Czech Republic Guide
West Bohemia
Cheb
CHEB (Eger), 10km from the German border, is a typical Czech frontier town, with prostitutes lining the main roads and Vietnamese stallholders occupying the centre of town. For many Western visitors it's their first taste of the Czech Republic and, for most, it's a slightly bewildering introduction. Cheb is a beautiful historic town, but it is also primarily a German one, and postwar expulsion of the German-speaking population left it with an identity crisis of mammoth proportions. Nevertheless, the town's historic centre – though overrun by German day-trippers for much of the summer – is worth an afternoon stop-off.