Prague
The Czech capital, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world with an inimitable atmosphere created by its millennium of history. Prague’s historical centre has an area of 866ha (Hradčany and Prague Castle, Malá Strana, the Old Town including Charles Bridge and Josefov, the New Town and Vyšehrad). Since 1992 it has been listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site.

The history of Prague is long and rich. The city has been developing for more than 10 centuries. Its amazing architecture, comprising monuments of all the great historical styles from Romanesque to functionalism, is combined with a wonderful atmosphere of modern city, which has maintained its aspect of medieval town and its tradition.
The richness of Prague, it is not only sumptuous Baroque palaces and churches, the amazing castle panorama or luxury restaurants, but also romantic gardens, countryside-like nooks with cobbled streets and vivacious popular taverns. The melting pot that Prague always has been, presents a fantastic mixture of high and low culture, wealthy and picturesque architecture, sophisticated art and popular aircraft, high cultural events and street musicians.
City is so full of life, colors and music! An ideal place for cultural holidays as well as for leisure.
Green city
The great architecture of Prague is pleasantly combined with greenery. Larges parks, lovely baroque gardens and several islands offer an ideal place for a relaxing walk, away of the rash of the capital city.
Music
The old musical heritage is still alive here, being day by day enriched by the specific Slavoni and Middle- European feeling. Works by the great Czech composers such as Smetana, Dvorak, Janacek and Martinu coexist with the international production of Kronos Quartet, Penderecki and another stars of the contemporary music.
Prague is one of the most important centers of music, many festivals and international competitions.
Beer for everybody
The secret of the Czech cuisine is hidden in the brewage that accompany the food – the worldwide famous Czech beer. Tradition of brewing is 1000 year old. Czech beers offer a large variety of excellent light and tasty as well as dark and aromatic beers.

Naturally, most of the historical monuments, museums and galleries are concentrated right there.

The most beautiful views of the city
Smetanovo nábřeží (embankment) – Novotného lávka
The Old Town Hall Tower
The Powder Tower
The Old Town Bridge Tower
The Lesser Town Bridge Tower
St. Vitas´, St. Wenceslas´ and St. Adalbert Cathedral Tower
The Prague Castle Ramp on Hradčanské náměstí
Petřín – Lookout Tower
Letná Park – Hanavský Pavilion
Belfry of the St. Nicholas church
Žižkov TV Tower
Vyšehrad

Prague Castle - A national cultural monument, the symbol of more than millennial development of the Czech state. Since its foundation in the last quarter of the 9th century it has been developing uninterruptedly throughout the past eleven centuries. It is a monumental complex of ecclesiastical, fortification, residential and office buildings representing all architectural styles and periods, surrounding three castle courtyards and covering 45 hectares. Originally it used to be the residence of princes and kings of Bohemia, since 1918 it is the seat of the president.

Charles Bridge - The oldest Prague bridge. Both ends of the bridge are fortified by towers (the Lesser Town Bridge Towers, the Old Town Bridge Tower). The bridge is 515 meters long and 10 meters wide.

Old Town Hall - Established 1338 as the seat of the Old Town authorities. The oldest gothic part of the complex which includes a tower and an oriel chapel is richly decorated with coats of arms. It was built in the latter half of the 14th century. In the top part of the astronomical clock (early 15th century) the 12 apostles appear every hour between 9 a.m. and 9 p.

Petřín Hill – green directly in the Prague centre. It’s great for cool, quiet walks and superb view over the City of Hundred Spires. To go up there is a funicular or many romantic paths. On the top you can find famous Petrin View Tower with 299 steps (62m-high copy of the Eiffel Tower) and Petrin Labyrinth

Vyšehrad - Ancient legends situate the original seat of the Czech princes - the legendary Princess Libuse and the first Przemyslides - on the hill. Among noteworthy sight there are the precious Romanesque rotunda of St. Martin, the gothic church of St. Peter and Paul, the Vysehrad cemetery used as a burial site of the Czech outstanding personalities.

Center for Modern and Contemporary Art – superb collection of 19th-, 20th- and 21st-century Czech and European art.

Franz Kafka museum – The much-hyped exhibition of the life and work of Franz Kafka

Prague Zoo - not only children, but also adults will be surely pleased with the visit of the Zological Garden, which is situated in a beautiful basin of Troja During the summer months Prague Zoo in Troja offers guided tours at night, providing an unforgettable atmosphere. From Prague Zoo it is only a short walk to the botanical gardens in Troja, where in 2004 the unique new tropical greenhouse Fata Morgana was opened.

