Where is Czechia? Four borders, no coast and the middle of Europe

To reach a beach from Prague you have to cross at least one border. Czechia is landlocked, a compact country of about 78,900 square kilometres in the middle of the continent, slightly smaller than Austria.

The map below is short: four neighbours, three historical lands and fourteen regions. The same structure turns up in most of the other articles on this site, so it is worth fixing in your head.

The short answer

Czechia lies in Central Europe, between about 48.5 and 51 degrees north. It borders four countries:

• Germany to the west and north-west.
• Poland to the north and north-east.
• Slovakia to the east.
• Austria to the south.

It has no coastline. Its capital, Prague, lies in the west of the country, on the river Vltava, at about 50 degrees north, close to the latitude of Frankfurt.

Where it sits in Europe

Czechia is part of the European Union, of the Schengen area and of NATO, as set out in our guide to memberships and what they mean day to day. It is not in the euro area. Whether it counts as "Central" or "Eastern" Europe is a question most Czechs answer without hesitation: Central. The Cold War put the country in the Eastern bloc, but its history, its railway map and its cultural ties lie largely with the Germanic and Habsburg world. The question of the label is taken up in the piece on how to define Central Europe.

Distances help. Prague is a short hop from several capitals, about 250 kilometres in a straight line from Vienna and 280 from Berlin. Warsaw lies farther, at around 520. These are approximate map distances; travel time depends on the line, not just the map.

The three historical lands

The easiest way to read the map is to know that the country was built from three lands, and the names still appear on road signs, in football clubs and in the way people describe where they are from.

Bohemia (Čechy) is the larger western part of the country and contains Prague, Plzeň, České Budějovice and the spa towns of the west. It is a basin ringed with low mountains.

Moravia (Morava) is the eastern part, with Brno and Olomouc, and a more rolling landscape that gives the country most of its wine.

Czech Silesia is the small north-eastern slice around Ostrava, the country's industrial heartland in the past and a city of reinvention today. Most of historic Silesia now lies in Poland.

The boundary between Bohemia and Moravia runs along the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, a low upland watershed. Our guide to Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia tells the full story.

Regions in the modern sense

For administration, the country is divided into 13 regions (kraje) and the capital city, which is a region in its own right. Together they are the 14 regions covered in our regional overview. The regions do not match the historical lands. Bohemia is split across several of them, and Moravia likewise. The structure of local government below the regions, down to municipalities, is set out in the guide to regions and municipalities.

Mountains, rivers and the lie of the land

Czechia is a basin ringed by hills. Most of the border runs along mountain ranges: the Krušné hory (Ore Mountains) with Germany, the Šumava forest to the south-west, the Krkonoše (Giant Mountains) and the Jizera and Orlické ranges to the north and north-east, and the Beskids on the Polish and Slovak borders. The highest peak, Sněžka at 1,603 metres, rises on the border with Poland in the Krkonoše. The country has no true high mountains in the Alpine sense, but the winters are cold enough to support skiing in several of these ranges.

Water leaves the country in three directions. The Vltava, the longest river in Czechia, runs through Prague and joins the Elbe (Labe) at Mělník, and the Elbe leaves the country towards Germany and the North Sea. The Morava river drains Moravia into the Danube, and so towards the Black Sea. In the north-east, the Oder (Odra) rises in Czechia and flows to the Baltic. That makes Czechia a continental watershed, with water draining to the North Sea, the Baltic and the Black Sea.

What the geography means for daily life

Geography explains several things that visitors notice.

The railway and road map points outward. Because Czechia sits in the middle, several main routes cross it between Germany and Austria, Poland and Slovakia. Prague is a natural stop on the line from Berlin to Vienna and Budapest, and the border crossings with Germany and Austria are among the busiest. Our guide to the Schengen area and Czechia explains why those crossings are now invisible.

Climate is continental. Summers are warm, winters are cold and snow is common in upland areas. The country is small enough that a day trip into the hills can feel like a change of season.

The country is a land of small towns. Outside Prague, the largest cities, including Brno and Ostrava, are of moderate size by European standards. The cultural and economic weight of the capital is large, but the regions are not empty. For the demographic picture, see our piece on how the population is changing.

Getting your bearings in Prague

For a newcomer the most useful fact is where Prague sits relative to the rest. It is in the middle of Bohemia and not on the edge of anything, so every border is a few hours away by road. The German border is the nearest, and the Austrian one lies to the south. Brno, the main city of Moravia, is the next stop on the main line to the south-east, and Ostrava lies at the far end of the country near the Polish border. The railway map is built like a fan with Prague at its pivot, which is one reason a visit to another Czech city is so often described as "going out from Prague".

The Czech Statistical Office publishes the official area and altitude figures, and the government portal lists the regional structure. If a number matters, take it from those sources and not from a travel site.

Reading the borders

Three borders deserve a note. The border with Germany follows mountain crests for much of its length, and the Bavarian and Saxon crossings are heavily used. The border with Slovakia is the youngest, an internal boundary of the old federation that became an international one on 1 January 1993. The border with Austria, once a line of watchtowers and wire in the Cold War, is now mostly a matter of river valleys and a road sign.

The age of the Slovak border explains why Czechs and Slovaks still speak of each other as close cousins. The wider story of the relationship is told in the piece on Czech-Slovak relations after 1993.

Frequently asked questions

Is Czechia in Eastern or Western Europe?

Czechia is in Central Europe. It was in the Soviet-led Eastern bloc until 1989, but geographically and culturally it sits in the centre of the continent, and Czechs generally describe themselves as Central European.

Does Czechia have a sea coast?

No. It is landlocked. The nearest seas are the Baltic and the North Sea to the north, and the Adriatic to the south, all several hundred kilometres away.

Which countries border Czechia?

Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria. There are no other land neighbours.

How big is Czechia?

About 78,900 square kilometres, according to the Czech Statistical Office. That is a little smaller than Austria.

Where is Prague within the country?

Prague is in the west, in the centre of Bohemia, on the Vltava river, around 50 degrees north.

Planning a trip? Start in Prague and work outwards. The railway map turns most of the country into day trips.