Liberec and Ještěd

iQLANDIA is one of the largest interactive science centres in the Czech Republic, with over 200 hands-on exhibits spread across permanent themed zones covering physics, mathematics, biology, climate science, space, and technology. The format throughout is participatory: visitors operate experiments, trigger reactions, and test principles directly rather than reading explanations — an approach that makes the centre genuinely engaging for children and adults alike.

The permanent exhibition includes a full-scale digital planetarium, a weather simulation chamber with artificial tornado and lightning effects, a dedicated robotics zone, and a separate discovery area calibrated for younger children. Temporary exhibitions on current scientific topics rotate through the main hall throughout the year. The building — a converted former industrial facility — gives iQLANDIA an appropriately utilitarian-inventive character that suits the content. Allow a minimum of 2 hours for a focused visit; families with children typically need 3 or more. The café and restaurant inside the centre are good options for a mid-visit break.

Liberec Zoo was founded in 1919, making it one of the oldest continuously operating zoos in the Czech Republic, and has developed particular expertise in big cat conservation over the past decade — its Indochina tiger breeding programme is among the most successful in European zoos, and the institution participates in multiple international species survival plans for endangered animals.

The Africa Pavilion, significantly expanded and redesigned in recent years, houses western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, and a large giraffe enclosure with substantial indoor-outdoor space. The zoo’s most distinctive physical characteristic is its terrain: it occupies a steeply sloping hillside at the foot of Ještěd, which means different enclosures feel genuinely separate and the animal habitats benefit from the varied natural topography. Marked paths wind through forested sections and across open areas, making the route through the zoo more interesting than a flat grid layout. Allow 90 minutes for a thorough visit; 60 minutes covers the main highlights including the Africa section and the big cats.

Ještěd (1012 metres) is the highest peak of the Liberec ridge and one of the most recognisable summits in northern Bohemia — largely because of what sits at its top. The combined TV transmitter and mountain hotel designed by Czech architect Karel Hubáček, completed in 1973, takes the form of a hyperboloid shell that extends and sharpens the natural line of the mountain when seen from the city below. From the valley floor, the building reads as a continuation of the ridge rather than an addition to it. In 1969 the building won the Auguste Perret Prize of the International Union of Architects (UIA).

We drive up to the car park at the summit; in winter, road and weather conditions can affect access. On clear days, the panoramic view from the observation deck encompasses the Jizera Mountains, the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše), the Bohemian Paradise sandstone formations, and — on the best days — the skyline of Dresden to the north-west. The summit restaurant serves food and coffee with floor-to-ceiling windows on the view; ending the Liberec day here before the return to Prague is the natural conclusion to the tour.