Olomouc
Czech Republic
The Czech town that Prague tourists never reach, with a UNESCO plague column you can go inside, an astronomical clock the communists redesigned, and beer at half the price
Photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash
Photos by David Dvořáček and David Dvořáček on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Czech Republic
Late November to late December for the markets, and May to September for everything else — the markets are busiest at weekends and in the last fortnight before the holiday
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 90mm in Jul
Where it is
49.59°N, 17.25°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Go inside the Holy Trinity Column
- Watch the astronomical clock at noon and notice who is on it
- Smell the Olomouc cheese before buying it
- Drink Moravian wine instead of beer
- Walk between the two squares and their six fountains
Olomouc travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Czech Republic
Very cheapCzech koruna, and the country is close to cashless. Market stalls want notes. Refuse every offer to pay in euros and refuse every street exchange booth — the only honest ones state a zero per cent commission and a rate near the bank’s.
ATMs & cards
ČSOB, Komerční banka and Česká spořitelna machines are fine. Euronet is not, and nor is any machine offering to “convert” for you. Decline the conversion.
Avoid these
- Euronet
- the machines beside the Christmas markets
Use these instead
- ČSOB
- Komerční banka
- Česká spořitelna
- Raiffeisenbank
Decline the conversion. Draw before the market rather than at it: the independent machines cluster where the stalls are, and a good many stalls still want cash.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Czech Republic
Very safeVery comfortable and genuinely quiet. The town is a student town and busy in the evening without being rowdy. Prices are low enough that the usual tourist-trap risks barely apply, which is the main practical difference from Prague.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (4 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- the park strip by the station at night — quiet and unlit, unlike the rest of a very easy town
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Czech Republic visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Czech Republic
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
- Tick-borne encephalitis if you plan to walk in forests between spring and autumn
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodOlomoucké tvarůžky, a ripened cheese with a smell that arrives before it does and a protected name; Moravian wine rather than beer, because this is wine country; and at the market, trdelník, which the Czechs will tell you is not actually Czech.
Getting around
Workable- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- LiftagoWorks here
Liftago the local one, and drivers prefer it
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Prague — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
Getting online
Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for Czech Republic, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026
Must-see
Nearby day trips
Say a few words
Czech
- HelloDobrý denDOH-bree den
- PleaseProsímPRO-seem
- Thank youDěkujiDYEH-koo-yi
- Yes / NoAno / NeAH-no / neh
4 more phrases
- Excuse mePromiňtePRO-min-teh
- How much is it?Kolik to stojí?KO-lik to STO-yee
- The bill, pleaseÚčet, prosímOO-chet
- Cheers!Na zdraví!na ZDRA-vee
Religion
No majority faith
Among the least religious countries in Europe. Churches are visited as architecture, and nobody will assume otherwise.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Say dobrý den on entering a shop and na shledanou on leaving
- Let the beer settle — a proper Czech pour has a thick head and is not short measure
- Wait to be seated, and expect to share a table when it is busy
- Carry small notes; some pubs still dislike large ones
Don't
- Do not clink glasses across other people’s arms, and make eye contact when you toast
- Do not start drinking before everyone has toasted
- Do not be loud on public transport; the register is quiet
- Do not confuse Czech with Russian, or bring up the Soviet period casually
Where to stay in Olomouc
No Holistay rentals in Olomouc yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Olomouc on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Prague PRG
2h 30mfrom the airport· 250 km as the crow flies
2h 30 by train via Prague main station.
Also worth pricing: Vienna VIE — three hours by train across the border.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
