Itinerary

Day One
Arrive in Prague and drive to our hotel.

Day Two
Prague ‘the city of the hundred towers’ is perhaps the best preserved European capital, and today we explore it on foot.  Wandering through the well-preserved streets of the Lesser Quarter which nestles between Prague Castle and the Vlatava River, we pass Baroque and Renaissance houses, palaces and gardens. Afternoon spent exploring Prague Castle.

Day Three
A second day to discover Prague,with free time in the afternoon. Mikulas will be able to show you “the insider’s” view of his home city.

Day Four
Start with a visit to the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, by the noted architect Joze Plecnik, a Slovenian who became extremely influential in the interwar Czech Cubist movement, undertaking significant work on Prague Castle. From there continue to the town of Kutna Hora which from the 14th century was Prague’s great rival as the chief city of Bohemia, made wealthy by its silver mines. St. Barbara’s church  (the patron saint of miners) is perhaps the most famous Gothic church in central Europe, and has now been recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site in its own right. In the afternoon there will be time for shopping before a short introductory walk around Telc to get a taste of this quintessential southern Moravian trading town.

Day Five
Our appetites whetted, we return to Telc for a fuller visit. The old town is almost an island with the castle dominating the market square. First to Telc Castle - the lowering Gothic fortress was converted into a Renaissance chateau by the avant guarde nobleman Zachariáš of Hradec in the 16th century. In the afternoon we shall return via St. Johns Church to spend free time in Telc where the main square has a series of delightful Renaissance and baroque houses with high gables.

Day Six
We spend the morning in Slavonice, a once fabulously wealthy trading village on the former Iron Curtain border, which is home to a series of remarkable 16th century sgraffitoed houses, the oldest dating to 1545. Continue to mighty Landstjen Castle, the largest Romanesque fortress in the whole region, with two massive towers connected by a system of walls. Recent archaeological work has shown the original fortress dates back to the time of Great Moravia in the 9th century when it formed a bastion of the Carolingian world against the storm- waves of barbarians to the East. In the afternoon we drive to the 15th century mercantile town of Trebon for a town walk and then to Cesky Krumlov,  another fairy-tale town in southern Bohemia (and a further Unesco World Heritage Site) to our next hotel.

Day Seven
A full day in Cesky Krumlov to see this iconic central European town whose complicated history, changing hands between Holy Roman Emperors, local Barons and communists has left a labyrinthine legacy of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. The city was badly neglected by the communists but has now been lavishly restored. We shall visit the castle, second largest in Bohemia after Prague with its wonderful Baroque theatre.
Day Eight
We leave for the airport stopping en route to visit Holasovice, a small village where the Baroque styles seen in the major towns has been adopted in a more rural context.

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