TRIP REPORT - CZECHIA (Aug 2025)

PART 2 of 7

VALTICE, CZECHIA: 1 night. Main purpose was to visit the Wine Salon of the Czech Republic. Valtice was the first stop on our drive across Czechia to Prague. Among the many places we visited during our 26-night European trip, Valtice and the surrounding Moravian wine region is one of two (the other being Prague) that we would like to visit again to further explore.

LODGING: Penzion Prinz via booking.com. Convenient: 3 min walk to Wine Salon of the Czech Republic. Friendly service with great breakfast. We had (corner) room 3, which required carrying our luggage up only 1 flight of stairs. Spacious bathroom.

Aug 21 (Thu): We arrived in Brno at 10:46am on train RJ72 train from Vienna, then caught 11am Bus E76 for an 18 min ride to the (small) Brno airport to pick up our Budget rental car; we paid bus fare by (US-based) contactless credit card on the bus. Before driving out of the airport at noon we picked up made-to-order (picnic) sandwiches from the airport cafeteria.

At 12:50pm, just before reaching Valtice, we made a stop at Diana’s Temple. Following lunch in the car we hiked 7 min up the dirt path to the temple, an elaborate former hunting lodge located in a remote area. After remounting our car we were in Valtice in less than 5 minutes.

Though we didn’t have a common language, the woman who checked us into Penzion Prinz was very cheerful; she called a friend to translate the final check-in details for us over a video call. We enjoyed our single-night stay.

We began our 2 hour unlimited wine-tasting visit (at ~$27 each) to the Wine Salon of the Czech Republic at 2:50pm. What a great concept. Wine glass and bread plate in hand, we descended into an aged arched-ceiling red brick cellar where over a hundred mostly Moravian and a few Bohemian wines were available for self-serve tasting. The bottles were arranged by varietal, some new to us; multiple wineries were represented for each varietal. Descriptions were in Czech, but once one understood the graph used to describe each wine, they were easy to comprehend; English descriptions were available by scanning QR codes via mobile phone. Most or all customers seemed to be Czech during our visit; straw baskets were available for carrying bottles for purchase. It seemed that many people would occasionally drive to this small town (for an overnight stay?) to taste/select wines, purchasing several bottles to ferry back home.

That evening we had a pleasant meal (with generous wine pours) at Valticka Rychta.

Almost everyone we encountered in Valtice was friendly and helpful, with smiles. For example, when we stopped by the post office the next morning for stamps, a local customer kindly stepped forward to translate between us and the postal clerk when she saw we couldn’t effectively communicate.

PART 3 of 7

SLAVONICE, CZECHIA: 1 night. Small town of medieval German buildings near the Austrian border. Virtually empty between the end of WW2 when the ethnic Germans were pushed out, and the fall of communism when the town was repopulated by Czech, many of them artists.

LODGING: Apartmány pod věží’s “room with a view” via booking.com. Convenient: right in center of village, overlooking the main square and furnished with antique furniture. OK for one night, and there were few other choices. Though we didn’t have a common language, an efficient woman checked us in smoothly. (Our top lodging choice was apparently booked up by a group of Americans – maybe a Rick Steves tour group?)

Aug 22 (Fri): We drove out of Valtice at 9:50am and arrived in Mikulov in about 15 min, where we got the last spot in a paid parking lot near the town square. After picking up a map in the Tourist Info Center located in the square we hiked up Holy Hill (with many other folks) for the pretty view. We walked a circuitous route past the former synagogue (now a museum) back to the town square for lunch. For us Mikulov was worth a few hours, but no more. We left just past 1pm and arrived in Slavonice 2 hours later.

After checking in to our Slavonice lodging we parked our car in a free public parking lot located a 2 min walk away. We then strolled the small square to view the many Sgraffito houses, and received a tour of the 500-year old Lutheran Prayer House by a gentlemen transplanted from Tuscany. He observed that this area of Czechia gets very cold in the winter (“Canada of Czechia”), so he flees to Italy for 3 months every year to avoid the freeze.

For dinner we walked just outside the old city walls to the pub/restaurant Pamphio. We encountered some curious looks from the local crowd, then sat and had beer and basic schnitzel with fries. When we were leaving a non-English speaking well-meaning gentlemen named Antony with a grey ponytail insisted through gestures that we follow him into a back room; the walls were lined with the mounted heads of African (and other?) animals, and there was a shelf with medals and trophies. Antony conveyed that he was proudly Czech. In that moment we wished that we spoke some Czech.

We walked the 3 min back to our apt and were surprised to find that a rather talented Czech bluegrass band was performing (free) on a stage in the square before a small, enthusiastic crowd.

