If you're visiting Prague this weekend, be sure not to miss two great foodie event and a shopping spree, too!

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is not Cannes. And that's probably a good thing… Here's a last-minute tip for anyone who's in the Czech Republic in the next few days, loves movies and wants to see something really local and something really cool - the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. A festival now headed by the powerful and charismatic duo of Eva Zaoralova (who picks the movies for the festival) and Jiri Bartoska (a famous actor who does the fundraising, I guess), the Karlovy Vary Festival ("KVIFF") is one of the few Category-A film festivals (just like this in Cannes, Berlin or Venice) and the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. However, the festival quite differs from others of its kind.

The Czech Republic is so much more than just Prague. Sadly, only few tourists ever venture out into the beautiful Czech and Moravian countryside, passing their time only in Prague, save for the occasional visit of the nearby Karlštejn Castle. Although there is nothing wrong with that, to actually get to know the Czech Republic, or any other country for that matter, you must leave the “big city" behind and explore smaller towns and the countryside.