UNESCO sites in the Czech Republic

Most of the visitors who come to the Czech Republic visit Prague and only Prague. But there are many other places which are worth visiting – for inspiration, let´s have a look at the list of UNESCO herritage sites in our country. Of course, Prague is one of them and it was listed in 1992 as the first place together with Český Krumlov and Telč. But enough about Prague, let´s go for a trip!

Historic Centre of Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov is one of the places where the statement „one picture is worth 1000 words“ is 100% true. It is a pictoresque little town surrounded by Vltava river meanders, with a huge castle overlooking it from the top of the hill. Each house has it´s own magic, decoration and painting and together it is a spectacular experience. You won´t be surprised this is one my favourite destinations and I often go there even in my free time.

It´s approx. 2,5 hours driving from Prague, so it is possible to organise one day trip from Prague to Český Krumlov, or you can stay there overnight or stop in Český Krumlov on your way to Austria or Germany (Vienna, Salzburg, Passau / Vilshofen, ...).

Historic Centre of Telč

The most beautiful feature of Telč is its square. Large Telč square is surrounded by a wide choice of colourful rennaisance facades, chauteau and church are on its one side and preserved fortification tower on the other side. Every square worth its name should have a fountain and maybe a plague colum – no worries, all in order!

It´s takes approx. 2 hours to drive from Prague to Telč, so it can be organised as one day trip. We usually  connect the visit of Telč with the visit of another UNESCO sites, Třebíč (it´s only half an hour journey from Telč to Třebíč).

It is also possible to make a stop-over tour in Telč and Třebíč on your way from Prague to Vienna or Budapest. 

Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora

Unique church dedicated to one of the Czech patrons, St. John of Nepomuk. The church was built by gifted architect Jan Santini in 1700´s. Barroque style used a lot of the symbols, hidden meaning of numbers and mysticism. You can find all that at this church. Is not one of the biggest, but very interesting indeed!

If you have been to Prague, you surely know St. John of Nepomuk – yes, he´s the one you touched when making the wish at the Charles Bridge.

The church is located approx. 2 hours driving from Prague. If you´re not really keen in barroque architecture, it might not be attractive enough for a day trip, but it is a great stop during other trips – to Telč and Třebíč or during your journey from Prague to Vienna or from Prague to Budapest.

Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec

I´m pretty sure you´ve never seen a town like Kutna Hora. Most of the people know it for the Bone church – yes, church decorated with real human bones, what is really something special and unique, but believe me, Kutna Hora has lot more to offer: two wonderful churches in the shape of the cathedral, narrow medieval streets and last but not least you can visit there a historical mine from middle ages. I have to admit that Kutná Hora is my other favourite place in the Czech Republic, and as a bonus it´s only one hour driving from Prague.

I´m sure you will love Kutná Hora day trip! 

Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape

Do you also wonder what to imagine under „cultural landscape“? Well, imagine two different castles / chauteaus – one in the village called Lednice, one in the village called Valtice,  surrounded by parks and forrests full of romantic buildings – you can find there hunting lodges, promenades, arcs of triomphe and even an artificial ruin of the medieval castle or a minaret. Great way how to explore it is to take a cruise on the river through the park.

With almost 3 hours of driving from Prague Lednice-Valtice is on the edge of doable day trip. You can also stay there overnight and enjoy the good local wine as it´s situated in the heart of Moravian wine region. Lednice-Valtice is also great place to stop on your way to Vienna, Budapest or Bratislava.

Gardens and Castle at Kroměříž

Unique barroque „French style“ gardens with a chauteau which used to be a summer residence of Olomouc bishops. Unlike many other gardens like those in Prague, the Kroměříž gardens are open even during the winter so it´s quite an experience. No need to mention how beautiful they are during the spring, summer and autumn!

You might have seen the Kroměříž castle in Amadeus movie where it stood for Hofburg Palace in Vienna.

It takes almost 3 hours to drive to Kroměříž from Prague, so it is the same story as Lednice-Valtice – day trip is possible, but it is a wonderful stop on your way to other places – it´s right on the way to Krakow, and it´s not a long detour on the way to Vienna or Budapest.

Holašovice Historical Village Reservation

Holašovice is a lovely little village with preserved structure from the 18th century. Honestly, it´s one of the places you must be an expert to really appreciate it...

Holašovice is on the way to Český Krumlov, so it can be added to this trip.  

Litomyšl Castle

Castle in rennaisance style from the 16th century. It´s great place if you want to see an interesting historical monument and a 100% non-touristy place. Litomyšl is only visited by music lovers as it is a birth place of famous Czech composer Bedřich Smetana.

Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc

Plague columns were very typical in the barroque times. The Holy Trinity column in Olomouc is extraordinary for its artistical value as well as its size – it´s the largest barroque group of statues in the Czech Republic – it´s 35 metres high and there´s even a chappel inside the platform of the column.

It´s possible to stop there on the way to Krakow. Too far for a day trip from Prague.

Tugendhat Villa in Brno 

The only 20th century building listed at Czech UNESCO list. It was built in late 1920´s and as you walk through it, it still looks so modern! You might know the villa from Simon Mawer´s book The Glass Room – the villa´s story in the book is exactly how it occured, however the family history is pure fiction (the Tugendhat family even sues Mawer for it...).

Brno has also very nice historical center, so being there should not be about Tugendhat Villa only!

Possible day trip from Prague to Brno or stop-over on the way to Vienna or Budapest, but please note that the tour in the villa must be booked at least half a year in advance. Seeing it from outside doesn´t show how special it is.

Jewish Quarter and St Procopius' Basilica in Třebíč

For centuries the Jews in whole Europe had to live separately from the Christians. This law was cancelled in mid 19th century and since that time many former Jewish quarters desappeared or where completely changed. Třebíč Jewish Quarter is the only Jewish monument outside of Israel listed at UNESCO herritage list.

In addition to the Jewish Quarter, Třebíč has well preserved romanesque church (basilica) of St. Procopious. Same story as with the Jewish Quarter – there are few other romanesque churches in the country, but St. Procopius in Třebíč is preserved in it´s original style form half of 13th century, what is really unique.

The visit of Třebíč is combined into a day trip with the visit of Telč. It´s also posible to stop there on the way from Prague to Vienna or Budapest.

Are you ready to go? 

Contact me at tours@sightseeing-prague.com !