Aug 23 (Sat): We left Slavonice at 9:45am bound for Prague. En route we stopped at Telč (paid public parking lot 1) with its UNESCO World Heritage Site: the town square, visiting from 10:30am for 3 hours. We enjoyed our time there, visiting Telč Castle and viewing the town square sites described in the Rick Steves guidebook.

After lunch in the town square we resumed our drive at 1:30pm, filled up our tank upon reaching Prague, and returned our car at the main train station at 3:30pm.

PART 4 of 7

PRAGUE: 5 nights. The daily itineraries were planned to fit with the schedules and locations of the various sites we visited. The days were mostly sunny with temperatures in the 70s/80s F.

LODGING: Our favorite lodging among the 10 places we stayed. “Spacious elegance in the heart of Old Town” on booking.com. Wonderfully spacious and well-lit (windows on 3 sides) with a full kitchen and clothes washer, located in a comfortable neighborhood just a 5 min walk from Prague’s town square. The hostess had prepared an excellent guide to neighborhood shops and restaurants.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: We rarely rode public transport. Being over 65 I was able to ride public transport within Prague for free. My wife rode for half-fare as she was between 61 and 65; she just used her US-based tap-to-pay credit card after boarding trams.

FAVORITE RESTAURANTS:

• Maitrea. Excellent dishes that happen to be vegetarian. We had dinner and lunch.
• Blue Fjord. Excellent seafood to eat-in or prepare at home.

Aug 23 (Sat) – DAY 1: 35 min and a tram ride after returning our rental car, by just after 4pm we were checked into our Prague lodging. We picked up some breakfast groceries at a nearby Billa supermarket, and had a delicious dinner at vegetarian Maitrea.

Aug 24 (Sun) – DAY 2: Day trip to Kutná Hora.

We left the apt at 9:40am and caught the 10:08am train from Prague’s main train station to Kutná Hora. The train station is big, thus we bought one-way tickets at a counter so we could learn the platform from the agent; we boarded with a minute to spare. (NOTE: buy tickets to Kutná Hora-Mesto station in order to include the small local train you’ll transfer to.) Though we didn’t buy assigned seats we were fortunate in finding open seats on the crowded train. At Kutná Hora’s main train station we transferred to a small local train, arriving at unmanned Kutna Hora – Sedlec station at 11:13am.

After a 10 min walk we used advance-purchase tickets to enter the intriguing Bone Church (Sedlec Ossuary), then made a quick stop at St. Mary's Church during the walk back to Kutna Hora – Sedlec station. We caught a 12:05pm train for the 3 min ride to Kutná Hora-Mesto station. (Our train tickets from our morning trip were still valid).

After a good lunch in the open-air courtyard of Ctyri sestry we paid for and joined our reserved 2pm 90-min English guided Czech Museum of Silver Mine Tour. Though we nearly skipped it, the experience was better than expected. There are some quite narrow passages and one low passage (requiring one to bend over for several meters) that must be traversed. We learned about how these mines made the village very rich until silver and gold started to be brought in from the Americas in the 1500s, and about the laborious extraction methods.

Next we spent 45 min touring the interior and exterior of St Barbara’s Cathedral. After another 45 min doing Rick’s Kutná Hora Walk we reached the Kutná Hora-Mesto station at 5:30pm and bought tickets back to Prague from the station agent. We were back at our apt by about 7pm.

We had an excellent seafood dinner with a bottle of white Czech Palava wine at nearby Blue Fjord.

PART 5 of 7

Aug 25 (Mon) – DAY 3: Visit Prague Castle, Lesser Town, etc.

We left our apt at 8:50am headed for the northern entrance of Prague Castle via 2 trams, entering after walking across the Powder Bridge. At 9:10am we entered with our dated-but-untimed advance purchase MAIN CIRCUIT tickets. We skipped the audioguide.

At the castle we visited St Vitus Cathedral (clogged with people due to at least 2 tour groups and renovation work), Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, and Golden Lane. Despite the crowds it was worthwhile, and we finished at 10:45am.

We walked through the Ramparts Garden with its viewpoints, and Castle (Hradcany) Square before walking down Nerudova Street in Lesser Town to view its many old “House Signs”.

Halfway down we had an excellent lunch on the small roof terrace of the vegan restaurant Prague’s Vegan. Unlike many of the other restaurants there were no touts out front to draw in tourists; it was identified only by a small green sign with the restaurant’s name. The meal was worth the climb up 3 flights of stairs. We arrived at 11:45am when it was still largely empty; when we left an hour later there many diners.

We walked back to our apt via John Lennon Wall, and then part of the Rick Steves Old Town & Charles Bridge Walk: (crowded) Charles Bridge, tourist-trap and loud Karlova Street, and Old Town Square – where we witnessed the 2pm performance by the Old Town Hall's Astronomical Clock.

Dinner was in the apt with ingredients obtained at nearby Mansoon’s Bakery (for rye bread), friendly Mineola natural grocery, and convenient if unsmiling Zabka chain grocery.

