THE CZECH REPUBLIC FOR FAMILIES

There is more to the Czech Republic than just Prague, especially for families! The best way to see the country is by car, but you must have good maps. Most places are well signposted but there is so much reconstruction work going on there are many diversions which can be very confusing, so you will need a good map to get you back on the right road should you get lost. Language can also be a problem because not many people speak English outside the main towns and cities, but my advice is to ask directions from younger people who will have learned English at school or inquire at a good hotel where most receptionists will speak a little English.

Remember this is a country still recovering from years of communist rule and many rural areas are slow to react to the major changes in democracy. This is just one of the factors that give this beautiful country so much mystique and intrigue, you never know what you will find or experience. In terms of standards it is a country of highs and lows with little in between. The accommodation in particular can be very good or very, very bad, and don’t be fooled by outside appearances, always ask to see the rooms before you book. There are a small selection of places to stay below that I can personally recommend, but I’m sure there are many more excellent hotels and penzion’s located throughout the country that will be just as good. Eating out is an absolute joy because there are so many excellent places to eat and the prices are so very reasonable. Expect to pay an average of eight dollars per person for a good meal including drinks. Most restaurants have menus in English and the quality of food is excellent; there are so many dishes to select from even the kids will have difficulty choosing! Don’t miss out on the wonderful ice creams for the kids and the Czech’s are renowned for there wines and beers, so be sure to sample the odd glass or two!!

The attractions are fairly widespread across the country and vary enormously in terms of interest. There really is something for everyone and you get to see a lot of the country whilst traveling from place to place. These are the places I visited during my recent visit that I would personally recommend. Located in the South Bohemian region, Kratochville is a Renaissance summer chateau in the style of Italian Renaissance villas, built towards the end of the 16th century. The Renaissance interiors are decorated with stucco paintings and the kids will love the exhibitions on the history of animated and puppet film. The village of Holasovice, chosen by UNESCO as an outstanding representative of folk baroque architecture, is an exceptionally complete and well-preserved example of a traditional central European village. It has a large number of outstanding 18th and 19th-century vernacular buildings in a style known as 'South Bohemian folk Baroque', and preserves a ground plan dating from the Middle Ages.

Hluboka nad Vltavou is a monumental romantic chateau; originally a Gothic castle, remodeled in the Baroque style. It underwent a significant transformation in the 19th century when it was remodeled in the English Windsor-style Gothic into the official seat of the Schwarzenberg dynasty. The complex includes a glassed-in winter garden, a riding hall, an English park (area: 190 hectares), and a chapel. Nearby is the Ohrada Zoo, which although quite small, is nicely located on the shores of a lake and provides a very welcome interlude for the whole family after visiting the chateau.

Further east in Pelhnmov is the fascinating Museum of Records and Curiosities. Here they have a fascinating mixture of displays that vary from being interesting, ridiculous and gruesome; something to please all tastes! One of the best places I visited were the Punkva Caves, which belong to the oldest system of caves in the Czech Republic. You make a spectacular journey down the side of a mountain to the cave entrance by cable car, then go on a 30 minute walking tour to see some spectacular displays of stalactites and stalagmites. Through the cave flows the underground river Punkva and visitors are next taken on a 30 minute magical mystical tour by boat along a labyrinth of underground channels and lakes, and through the Masaryk´s Hall, the most beautiful underground space of the Moravian Karsts. This is a fantastic experience that everyone will enjoy.

The Western City Wild West in Boskovice is an entertaining area, which has been created in the natural setting of a former sandstone quarry. The scenery closely reminds its visitors of the adventure western movies and the wild west, with daily performances in real conditions shown by the citizens of this outstanding tourist attraction which will enthrall the whole family. The area is divided into several parts:

Main Street
Saloons, souvenir shops, short performances showing the Wild West lifestyle, children’s games, country dancing, horse riding and many other attractions. There’s also live music and dancing, and even artificial rain for the hot summer days. Free entrance.

The Amphitheatre
Theatre performances in the amphitheatre of the Wild West City are very popular and every year the scene changes to suit a new play.

Buffalo Bill´s Show Arena
This years performance in the rodeo arena was based on a famous original riding revue created and led by the adventurer William F. Cody, called Buffalo Bill. Clowns help to keep the show lively and entertaining.

Trapper’s Fort
Here there’s the storytelling of the fur hunters, a stylish Taverna restaurant, trapper’s shop, Indian decorations and souvenirs, campfires, a small Zoo and Boot Hill…. Free entrance.

Indian Village
With accommodation in a teepee, an Indian grandfather, tomahawk and spear throwing, archery… Free entrance.

A great family day out, but do check the opening and performance times on their website before you arrange to visit.

Heading north from Boskovice, there’s a fascinating Museum of Puppet Culture in Chrudim. Exhibits show a cross-section through the history of puppetry in the Czech lands pointing to the origin of puppets and aspects of the art of puppetry in the world. Then onto the amazing Dvur Králové nad Labem Zoo and Safari Park. The zoo was founded in 1946 and today it has the largest animal collection in the Czech Republic: around 2700 animals in 380 species and subspecies. The Zoological Garden Dvur Králové was founded on the site of an original private park with a beautiful copy of a renaissance castle (the original is located near Vienna), which had been built by the factory owner Richard Neumann at the beginning of the 20th Century. The zoo has two playgrounds and a children’s zoo with contact animals and pony riding. It also has the only permanent gallery of paintings by Zdenek Burian showing ‘Evolution of Life on the Earth’. In summer months a free Safari bus-ride takes visitors on a trip amongst free-living animals and birds. This is a large zoo so make use of hiring a buggy for younger children and use the zoo train to travel around some areas.

