Prague deserves its reputation. The river, the bridges, the hills, the old streets and the layers of architecture make it one of Europe’s most memorable capitals.
For many international visitors, Prague is also the first meeting with Czechia. It is where a new employee arrives, where a client books a hotel and where a foreign company holds its first business meeting.
But Prague is not the beginning and end of the country.
If you stay only in the capital, you see an important part of Czechia — but not necessarily the quieter, more personal part. Smaller cities reveal a different rhythm: local cafés without queues, town squares that still belong to local life, family businesses, regional food and landscapes that begin only a few minutes from the centre.
For international companies working in Czechia, these places are more than weekend destinations. They can help a team understand the country beyond office addresses, market reports and the view from a conference room.
Why leave Prague for a smaller Czech city?
Prague is international, fast and increasingly expensive. Smaller cities are usually easier to read. The distance between a railway station, a square, a local restaurant and the surrounding countryside can be short enough to cover on foot.
This changes the experience. People have time to notice how a place works, speak to local residents and spend an evening together without rushing from one attraction to another.
A visit outside Prague can also be valuable for teams whose members come from different countries. Nobody needs to be the expert. Everyone is discovering the place together.
Here are several cities and regions we regularly recommend.
Český Krumlov: beauty beyond the postcard
Český Krumlov is the obvious first choice, but it is obvious for a reason. Its historic centre, castle and dramatic bend of the Vltava form one of the best-known urban landscapes in Czechia. The historic centre has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1992.
The mistake is to treat Krumlov as a quick photograph between two bus rides. Stay overnight if possible. Early morning and evening are different from the busy middle of the day. Walk away from the most crowded streets, sit beside the river and give the town time.
For a company group, Krumlov works well when culture is combined with a simple shared activity: a guided walk, a short river trip in season, a visit to a local workshop or dinner in a place where the group can sit around one table.
Karlovy Vary: a city designed around slowing down
Karlovy Vary is Czechia’s best-known spa city, built around mineral springs, colonnades and the idea that walking can be part of the cure. Together with ten other European spa towns — including Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně in Czechia — it forms the UNESCO-listed Great Spa Towns of Europe.
The city is elegant, but its real value is the pace it suggests. You walk, talk, stop for water or coffee and continue. That makes Karlovy Vary surprisingly suitable for conversations that do not fit naturally into a meeting room.
It is a good destination for a team that needs rest, space and time together rather than a programme filled with competition.
Luhačovice: Moravian spa culture on a human scale
Luhačovice offers another kind of spa experience. It is smaller and more intimate than Karlovy Vary, with mineral springs, parks and the distinctive architecture associated with Dušan Jurkovič.
This is a place for an unhurried morning walk, a calm lunch and an afternoon in the surrounding landscape. It also opens the door to eastern Moravia — a region with strong traditions, local food and a different character from both Prague and western Bohemia.
For visitors who already know Europe’s famous capitals, Luhačovice can be a pleasant surprise precisely because it does not try to behave like one.
Telč: a Renaissance square you can actually absorb
Telč has one of the most harmonious town squares in the country, lined by colourful Renaissance and Baroque façades. Its historic centre is also UNESCO-listed.
Unlike a large capital, Telč does not demand a complicated plan. Walk around the square, visit the château, find a café and continue towards the ponds around the historic centre.
Telč is especially good as part of a slower route between South Bohemia and South Moravia. It gives a team enough to discover without turning the day into a race through attractions.
Třeboň: water, bicycles and South Bohemian calm
Třeboň is surrounded by a landscape of ponds, canals and flat cycling routes. South Bohemia’s pond system was shaped over centuries, and water still defines the town’s atmosphere, food and surrounding countryside.
A group can spend part of the day cycling or walking and then return to the historic centre for dinner. The programme does not need to be complicated. The landscape does most of the work.
Třeboň is a strong choice for teams that want movement without extreme sport and conversation without a formal workshop.
