Prague is not just Prague: 5 Czech cities worth visiting

1. Liberec

In winter it is a sought-after ski resort, where not only Czechs and Germans from border towns come, but also our compatriots. In the rest of the time, foreigners on the streets of the city are a rarity, but I'm sure it's worth becoming one of them.

For example, to:

• come to Dr. E. Beneše Square, to admire the neo-Renaissance Town Hall building (1893) and other interesting buildings. The address is: nám. Dr. E. Beneše 23 there is an information center where you can buy transport tickets, souvenirs, maps and guides;

• visit the zoo (Lidové sady 425/31), where white tigers have been bred since 1994. In addition to these rare predators, there are giraffes, elephants, leopards, crocodiles, many birds and reptiles. A ticket for an adult costs 100-130 CZK (€4-5), for a child 3-15 years old - 80-90 CZK (€3-3.5);

Book a hotel in Liberec with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

• climb Mount Ještěd, which is crowned by an unusually shaped TV tower (the building houses a hotel and restaurant), the most famous building of the 20th century in the Czech Republic and a symbol of the Liberec region. A cable car will take you up to the top; a ticket for an adult costs 149 CZK (€6) and for a child 6-15 years old 74 CZK (€3) round trip. The lower station is 10 minutes from the Horní Hanychov stop, which can be reached from the center of Liberec by streetcar #3 in half an hour.

Families with children will also be interested in:

• iQLANDIA Science Center (Nitranská 10), where young explorers can explore new horizons: they can see a talking robot, feel like an astronaut or trigger an earthquake themselves. Tickets for adults cost 300 CZK (€11.5) and 190 CZK (€7) for children aged 3-15;
• DinoPark in the Plaza Liberec shopping center (Palachova 1404). There are 70 huge dinosaur figures on three floors (some of them move). There is DinoTrek - a path through the prehistoric forest with laser beams, a paleontological playground with hidden dinosaur bones, 3D-cinema. A ticket for an adult costs 150 CZK (€6), for a child 3-15 years old 100 CZK (€4).

Travel: 2 hours 30 minutes by train (with 1 change) or 1 hour 15 minutes by bus.

Round trip ticket price: train - 240 kroner (€9.5), bus - 200 kroner (€8).

2. Mlada Boleslav

The main attraction of the city is the Škoda automobile museum (tř. Václava Klementa 294), opened in the building where the production facilities were located until 1928. It is an ideal place for families with children: the little ones can run around, noisily discuss what they have seen, ride on pusher cars, take part in a quest... The only thing that is still forbidden is to touch the exhibits. A tour of the museum without a guide costs 70 crowns (€3) for an adult or 35 crowns (€1.5) for a child 6-15 years old, a tour in any foreign language costs 130 (€5) or 65 crowns (€2.5) respectively. It is only possible to get into the production on weekdays by appointment, children under 10 years old are not allowed.

In addition to the Škoda Museum pay attention to:

• Museum of Local History (Staroměstské náměstí). Here you will learn about how the town was built, the culture and customs of its inhabitants, the development of industry, and the history of the castle, which now houses the exhibitions. The collection includes furniture, clothes, utensils, weapons, books, photographs, coins and works of art from different periods. Temporary exhibitions are held - until June 3, for example, you can see fashionable outfits from the 1920s-30s. An adult ticket costs 40 kronor (€1.5) and a child 20 kronor (€0.8);
• The Old Town Hall (Staroměstské náměstí), built in the middle of the 16th century. At a height of 32 meters there is an observation deck, where in good weather you can climb for 5-10 crowns (€0.2-0.4). From the top you can see all the notable buildings of the city center, information about them is available on plaques around the perimeter.

Travel: 1 hour 10 minutes by train or 40-60 minutes by bus.

Round-trip ticket price: 140 kroner (€5.5).

3. Beroun

Many tourists go in this direction, but get off 9 minutes earlier - in Karlstein. After wandering around the medieval town, head back to the station and catch the next train to Beroun!

You can book a hotel in Beroun with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

There are at least 2 reasons to visit this city:

• To eat a burger at Blackdogs (Česká 140). The place is very popular, it is better to book a table in advance by phone or through the website. In the menu there are burgers of two sizes: 140 and 200 grams, for a surcharge you can ask for a mega-portion - 250 grams (I found a lot even the smallest). The food is tasty, the service is pleasant, the interior is minimalistic, the music is unobtrusive. The only weak point is the small selection of beer, but in the next paragraph I will tell you what to do about it;
• to have a beer at the dump. Believe your eyes - the beer restaurant Berounský medvěd (Tyršova 135) is located on the territory of a scrap metal collection point, not far from the Railway Station. The food here is not the best, so you should eat elsewhere beforehand, but the beer is excellent. Service is slow, have at least an hour before the train. There is a store next to the restaurant where you can buy your favorite beer in bottles.

Travel time: 40-50 minutes by train or 30 minutes by bus (or 9 minutes by train from Karlstein).

Round-trip ticket price: train - 130 CZK (€5), bus - 66 CZK (€2.6).

4. Melnik

The town where the Vltava and Elbe (called Laba in the Czech Republic) rivers meet. The best view of the confluence is from the observation deck on the tower of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul (Na Vyhlídce 18), which you can climb for 25-50 CZK (€1-2). In the crypt of the church there is a chapel decorated with bones and skulls of 10-15 thousand people (you may have seen a similar ossuary in Kutná Hora). A ticket for an adult costs 30 CZK (€1.2), for a child under 15 years old 20 CZK (€0.8).