PART 6 of 7

Aug 26 (Tue) – DAY 4: Jewish Museum, Wenceslas Square, nighttime Charles Bridge.

At 9am we walked 10 min from our apt to the Jewish Museum Information Center and purchased a ticket covering all of the Jewish Museum’s sites though 2 of them – the Ceremonial Hall and the Klausen Synagogue – were closed for renovations. Even without those 2 sites it was worth the price. By 11:35am we had visited the Pinkas Synagogue, the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Old-New Synagogue, and the Maisel Synagogue. After a good lunch at 5th District Restaurant & Cafe by King Solomon we completed our tour by visiting the Spanish Synagogue, finishing at just past 2pm near our apt.

At 2:50pm we strolled out of our apt again and thru the sites of Rick’s Old Town & Charles Bridge Walk that we had missed the previous day, starting at Ungelt Courtyard and ending at Na Příkopě – from whence we then did Rick’s Wenceslas Square Walk in reverse (including a 30 min coffee/pastry stop), ending at the former Gestapo HQ. We arrived at our apt 15 min later at about 6pm.

After dinner we left the apt at 8:20pm and spent 90 min viewing the night scene, riding a tram to Jirásek Bridge (across from the Dancing House), from whence we walked the riverfront to (still-crowded) Charles Bridge and back through the Old Town Square to our lodging.

Aug 27 (Wed) – DAY 5: Last full day in Prague; no pre-planned itinerary.

We left our apt at 10:15am bound by foot for the Mucha Museum; on the way we made a stop at the charming Bohemia Paper Company in the Old Town Square and purchased some unique greeting cards.

We spent 90 min from 10:45am at the Mucha Museum and found it moderately interesting. We then had an excellent lunch at vegetarian Maitrea. Afterwards we spent a half-hour at Bric a Brac Antiques; despite the eclectic collection of intriguing items we left empty-handed.

Returning to our apt we stopped by kind neighborhood grocery Mineola and their friendly next-door butcher Masna Kozí for dinner ingredients.

Post-dinner we walked 1 min to excellent neighborhood wine bar Vinárna U sv. Anežky, filled with regular local customers. In addition to art for sale on the walls (whose painter was on-site having a drink) there was a display of Ukrainian/Czech flag pins and Ukrainian shoulder patches. The owner said proceeds from these items were used to support Ukraine in the war. We walked away with a camo shoulder patch to gift my Ukrainian sister-in-law.

PART 7 of 7

ČESKÝ KRUMLOV: 1 night. This scenic tourist town was worth a single night before we journeyed back into Austria.

LODGING: Pension Adalbert. Comfortable with generous breakfast included. We had room 2, which required no stairs to access and had a view of the castle. Excellent location with a friendly staff.

Aug 28 (Thu): We were picked up at 8:30am in front of our Prague apt by CK Shuttle for considerate door-to-door service to our lodging in Český Krumlov, checking in (early) at 11:10am.

After lunch we joined our 2pm reserved English Wiseman Walking Tour, which ended at the castle just before 4pm. The tour was excellent, providing a rich history of Český Krumlov and its restoration after the fall of the Communist government. Jan, the tour guide, shared that this was a good time to visit because the number of visitors to the village was down post-COVID. My wife and I were the only American tour participants: Jan observed that the proportion of American visitors had decreased, though he offered no reason. Other participants were Polish, Australian, German (originally from Romania), and Chinese. It was especially interesting to hear the diverse perspectives of the Polish and Romanian members regarding life in their countries since the end of the Warsaw Pact.

After the tour rather than visiting the castle my wife and I opted to join a 1 hour Pivovar Brewery tour from 4:30pm. It was a nice tour; at the end everyone was served a glass of refreshing lager. We drank ours in pleasant conversation with a husband (Swiss) and wife (Colombian) who got along well despite having differing views on receiving a COVID vaccine.

Aug 29 (Fri): We were met at 8:15am in front of our B&B by CK Shuttle for excellent door-to-door service to our lodging in Salzburg.

Salzburg trip report is here (Parts 5 and 6).

Another nice report. I have not been to the Czech Republic, but will spend 8 nights in Prague in about 10 days.

I love reading trips reports, especially places we’ve been. It’s always fun to read how others spent their time and how it varies from your own. The reports bring back many happy memories.
When we visited in 2014 there was no required tickets for the bone church. In fact we were practically the only ones there. We also took the silver mine tour. Very interesting and a little claustrophobic for some.
We spent 2 nights in Cesky Krumlov and also enjoyed this quaint town.
Now, I have to continue reading about your other cities visited.

What a wonderful trip report! Thank you for writing this up! Well done!

Happy travels.

I really appreciated your report! Perfect reccomendations for this UW Art major!