Czech Republic Traveller's guide
Bordered by Slovakia, Austria, Germany and Poland it's perhaps
unsurprising that much of the Czech Republic's culture and
architecture has been historically influenced by immigrants from
its European neighbours. Nevertheless, the modern-day Czech people
are proud of their country's heritage and natural beauty and
understandably pleased to share it with visitors.
The Czech Republic enjoys a typical continental climate with
warm, dry summers and cold winters. January is the coldest month
and whilst the country can experience heavy snows these are
generally short-lived with the exception of mountainous regions.
Between May and September days are warm and dry, nights cool and
rainfall minimal, making this the best time to visit.
Czech cuisine requires a healthy appetite; dieters may need to
choose with care. A typical Czech meal might consist of pork or
beef served in a sauce and with sliced dumpling. Rice and potatoes
are equally popular accompaniments. The soups enjoyed most commonly
are onion or garlic, although fish soup made from carp is served on
special occasions. Other specialities include Svičková (pronounced
svitch-ko-va) which is an intriguing concoction of meat, sauce and
cream and Smažený Sýr (smaz-nee seer) which is fried cheese served
with potatoes.
Our guided tours of the Czech Republic by train highlight the
very best of the cities we visit, but if you wish to further
explore Prague on your own we recommend travelling by the Metro
which is a clean, well-policed and inexpensive way of getting
around.
Traditionally there is no tipping culture in the Czech Republic
although this has changed in Prague within the past few years. As
the price of your tour includes tipping, your Tour Manager will see
that rewards for good service are given where appropriate.