Central Europe · Europe

Czechia

Discover Czechia - the land of a thousand castles, the world's greatest beer culture, Kafka's Prague, and a dark sense of humor forged through centuries of foreign rule.

Where Is Czechia?

Czechia is a country in Central Europe. Its capital is Prague.

Where Czechia isCentral Europe · Capital Prague

Plan a trip · 1 guide Compare Czechia

Capital Prague
Population 10.9M
Area 78,865 km²

Czechia - or if you prefer the romantic version, Bohemia - is a country that drinks more beer per capita than any other nation on Earth and has been doing so for a thousand years. The Czechs invented Pilsner. They invented Budweiser (the original, from Ceske Budejovice, not the American one). They take their beer so seriously that it is cheaper than water in most Prague pubs, and the idea of a meal without beer is considered slightly eccentric.

But beer is just the froth on top. Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe - a UNESCO-listed wonderland of Gothic spires, Baroque palaces, Art Nouveau facades, and a medieval astronomical clock that still draws crowds after 600 years. Kafka wrote here. Dvorak composed here. Vaclav Havel, the playwright who became president, guided the Velvet Revolution from a Prague theater. The Czech Republic has more castles per square kilometer than any other country in the world - over 2,000 of them. And the countryside of Moravia, with its rolling vineyards and painted folk villages, is one of Europe's best-kept secrets. The Czechs have survived Habsburg rule, Nazi occupation, Soviet domination, and a peaceful divorce with Slovakia, emerging each time with their dry humor, their beer, and their architecture miraculously intact.

At a glance

Language

Czech

Currency

Czech Koruna (CZK)

Calling Code

+420

Drives On

Right

Internet

.cz

Timezone

CET (UTC+1 / UTC+2)

Script

Latin

Government

Unitary Parliamentary Republic

Independence

1993

Travel guides

Plan a trip to Czechia

Prague Castle and the Lesser Town rooftops across the Vltava at dusk

Czechia · 5 days

5 Days in Prague

Gothic towers, serious beer and a dry sense of humor. Five days in Prague, planned so the crowds work for you instead of against you.

Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →

SightseeingCzechiaHungary

Prague vs Budapest

Gothic towers and Czech beer, or the Danube, hot baths and ruin bars. Both are great, and they're a train ride apart.

Updated Oct 2026See the verdict →

By population

Largest cities in Czechia

Prague

City of a hundred spires, one of Europe's most beautiful capitals with Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, and the astronomical clock

1,400,000

Brno

Moravia's capital and Czech second city, a university town with functionalist architecture and the Tugendhat Villa UNESCO site

400,000

Ostrava

Industrial city in Silesia reinvented as a culture hub, with the massive Dolni Vitkovice converted ironworks complex

320,000

Plzen

Birthplace of Pilsner Urquell in 1842, the city that gave the world's most popular beer style its name

180,000

Cesky Krumlov

UNESCO fairy-tale town wrapped in a horseshoe bend of the Vltava River, with a castle second in size only to Prague's

13,000

Karlovy Vary

Elegant spa town of colorful colonnades and hot springs, hosting one of Europe's most prestigious film festivals

48,000

People

Famous people from Czechia

Franz Kafka
Literature
Author of The Metamorphosis and The Trial, whose nightmarish visions of bureaucracy gave the world the word Kafkaesque
Antonin Dvorak
Music
Composer of the New World Symphony and Slavonic Dances who brought Czech music to the world stage
Vaclav Havel
Politics
Playwright who led the Velvet Revolution and became the first president of free Czechoslovakia, a symbol of moral courage
Alphonse Mucha
Art
Master of Art Nouveau whose theatrical posters and the Slav Epic defined the visual language of an entire era
Gregor Mendel
Science
Father of genetics who discovered the laws of heredity through pea plant experiments in a Brno monastery garden
Martina Navratilova
Sport
Born in Prague, won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and is widely considered the greatest female tennis player of all time
Milan Kundera
Literature
Author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, whose philosophical novels explored life under totalitarianism with wry humor
Jaromir Jagr
Sport
Ice hockey legend who played in the NHL until age 45, second all-time in NHL scoring with 1,921 career points

Food

Traditional cuisine of Czechia

Svickova: Czech national dish - braised beef sirloin in a creamy root vegetable sauce with bread dumplings, cranberries, and whipped cream
Knedliky: Bread or potato dumplings sliced into rounds, the essential side dish served with every Czech meat dish and sauce
Trdelnik: Rolled pastry grilled over charcoal and coated in sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts, sold at every Prague street corner
Vepro-knedlo-zelo: Roast pork with bread dumplings and sauerkraut, the most traditional Czech Sunday lunch
Smazeny Syr: Deep-fried breaded cheese served with tartar sauce, the beloved Czech pub food and late-night snack
Kulajda: Creamy mushroom and potato soup with dill and a poached egg, a Czech comfort soup especially in autumn
Pilsner Urquell: The original pilsner beer brewed in Plzen since 1842, the golden lager that spawned the world's most popular beer style
Bramboraky: Czech potato pancakes seasoned with garlic and marjoram, fried until crispy and served as a hearty pub snack

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Czechia

Bohemian SwitzerlandNational Park: Sandstone canyons and rock formations along the German border, with the iconic Pravcicka Gate natural stone arch
Moravian KarstCanyon: Limestone cave system with the 138-meter-deep Macocha Abyss and underground river boat rides
Sumava National ParkNational Park: Wild forest along the Bavarian border, one of the last primeval woodland areas in Central Europe
Krkonose MountainsMountain: Czech highest mountains reaching 1,603 meters at Snezka, with alpine meadows and the source of the Elbe River
TelcLandmark: UNESCO World Heritage town with a Renaissance square of colorful pastel houses reflected in a surrounding moat
Lednice-ValticeLandmark: UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape in South Moravia with chateaux, gardens, and vineyards spanning 200 square kilometers
Adrspach RocksMountain: Labyrinth of towering sandstone pillars and narrow passages in northeastern Bohemia, a surreal geological wonderland
South Moravian VineyardsLandmark: Rolling vine-covered hills that produce surprisingly excellent wines, with painted folk villages and wine cellars carved into hillsides

Sport

Sports in Czechia

Ice Hockey: Won Olympic gold in 1998 at Nagano, six World Championship titles, and produced NHL legends like Jagr, Hasek, and Nedved
Football: Runner-up at Euro 1996, third at Euro 2004, with a strong football tradition producing stars like Nedved and Rosicky
Tennis: Produced Grand Slam champions Navratilova, Lendl, and Kvitova, plus multiple Fed Cup and Davis Cup titles
Biathlon: Gabriela Koukalova and other Czech biathletes have won World Championship medals, bringing winter sport glory

Facts

Did you know?

Czechs drink more beer per capita than any other nation - about 140 liters per person per year
Czechia has over 2,000 castles and chateaux, more per square kilometer than any other country
The word robot was invented by Czech writer Karel Capek in his 1920 play R.U.R.
The Prague astronomical clock has been running since 1410, making it the oldest still-operating astronomical clock in the world
Pilsner beer was invented in Plzen in 1842 and the style now accounts for about two-thirds of all beer produced worldwide
Contact lenses were invented by Czech chemist Otto Wichterle in 1959
The Velvet Revolution of 1989 overthrew communism in just 10 days without a single shot being fired
Czechia officially adopted its short name in 2016 - before that it was formally only Czech Republic