Czech Republic & Slovakia Two-Week Itinerary
Prague is one of those iconic cities you’ll find on almost any bucket list of travel destinations. The hype is real. Prague is a beautiful city with lots to see and do. But it seems few travellers venture much beyond Prague, which is too bad because they are missing an incredible country with towns and countryside that rival some of Europe’s top destinations.
Locals were surprised to see us. “Why did you come here?” a professor at a wine cellar asked us. Funny, we used to ask that question when people came to Saskatchewan on holiday. “Really? Here?” Sometimes it’s the places off the beaten path that leave a lasting impact and that was certainly true for us.
This itinerary is just over two weeks. And I wish we would’ve had more time to explore Slovakia.
When to go
We visited in late September/early October on the tail edge of tourist season – it was us and mostly Czechs touring around. I think I might have saw an Austrian. That being said, outside their major cities (Prague and Bratislava), there aren't a ton of foreign tourists. At least that’s what many hotel owners told us. They get an American here, a Canadian there, bus loads of Chinese people during peak season and some tourists from neighbouring Germany and Austria.
So now is a great time to go if you want the place to yourself. For us, it was an eye-opening experience to be the minority. English wasn’t an issue – most people spoke conversational English well enough - but we found it difficult to grasp their language.
If you want fewer crowds in the big cities, go in the shoulder seasons. It’s possible the small towns we visited get a bit more crowded in the summer, but you always take your chance with crowds in the summer.
A note about food
We ate well, but the food is heavy. There’s a lot of pork, cabbage and dumplings. And it’s all so tasty. But you end up going to bed early because you’re too bloated to breathe. So take it easy. Maybe share a meal.
And you’ll certainly find other cuisines – we ate Vietnamese, Nepalese and Thai. Oh and the pastries – the most famous dessert is vetrnik. A rich caramel whipped cream sandwiched between layers of vanilla cake slathered in a caramel sauce. Yeah, it’s okay…
A note about beer
If you don’t like beer, that’s okay, but it’s a big part of the culture here. I went from being a sometimes beer drinker to an always beer drinker. It’s cheap, it’s delicious.
“But what’s the deal with the foam,” you ask? Think of it like the milky foam on a cappuccino. In CR, foam is a thing. You can order a beer that’s almost entirely foam – it’s called mlíko.
A note about castle tours
I don’t know if it’s because there aren’t a lot of tourists outside of Prague or just the time of year, but we found there weren't often English tours of the castles. They were definitely few and far between. Twice we got a pamphlet in English, but were required to go on the Czech tour.
We enjoy a castle or chateau tour as much as anyone, but this isn’t France. A lot of the castles here have only been partially restored or not restored at all so there isn’t a lot to see inside. For Czech nationals, I could see it being really important to tour the castles and chateaus – this is their homeland, their history. Imagine being surrounded by so much history every day! Try a tour at least once and decide from there!
A note about the roads
We love to drive and both CR and SK highways are easy to drive and well-taken care of. But we ran into a lot of construction, which added significant delays to our travels. It was a pain. We got used to it.
Watch for changing speed zones as you go through villages. We were pulled over once crossing the border between SK and CR for a random passport check. The police were surprised to see our Canadian passports and laughed when we said, “English?”
This was our second awesome experience with authority. The first was just outside of Austria. We hit a bad bit of construction (and possibly an accident) and sat for over an hour. A police officer was kind enough to help us sneak in further up the never ending line of traffic.
Day 1: Prague
The first day was a slog, like it always is when you travel eight hours with little to no sleep. Jet lagged and hungry, we let our stomachs and feet guide us. We stayed in a large apartment in Staré Město (Old Town), within walking distance to Prague’s Old Town Square.
We are walkers – it’s usually how we get around a city (even if there’s efficient, easily accessible public transportation), so staying in a central location is really important. There was a Tesco nearby, so the first thing we did was pick up some snacks and beer – only to discover the fridge in our apartment was broken. After that we did the following:
Walked to and over and back over Charles Bridge
Walked through Letná Park and drank beer at the Letná Beer Garden
Drank more beer at the Prague Beer Museum
Ate sausages at Naše Maso (great local butcher)
Day 2: Prague
Thank god we slept in today. Our tired bodies needed it. Today we did the following:
Ate breakfast at Café Mistral
Walked through the Jewish Quarter – ticket included Old Jewish Cemetery, four synagogues and the Old-New Synagogue
Watched the Astronomical Clock
Ate supper and drank beers at Lokal
Drank fancy cocktails at the Hemingway Bar and Cash Only Bar
Ate at Naše Maso again (I’m not kidding, this place is great)
Day 3: Prague
Poured rain in the night, but we slept like the dead.
