©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 201 P O L A N D GERMANY e# 040km 020miles •# Karlovy Vary •# Mariánské Lázně •# Plzeň •# Tábor České •# •# Třeboň GERMANY Budějovice Český •# Krumlov AUSTRIA Best of Bohemia České Budějovice p202 Bustling regional capital with the country’s largest town square and home-brewed Czech ‘Budweiser’ beer. Český Krumlov p208 A Renaissance town so pretty even Praguers get a teensy bit envious. Třeboň p213 A sleepy getaway with a pretty Renaissance castle nestled within a protected landscape. Tábor p216 This old Hussite bastion has some bewildering underground passage- ways. Plzeň p220 The EU’s 2015 cultural capital, and, did we mention the brewery tour? Karlovy Vary p226 Waters and wafers at the Czech Republic’s best-known spa town. Mariánské Lázně p233 Goethe, Chopin and even Mark Twain were drawn to the tranquility of this spa resort. 202 e# 0100 km Bohemia 050miles ^# Dresden P O L A N D Elbe #\ Hřensko #] Liberec #\ \# GERMANY #\ Gera /·A4 Děčín Ústí nad \# #\ #\ Labem Teplice Trutnov Hora sv. /·E65 Terezín Sebastiána \# #\ #\ r #\ Most e #\ v #\ i Mladá Jičín Chomutov R Hradec Boleslav a a Králové Karlovy /· Mělník r 7 e #] BEST OF BOHEMIA OF BEST \# z Vary i J /·E67 Františkovy ]# Kladno #\ /·E48 #\ Lázně PRAGUE abe River \# Loket #_ #\ L \# Kolín #\ Cheb a Kutná Hora Beroun #\ v Mariánské a t \# /· l Benešov D5 V Lázně #\ /·126 Planá#\ /·E49 BOHEMIA Konopiště #\ Plzeň Havlíčkův #\ /·D5 \# Brod Příbram \# \# /·D1 Rozvadov /·E53 ČES Pelhřimov #\ Jihlava Tábor #\ #\ KÉ BUDĚJOVICEKÉ Domažlice E49 #\ /· \# Klatovy Písek /·E551 #\ V /·E55 Třebíč lt #\ a Telč #\ v #\ Strakonice a R Hluboká \# Jindřichův /·E59 i v Hradec GERMANY e \# nad Vltavou r MORAVIA #\ České #] #] Regensburg Budějovice Třeboň Bavarian Halámky #\ /·A3 /· 6666Forest NP Český B310 Krumlov \# Dolní /·B2 Dvořiště D \# AUSTRIA a nube The Best... České ¨Sight Budweiser Budvar Brewery (p203) ¨Place to Eat U Tři Sedláku (p205) Budějovice ¨Place to Drink Modrý Dveře Jazz & Blues (p208) Explore České Budějovice (pronounced chesky bood- Top Tip yo-vit-zah or simply ‘Budweis’) is the pro- If you’re travelling during the ice-hockey vincial capital of southern Bohemia and a season (September to March) catch the natural base for exploring the region. Trans- home team ČEZ Motor České Budějovice port connections to nearby Český Krumlov in action at Budvar Arena (p208). Tickets are good, meaning you could easily take in can be bought at the arena on game days. both places on an overnight excursion from Prague. While České Budějovice lacks top sights, it does have one of Europe’s largest Getting There & Away main squares and a charming labyrinth of ¨Bus From Prague, Student Agency narrow lanes and winding alleyways, some (%386 111 000; www.studentagency.cz; Lannova of which hug a sleepy but atmospheric ca- 27; h9am-6pm Mon-Fri) buses leave from Na nal. It’s also the home of ‘Budvar’ beer (aka Knížecí bus station (150Kč, 2½ hours) at Czech ‘Budweiser’), and a brewery tour usu- the Anděl metro station (Line B). There are ally tops the ‘must-do’ list. decent bus services from České Budějovice .