Prague

MatiÄ?ka Praha - ‘little mother Prague’ - was largely undamaged by WWII, and the cityscape is stunning. Its compact medieval centre remains an evocative maze of cobbled lanes, ancient courtyards, dark passages and churches beyond number, all watched over by an 1100-year-old castle.

Sightseeing in Prague means wandering through an invigorating diversity of neighbourhoods and pounding the cobblestones between old fortifications, historically resplendent squares and streets, majestic church-fronts, green open-air cuttings, and countless museum and gallery ticket booths.

Karlovy Vary

World famous for its regenerative waters, Karlovy Vary is the oldest of the Bohemian spas, and probably the second most popular tourist city in the Czech Republic, after Prague. It’s also the most beautiful of the ‘big three’ spas in the republic and, despite the crowds, the most accessible.

Though you can’t just pop in for a sulphurous bath or gas-inhalation therapy, you can sample the waters till your teeth float. There are 12 hot springs containing 40 chemical elements that are used to medically treat diseases of the digestive tract and metabolic disorders.

Křivoklat

Křivoklat is a drowsy village beside the Rakovnicky potok, a tributary of the Berounka River. Half the pleasure of going to Křivoklat is getting there - by train up the wooded Berounka valley, dotted with bungalows and hemmed in by limestone bluffs.

The 13th-century Křivoklat Castle was a royal hunting lodge, and contains an exemplary late-Gothic chapel, impressive halls and the requisite prison and torture chambers. The area is now protected but if you have energy and time to spare, consider the 18km trail up the Berounka valley to Skryje.

Moravian Karst

If it’s picture-postcard views you’re after, the Moravian Karst is a beautiful heavily-wooded hilly area north of Brno, carved with canyons and honeycombed with some 400 caves, created by the underground Punkva River. Traces of prehistoric humans have been found in the caves.

Punkevni offers some great caving. You walk 1km (0.6mi) through the deepest caves, ending up at the foot of the Macocha Abyss. A small boat then takes you for a brief ride down the Punkva River out of the cave. Other great nearby caves include Katerinska, Balcarka and Sloupsko-Sosuvske.

Moravské Slovácko Region

This region’s special flavour arises not only from a mild climate but also from the character and temperament of the people - passionate, jovial and relaxed. It’s one of central Europe’s richest repositories of traditional folk culture and one of the most delightful places to stay in the republic.

An extraordinary reservoir of colourful traditions in speech, dress, building and decorating styles, there are annual festivals all over the place, at which singing, dancing and music are the norm, and traditional food is washed down with ample supplies of local wine.