Bohemian Treasures of the Czech Republic

Departing: June 2027 - June 2027

Prague, Telč and Český Krumlov

The lands of Bohemia have always occupied an ambiguous and fertile position in European history, neither quite Western nor Eastern, neither Germanic nor Slavic, yet profoundly shaped by all of these worlds. Our journey moves through this landscape, beginning in Prague, travelling south and east into Moravia to Telč and finally descending into Southern Bohemia and Český Krumlov, a town coiled within a great bend of the Vltava.

Included

Explore Kutná Hora & Telč, with entrance fees included
All other visits as outlined in the itinerary
Expert Guide Lecturer & professional Tour Manager
3 nights in Prague, 2 nights in Telč & 2 nights in Český Krumlov
7 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 7 dinners
Wine & tea or coffee with dinner
Private air-conditioned coach travel
Field notes, taxes & gratuities for local staff

Highlights

Explore Kutná Hora, a medieval silver-mining capital crowned by one of Central Europe's great Gothic cathedrals
Discover Telč and its fine Renaissance market square, a revelation to even seasoned travellers
Admire the extraordinary baroque theatre at Český Krumlov, with its original sets and stage machinery intact

Tom Abbott

Tour Itinerary

Arrive into Prague and meet your expert Guide Lecturer and fellow travellers at your hotel.

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation:

We explore the Lesser Quarter this morning, beginning at St Nicholas Church, the supreme achievement of Bohemian baroque, and the nearby Carmelite Church of Our Lady Victorious. Next we take the funicular to the heights above the city, where we visit Strahov Monastery and Loreta, the exquisite pilgrimage complex. This afternoon, we explore Prague Castle, one of the largest castle complexes in the world. Our visits here include St Vitus Cathedral and The Old Royal Palace, which preserves the magnificent Vladislav Hall, its late-Gothic ribbed vaulting soaring above a space large enough, in its day, to host jousting tournaments indoors. We end our day at the Basilica of St George, one of the oldest surviving churches in Bohemia.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

Today we explore the Old Town below the castle. A living archive of medieval and baroque architecture, its irregular streets converge on the great stage of the Old Town Square, where the Astronomical Clock has been marking the hours since 1410. From here, we move into the Jewish Quarter. The Old Jewish Cemetery, where graves are layered twelve deep and headstones lean together like old men in conversation, is a place of profound atmosphere – the synagogues that surround it trace the spiritual and intellectual life of a community whose history in Prague spans nearly a millennium. The afternoon takes us to Wenceslas Square, the stage for some of the defining moments of Czech history and the National Museum, whose grand neo-Renaissance building presides over its upper end with the gravity of an institution that has always understood its own importance.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

We leave Prague this morning and drive southeast to Kutná Hora, once the great silver-mining centre of the Bohemian kingdom. Here we visit St Barbara's Cathedral, one of the masterpieces of Central European Gothic: its triple tent-like roof visible from miles across the plain, its interior filled with late-medieval frescoes of exceptional quality. We also visit the Sedlec Ossuary, a small, quietly extraordinary chapel on the town's edge, whose interior is decorated with the bones of some 40,000 people, arranged with a macabre and curiously affecting artistry. Later in the afternoon, we drive on into Moravia, arriving in Telč as evening falls over its famous arcaded square.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

To spend a full day in the exquisite town of Telč is a privilege that most visitors to this small Moravian town are never afforded. In the morning, we visit Telč Castle, which preserves some of the finest Renaissance interiors in Central Europe: painted ceilings of extraordinary elaboration, a fabulous Golden Hall that glows with the warmth of Italian influence and collections that speak of a cultured Renaissance court at the edge of the Bohemian world. In the afternoon, we explore the town itself starting at Church of St John the Baptist, renowned for its interior layered with Gothic structure and baroque embellishment. We then descend into Underground Telč, a network of medieval cellars and passages threading beneath the Old Town.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

This morning, we drive to Slavonice at the very edge of what was once the Bohemian-Austrian frontier. This small town boasts a beautiful Renaissance market square, decorated with remarkable sgraffito façades. Next, we explore the ruins of Landštejn Castle, a Romanesque fortress of the late 12th century, its circular towers and shattered walls eloquent of the contested history of this frontier landscape. In the afternoon, we pause at Třeboň, a handsome spa town set among an extraordinary network of medieval fishponds. The Augustinian monastery, the Gothic town walls and the fine market square make Třeboň a worthy stop before we complete our drive south to Český Krumlov, arriving in time to absorb the first impressions of a town that rarely fails to take the breath away.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

We explore Český Krumlov Castle this morning, a rambling accumulation of Gothic, Renaissance and baroque architecture that charts the ambitions of the great Bohemian noble families who held it across the centuries. We visit its courtyards and interiors, paying particular attention to the baroque theatre with its original stage machinery, painted sets, costumes and prompter's books largely intact. The Church of St Vitus, standing on the castle hill with its Gothic choir and fine collection of sculpture, completes our morning in the upper town. The afternoon is left free to explore at leisure, with time to enjoy the lower town at your own pace, find a riverside table or return to a doorway or a view that caught your eye in the morning.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

We start our journey home this morning, stopping en route at Holašovice. This small village has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status due to the exceptional preservation of its rural architecture. Its buildings are notable for their decorated gables, a regional vernacular interpretation of Baroque and Neoclassical forms. After lunch, depart for the airport or continue your trip at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch