Czech Republic Holidays: How to Plan a Trip to Czechia

A Czech Republic holiday fits into 5 to 7 days: 3 days in Prague, 1 or 2 days in Český Krumlov in South Bohemia, and 1 or 2 days in Brno and the Moravian wine country or in the spa town of Karlovy Vary. A Czech Republic holiday also costs less than a trip to Germany or Austria for meals, beer and trains, and a central Prague hotel is the biggest line in the budget. May, June and September give warm days without the July and August crowds, and late November to early January is Christmas-market season. Looking for the public-holiday dates instead? See our Czech public holidays page.

Czechia is the short name the Czech Republic adopted in 2016, and both names appear on this page because travellers search for both. Czechia is a landlocked country between Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria, with Prague as its capital, the koruna as its currency and 14 regions.

This guide is written by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team for independent travellers, and it covers timing, trip length, transport, costs, lodging, food, festivals, etiquette and regions. Founder Sofie Couwenbergh’s first-hand notes come from her Prague trip, including a Czech food tour and a visit to the Josefov Jewish Quarter with her mother.

Czechia quick facts

The Czechia quick facts below cover names, capital, language, currency, government, size, population, time zone, plugs, EU and Schengen status, driving, tap water and the emergency number.

The table stops at the practical facts. Trivia such as the 2,000-plus castles sits in our 21 facts about Czechia post.

Czechia guides on Wonderful Wanderings

The Czechia guides on Wonderful Wanderings go deeper than this hub on hotels, restaurants, food tours, festivals, car rental, public holidays and 9 cities. The 18 guides are listed below, most useful first.

1. Hotels in Prague and where to stay: 28 hotels compared by neighbourhood, star class and price band.
2. Restaurants in Prague: 14 restaurants compared by area, cuisine and price.
3. Traditional Czech food on a Prague food tour: Sofie’s review of the Eating Prague food tour.
4. Josefov, the Prague Jewish Quarter: the synagogues and cemetery Sofie visited with her mother.
5. Prague Christmas markets: dates, locations and what the huts sell.
6. Festivals in Czechia: 16 festivals with dates and venues.
7. Renting a car in Czechia: 34 tips on licences, deposits, vignettes and insurance.
8. Czech public holidays and holiday dates: the public-holiday and school-holiday dates by year.
9. Things to do in Prague: 21 sights with prices and opening hours.
10. Karlovy Vary guide: 18 things to do in the spa town.
11. Plzeň guide: 18 things to do in the home of pilsner.
12. Liberec guide: 17 things to do under the Jizera Mountains.
13. Olomouc guide: 20 things to do in Moravia’s historic capital.
14. Brno guide: 21 things to do in the second city.
15. Telč guide: 15 things to do around the UNESCO-listed square.
16. Ostrava guide: 20 things to do in the former steel city.
17. Český Krumlov guide: 19 things to do in the UNESCO-listed castle town.
18. České Budějovice guide: 17 things to do in the home of the Budvar brewery.

Older posts sit in the archive. Browse all Czech Republic posts for the full list.

Best time to visit Czechia

May, June and September are the months to visit Czechia, when days reach 20°C (68°F) or more and the July and August crowds are absent. December is the alternative for anyone who wants the Christmas markets and accepts the cold. Czechia has 4 distinct seasons, described below.

• Spring (March to May): March nights still drop below 0°C (32°F), and May is warm, with the Prague Spring music festival from 12 May into early June.
• Summer (June to August): 20-25°C (68-77°F) with spells above 30°C (86°F) and sudden thunderstorms; Prague and Český Krumlov are at their busiest, and rural rooms often have no air conditioning.
• Autumn (September and October): babí léto, the Czech Indian summer, brings dry, mild weeks before temperatures fall towards freezing in November.
• Winter (November to March): cold and humid, between about -5°C and 10°C (23-50°F), with the first snow around mid-November and Christmas markets from late November to early January, which cost less than Germany’s.

