Karlovy Vary & Plzen

Are you talking about going from Prague to CK via either of these places, if so both are a bit of a detour.
Karlova vary is a lovely Spa town and a great place for strolling a round for a few hours. Plzen is a bigger city and has several nice museums and one of the biggest synagogues in Europe, there is of course the Plzen brewery tour the main reason many folk visit the city but if you are not into beer and its history then give it a miss.
personally I think a stop off in Tabor (halfway between Prague and CK) would be a good idea I think it would hit all the spots for you ,one of my favourite little towns in the Czech republic.

Thanks, Edinburgh for the tip on Tabor. It's another possibility that could work. Any B&B or restaurant recommendations there?

I'm bicycling, so I get to go where and when I want!

I have only ever been on a day trip to Tabor from Prague, but I am sure there are nice little places to stay, it is a really friendly little town

Along the most direct route, I think you might as well take a peek at the historic center of Ceske Budejovice, too. The main square is attractive, even though it hosts car parking.

Thanks for the tip, Laura. I do indeed plan to bike to Ceske Budejovice en route to Olomouc and beyond.

"...any compelling reasons...." I think so with Plzen if you're into the history in 1945. The last German stronghold ...intact... after Hitler was dead in Berlin in Europe was Bohemia and Moravia. In 2001 I went to Plzen to see the American Monument dedicated to US troops for liberating Pilsen, where due to orders from above, those troops of Patton's Third Army were prohibited from going any further, ie head for Prague before the Soviets arrived. The Linz-Pilsen line was it. Plzen is a nice town to explore, the train station is historical.

Fred,

The history of WWII and its aftermath are indeed of interest. Thanks for those tips!

Ceske Budejovice is a nice place and also have a famous brewery( The real Budweiser brewery) you can do a tour off ,that's the sort of thing I do.
If you are into the Second world war look up the Reinhard Hydrich assassination.
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/biographies/heydrich-biography.htm.
There are memorials to the assassins and you can go to the site of the assassination though it is much changed since these days,also the village of Lidice is an easy cycle from the city and a very interesting place to visit, the museum there is quite amazing and hearing the stories of the survivors of Lidice will bring a tear or two to your eye but it is well worth visiting.

@ David...Karlovy Vary was the site visited by anybody who was anybody among nobility and royalty prior to 1914 when it was known as Karlsbad, the same with Marienbad, an international rendezvous point for the Great Powers. . Why? To take the waters, to catch up on latest rumours and gossip, etc. The King of Great Britain was there, etc etc. In that sense politically and socially, the place is well worth visiting.

I'm bicycling, so I get to go where and when I want!

In this case don't just visit Karlovy Vary but also Loket, Cheb, Marianske Lazne and... ahm... I can't spell it in Czech... Franzensbad. This is a wonderful area of the Czech Republic. Beautiful nature, posh 19th century spa towns, a interesting historic town and a picturesque medieval castle.
The Czech Republic is much more than just Prague and CK. Use the map function of www.czecot.com to find out what can see on your way.

I think so with Plzen if you're into the history in 1945

Many places tourists visit in the Czech Republic are interesting in this respect, but most people are just obsessed with the Nazis and don't care that Cesky Crumkov for example is as fake as Disneyland since it was ethnically cleansed in 1945, or that Lidice wasn't the biggest massacre of the 20th century in Czechia (that was Postoloprty) etc...

Martin -

I appreciate the suggestions on other places to see. Pray tell, are the ones you mentioned in Bohemia or Moravia? I cycled through both provinces in 2005 (including Prague) en route to Slovakia and want to visit a few new and interesting places this time around.

Thanks, too, for the map link.

One should look at the documentary film relating to Krumau in 1938 with the banner welcoming the absorption of the Sudetenland.

@ David...Since the bike is the mode of transport for you, I would suggest the historical places you read about in Bohemia and Moravia....Königgrätz, Austerlitz, Münchengrätz, Brünn, etc if you're interested in battles and chateaux (Schlösser)

@David: "I do indeed plan to bike to Ceske Budejovice en route to Olomouc and beyond."
It would be a huge detour. C.B.is south of Prague. Olomouc is east of P.
Karlovy Vary and Plzen are not on your way to C.K. But as others said Benesov with nearby castle Konopiste, Tabor, Ceske Budejovice or you can go via Pisek - very pretty town with the oldest stone bridge in Central Europe.

Karlovy Vary is quite a beautiful town...if you want to get a taste of it watch "Last Holiday" starring Queen Latifah (sp?)...it's a really cute movie and filmed almost entirely in Karlovy Vary. It's a spa town so staying there can be very pleasant!

Ah, but one of the pleasures of bicycle touring is using one's own well-detailed Michelin map to go where and when one wants to while relishing the freedom of independent travel!

And Anita, thanks for the movie tip. I've added it to my Netflix list.

Karlovy Vary is a prettier town than Pilzen since it has been more of a resort town, but then it is also a bit more "touristy". Pilzen is a bit more of a rustic town, aside from what has been mentioned it is also home to Pilsner Urquell, one of the great breweries of the world and offering an excellent tour, winding up in the cellars, tasting beer from a traditional lagering cask.

Good beers can be a valid reason for diverting from one's planned route from time to time! Thanks for the heads-up. Pun intended, of course...

Fred, did you attend the Liberation festival they have in Plzen every May? I'm making plans to go next year. Anything you can tell me about it would be appreciated.

Frank let me know what dates you are coming for, I am usually in Prague and it envirions in May, be good to meet up.
I am back in Prague for a week in August with a small walking group and again in October with my brother and SIL and friends from Kansas city.

@ Frank...No, I was in Plzen towards the end of June in 2001. One reason for doing the day trip there from Nürnberg by train (then, now by bus) was to see the "American Monument" which is within walking distance from the train station., ca 20 mins. It was bright and shiny then especially the lettering thanking US troops under Patton for liberating the city, from which they could no longer advance because Ike had drawn the Linz-Pilsen line as the max extent. This meant the US had squandered its opportunity to reach Prague.

If you're going to Cesky Krumlov for historical reasons too, then go, since it was part of the Sudetenland known as Krumau.

Thanks for the Intel Fred. I'm booked at the Hotel Rango the first weekend in May next year. ( I'm pretty sure anyway, the girl I talked to on the phone wasn't very skilled in English). Yes, I've been to Cesky Krumlov before went to Vienna from there via private transfer. The driver was commenting on how that area was never really repopulated after the ethnic cleansing of the Germans at the end of World War II .
Gus, it looks like I will be in Prague May 1-5.

@ Frank...This may just be somewhat dated since I was there in 2001. When I was in Plzen in the area of the "American Monument," I saw book stores with display windows. Of course, these stores might be gone now after 15 years, but I could not help notice that among history books displayed pertaining to Pilsen and the US military role in the liberation of the city, Patton gets very positive coverage, (even though I can't read the language, ie, subjective here), whereas in Paris at the Army Museum it was vice versa on Patton. Good that you'll be there in May to witness this celebration.