Castles · Tour

The Tallest Church Spire in the Country, and You Can Climb It

A private day out of Prague with door-to-door transport and one guide for the whole of it, taking in Karlštejn and Pilsen. The drive out runs through the Bohemian Karst protected area, past the hills and the villages, which is a reason not to book the train. Karlštejn comes first, with the village below it and the wooded valley around. The guided tour of the interiors is available as an option rather than being part of the price, so you can decide on the day whether to go in or to spend the time outside. Pilsen follows: a drive through the streets, then the Pilsner Urquell brewery, where the beer was invented. The brewery grounds and the shop are open to anyone; the official tour, with the unfiltered beer drawn from the barrel in the cellars, is again an optional extra. Náměstí Republiky is the old square, with the Renaissance town hall on it and the cafés around it. St Bartholomew's Cathedral stands in the middle: Gothic, with the tallest church spire in the country, and the tower can be climbed for the view over the city. Lunch is Czech cooking, or the pizza at one of the better-regarded pizzerias in the country.