Kuks Castle is a unique Baroque complex founded and built in stages by Count F.A. Sporck at the turn of the 17th century. It encompasses a hospital, a spa, a Baroque pharmacy and a lapidarium of statues by M. B. Braun. Nearby the natural park called Betlém (Nativity) includes a gallery of Baroque sculptures by M.B. Braun, carved into living rock. This is a great place for the kids to explore and there’s a 3 km waymarked footpath from Kuks to Betlem. Vrchlabi lies at the foot of the Giant Mountains and here is the Giant Mountains Museum. The museum tells the history, shows examples of wildlife and explains the environment of the protected territory of the Krkonose National Park with wonderful interactive displays and audio-visual presentations. Also on display are living amphibians, snakes and fish in a running mountain brook - a super place to visit for the whole family.

The Bohemian Paradise is the region located in the north-eastern part of the Czech Republic, nearly 100 km from Prague. Jicin is often called the gateway into the Bohemian Paradise, but is also known as ‘The Town of Fairy Tales’. The town of Jicin has its undeniable magic, thanks to the Czech writer Václav Ctvrtek and his fairy-tale character of robber Rumcajs. A traditional festival, ‘Jicin – The Town of Fairy Tales’ is held here every year in September and offers a wide range of different activities to its visitors, especially children. There’s a wide variety of performances, concerts and activities as well as the opportunity for children to express themselves. The town is very child-friendly and since 2000, the museum in the Chateau has concentrated on games as a method of mediating comments and organizing interactive exhibits for children. The museum is gradually being converted into a museum of game.

Near to Jicin is the Prachovske Skaly National Park and Jicin Environs. Here there are some wonderful waymarked walks through beautiful countryside to various viewpoints and spectacular rock formations. Be aware that some of these routes actually take you to the top of rock towers so will not be suitable for younger children. (There are shorter walks recommended as being suitable for buggies). There is an interesting museum at the starting point, The Museum of the Nature Cesky Raj (Bohemian Paradise) which describes the plants, animals and inanimate components of the area.

My final visit took me to the amazing Centrum Babylon complex in Liberec, the largest covered family entertainment centre in the Czech Republic. The complex has an Aquapark, Lunapark, Hotel, Shopping Centre and Casino. The Aquapark is a system of pools with water falls, slides, saunas and air baths located in the environment of ancient spas. The entertainment area is a Lunapark in the style of an old Czech fair, with bowling, various rides, games room, disco, children’s play areas. There’s a good choice of restaurants and coffee shops providing a wide range of reasonably priced food and drink, including a steak house, French and Mexican cuisine, traditional Czech and fast food. The intimate atmosphere of a city within a city is provided by a shopping village with sixty shops. The hotel is very child-friendly and has excellent family rooms. You can get an excellent package deal that will include your accommodation, entry to the Aquapark and entertainment area, and access to play areas and rides. This is also an ideal base to tour the Liberec Region and Northern Bohemia.

The ideal family visit to the Czech Republic will include just two or three days in Prague then hire a car and visit some of the many attractions scattered across the rest of this beautiful country. Be aware that tours of the attractions will always be in either Czech or German, but many will arrange tours in English by prior arrangement and for a small extra fee.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Czech Tourist Authority
www.visitczechia.cz

Prague Information Service
www.prague-info.cz

National Hotel and Restaurant Federation of the Czech Republic
www.nfhr.cz

Vrchlabi
www.kmap.cz

Zoo Dvur Kralove
www.zoodk.cz

Zoo Ohrada
www.zoo-ohrada.cz

Hluboka nad Vltavou
www.hluboka.cz

The Western City Wild West in Boskovice
www.wildwest.cz

Kratochvile
www.pamatky-jc.cz

Kuks
www.kuks.cz

Punkva Cave
www.cavemk.cz

Jicin
www.jicin.org
www.puppets.cz

National Park and Jicin Environs Tourist Information
www.sweb.cz/tccr

Centrum Babylon
www.centrumbabylon.cz

Liberec Region
www.euroregion-nisa.cz

TRAVEL TO PRAGUE

Czech Airlines are very child-friendly and genuinely go out of their way to cater for children. They provide selective gift packs for very young, young and older children as well as children‘s competitions. Children get their own Czech Airlines Junior Passport, which enables them to collect points for each journey and claim prizes.

www.czechairlines.com

RECOMMENDED ACCOMMODATION

Hotel Babylon
www.centrumbabylon.cz

Hotel Apartment Hluboka
www.kamille.cz

Hotel Jicin
www.hoteljicin.cz

Hotel Safari - Zoo Dvur Kralove
www.zoodk.cz

Penzion Uhrabenky - Petrovice
www.hrabenka.cz

Penzion Euro - Chrudim
www.euro-penzion.cz

Wurschen Manor House
www.wurschen.com

This beautiful Chateau is located in Saxony, just across the Czech/German border, but ideal for touring Saxony and the Bohemian Paradise region. They have self-catering flats and welcome families with children over 10 years.

email: info@gowithkids.com