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The Czech Republic (Czech: Česká republika or Česko), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country has borders with Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. Historic Prague (Czech: Praha), a major tourist attraction, is its capital and largest city. Other major cities include Brno, Ostrava, Zlin, Plzen, Pardubice, Hradec Kralove, Ceske Budujovice, Liberec, Olomouc, and Usti nad Labem.
The country is composed of two entire historic regions, Bohemia and Moravia, parts of Silesia and small sections of historic Lower Austria
Tourism
The Czech economy gets a substantial amount of its income from tourism, and there are several centres of tourist activity.
The historic city of Prague is the primary tourist attraction, and the city is also the most common point of entry for tourists visiting other parts of the country. Most other cities in the country attract significant numbers of tourists, but the spa towns such as Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne are particularly popular holiday destinations. Other popular tourist sites are the many castles and chateaux, such as those at Karlstejn, Perlstejn and Ceske Krumlov. Away from the towns, areas such Cesky Raj, Sumava and the Krkonose mountains attract visitors seeking outdoor pursuits.
The significance of the tourism industry on the country's economy cannot be underestimated; figures from 2001 revealed that the total earnings from tourism reached 118.13 billion CZK, making up 5.5 % of GNP and 9.3% of overall export earnings. The industry employs more than 110,000 persons - over 2% of the population.
The Czech Republic (also known as Czechia) is a small landlocked country in Central Europe, situated south-east of Germany and bordering with Austria to the south, Poland to the north and Slovakia (with which it used to form one country of Czechoslovakia) to the south-east.
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Get in
Citizens of the EU, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand do not need a visa. The Czech Republic has not fully implemented the Schengen agreements yet, so there are still ID/passport controls on the EU borders. Specific details for all countries can be found at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Check czechembassy.org for more current information.
By air
Ruzyne Airport - located about 10km west from the center of Prague. Other international airports are in Brno, Ostrava and Pardubice. There are dozens of lowcost airlines going to/from Prague. Ryanair is newly flying to Brno. Other nearby airports are Nurnberg (200 km) and Munich (320 km) in Germany, Vienna (260 km) in Austria, Wroclaw (200 km) in Poland (might be a good idea if you want to go to the Giant Mountains) and Bratislava (280 km) in Slovakia.
By bus
International bus service runs from many cities in Europe with direct connections from Germany, Holland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria etc. Good service offers Eurolines and Student Agency.
By train
International train service runs from most points in Europe with direct connections from Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary. If you are in Bavaria, the cheapest way to go to Czech republic is to take a "Bayernticket" (up to 5 persons per ticket, which costs 22 EUR; only regional trains) to the border and then buy a Czech group ticket there.
See
- See the Moravian wine region by horseback in Novosedly
- See Český Krumlov - beautiful city with castle. Member of UNESCO.
- , the yearly freetekno party somewhere in Czech Republic.
- Giant Mountains
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