Karlovy Vary, the western Bohemian spa town, is the home of Becherovka, the herbal Czech aperitif. The Becherovka museum and tasting room sit in the old factory off the colonnade.
Tip: Pair the Becherovka tour with a stack of oplatky spa wafers; train back is slower than bus.
Cesky Krumlov is a UNESCO-listed southern Bohemian town. Riverside restaurants on the Vltava grill local trout; Eggenberg Brewery has been pouring 1560-era beer in the castle since the Renaissance.
Tip: Stay overnight; the day trip from Prague is tight and the castle closes early.
Konopiste Castle south of Prague was Archduke Franz Ferdinand's hunting lodge. The castle restaurant cooks game in the old hunting tradition: venison goulash, boar shoulder, pheasant.
Tip: Tour the castle then lunch at the restaurant; book the longer game menu in autumn.
Plzen, 90 km west of Prague, is the birthplace of pale lager. The Pilsner Urquell brewery tour ends in the cellar where unpasteurized lager pours straight from the oak barrel.
Tip: Book the tour in advance; lunch at Na Spilce inside the brewery is the right combo.
Kutna Hora was a medieval Czech silver-mining city. The Bone Church and St Barbara's Cathedral anchor the day; the Kutnohorske vinarstvi serves local Bohemian wines from old cellars.
Tip: Combine St Barbara at lunch with the Bone Church late afternoon and Kutnohorske vinarstvi.