Czech Republic: The Bohemian Experience

When one thinks of Czech Republic, the first place that comes to mind is of course Prague or Praha. All other cities of Europe can be clubbed on side and Prague is on the other, such is the character of the city.
The cobbled roads, the history, the castle it all blends together to form a delicious dish for tourists and travelers. But what is even more fascinating is the Czech Republic outside Prague. I have been fortunate enough to experience the gorgeous Czech countryside, its medieval towns, castles in every nook and corner and each experience have been special in its own special way. From rafting in Cesky Krumlov to Cycling to Karlstejn to a trek in Bohemian Switzerland or simply the grandeur of Karlovy Vary, the country offers all.

Rafting in Cesky Krumlov



If you visit Czech Republic, the top place to visit after Prague is the wonderful medieval town of Cesky Krumlov, 180 kms south of Prague. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. The primary attraction of this place is river rafting and camping.
From Prague, its a 3-hour journey by bus – the Student Agency service being the best. There are a number of buses but you need to book tickets at least a day in advance in order to get available seats. The buses leave mostly from Andel. The other option is to go by train though it takes an hour longer and involves a change of trains at Ceska Budejovice. The advantage is that you do not need any prior booking so all you need is to just pack your bags and land up the station.
On arrival, you need to go to the information desk at the city center. Its quite a longish walk from the train station but just a 10-minute walk from the bus stop. You can find out from the i-desk about the spots from where you can hire a raft or kayak and move downstream along the Vltava river. On a summer day you will find countless rafters on the river aimlessly bathing in the sun and moving with the flow. Kayaks are generally 2-seaters but rafts are generally meant for groups. Rafts are available for 2-6 people. You can take the rafting tour starting with 5 Kms and upto as long as 17 Kms. A 5 Kms trip will take upto 3 hours. Mostly they will take you by car along with the raft up to the distance you intend to raft. From there you start rafting and stop close to the centre which provided you the raft.

Rafting is a brilliant experience. You can see camping grounds on the banks, tourists chilling out with beer on the banks under the sun. The water is not at all deep and you can even get down in the water and walk on the stones.  And even dive into the water and swim (if the water is not too cold). Likewise you can park the raft, get off, have a beer and resume rafting. The most challenging part is handling the rapids. There will be 3-5 rapids you will be encountering on the way. It looks scary initially but its great fun to get wet. There are chances of falling and can be a get scary with all the stones around. But with a little bit of care, there is nothing to worry.

Other than rafting there are other places to see. Like every Bohemian town there is a castle and there are whole lot of restaurants to eat. Pensions are available for overnight stay. The place is well worth an overnight stay.

Cycling to Karlstejn
On a hot summer weekend in Prague one of the best things to do is to hire a cycle and take-off. The best possible place to cycle down is to the town of Karlstejn, 33 Kms away. Its a most fascinating experience to cycle through the path along the banks of the Vltava and the Beroun rivers. There are places where you need to cross the river on a ferry and other times where you need to cross railway lines. No less than five times to you need to cross the bridges across the river. 
On the way, there are ample places to relax and take a sip of beer or munch something to gain that extra energy.You can just park your cycle and relax by the river side and bathe in the hot sun. Normally, you would not be alone. There are a number of cyclists who do the same and I certainly did not feel alone when I took the cycle trip. You need to cycle through various patches – from roads to cycle tracks and for a brief period on the grass through the trees. On the way you cross villages and will spot a couple of castles which are spread all across Czech Republic.
A fascinating once-in-lifetime experience. And this isn’t all. What awaits you in Karlstejn is equally amazing. A wonderful castle up the hill and on the way there are whole lot of shops, bars and restaurants which are all buzzing with full of tourists.
Normally, you deposit the cycle over there in Karlstejn. The company which rented out to you will drive down there to collect the cycle. One can come back by train from there to Prague. Its a 45-minute ride on the City Elephant. On the way back you can see the path on which you cycled.
Note: The trip which I took was on electric powered cycle so you could touch a maximum speed of 28 kmph and not get tired. In that way you can enjoy your ride. And even after taking breaks, I completed my 33 kms journey in 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Relaxing on the banks of the river Beroun

Karlstejn Castle

Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary is a small town located in a valley 120 Kms from Prague. It’s a place famous for film festivals and I learnt later that even Satyajit Ray was a visitor to this place for screening of some of his highly critically acclaimed films. A quiet, beautiful place, located in a valley, had a whole lot of beautiful buildings which you could go on clicking photos with. Twelve of us were on the trip and we could easily walk around the whole place twice and even managing to locate an Indian restaurant to have a sumptuous Indian lunch along with some beer. Along with the film festivals, the town is also known for its spas and massage centers but unfortunately not many were operational on a weekend. A rich man’s town – it is occupied mostly by Russians. Most of the property is Russian-owned, purchased at dirt-cheap throwaway rates during the communist regime pre-1989. It was a beautiful walk along the river Vltava. There are plenty of places to shop. Karlovy Vary is also the birthplace of the drink Becherovka. The Becherovka museum is also one of the places to visit. Overall a great experience and a must-visit for a one-day trip.



From Prague, Student Agency buses leave every hour from Florenc and goes via the airport. It takes two hours by bus and I feel that is the best way to reach there. However, if one is travelling on a weekend you need to book your onward and return tickets in advance.
The other option is to go by train. I would suggest that take the train only if you do not get reservation on bus. The train takes a longer route and hence it takes 3 hours. Also the station in Karlovy Vary is at quite a distance from the city center. Taxi is very expensive and the walk is quite long.