How many days in Czechia and a sample route

Plan 5 to 7 days for a first Czech Republic holiday: 3 in Prague, 1 or 2 in Český Krumlov, and 1 or 2 in Brno or Karlovy Vary. The 7-day sample route is listed below.

1. Days 1 to 3, Prague: Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, the Josefov Jewish Quarter and an evening of Czech food, with one of the 24 museums in Prague for a rainy afternoon.
2. Day 4, Kutná Hora: the UNESCO-listed silver-mining town with the Sedlec bone chapel, about an hour from Prague by train.
3. Days 5 and 6, Český Krumlov: a direct bus from Prague takes about 3 hours; stay a night to see the castle and the riverside lanes after the day-trippers leave.
4. Day 7, Brno or Karlovy Vary: Brno sits under 3 hours from Prague by road or rail and pairs with the Mikulov wine country, while Karlovy Vary, 130 km (80.8 mi) west of Prague, suits a spa day.

With 10 days, add Olomouc, or Plzeň and Karlovy Vary as a western loop.

How to get to Czechia

You get to Czechia by plane to Prague’s Václav Havel Airport, by train from Berlin, Vienna, Munich, Bratislava or Budapest, or by long-distance bus from most Central European cities. The 3 routes in and the entry rules are described below.

Flights to Czechia

Flights to Czechia land at Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG), 17 km (10.6 mi) west of the city centre, where bus 119 links the terminals to the Nádraží Veleslavín metro station on line A. Compare fares on Trip.com for flights to Prague once your dates are fixed.

Trains and buses to Czechia

Trains to Czechia arrive at Praha hlavní nádraží, the main station, with direct services from Berlin, Dresden, Vienna, Munich, Bratislava and Budapest; Berlin and Vienna are each roughly 4 hours away. Interrail and Eurail passes cover Czech Railways (ČD), and for single tickets you can compare train routes and prices within Europe before you fix dates.

Buses to Czechia are the cheapest way in from the same cities, and most end at Prague’s Florenc bus station, which has its own metro stop. RegioJet, the Czech operator, and FlixBus run the main routes; check FlixBus routes and prices to Czechia for the German and Austrian services. Schengen membership means no routine border controls, but keep your passport on you for police spot checks.

Entry requirements for Czechia

Check the current entry rules for your passport before you book, because they change. Czechia is in the European Union (EU) and the Schengen Area, so EU and EEA citizens enter with a national ID card, and visa-exempt visitors such as US, Canadian, UK and Australian passport holders get up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area, with a passport valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave. The EU’s ETIAS travel authorisation will apply to visa-exempt visitors once it starts; check the EU’s official ETIAS site for the launch date. No vaccinations are required.

Getting around Czechia

You get around Czechia by train between the cities, by RegioJet or FlixBus coach to the towns the trains reach slowly, by metro and tram inside Prague, and by rental car for castles, national parks and villages. The 4 transport options are listed below.

1. Trains: České dráhy (ČD), the national railway, links Prague with Plzeň, Brno, Olomouc, Ostrava and Liberec, and the private operator RegioJet competes with cheaper advance fares.
2. Coaches: RegioJet and FlixBus reach Karlovy Vary, Český Krumlov and other towns faster than the train and often for less; book online for a reserved seat.
3. Prague public transport: 3 metro lines (A, B and C), trams and buses share one ticket, valid for a set time across all of them; validate it in the yellow machine before you board.
4. Rental car: a car makes sense for the Bohemian Switzerland and Šumava national parks, the castle circuit and the Moravian wine villages, not for Prague, where parking is expensive; the rules are driving on the right, headlights on at all times, 0.0 blood alcohol and a motorway vignette (dálniční známka) bought electronically for 10 days, 30 days or a year. Our renting a car in Czechia guide lists 34 tips before you compare prices on DiscoverCars.

Two more guides cover the road. Our driving in Czechia guide covers speed limits and etiquette, and the transportation guide to Czechia compares trains, buses, taxis and cars city by city.

What Czechia costs

Czechia costs less than Germany or Austria for meals, beer, public transport and train tickets, although prices have risen since 2022 after several years of high inflation. Czechia’s prices below are approximate and move with the season and the exchange rate; check a live converter before you go.

The table covers a typical tourist day. Our prices in Czechia guide breaks down food, fuel, hotel and transport costs, and the Prague CoolPass or Prague City Pass comparison tells you whether a sightseeing pass pays off.

Money in Czechia: koruna, cards and tipping

Czechia uses the Czech koruna (CZK, written Kč), not the euro, and cards are accepted almost everywhere, from supermarkets to Prague’s ticket machines, so you need only a little cash for markets, small pubs, public toilets and tips. Czechia’s tourist shops sometimes accept euros, but at a poor rate and with change in koruna. The 4 money habits that save you money are listed below.

1. Withdraw koruna from a bank-branded ATM and decline “dynamic currency conversion”, because the machine’s rate is worse than your bank’s.
2. Exchange cash only at a bank or an office that displays its rate, never on the street, where scammers pass off old Czech notes that are no longer legal tender.
3. Pay in koruna even where prices are quoted in euros, because shops that take euros round the rate in their favour.
4. Tip about 10% in restaurants and round up taxi fares, and tell the server the total you want to pay, because tips go on the bill rather than on the table.

Tipping rules differ for hotels, spas and guides. Our tipping in the Czech Republic section covers them.

Where to stay in Czechia

Stay in Prague’s Old Town (Staré Město) or Malá Strana for a first visit, in Vinohrady or Žižkov for a quieter, more local base, and in Hradčany to wake up next to the castle. Book ahead outside Prague, because Český Krumlov, Karlovy Vary and the Moravian wine villages fill up on summer weekends and during festivals. The Prague neighbourhoods are ranked in our hotels in Prague guide, which also compares 28 hotels by price band.

Booking sites do the filtering. Sofie books hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs through Booking.com for Czechia, because its filters turn hundreds of Prague hotels into a short list that meets her criteria, and she uses Vrbo when an apartment suits the trip better.

What to eat in Czechia

Czech food is hearty: roast meats, bread and potato dumplings (knedlíky), cabbage, cream sauces and soups, washed down with the lager the country invented. The 10 dishes and drinks to try are listed below, with the Czech name first.

1. Svíčková na smetaně: beef sirloin in a cream and root-vegetable sauce with bread dumplings, cranberries and whipped cream.
2. Vepřo knedlo zelo: roast pork, dumplings and sauerkraut, the national dish on every pub menu.
3. Guláš: the Czech goulash, a thick beef stew served with bread dumplings rather than as a soup.
4. Kulajda: a South Bohemian soup of potatoes, mushrooms, sour cream and dill, often topped with a quail’s egg.
5. Chlebíčky: open-faced sandwiches topped with potato salad, ham, egg or pickled herring.
6. Moravský vrabec: “Moravian sparrow”, roast pork pieces with dumplings and cabbage.
7. Smažený sýr: breaded, fried cheese with chips and tartar sauce, the vegetarian pub staple.
8. Svatomartinská husa: St Martin’s goose with red cabbage and dumplings, eaten around 11 November with the year’s first young wine.
9. Perník and trdelník: Christmas gingerbread (perník), and the chimney cake (trdelník), a Transylvanian pastry that Prague’s street stalls have adopted.
10. Beer: pilsner lager was first brewed in Plzeň in October 1842, Pilsner Urquell and Staropramen are the big names, and a half-litre in a pub often costs less than bottled water.

Sofie tasted several of these on the Eating Prague food tour, which she chose to learn about the dishes and the city’s history in one afternoon. Read her traditional Czech food Prague food tour review before you book one. For sit-down meals, our restaurants in Prague guide compares 14 places by area, cuisine and price, and the bars in Prague guide names 16 bars and their signature drinks.

