Czech Republic Travel Resource

Geography

The Czech landscape is quite varied. Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by the Elbe (Czech: Labe) and Vltava rivers, surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the Sudetes with its part Krkonoše, where one also finds the highest point in the country, the Sněžka at 1,602 metres (5,256 ft). Moravia, the eastern part, is also quite hilly and is drained predominantly by the Morava river, but also contains the source of the Oder (Czech: Odra) river. Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea. The Czech Republic also possesses a 30,000-square-metre enclave in the middle of Hamburg docks which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of the Treaty of Versailles to allow the landlocked country a place where goods transported down river could be transferred to seagoing ships; this territory reverts to Germany in 2018.

Climate and Weather

The Czech climate is mixed. Continental influences are marked by large fluctuations in both temperature and precipitation, while moderating oceanic influences diminish from west to east. In general, temperatures decrease with increasing altitude but are relatively uniform across the country at lower elevations. The mean annual temperature at Cheb in the extreme west is 45º F (7º C) and rises to only 48º F (9º C) at Brno in southern Moravia. High temperatures can reach 91º F (33º C) in Prague during July, and low temperatures may drop to 1º F (-17º C) in Cheb during February. The growing season is about 200 days in the south but less than half that in the mountains.
Annual precipitation ranges from 18 inches (450 millimetres) in the central Bohemian basins to more than 60 inches on windward slopes of the Krkonose Mountains of the north. Maximum precipitation falls during July, while the minimum occurs in February. There are no recognizable climatic zones but rather a succession of small and varied districts; climate thus follows the topography in contributing to the diversity of the natural environment.

Population

The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic are Czechs (94.2%). Minorities include the Slovaks (1.9%), Poles (0.5%), Vietnamese (0.44%)[citation needed] Germans (0.4%). According to the Interior Ministry of the Czech Republic, there were 392,087 foreigners legally residing in the country at the end of 2007, making up 3.2% of the population, with the largest groups being Ukrainians and Slovaks. Fertility rate was low at 1.44 children born/woman. In 2007, immigration added to the population by almost 1%.

Transportation

The transportation network in the Czech Republic is very dense. In the scope of the European Union, the Czech Republic holds primacy in the density of its railway network, which has 120 kilometers of rail for every 1,000 square kilometers of land. Besides trains, however, there are many other types of transport for traveling in the Czech Republic – personal automobiles, buses, trams, trolleys, airplanes, bicycles or even boats.

Top Attractions

1. The Castle District (Hradèany).
2. St Vitus Cathedral.
3. Charles Bridge (Karluv Most).
4. Old Town Square (Staromstské Námestí).
5. The Jewish Museum.
6. Vysehrad.

Best Travel Time

The weather is best May-September, when days are warm and the nights are cool (take a sweater). Spring is preferable to summer for avoiding crowds, but summer is preferable to spring for avoiding rain (take along an umbrella). October, usually a little chilly and wet, is an excellent time to go if you're primarily interested in museums, inside activities or just driving around. Winters are very cold, damp, snowy, often foggy and (because of the country's reliance on coal for heat) polluted.

Food and Drink

National specialties:
• Svickova is the national dish of beef tenderloin and sour cream. It is typically served with potatoes, cranberry sauce and dumplings.
• Polevka (soup) is a common starter and comes in a variety of flavors including garlic (Cesnekovy Polevka) and onion (Cibulova Polevka).
• Bramborak (a potato pancake delicacy filled with garlic and herbs).
• Karp (carp) is the national fish.
• Knedliky (bread or potato dumpling served with most meat dishes).

National drinks:
• Beer (lager, dark ales, pilsner).
• Wine (red, white and sparkling wines from Bohemia and Moravia).
• Becherovka (herb brandy).
• Slivovice (plum brandy).
• Merunkovice (apricot brandy).

.Local Products/Shopping

Souvenirs include Bohemian glass and crystal, pottery, porcelain, wooden folk carvings, hand-embroidered clothing, and food items. There are a number of excellent shops specializing in glass and crystal, while various associations of regional artists and craftspeople run their own retail outlets (pay in local currency). Other special purchases include pottery (particularly from Kolovec and Straznice); china ornaments and geyserstone carvings from Karlovy Vary; delicate lace and needle embroidery from many Moravian towns; and blood-red garnets and semi-precious stones from Bohemia.

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