Czech Republic Travel Guides & Itineraries

The scent of roast pork and caraway greets you first, drifting from a pivnice tucked away on an unnamed alley off Havelská Street in Staré Město, where the cobblestones are still damp from last night’s rain.

This is Prague at street level, before the crowds gather at Charles Bridge, and it smells as if people have been enjoying the same dishes for centuries.

The Czech Republic holds a unique claim: its capital boasts perhaps the most well-preserved medieval city center in Europe, not because of careful restoration, but thanks to lucky geography. During World War II, Prague lacked strategic industrial importance, so bombers targeted other cities, leaving behind a place where the Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square has been keeping time since 1410.