Festivals and public holidays in Czechia

Czechia’s festival calendar peaks between May and October, from the Prague Spring classical festival in May to Pilsner Fest in October, and Czechia’s 13 public holidays fall on fixed dates apart from Good Friday and Easter Monday. Dates shift each year, so check the current programme before you book around an event.

The table shows the events most visitors plan around. Our festivals in Czechia guide lists 16 with dates and venues, and the Prague Christmas markets guide has the market dates and locations.

Czechia’s 13 public holidays are 1 January (New Year’s Day and Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State), Good Friday and Easter Monday, 1 May (Labour Day), 8 May (Liberation Day), 5 July (Saints Cyril and Methodius Day), 6 July (Jan Hus Day), 28 September (St Wenceslas Day), 28 October (Independent Czechoslovak State Day), 17 November (Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day) and 24, 25 and 26 December (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day). A holiday that lands on a weekend does not move to the Monday. The exact dates for the current year, and the school holidays, are on our Czech public holidays page.

Culture and etiquette in Czechia

Czechs are reserved with strangers rather than unfriendly: expect formal greetings, no small talk on the tram, and warmth once you are introduced. The answer to “are Czechs friendly to tourists?” is the same: polite and helpful when asked, not chatty. The 3 etiquette rules that matter are listed below.

1. Greet with “dobrý den” (good day) and a handshake, and use surnames with pan (Mr) or paní (Mrs) until you are invited to use first names, because a first name used uninvited reads as an insult.
2. Take your shoes off when you enter a Czech home, and give up your seat to older passengers on trams, who expect it.
3. Say “na zdraví” (cheers) and make eye contact when you clink glasses, and learn “děkuji” (thank you) and “prosím” (please), because English is common in Prague but rarer in small towns.

Czechs celebrate Christmas on the evening of 24 December with fried carp and potato salad, so large shops close at noon that day and many restaurants close early; shops over 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) must also close on 1 January, Easter Monday, 8 May, 28 September, 28 October and 25 and 26 December, while small shops, pharmacies, museums and restaurants mostly stay open. Famous Czechs, from the painter Alphonse Mucha to the ice-hockey player Jaromír Jágr, are profiled in our famous Czech people post.

Regions and cities of Czechia

Czechia has 14 regions (kraje), counting Prague, and a first trip covers 2 or 3 of them: Prague, South Bohemia for Český Krumlov, and either South Moravia for Brno and wine or the Karlovy Vary region for the spas. The 14 regions and their draws are listed below, Bohemia first, then Moravia and Silesia.

1. Prague: the capital sits on the Vltava beneath Prague Castle, the largest ancient castle complex in the world, with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque streets below; our things to do in Prague guide covers 21 sights.
2. Central Bohemia: the easiest day trips from Prague, led by Kutná Hora’s UNESCO-listed centre and Sedlec bone chapel and by Karlštejn Castle, built by Charles IV from 1348; our castles in Czechia guide picks 17 castles.
3. South Bohemia: Český Krumlov has a castle above a UNESCO-listed old town, České Budějovice has a huge square and the Budvar brewery, and the Vltava adds rafting.
4. Plzeň region: Plzeň, where pilsner was first brewed in 1842, offers the Pilsner Urquell brewery tour and a Christmas market in its historic centre.
5. Karlovy Vary region: Karlovy Vary anchors the West Bohemian spa triangle with Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně, and hosts the film festival every July.
6. Ústí nad Labem region: the sandstone rocks of Bohemian Switzerland National Park and the Elbe (Labe) valley.
7. Liberec region: Liberec sits under the Jizera Mountains and the Ještěd tower, near the rock towns of Bohemian Paradise (Český ráj).
8. Hradec Králové region: Hradec Králové’s historic centre sits where the Elbe and Orlice meet, and the Krkonoše mountains hold Sněžka, 1,603 m (5,259 ft), the highest peak.
9. Pardubice region: Pardubice hosts the Velká pardubická steeplechase every autumn.
10. Vysočina: the highlands between Bohemia and Moravia, with Telč and its UNESCO-listed Renaissance square, and the regional capital Jihlava.
11. South Moravia: Brno, the second city, has Špilberk Castle and the functionalist Villa Tugendhat, and the region adds the Moravian Karst caves and the Pálava wine country around Mikulov.
12. Olomouc region: Olomouc, Moravia’s historic capital, has the UNESCO-listed Holy Trinity Column, its own astronomical clock and the pungent Olomoucké tvarůžky cheese.
13. Zlín region: Zlín is the functionalist company town built by the Baťa shoe firm between the wars, and the region adds the UNESCO-listed gardens and château of Kroměříž.
14. Moravia-Silesia: Ostrava, the former coal and steel city, turned its Dolní Vítkovice ironworks into a festival ground.

