Olomouc

A university and church city in central Moravia with two great squares: one holds the Holy Trinity Column, a 35 m Baroque column on UNESCO's list, and the town hall's astronomical clock, remade in socialist-realist style in the 1950s with workers in place of saints. St Wenceslas Cathedral, the Archdiocesan Museum, six Baroque fountains and a large student population make it lively, good value and uncrowded. Trains from Prague take about 2 h 15, from Brno about 1 h 30. The local cheese, Olomoucké tvarůžky, is famously pungent.

Highlights

• Holy Trinity Column
• The socialist-realist astronomical clock
• Six Baroque fountains
• St Wenceslas Cathedral
• Archdiocesan Museum
• Holy Hill basilica and view

Things to do

• Upper and Lower Squares: the column, the clock and the fountainsMorning · 2h
• St Wenceslas Cathedral and the Archdiocesan MuseumAfternoon · 2h
• Holy Hill basilica and the view over the Haná plainAfternoon · 2h 30m
• Evening in the student quarter, with Moravian foodEvening · 2h

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: April – October

• Christmas markets · 28 Nov – 6 Jan — Prague's markets on the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, with a tall tree lit on the opening evening, mulled wine and trdelník; Brno's on the Freedom and Cabbage squares, Olomouc's and Český Krumlov's smaller and calmer. Weekend evenings are packed, and December rooms in Prague cost the most of the year.