Gluten Free Trip to Prague, the Jewel of the Czech Republic

Thanks to a collaboration between Gluten Free Travel-Us and a company called Premiant City Tours, you can now safely travel gluten free to Prague in the Czech Republic. It is such a beautiful city with more castles than anywhere else in the world, and the area of Karlovy Vary is one of great spas and natural waters. Ellen Morse, founder of Gluten Free Travel-Us, worked very closely with Premiant City Tours, based in Prague, to vet all hotels and restaurants, speaking directly with the Chefs. They feel very confident about the destination.

The city of Prague, the jewel of the Czech Republic, is rapidly becoming a popular destination for Americans. This is a trip that would work for all seasons of the year -- Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

This is an individual itinerary, NOT a group trip, so you can choose any dates for travel. You will be staying at only the finest hotels with desirable locations, luxury accomodations, and full amenities. Below you will find a brief description of all the wonderful reasons to travel to Prague -- and a taste of what you can see. For a full day-by-day suggested itinerary with all the details, you can contact Ellen at the phone number or email address provided below. Itineraries are customized based on your desired length of stay, interestes, and budget. Pricing is always based upon number of travelers, time of year, and exact itinerary.

WHY PRAGUE?

1. Prague is a city with a uniquely preserved historical center that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. You'll visit Romanesque chapels and cellars, Gothic cathedrals, Baroque palaces and gardens, worldly Art Nouveau buildings, and unique Cubist architecture. The diversity and beauty make it a place with no parallel in the world. You don't have to be an expert on individual artistic styles in order to appreciate the diversity of the city's architecture. The Rotunda of St. Martin, the Cathedral of Our Lady before Tyn, the Wallenstein Palace, and the Municipal House will be forever etched into your memory. Frank Gehry's Dancing Building has become an icon of modern architecture in Prague, as have new buildings in the Karlin neighbourhood and the new National Technical Library in Dejvice.

2. Musically, Prague can satisfy both classical music listeners and as fans of rock, pop and every other genre. While you can get your fill of classical music in the Rudolfinum, the Municipal House, or one of the churches in Prague, no fan of dance music should miss a visit to Prague's renowned music clubs. Among the obligatory stopping points are the Roxy, Akropolis, Cross Club or the multimedia space MeetFactory. A popular tourist destination is the four-story club Karlovy Lazn?, where each floor is dedicated to a different musical genre. Every summer, Prague's islands and parks come alive with the multi-genre music festival United Islands.

3. Few cities can claim to have such a picturesque river as the Vltava. In Prague alone, it's spanned by over thirty bridges and footbridges, its water gently laps the edges of ten islands, and each day dozens of steamers, rowboats and pedal boats glide through its waters. It's the soul of the city and is perfectly complemented by the medieval Charles Bridge with its Baroque statues. And just as Charles Bridge is an inseparable part of the Prague Castle panorama, the silhouette of the railway bridge is linked with the view of Vysehrad. The Vltava embankment is quite a popular part of Prague community life. Farmers' and flea markets are held here, and in the summer, people stroll, dance, take part in sports, and organize exhibitions, while in the winter, one of the boats anchored here is turned into a sauna.

4. You can cool your shopping fever in a number of modern shopping malls (Palladium, Novy Smichov, Chodov, Arkady Pankrac, and more) or on Parizska Street, Prague's most exclusive shopping avenue, home to many of the world's top luxury brands. If you want to take something valuable home from Prague, then try an antique shop where you'll find jewelry, precious stones, paintings, and china. Galerie Petr Brandl focuses on old master canvases, and it's worth checking out even if you don't plan on buying anything. You can buy current and retro Czech design at Modernista in the Vinohrady Pavilion or in the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art's design shop.

5. Prague's historic gardens and parks are truly some of Prague's greatest treasures. There are over two hundred, and the oldest of them was founded in the Middle Ages. More often than not, they offer breathtaking views of the city. The first Prague gardens were monastic gardens. Private gardens, adjacent to palaces or expensive town houses, came later during the Renaissance. Each period introduced its own unique style, layout (which generally reflected contemporary philosophy) and understanding of space into garden design. Perhaps the most revolutionary changes in garden design came during the Baroque period, where the monumentality of the architecture was reflected in the external environment in the garden. Visiting the Palace Gardens below Prague Castle, the Petrin Hill gardens or Wallenstein Gardens are practically required of all visitors to Prague.

6. Prague has undergone centuries of diverse cultural, social and economic development, which is reflected in its architecture. Among the most interesting witnesses to this dramatic transformation are technical monuments commemorating changes in the everyday life of our ancestors in comparison with the present day. Prague is home to a number of interesting technical buildings and other structures. This journey back in time will take you to places such as the Prague underground spaces with its huge collector system, the New Town Water Tower, the Nusle bridge, the Pacold kiln, Vetmik (a former windmill), the Petrin funicular, the Krizik Fountain, and the exhibitions at the National Technical Museum. Also of interest is the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bubenec, which helped Prague become one of the most modern cities in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. Tom Cruise filmed the last episode of the Mission: Impossible series here.

7. Prague offers countless activities for families with children. Take a steamship from the city centre to the Prague Zoo, rightly considered to be one of the most beautiful zoos in the world. Young visitors will surely love a tour of the Toy Museum, located directly in Prague Castle, which brings together historical toys from around the world as well as a large collection of Barbie dolls. Boys in particular will love the exhibits at the National Technical Museum at Letna. Steam locomotives and predecessors of today's automobiles, the first motorcycles and planes form a permanent exhibition complemented by a number of temporary exhibitions devoted to science and technology. The whole family can enjoy riding a historical tram or visiting the observation deck of the Zizkov TV tower.

8. Prague's views are breathtaking 365 days a year. Although the Czech capital is nicknamed "the city of a hundred spires," it is, in fact, decorated with nearly a thousand towers and spires. You can admire the ancient heart of the city from the observation deck of the tower of Old Town Hall, and discover the charm of the Lesser Town roofs from the tower of St. Vitus Cathedral. Unforgettable views are also possible from the Petrin lookout tower, from Letna Park or from the ramparts of Vysehrad. An unusual sight arises for those who climb Vitkov Hill, dominated by the majestic statue of military leader Jan Zizka. You'll get an unusual view of the illuminated panorama of Prague Castle from here, especially in the early evening.

And, as if all of this was not enough, you will find in our suggested itinerary, day trips outside the city or, if you prefer to stay, the option to spend a few days at any of the following: Cesky Krumlov (castle and museum), Kutna Hora (UNESCO Medieval town), Karlovy Vary (world renowned spas as well as Moser crystal factory), Konopiste and Cesky Sternberk Castles, Pilsen and Koneprusy Caves, and local castles.

Upon request, Ellen would be delighted to provide you with a day by day itinerary including all or part of everything you have read about here and review the choices for gluten free dining, both at restaurants and at the hotels where you'll stay. You can do as much or as little as your time, or interests, or budget will permit. One thing is for certain: once you have been to Prague, you will be forever changed!

Please contact Ellen Morse of Gluten Free Travel-Us directly at 312-337-9235 or email her at [email protected] for pricing and for answers to any of your questions.

PLEASE NOTE: IN THIS SPECIAL SITUATION, IF WE CAN GET A NUMBER OF TRAVELERS WISHING TO GO AT THE SAME TIME, WE COULD CREATE A GROUP TRIP IF YOU DESIRE.