• Soak up the atmosphere in zlata Praha - golden Prague, one of Europe's most beautiful and cultural cities, with a wealth of magnificent gothic, baroque, art nouveau and cubist architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town, and the world's biggest castle (website: www.pis.cz).

• Explore an ancient silver mine and marvel at the magnificent murals in St Barbara's Cathedral in Kutná Hora, a pretty medieval town and another UNESCO World Heritage site (website: www.kutnahora.cz).

• Get the creeps at Sedlec Ossuary, where the centuries-old bones of around 40,000 people have been crafted into a stunning display of garlands, chandeliers, sculptures and coats of arms (website: www.kostnice.cz).

• Fall in love with Český Krumlov (yet another UNESCO World Heritage site), the Czech Republic's prettiest town. Wander the ramparts of its fairytale castle, stroll along the banks of the infant Vltava River, or lose yourself among its medieval back streets (website: www.ckrumlov.cz).

• Chill out in the attractive spa resort of Karlovy Vary, which offers hot mineral springs, fine baroque and gothic architecture, forest walks and a lively cultural scene. And don't miss the picturesque castle at nearby Loket, perched high above the River Ohre (website: www.karlovyvary.cz).

• Make a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the world's best beer - the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Plzeň, in West Bohemia (website: www.prazdroj.cz). It was here that pilsner lager was invented in 1842. Don't miss a guided tour through the medieval tunnels and beer cellars beneath the old town centre (website: www.plzen-city.cz).

• Visit the attractive university town of Olomouc, noted for its parks, baroque churches, sculptures and fountains (website: www.olomouc.eu). The surrounding Hana region is strongly agricultural, with many villages holding attractive harvest festivals in late September.

• Peer into the dizzying abyss of Macocha, a 140m- (459ft-) deep sinkhole at the heart of the Moravský Kras (Moravian karst) near Brno, a limestone region riddled with caves. Follow up with a cruise along an underground river at the nearby Punkevni Caves (website: www.cavemk.cz).

• Travel back in time at the open-air skansen (folk museum) at Rožnov pod Radhostěm. The open-air museum has three parts - the Little Wooden Town, the Water Mill Valley and the Wallachian Village - with displays of traditional timber architecture and technology (website: www.roznov.cz).

• Learn about a darker period in Czech history at Terezin, a former Nazi concentration camp north of Prague. The Ghetto Museum, barracks and isolation cells, execution grounds and mass graves bring the horrors of the Holocaust vividly to mind (website: www.pamatnik-terezin.cz).

• Take a tour of the Czech Republic's incredible array of picture-postcard castles and country houses, including the Disney-esque, 14th-century Karlštejn (website: www.hradKarlštejn.cz); imposing Konopiště (website: www.zamek-Konopiště.cz), former retreat of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; opulent Hluboká (website: www.visithluboka.cz), home of the Schwarzenbergs; and spectacular Vranov (website: www.zamekvranov.cz), perched atop a rock pinnacle (website: www.zamky-hrady.cz).

• Stroll the cobbled streets of Telč, one of the most perfect examples of a Renaissance town in Europe, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town was rebuilt after a fire in 1530; medieval arcades with its gabled and pedimented houses surround the picturesque town square (website: www.telc.eu).

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