Two more posts sort the country by interest. Our 16 destinations in Czechia post ranks the places to visit season by season, and the lakes and beaches in Czechia guide covers 7 swimming spots in a landlocked country.

Is Czechia safe?

Czechia is safe for travellers, including solo women: it ranked 13th of 163 countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, ahead of every neighbour except Austria, and violent crime against tourists is rare. Czechia’s risks are petty ones, and the 3 to watch for are listed below, most common first.

1. Pickpockets on Charles Bridge, in Old Town Square and in crowded trams and metro cars: keep valuables zipped and in front of you.
2. Exchange-office tricks, such as a poor rate shown in large print, and street changers passing off worthless notes: use a bank ATM instead.
3. Taxi overcharging on street hails: book by app or through your hotel.

Dial 112 for police, fire or ambulance.

What to pack for Czechia

Pack layers for every season, a universal adapter for the type C and E sockets, comfortable shoes for cobbles, and a reusable water bottle, because tap water is safe. The 4 seasonal packing lists follow.

• Summer (June to August): light cotton clothing, walking sandals for the cobbles, a lightweight rain jacket for thunderstorms, sun cream for boat trips on the Vltava and a reusable water bottle.
• Autumn (September to November): a jumper, a waterproof jacket, comfortable shoes, and a hat and scarf from October.
• Winter (November to March): a warm waterproof coat, a merino base layer, merino socks and merino leggings under your trousers, snow boots or waterproof shoes, a hat, warm gloves and a fleece buff.
• Spring (March to May): winter layers for March, then a waterproof jacket and layers you can shed in May.

Two extras finish the list. A universal adapter covers the type C and E plugs, and a Steripen water purifier lets you refill your bottle from any tap or stream on hikes, although city tap water needs no treatment.

Staying connected in Czechia

You stay connected in Czechia with your EU SIM, which works at home rates under the EU’s roam-like-at-home rules, or with an eSIM or a portable hotspot if you come from outside the EU. The 3 options are listed below.

1. An EU SIM: no roaming charges for calls, texts or data in Czechia; UK plans vary by operator since Brexit, so check yours before you fly.
2. An eSIM installed before you land: data from the moment you switch your phone on.
3. A portable hotspot: Sofie carries a portable hotspot and buys day passes outside the EU and as a backup when her phone plan runs low on data. If you would rather not carry a second device, an Airalo eSIM installs on the phone you already have and does the same job.

The code HARRY5578 takes €3 off a first order.

Travel insurance for Czechia

Travel insurance for Czechia covers what a health card does not: cancelled flights, lost luggage, a stolen phone and repatriation after an accident. EU citizens should carry their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), UK visitors their Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), and everyone else needs a policy with medical cover. The insurer Wonderful Wanderings uses is SafetyWing, whose SafetyWing Nomad Insurance plans can be bought before you leave or while you are already travelling.

A short history of Czechia

Czechia’s history runs from the Slavic settlers of the 6th century through the Kingdom of Bohemia, almost 400 years of Habsburg rule, Czechoslovakia, 4 decades of communism and the 1993 split with Slovakia. The 5 periods that explain what you see are listed below.

