5 Reasons to Live in a Small Czech Village or Town

Prague may offer job opportunities, a rich landscape of arts and culture, and an international airport, but that doesn’t make it automatically the greatest place for expats to live. Life outside the Czech capital comes with its own set of benefits.

My Czech was far better when I lived in Liberec than after I moved to Prague. Why? Because I was forced to use it every day. There will always be options for English speakers in a popular tourist destination, but day-to-day life in smaller towns offers the ultimate motivation to up your language skills as fast as possible. It helps that most small town establishments won’t automatically switch into English at the first hint of a foreign accent.

Residents of any town outside of Prague will immediately want to know why you chose or ended up in their home, and are often flattered that you did. The patience required to answer, “Why are you here? And what do you think about Czech Republic?” with each introduction becomes a lot easier when the askers seem genuinely interested.

With an added interest in your presence and without a built in network of native speakers, it’s easier to expand your circle to include Czech friends. While this is absolutely possible in major cities, it can require a little more effort. Smaller populations often welcome newcomers as an interesting addition to their social calendar as opposed to trying to squeeze another new friend into an already busy life.