, the Dětské muzeum and the Dům pánů z Lipé.

Karlovy Vary

Known for its Imperial Spa, Karlovy Vary also boasts the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Church of Saint Andrew and the Church of Saint Leonard.

Karlštejn

The highlight is Karlštejn Castle, complemented by the Church of Saint Palmacius in Karlštejn and a church of the Virgin.

Kutná Hora

Kutná Hora is famed for the Sedlec Ossuary, St. Barbara’s Church, the Church of Saint James in Kutná Hora and the Kašna na Havlíčkově náměstí.

Liberec

Liberec offers the MUZA | Severočeské muzeum v Liberci, the Oblastní galerie Liberec, the Church of the Finding of the True Cross in Liberec and the Divadlo F. X. Šaldy.

Litomyšl

Litomyšl’s centrepiece is the Litomyšl Chateau, alongside the Church of the Finding of the True Cross, the Church of The Mission of the Saint Apostles in Litomyšl and the Portmoneum.

Loket

Loket’s main attraction is the Church of Saint Giles.

Olomouc

Olomouc presents the Saint Wenceslas Cathedral, the Holy Trinity Column, the Church of Saint Maurice and the Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary.

Ostrava

Ostrava includes the Church of Saint Anne, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Obětem hornické stávky u Dolu Trojice and Silesian Ostrava Castle.

Pardubice

Pardubice highlights the Church of Saint Bartholomew, Pardubice Castle, the Art Space NOV and the East Bohemian Museum in Pardubice.

Plzeň

Plzeň is noted for its flesh market hall, Franciscan Monastery, Kulturní dům Peklo and the Muzeum loutek.

Prague

Prague’s landmarks consist of the Katedrála svatého Víta, Václava a Vojtěcha, the Lobkovický palác and Matka Boží před Týnem.

Telč

Telč offers the Church of Saint James the Greater, the Telč château, the Expozice historie železniční dopravy and the Technical Museum Telč.

Třebíč

Třebíč features the Church of Saint Martin, the Jewish cemetery, St. Procopius Basilica and the Alternator‑ecotechic center.

Trutnov

Trutnov’s points of interest are Stachelberg, the Muzeum Podkrkonoší, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and the Trutnov District.

České Budějovice

České Budějovice presents the Cathedral of St Nicholas, the Museum of horse railway, the Church of Our Lady the Queen of Angels and the local district.

Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov includes the Church of Saint Judoc, the Church of Saint Vitus, Bellaria and the Egon Schiele Art Centrum.

Tábor

Tábor is known for the Church of the Transfiguration, Jordán, Kotnov and Housův mlýn.

Explore with Neywo

Download the Neywo app to access free audio guides for 18 cities in the Czech Republic, featuring 1,850 narrated places across 50 walking tours. Narration is available in 11 languages, and each story plays automatically as you reach a site, letting you wander at your own pace with no group and no schedule. Whether you’re strolling through Prague’s historic streets, hiking the Giant Mountains or sampling Czech cuisine in Brno, Neywo turns every step into a guided discovery.