Znojmo: wine, history and the edge of Podyjí
Znojmo combines a historic centre, views over the Dyje river valley and access to Podyjí National Park. It feels unmistakably Moravian and is closely connected with the surrounding wine region.
The town works well for a longer weekend: city walk on the first day, countryside or vineyards on the second. It is also a good reminder that Czech wine culture is not an imported lifestyle trend. It belongs to the landscape, local work and the social life of South Moravia.
For international visitors, a guided tasting is often most interesting when it includes the people, soil and decisions behind the wine — not only a list of flavours.
Mikulov: where the Czech landscape already feels southern
Mikulov sits in the heart of a wine region near the Austrian border. The château above the town, the limestone hills of Pálava and the network of wine routes give it a distinctly southern atmosphere.
It is beautiful, but it is also social. People come to walk, cycle, eat and spend time in cellars and courtyards. Nearby, the Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape provides another option for architecture, gardens and an easy day outdoors.
Mikulov is particularly suitable for international teams because the experience can combine Czech history, Central European geography and informal time together without long transfers between activities.
Olomouc: a real city without the capital-city rush
Olomouc is larger than the other places on this list, but it still feels manageable. It has historic squares, university life, cafés and one of Czechia’s UNESCO monuments, the Holy Trinity Column.
It is a good choice for visitors who want culture and city energy but would prefer fewer crowds than Prague. The centre is compact, and the city provides a useful introduction to Moravia beyond the usual Prague–Brno route.
Olomouc also feels lived in. It is not a preserved backdrop built mainly for visitors, and that is part of its appeal.
How to choose the right place for your team
The best destination is not automatically the most famous one. Start with the kind of time your group needs.
- Choose Český Krumlov or Telč for architecture, history and a strong first impression.
- Choose Karlovy Vary or Luhačovice for a slower programme focused on conversation and recovery.
- Choose Třeboň for cycling, walking and an uncomplicated outdoor day.
- Choose Znojmo or Mikulov for wine, landscape and a more southern atmosphere.
- Choose Olomouc for a compact city with culture, food and everyday local life.
Do not fill every hour. A team trip often becomes valuable in the unscheduled spaces: a walk after dinner, a conversation on a train or a coffee where nobody needs to present a slide.
Knowing Czechia helps you work in Czechia
For a foreign company, understanding a market is not only about taxes, salaries, competitors and regulation. It is also about recognising how people live, what regions are proud of and why life outside the capital matters.
A colleague from South Bohemia, Moravia or the Vysočina region may have a very different relationship with Prague than an international visitor expects. A supplier in a smaller city may value continuity and direct personal contact more than an impressive launch event. A regional company may have global customers while remaining deeply connected to its town.
These details are difficult to learn from a business presentation. They become visible when you leave the capital.
We organise company trips and team-building programmes across Czechia
At Kodo, we regularly help organise team-building trips and informal company programmes for clients and international teams. We do not believe every group needs loud entertainment, a packed schedule or artificial competition.
Some of the best programmes are simple: a smaller Czech city, good local food, a walk, one meaningful shared activity and enough time for people to talk.
Our international guests are often genuinely enthusiastic about Czechia after they have experienced a place beyond Prague — somewhere with less rush, fewer crowds and more space to meet the country as it is actually lived.
If your company is planning a visit, team retreat or market-entry programme in Czechia, contact Kodo. We can help choose the right place, connect the programme with your business goals and organise an experience that does not feel like a generic tourist package.
Sources and further inspiration
- VisitCzechia — South Bohemia
- VisitCzechia — Czech Republic in five days
- UNESCO — World Heritage properties in Czechia
- UNESCO — The Great Spa Towns of Europe
- Karlovy Vary — official tourist website
- Mikulov — official city website
Keywords
Czech Republic, Czechia, places outside Prague, smaller Czech cities, Český Krumlov, Karlovy Vary, Luhačovice, Telč, Třeboň, Znojmo, Mikulov, Olomouc, South Bohemia, South Moravia, Czech company retreat, team building Czech Republic, international companies Czechia