Caves in Koněprusy - Length of the route: 600 m Length of the visit: 60 min The three-storey cave system in Koněprusy is the largest in the Czech Republic. On the middle floor were found human skeletal remains from the Early Stone Age, on the upper floor a coiners´ forge was hidden in the 15th century. Location: Berounsko area, Mid-Bohemian district

Karlštejn Castle - the most important medieval castle built in the years 1348 - 1355 under Charles IV. It was to serve as a treasury for coronation jewels and state documents. It was altered in the renaissance style in the 16th century and in pseudogothic style at the and of the 19th century. In the Holy Cross Chapel there is a unique collection of 132 gothic desk paintings by Master Theodoricus from 1360.

Konopiště Castle - The chateau that used to belong to the successor to the Habsburg throne Ferdinand d´Este. Originally a gothic castle built in the 14th century, rebuilt in the 19th century, housing fascinating collections of historical weapons, furniture, paintings and tapestries. The castle is situated 50 km from Prague.

The Bohemian Paradise - a region of dramatic landscape dotted with fanciful rock formations and castles; perfect for hikers.

CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech Republic is a central-European country, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Poland and Germany. Thanks to its location in the real heart of the continent, it always has been an important junction for communication links between trade and cultural centers of Europe.
The Czech Republic is composed from 3 historical parts: Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.
The Czech territory is surprisingly rich in different kinds of landscape: the mountain regions all around the borders covered with deep forests, romantic rocks of the Bohemian Paradise, sleepy ponds and silver rivers of the South Bohemia, mysterious caverns just 30 min from the Capital, etc. The central and the Northern part of the Bohemia are mostly devoted to the industry while the South and the East are traditionally agricultural lands with lovely orchards, wide fields and undulating vineyards. The western Bohemia is famous for its hot springs.
In addition to the beautiful nature, Czech Republic offers sympathetic towns and picturesque villages with their genuine art and folklore tradition. Wandering through the country, you will discover more than 100 castles, from craggy fortresses to more refined, aristocratic chateaus.

Nearly 95 percent of the population consists of Czechs and Moravians. The other major ethnic groups are Slovaks & Ukraine. In the big cities, mainly in Prague, many foreign citizens live, study, work and marry. There are important German, French and American minorities.
More than 75 percent of the people live in urban areas, though most of the cities are of modest size. Wonderful little towns, such as Telc, Trebon, Cesky Krumlov, Olomouc or Litomysl, offer an agreeable relaxing rhythm of life combined with rich local traditions and festivities.
The Czech language makes part of the Slavonic group, which is one of the 3 important linguistic families of Europe. The Czech is very close to the Slovak. The complexity of those languages being considerable, Czech people currently learn English in order to welcome foreign visitors, so you shell not have any problems with communication.
In addition, Czech people are very hospitable, they like informality and conviviality.

Highest point: Mount Sněžka (1,602 m above-sea level, Giant Mountains)
Lowest point: source of the River Labe (115 m above-sea-level,Hřensko)
Biggest dam: Lipno (4,870 hectares)
Biggest natural lake: Černé jezero (18.4 hectares)
Longest river: Vltava (433 km)

Over the centuries, Czech cooking has absorbed various specialties from its neighbors: Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Hungary… but as one of the cultural crossroads of Europe, Prague knew as well French as Italian or Russian influences.
The relatively cool climate is the reason why traditional Czech cuisine promotes meat, sauce and heavy trimmings with only seasonal use of vegetables. Among meats, pork is the most common, but duck, goose and game are also extremely popular.
Many traditional Czech entrées, such as sausages with horseradish or poppy-seeds pretzels, are served with beer.
Potatoes are still the main ingredient of many popular Czech dishes, e.g. the potato pancake “bramborák” aromatized with marjoram and garlic. Another traditional vegetable is the sauerkraut, which can be used for all kind of purposes: salads, soups, pancakes, side-dishes, fillings…
Czechs are also known for their sweet tooth and make fabulous, rich desserts. That particular art especially flourished in the 19th century and it enriched the cuisine of the whole central-European region. Apple strudel and various kinds of cakes like “babovka” are considered as traditional in Prague as they are in Vienna, and constitute one of the more cherished parts of a shared imperial heritage.

Czech cuisine isn't very dietary and it's not the best choice for vegetarians but can offer some interesting and favourite meals. Traditional choice is potato soup and roast pork with dumplings and cabbage. Dumplings are very popular and frequent. You may find them with many sauces and of course sweet dumplings filled with fruit.

Czech meal often starts with soup. Some popular are potato soup, garlic soup, beef soup with liver dumplings, chicken noodle soup and tripe soup.The main course usually consists of meat and a side dish. The most popular meats are chicken and pork, sometimes beef, often with some sauce. Popular fish are trout and carp (carp is traditional Christmas meal). The most common side dishes are boiled, mashed or roasted potatoes, rice, bread or potato dumplings.