1. Slavs and Great Moravia (6th to 10th centuries): Slavic tribes settle Bohemia and Moravia, and Cyril and Methodius bring Christianity in the 9th century, hence the 5 July holiday.
2. The Kingdom of Bohemia (13th to 16th centuries): Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor from 1346 to 1378, builds Charles Bridge and founds Charles University in 1348; the reformer Jan Hus is burned as a heretic in 1415.
3. The Habsburgs (1526 to 1918): the dynasty takes the Bohemian throne in 1526, defeats the Protestant estates at White Mountain in 1620 and rules from Vienna until 1918, the era of Prague’s Baroque churches.
4. Czechoslovakia (1918 to 1992): independence on 28 October 1918, Nazi occupation from 1939 to 1945, a communist takeover in 1948, the Prague Spring crushed by the Soviet-led invasion of 1968, and the Velvet Revolution that began on 17 November 1989.
5. The Czech Republic (1993 onwards): Czechoslovakia splits peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993, and the country joins NATO in 1999, the EU in 2004 and the Schengen Area in 2007, then adopts the short name Czechia in 2016.

Czech Republic holidays FAQ

Is the Czech Republic good for a holiday?

Yes, the Czech Republic is a good holiday destination: Czechia combines a UNESCO-listed capital, UNESCO-listed towns such as Český Krumlov and Telč, more than 2,000 castles, spa towns and prices below Western Europe’s, all within about 3 hours of Prague.

How many days do you need in the Czech Republic?

Plan 5 to 7 days in the Czech Republic: 3 in Prague, 1 or 2 in Český Krumlov, and 1 or 2 in Brno or Karlovy Vary; 10 days adds Olomouc, Plzeň or the mountains.

Is Prague expensive?

No, Prague is not expensive compared with Western European capitals: a pub beer costs about €2-3 ($2-3, £2-3) and a Czech main course about €7-12 ($8-13, £6-10), although prices on Old Town Square run higher than 2 streets away.

Do they use the euro in the Czech Republic?

No, the Czech Republic uses the Czech koruna (CZK), not the euro; some tourist shops take euros at a poor rate, and cards are accepted almost everywhere.

Is Czechia safe?

Yes, Czechia is safe: it ranked 13th of 163 countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index, and the risks are pickpockets, exchange scams and taxi overcharging rather than violent crime.

What is the best month to visit the Czech Republic?

May or September is the month to visit the Czech Republic, for warm days, long daylight and thinner crowds than in July and August; pick December instead for the Christmas markets.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

The 5 tips below are the practical rules behind the facts on this page, the ones that cost money or a fine when a visitor gets them wrong.

1. Say no to dynamic currency conversion every time. Take the koruna price at every ATM and card terminal, because the machine’s own rate is worse than your bank’s, and withdraw from a bank-branded ATM rather than a street exchange booth.
2. Validate the ticket before you board in Prague. One ticket covers the 3 metro lines, the trams and the buses for a set time, and it counts as a ticket only once it has been stamped in the yellow machine.
3. Check whether a public holiday falls midweek before you plan shopping. A Czech holiday that lands on a weekend does not move to the Monday, and on the listed holidays and from noon on 24 December the shops over 200 m² close.
4. Drink nothing at all if you are driving. Czechia enforces a 0.0 blood-alcohol limit, and it also wants headlights on at all times and an electronic motorway vignette bought for 10 days, 30 days or a year before you use the motorways.
5. Take bus 119 from the airport rather than a taxi. Václav Havel Airport Prague sits 17 km (10.6 mi) west of the centre, and bus 119 runs from the terminals to Nádraží Veleslavín station on metro line A, which puts you on the network rather than in traffic.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the first-hand notes in this post come from her Prague trip, including the Eating Prague food tour and a visit to the Josefov Jewish Quarter with her mother. The team covers Czechia for independent travellers, including the Prague hotels, restaurants and food tours, car rental, packing gear and travel insurance worth booking, and updates this page when prices, dates and rules change.