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Mělník is a small town just 30 kilometers north of Prague, situated at the point where the Vltava flows into the mighty Elbe river. It’s the kind of place a visitor can easily pass through without actually seeing – or get the wrong impression from a mere cursory glance.

Roudnice nad Labem is a small, picturesque town situated on the banks of the Elbe river, about 30 kilometers north of Prague. As much as Roudnice is worth the visit to see the historical sights, it’s the spectacular views of the not far off České středohoří or Central Bohemian Uplands that really makes a trip here worthwhile.

Aš is a town in the far north-west of the Czech Republic, and is part of the so-called Ašský výběžek – or Aš panhandle – a protrusion of land surrounded by Germany on three sides. The panhandle extends from the city of Cheb in the south all the way up to the town of Hranice at the northernmost tip. Located in the middle of the panhandle, Aš is situated just one kilometre from the Bavarian border to the west, and about five kilometres from the German state of Saxony to the east.

Terezín is a small (tentative) UNESCO Heritage Site town in the Ústí nad Labem Region about 80 kilometres north-west of Prague. The town is situated on the banks of the Ohře river, about a kilometre away from the point at which the Ohře flows into the mighty Elbe river, and the same distance away from the much larger nearby town of Litoměřice. Of course, since WWII, Terezín has been associated with the notorious Theresienstadt concentration camp established by the SS.

Sněžka is the highest summit in the Czech Republic, and is found in the Krkonoše mountains in the far north-east of Bohemia. The Krkonoše mountains are synonymous with wintertime skiing in the country. Between roughly December and February, the numerous ski slopes there are filled with tourists from the Czech Republic, as well as Poland and Germany. The central hub for this is the tourist town of Špindlerův Mlýn. But Sněžka is best to visit after the snows have thawed...

If you add the ending “sko” to the names of a number of Czech towns and cities, then this is often the name for a larger area – or micro-region – also encompassing the surrounding countryside. One such example of this is Chebsko – the informal name for the region around the far western Bohemian city of Cheb.

Czech Canada is the name of an area in south-eastern Bohemia within the Jindřichův Hradec region. Spanning around 250 square kilometres, it is characterized by a terrain of gently rolling hills, pine forests, and an atmosphere of infinite vastness and very few people. It serves as something of a reminder about the sheer number of quaint corners offered by a relatively small country such as the Czech Republic: there’s also a Czech Siberia, and a Czech Grand Canyon – but more about those some other time.

Kokořínsko is a unique protected landscape area (or CHKO in Czech) just north of Prague. The area feels like it has battled with its surroundings to fly the flag for natural beauty – to the south are the looming chimneys of the giant coal-powered Mělník power station. To the east the factories of Mladá Boleslav. And to the south-west, the vast agricultural plains that stretch all the way down to Prague. But once inside, it’s remarkably easy to leave all that behind.

Třeboňsko nature reserve spans an area of 700 km2 in the far south of Bohemia. Lying east of the hilly terrain of the Šumava region, the area is notable for its remarkably flat landscape – and is the only vast non-hilly environment of its kind in the Czech Republic to receive such special protection as a so-called CHKO (or landscape park). Not only that, but the Třeboň basin is also a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

Telč is a small Czech town in the heart of the hilly Vysočina region, about 150 km south-east of Prague. With barely 6,000 inhabitants, the historic site is built around three interconnected lakes, and has a history stretching back to the 11th century. Arriving here, a visitor can easily find themselves confused by the response to asking where to find the “Old Town” – helpful locals seem to point away from the cluster of historical monuments in the centre. The reason: Telč is is divided into four distinct districts. The “Old Town” part lies on the