Breakfast at Café Louvre (not our favourite, but clearly popular because it was so busy)
Architectural walk along Nové Město riverbank
Toured Prague Castle – ticket included St. Vitus Cathedral, the Royal Palace, Golden Lane and St. George’s Basilica
Ate Vietnamese for lunch at Remember
Drank beer and ate food at Café-Bar Atmosphere
Day 4: Prague to Český Krumlov
Packed our bags and rented a car without much trouble. Happy to be on a new adventure! Český Krumlov is a picturesque town and Unesco World Heritage Site south of Prague. It gets busy in the summer because it’s a popular day trip.
Stopped at Konopiště Chateau
Walked around Český Krumlov (missed the castle tour because we arrived late)
Ate supper at Na Louzi (great place, best dumplings with sauerkraut)
Drank at a little pub called Traveller’s Hostel and then ended up at another bar across the bridge
Day 5: Český Krumlov to Hallstatt (Day Trip)
On a whim we decided to drive to Hallstatt, Austria. We weren’t sure if we’d have time in our itinerary, but we decided it was important to see it with our own eyes. Even if it did rain the entire time.
Walked around Hallstatt and ate schnitzel and strudel
Returned to Český Krumlov and ate at the Eggenberg Brewery
Day 6: Český Krumlov to Telč
We wanted to get on the road, so we missed the English tour at the castle. But in the castle courtyard is a bell tower, so we climbed that and enjoyed some lovely mid-morning views of this fairytale town. Turns out, we had another bell tower in our near future.
On our way to Telč, we made a pit stop in Slavonice. We walked around the little square and then up the bell tower where instead of a bell at the top, there was a little modern art gallery. I wouldn’t say it’s worth the climb as there are no windows, but it’s something to do.
We arrived in Telč late afternoon – it has a beautiful town square lined with pastel Renaissance and Baroque houses and a 17th century chateau.
Ate lunch at Pizzerie
Chateau: We wanted to see inside the chateau, but we had to go on the tour – which was in Czech. The tour guide politely handed us the English pamphlet. We cruised through most of the chateau on our own.
The English-style gardens make for a nice stroll while eating sweets from the bakery at the far end of the town square
We went for a walk at 9 p.m. only to find the entire town square deserted. So keep that in mind – things close early when you’re in shoulder season.
Day 7: Telč to Mikulov
Almost got smashed by a bus on a narrow, windy road and Steve saw kittens in a ditch (jealous!) on the way to the hilltop town of Mikulov in the Moravia region. Close your eyes and picture Tuscany – it doesn’t matter whether or not you’ve been there. You’re thinking about acres of vineyards, limbs hanging heavy with bulbous grapes, sun soaring overhead, the smell of fermentation. This is Mikulov and I’m glad we got here before everyone else discovered this gem of a town.
Ate lunch at Sojka
Walked up the rocky limestone cliffs of Holy Hill
Day 8: Mikulov
We wanted to bike to vineyards so bad. But between the language barrier, our inability to locate the bike rental office and fear of being run off the narrow roads, we abandoned the idea. I’m sure there were trails somewhere other than the roads.
Toured Mikulov Chateau – no English tour; just an audioguide
Ate lunch at KukBistro
Aimlessly drove around trying to find a winery (you’ll learn this is a thing with us)
Tasted burcak at a roadside stand
Ate supper at O’Hara pub (great food, try the fried cheese)
Day 9: Mikulov to Bratislava
Beautiful day, sun was shining, jumped in the car and set sail for Slovakia.
Stopped at Lednice Chateau and walked the immaculate, expansive grounds (we didn’t have patience to wait for the English tour)
Breathed the cleanest air in the Chateau’s greenhouse
Stopped at Devin Castle to walk the old fortress grounds and check out the Danube River
Ate lunch at U Kubista in Bratislava
Saw the Blue Church (couldn’t get inside for some reason)
Picked up a tourist map and walked around Bratislava Old Town
Ate supper at Café Verna (you must try the local dish Bryndzové Halušky - sheep cheese dumplings)
Day 10: Bratislava
We stayed in a hotel that was about a 25-minute walk from Old Town. Although the walk was fine, I’d recommend staying closer – you’ve got places to go and things to see!
