In the city of a hundred spires, where the meandering River Vltava splices the old and the new, you can explore gothic architecture like no other, party at Europe’s largest nightclub, or even tee it up at one of the best golf courses on the continent.

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, tourists have poured into the Czech capital of Prague to marvel at the once ramshackle Communist city that has grown into a buzzing Western metropolis. From its Renaissance buildings, ancient stone bridges and cobbled streets to its 35 breweries and countless candle-lit wine bars, the hallmarks of Prague’s 14th-century golden age have been re-awoken with modern touches.

But Prague isn’t just a destination for architecture fans or beers drinkers, there’s plenty on offer for the golfer too. Czech golfing heritage goes deeper than you’d imagine, dating back to 1904 when the first course, Karlovy Vary Golf Club, opened for playing. Over a hundred years on there’s now more than 100 courses in the country, the best of which you can find within half an hour’s drive from the centre of the capital.  

PGA National Czech Republic

The golf
PGA National Czech Republic, opened in 2020, is the finest course in the land, carved into the countryside after more than a decade of planning. Designed by Kyle Phillips, whose fingertips also brought Kingsbarns to life, it won Europe’s Best Golf Course 2020 at the World Golf Awards and will host its first 2024 Czech Masters on the DP World Tour. With a listed chateau as its clubhouse, you can combine the splendour of Prague’s famed architecture with the best 18 holes in the country.

Casa Serena, however, isn’t far behind in terms of quality. Located 80 kilometres to the east of Prague, it is a course guaranteed to impress with the quality of its presentation, so much so that whispers of similarities to Augusta are not dismissed. Located next to the flying buttresses, medieval frescoes and skeleton-adorned chapels of Kutná Hora, a UNESCO World Heritage town, Casa Serena is possibly the most exclusive course in the country, so getting a tee time here puts you in the minority of golfers lucky enough to experience it.

Home to the Czech Masters until the PGA National takes over this year, Albatross Golf Club opened in 2009 on the outskirts of Prague and presents a mighty challenge, playing 6,858 metres from the Championship tees. Laid out in two returning nines, each concluding with water-laden holes close to the clubhouse, it’s an American-style challenge with fast greens, long par threes and plenty of bunkers.

Karlstejn Golf Resort is another golfing test awaiting you just on the outskirts of the city. Under the gaze of Karlstejn Castle, the 14th-century safehouse of the Imperial Regalia and Bohemian Crown Jewels, the A and B nines are routed over a hilly, wooded landscape with limestone outcrops, ravines and lakes to avoid. It’s a course that offers a challenge to all, with holes easy to bogey but difficult to birdie.

Food and drink
They say the best Czech wine is beer, and while that might be a touch disrespectful to the local viticulture, its undeniable that beer culture is one of the themes of Czech national identity. If you’re in Prague, forty miles north of the town were Pilsner gets its name, you simply have to indulge yourself – you wouldn’t go to Japan and not have the ramen.

It’s impossible to make an exhaustive list of places to go for beer in Prague, but Lokál is a good entry point to the Czech beer scene before you brave the more rustic pubs for a Pilsner Urquell the old-fashioned way – U Zlatého Tygra is the most iconic, where former president Václav Havel famously took President Clinton for a drink. When summertime hits, beer gardens are a must, with the Letná garden overlooking the old town as good as any spot.

When it comes to food, the traditional hearty, simple dishes of Czech cuisine are beginning to be re-imagined – what was once designed for the Sunday dinner table is now being served at Michelin-starred restaurants. The Eatery is a good place to try for a selection of Czech local produce, or head to Old Town and try Franz Kafka’s former staple of Café Louvre, the best place to try your first goulash. For a plate of svíčková, the sauce-covered meaty dish that you have to taste before you leave, a modern pub like Lokál Dlouhááá is a great option in the city centre, but for a more elevated experience, Kuchyň is one of the best restaurants for svíčková in the city.

Attractions
With such an extensive and diverse set of sites to see, it’s difficult to know where to start in Prague, but a walk over the iconic Charles Bridge, listening to the countless street musicians, through the gardens of Waldstein Palace and up to Prague Castle, with beautiful views over the terracotta roofs, gives you a glimpse of what’s to come.

Head back into Old Town Square and marvel at the Baroque buildings reminiscent of classic fairy tales while enjoying a coffee or a beer, in sight of the famous Astronomical Clock, Old Town Hall and the Church of Our Lady Before Týn. In the Jewish Quarter, where the famous ghetto once stood, the North African-influenced Spanish Synagogue is a relief from the Gothicism of the rest of the city – be sure to head to the Jewish Museum to learn about its shocking history. With that and so much more to see, a guided tour is the best way to get everything out of your visit.

But arguably best of all is the River Vltava. Spanned by over thirty bridges in Prague alone, dozens of steamers, rowboats and pedal boats glide through its waters, and joining them on a boat tour is one of the best ways to take in the city.

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