Trip to the Czech Republic

This time I was longing to visit a country soaked in history for thousands of years. A photography theme that was driving my mind with a land tailored with castles, medieval towns, picturesque mountains, witnessing the ancient ruins and joy of wineries. I wanted to escape to the most beautiful landscape of Europe and I found my destination at Prague and its surrounding tourist spots, nestled in the center of Europe, Czech Republic. We fuelled in the car tank and headed towards Cesky Krumlov, our first destination in the Czech Republic.

After around four and half hours of drive, we arrived at a grey medieval-looking city Cesky Krumlov. Situated on the Vltava River, Cesky Krumlov is an intact city with lots of central European charm, away from the hustle and bustle. After checking in to the apartment, we were treated to a delightful local Czech cuisine in the near restaurant. It was completely awe of the local flavors and textures!

Post lunch we headed towards the town square. The narrow walkways greeted us with colorful buildings, numerous statues, and monuments. The center of the town is hugged closely by the Vltava River. We found the town a small and very picturesque with its medieval architecture and red-roofed buildings. We casually strolled through the streets and found sharp inclines and declines on our way.

Next morning we planned to visit castle Hluboká, one of the most famous castles in the Czech Republic. The castle is built upon a pond basin which is above the Vltava River. It is a royal castle, established in the 13th century. If you are a true lover of the castle, this elegant castle will definitely enthrall you. Moreover, the castle is beautifully surrounded by the English style autumnal park with the lovely view of scattered yellow fallen leaves.

We plan to lazily roam around to some nearby town next day and we were guided to visit Ceske Budejovice which is a half an hour road trip away from Cesky Krumlov. Hence, we started from the apartment, weaving our way through rather drab residential suburbs. Past mile upon mile of green flowery fields, rolling hills, few farm animals to be seen and not too much traffic either. We stopped for a while amongst the enchanting nature, took few photographs of our beautiful roadway and continued again.

When we reached Ceske Budejovice, we found it void of many tourists and perfect to explore it as we were looking for a relaxing day, although it is the largest town in South Bohemia.Once we reached Ceske Budejovice historic square which is lined with houses carrying the graceful signs of Renaissance and Baroque age, we noticed the Black Tower in the corner. This 72m high tower is the only town center option of Ceske Budejovice. At the central point of the square, you will see the Samson Fountain. This famous structure is depicting the wrestling between Samson and a lion. Ceske Budejovice’s two main claims to fame are the Budweiser Budvar brewery, a very successful state-owned enterprise, and in the center of the town, the country’s largest piazza.Next day we departed our hotel at Cesky Krumlov and started for our next and final destination, Prague. It was just a short 2.5-hour drive from Cesky Krumlov. Prague is a destination that always seems to be in vogue. Once we reached the City of a Hundred Spires, Prague, we literally lost ourselves in the grandeur of the sights. The most important of them was the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River. The bridge is overly crowded during the day time, and if you stroll across the bridge, you will encounter countless vendors and musicians. We found it best to explore at dawn. You will find picturesque buildings standing in a line both sides of the Vltava River. Moreover, wandering through the cobblestone streets of the old town is something that everyone enjoys a lot, as we did also. It’s because the old town is so charming with pastel-colored buildings in Baroque, Gothic or the Renaissance style. Once you are at the town center, check out the Astronomical Clock, a real wonder!

Next day we visited Prague Castle which is a cap of fairytale feel of the city. To visit the castle you have to go up to the hill and during your uphill way, you will get the viewpoint which will bless you with the fabulous view of the Prague city. We spent the whole day to explore the castle and finally take a breath of peace inside the Saint Vitus Cathedral.

Karlštejn Castle is certainly one of the must visit when you are in Prague. Only 20 kilometers away from Prague city, this one of the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic. This gothic style castle is the living symbol of the Golden Age of Europe where you will find Bohemian royal treasures are safely deposited along with holy relics and vital state documents. There are mainly three tours for this castle, but we didn’t chose any because only small dogs are allowed to go in 🙂 We walked up quite a number of stone steps to reach the tower. Another blissful part of the journey is to get the incredible view of the surrounding valley and village. We ended our tour with Karlštejn Castle and backed with the treasures of memories of myths, history, panoramic natural beauty and flashes of medieval architecture.

It’s a memory and tour not to be missed.