asked our guide Yana, pointing to a stained glass window in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. “That’s Saint Ludmila, a 10th-century martyr who helped bring Christianity to the region. “You always know her by that scarf. According to legend, it was used to strangle her as ordered by her anti-Christian pagan daughter-in-law.” That was one of many sights Yana highlighted to convey the tumultuous history of the Czech Republic (a.k.a. Czechia—pronounced Cheh-kee-ah) and its capital Prague.

 

During a one-week fam trip, we also learned that Czechia is much more than Prague. “If you’ve been to Prague, but not the rest of the country, you missed a lot,” said fellow fam member Tara Busch, founder and CEO, Conscious Travel Collective, a US-based tour operator and travel design company specializing in boutique luxury travel and slow tourism. “The smaller villages and countryside, especially the South Moravia wine region, align well with what our travelers are interested in.”

 

Karen Green-Walker of Green Worldwide Travel picked up a practical piece of advice for her clients: Those picturesque cobblestone walkways and streets are no place for high heels. “Bring comfy shoes.”

 

Our exploration began with two days—not enough!—in Prague. The grand NH Collection Prague Carlo IV, built as a bank in the 1890s, was a stately and well-situated home base. Its award-winning breakfast was accompanied by live music; its spacious wellness area with a 20-meter swimming pool, whirlpools, sauna and steam rooms was a great place to recover from jet lag.

 

Prague’s most alluring sites, including Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the fancy boutiques of Pařížská (“Paris”) Street and Prague Castle, were all within walking distance, and we had some amazing meals; most notably at Lobkowicz Palace Restaurant. While shopping wasn’t a main focus, we admired local crafts like Bohemian glassware, marionettes and Czechia’s unique garnet jewelry. And at a private workshop at Manufactura, we felt like chemists as we sipped, sniffed, selected and measured out ingredients for our create-your-own bath salts and beer shampoo.

 

Most importantly, Prague is a place to linger and explore at leisure. Unique architectural treasures from Romanesque to communist-era Brutalist to unique Cubist buildings vie for attention. There’s always a concert in one of the churches and concert halls while specialized museums bring Czech history, Jewish heritage, communism, and famous sons like Kafka into focus. Beer enthusiasts can sample Pilsner in its museum shop in Prague, or at the source in the pretty town of Pilsen, about an hour away.

 

And foodies will be happy to know that the first countrywide Michelin Guide to Czechia will be coming out this year (https://guide.michelin.com/cz/en). For value-seekers, the Prague Visitor Pass (https://www.praguevisitorpass.eu) bundles river cruises, tours, public transportation, and 70-plus admissions and discounts.

 

Prague also makes a great base for day trips, noted our host, Michaela Claudino, director, CzechTourism, USA & Canada. Possibilities include Kutná Hora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that will be recognizable to players of the video game Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2; the renowned Gothic Karlštejn Castle built by King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV; Terezín, memorial site of a WWII concentration camp; and the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, with stunning sandstone formations, deep forests, and famous rock bridges like Pravčická brána.

 

From Prague, our group headed about 2.5 hours east to Olomouc, a vibrant university town known for its Baroque architecture, with lovely fountains reminiscent of those in Rome. The city captured the attention of Katie Lockwood, Concert Operations Specialist for Witte Travel & Tours, who sends groups to Czechia—mostly to Prague. “Olomouc could fit well into future itineraries, especially for a performing group to give a concert in one of their beautiful churches.”

 

We continued an hour east to the 44-room Miura Hotel, an art/spa hotel displaying works by Andy Warhol and other well-known artists and surrounded by 36 holes of golf, and hiking, biking and horse-back riding trails in the Beskydy Mountains.

 

Our final destination was the annual international Czechia travel trade show, held this year in Ostrava, where our group set about creating local partnerships with suppliers and destinations from around the country. “We gained firsthand insights into how diverse and layered Czechia is and met with on-the-ground suppliers who can bring authenticity and added value to the client experience,” said Katie Campbell, owner, Paws to the Wall Travel, an independent agent with KHM Travel Group.

 

Ostrava, about an hour from Krakov and known in the 19th and 20th centuries for its coal mines and steelworks, has transformed its mines and mills into museums and venues for sporting events, theatrical shows, and music festivals including the international “Colours of Ostrava”.

 

After the Czech tourism trade show, I fulfilled a personal bucket list wish and headed to the spa towns of Karlovy Vary (aka Carlsbad) and nearby Mariánské Lázně, less than 2 hours by car west of Prague. The region’s mineral springs have drawn health-seekers since the 13th century.

 

Along with Františkovy Lázně, these graceful towns form Czechia’s Spa Triangle and are listed on the UNESCO 11 Great Spa Towns of Europe along with Baden Baden, Germany, Vichy, France and Bath, England. Celebrated for their elegant architecture, fountains, gardens, nature and cultural offerings, they are designed to create restful, therapeutic settings for “taking the cure” either by drinking, inhaling, or immersing in the waters and muds based on a doctor-prescribed regime. In fact, many European health insurance companies cover weeks-long stays to treat a variety of metabolic, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal ills.

 

Karlovy Vary, the largest of the three towns, is the only one with hot water springs. Clients may recognize the town and the Grandhotel Pupp from scenes in the James Bond movie Casino Royale or Queen Latifah’s Last Holiday. It’s still a favorite with A-list stars who come for the annual International Film Festival in July and have their names engraved in its paving stones.

 

I stayed at the Hotel Imperial. Specializing in clinical medical and wellness stays, it stands castle-like on a mountain, amid formal gardens with bird’s eye views of the town and forests. Sitting on a separate hill, the Brutalist buildings of the Saunia Thermal Resort feature outdoor, naturally-hot, spring-fed thermal and swimming pools and a sun deck overlooking the city. It is open to the public at hourly and day rates.

 

The iconic Karlovy Vary ritual is to buy a measured porcelain cup to partake of the free-flowing “curative” fountains along the lovely colonnades. The waters are free, but advise clients to consult their doctor—and for best results—to also set up a consult with an on-site spa doctor—as the waters can be dangerous to those with certain conditions.

 

Mariánské Lázně is far smaller but equally splendid with its opulent colonnades, pretty parks, and ornate historic buildings. A favorite spot is the Singing Fountain, where every two hours, people gather to watch the fountains dance to piped-in music. It was
surprisingly beautiful.

 

I stayed at the Falkensteiner Spa Resort, whose extensive in-house spa felt quite luxurious, with indoor and outdoor pools and lounge areas, a suite of saunas, and attentive service. Spa manager Daniel Falkus explained that their program combines a wide range of eastern and western practices, including shinrin-yoku forest bathing, acupuncture, and inhalation therapies.

 

Active travelers also will find lots to enjoy in this region; Iva, my guide to the Spa Triangle, has me eager to return to pick mushrooms in the forest, cycle along river trails and go canoeing. As I left for the airport, passing mountaintop castles and bright yellow fields of canola, I realized that in satisfying one bucket list wish, I had added a whole new wishlist of places in Czechia to explore.

 

Campbell agreed. Home just two weeks, she said her posts and her newsletter highlighting the value and unique experiences of Czechia have already sparked interest. “It’s perfect for culturally curious travelers, food and wine lovers, and those seeking something beyond the typical European itinerary.”

 

 

For more information, please visit www.visitczechia.com