Fans of less gloomy sights should enjoy Melnik Castle (Svatováclavská 19/16), home to 23 Czech queens and princesses. You can tour the interiors (an unguided walk costs 110 CZK or €4), visit the wine vaults (50 CZK or €2), and then sip a glass of local wine on the terrace while admiring the views. For connoisseurs of the noble drink, I recommend you to bring a bottle with you - Czechs know how to make not only beer.

Hungry? The next stop is the beer restaurant Němý Medvěd (Nám. Míru 27), where beer from the brewery of the same name is poured and excellent burgers are prepared. A burger weighs from 100 to 400 grams and comes with a portion of fries and sauce, not everyone can eat it all. There are many bears of all kinds and sizes in the hall, including huge teddy bears, there are even children's high chairs with funny faces. While the baby squeezes the toys, parents have a chance to eat with both hands.

Travel: 1 hour by train (with 1 transfer) or 35-45 minutes by bus.

Round-trip ticket price: train 150 CZK (€6), bus - 90 CZK (€3.5).

5. Plzeň

This city is known to many beer connoisseurs - it is home to Plzeňský Prazdroj (U Prazdroje 64/7), where the famous Pilsner Urquell is brewed. The brewery can be visited in a group (tours are conducted in several foreign languages, including Russian). The guide will tell you about the process of beer creation and ingredients used, show you the equipment, and at the end of the tour all adult participants will taste unfiltered and unpasteurized draught Pilsner Urquell. The tour costs 250 kronor (€10) for an adult and 150 kronor (€6) for a child 6-15 years old.

There is also a brewing museum in the city (Veleslavínova 6), where you can learn about the history of the industry from the Middle Ages to the present day. The collection includes retro brewery equipment, beer mugs (including the world's smallest), a model of a brewhouse and many other interesting exhibits. A ticket for an adult costs 90 kronor (€3.5), for a child 6-15 years old 60 kronor (€2.5).

Be sure to visit Náměstí Republiky, one of the largest squares in Europe. Here you will find St. Bartholomew's Cathedral with its 102-meter-high tower - the highest religious building in the Czech Republic. You can climb to the observation deck from 10:00 to 18:00 and admission costs 25-50 CZK (€1-2).

In addition to the church, the square houses the Renaissance Town Hall and other interesting buildings, as well as three gilded fountains of unusual shape, which symbolize the elements of the city's coat of arms - an angel, a greyhound and a camel. I read this information in the guidebook after the trip - you need to have a rich imagination to see the mentioned figures in the strange constructions.

If you are traveling with children, I recommend visiting DinoPark and the zoo (Nad ZOO 1). A single ticket for an adult costs 240 CZK (€9.5), for a child 3-15 years old 170 CZK (€7).

Travel: 1 hour 25 minutes by train or 1 hour by bus.

Round trip ticket price: train - 210 kronor (€8), bus - 180 kronor (€7).

How to plan your route and buy tickets

Bookmark the website (there is also an IDOS mobile app for iOs, Android and Windows Phone) to find out how to get from point A to point B in Prague and beyond.

Let's say you want to visit Dobris Castle. It is located in the town of the same name, the name of which is spelled Dobříš in Czech. If you are interested only in trains, choose Trains in the Timetable drop-down menu, buses - Buses, any option - Trains + Buses. In the From field enter Praha (if you want to start from a certain station, choose its name: Praha-Smíchov, Praha-Holešovice, etc.), in the To field enter Dobříš. Select the date of your trip and the desired departure or arrival time. Click on the Search button and you will get a list of options.

Next, click on the Buy! button next to the selected option and, if the route is operated by České dráhy (which will be the case in most cases), you will be taken to the website. Here English is also available, the icon to change the language is in the upper right corner. Choose the class of carriage (the cheapest seats are in the second class), specify all passengers, including children of any age (if you are not traveling alone, click on the Add another button and choose the desired item from the drop-down list). Click on the Display price button and go to the page where the one-way ticket price will be indicated and you will be able to enter the return trip parameters.

If everything is satisfactory, click on the Buy button, choose additional options (bicycles, oversized luggage and dogs are charged separately), pay and receive an e-mail with the ticket in pdf-format. You don't have to print it out, just show the QR code on your smartphone screen to the checker.

Why do I recommend buying tickets online? In this case, you can book a specific seat on the train for free (this only applies to travel within the Czech Republic) and you are guaranteed a seated ride.

How to use a purchased ticket

• If you are late, you can take another train on the same route (until the expiration date indicated on your ticket).
• If you have not reserved a seat, you can take either the one on the train that has no reservation information above it (a sheet with station names or data on the screen) or the one reserved from (or after) the station where you get off. For short-distance travel this is not relevant, in such cases seats cannot be reserved and you can choose any in the carriages of the right class.
• There are several rail carriers in the Czech Republic, the main ones are České dráhy, RegioJet, LEO Express. Tickets are valid only on flights of one company, you cannot take them on the train of another company, even if the route is the same.

Traveling with children: important nuances

• Children under the age of 6 travel free on trains, but they must have a ticket (with a price of 0 kronor). Such passengers are entitled to a separate seat.
• From 6 to 14 years of age there is a children's fare - 50% of the full price.
• Always bring your child's passport with you - if the checker has any doubts about your child's age, he or she may ask you to show a photo ID.
• There is no extra charge for a stroller of any size.

How to buy a bus ticket

For shorter routes, payment is usually taken by the driver (preferably without change). In such cases, the IDOS website will not have a Buy button in the description! If there is a button, you can buy tickets on the carrier's website, pay online and receive them by e-mail (no need to print them out).