Visited the lively Market Hall
Walked up to the castle
Popped our heads in St. Martin’s Cathedral
Ate lunch at Urban Space Café
Ate ice cream at Arthur's (which fell off the cone 2 minutes later – a sign?)
People-watched at Café Mondieu
Drank copious amounts of wine at the Grand Cru Wine Cellar - highly recommend stopping in here for wine and snacks; excellent wine selection and the hosts are welcoming and generous
Day 11: Bratislava to Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica is a quaint town with some really cool shops and restaurants. I wish we’d spent another night here so we could’ve had a full day to explore it.
Hiked Calvary Hill – chapels and statues depicting Jesus’ life along the path
Tried to tour the old caste and the new castle, both were closed
Ate supper at ERB Brewery
Day 12: Banská Štiavnica to Čičmany
If Banská Štiavnica is quaint, Čičmany is… quainter. It’s a small village in northern Slovakia, famous for its timbered houses decorated with white patterns. We arrived the day after a massive festival. Wish we would’ve known about that! I swear it was Steve and I and maybe 5 other people and a three-legged dog in this village. Everyone must’ve been nursing their hangovers indoors.
The smell of Čičmany reminds me of the lake, puts my mind at ease. Wood-burning stoves send swirls of smoke into the autumn chill. Everything is closed, minus a small tourist shop. The food at our hotel was delicious – potato pancakes, smoked meat, fresh sheep cheese, pork cutlet.
We climbed a hill with a ski lift, so I’m assuming this place turns into a winter wonderland when the snow falls. Sounds dreamy.
Day 13: Čičmany to Olomouc
We woke up to clucking chickens and a thick fog covering the hillside. It’s like being in an alternate universe. The lack of hot water at the hotel was quickly forgotten when two heart-shaped pancakes were set down in front of me. Best. Breakfast. Ever.
While I think we hit the town on an “off” day, it was still a wonderful experience and worth a stop.
We drove back to Czechia and arrived in Olomouc midday.
Ate lunch at Café 87
Toured St. Wenceslas Cathedral
People-watched at the Holy Trinity Column in the main square
Ate at Cracked
Day 14: Olomouc
St. Wenceslas Day – a national holiday, but some things were still open.
Like the Olomouc Zoo. Yes, we went to the zoo, where you can walk in the same area as the kangaroos and baboons. Seems unsafe, but everyone else was doing it.
Visited Svaty Kopecek (Holy Hill)
Ate a late lunch at Istanbul Kebab
Joined in the festivities in the main square – watched traditional dancing, drank burcak
Drank a mlíko beer at Drapal
Day 15: Olomouc to Prague
Woke up early and said goodbye to beautiful Olomouc.
Stopped at Boucov Castle, but couldn’t get in without a tour
Drove to Kutna Hora and toured the Sedlec Ossuary (aka the Bone Church)
Ate great pizza at U Sneka Pohodare
Took a quick peak inside St. Barbara Church; the exterior is much more impressive
Navigated the heavy traffic through Prague to Mala Strana, where we were staying. Wonderful five-minute walk to Charles Bridge, but parking is a bit of a nightmare. Not sure I’d recommend trying to stay so close to Old Town with a car…
Ate at Maso e Kohbila (they also have super good donuts)
Drank on an anchored boat
Walked to the Letná Beer Garden to reminisce about our trip
Day 16: Prague
Got an early start on the day, which meant thinner crowds. As it was our last day, we took the opportunity to revisit some of our old haunts.
Returned to Café Mistral for breakfast
Walked to St. Wenceslas Square to see the statue, then to Lucerne Palac to see David Cerny’s upside down horse
Admired the Slav Epic at the National Gallery
Returned to Lokal
Watched tourists take selfies at the John Lennon Wall
Returned to Naše Maso for one last raw hamburger
Day 17: Flew Home
Many people have asked why we decided to road trip through the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The only thing I can come up with is that it just seemed like an interesting experience and I must have seen photos that sparked my interest. Steve is always a sport - he just likes to travel and see old stuff.
I would highly recommend this itinerary if you’re looking for a relaxed adventure with few tourists (except around Prague, of course) and lots of local flavour. There isn’t much I would change, except that I wish we had more time in Slovakia, particularly in the Tatra Mountains. I’ve heard it’s spectacular.