Telč
Czech Republic
One long square of painted Renaissance gables between fishponds, and very little else, which is the point
Photo by Filip Urban on Unsplash
Photos by Tomasz Anusiewicz, Vatroslav Bank and Michaela Böhm (Římáková) on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Czech Republic
May to September — the chateau is shut through the winter, and the square is at its best early on a weekday
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 85mm in Jul
Where it is
49.18°N, 15.45°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Be on the square early on a weekday, before the tour groups and before it fills with parked cars
- Take the chateau tour — the interiors are the second reason to come, and like most Czech chateaux it is shut on Mondays
- Walk the circuit of the ponds at dusk
- Stay the night: it is two and a half hours from Prague each way, and a day trip spends most of its time on the road
- Combine it with Třebíč and Slavonice by car, rather than coming for Telč alone
Telč travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Czech Republic
Good valueCzech koruna, not the euro. Cards are taken on the square; carry a few hundred korunas for parking and the smaller cafés. Refuse any offer to pay in euros.
ATMs & cards
A couple of bank machines on and near the square — use ČSOB, Komerční banka or Česká spořitelna, and decline the conversion.
Avoid these
- Euronet
- any machine offering a "0% commission" exchange
Use these instead
- ČSOB
- Komerční banka
- Česká spořitelna
There are only a few machines in a small town; draw in Prague or Jihlava if you are passing through.
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 safe and very quiet. The hazards are uneven cobbles under the arcades and the pond edges in the dark.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (5 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
- the main square
- the chateau gardens
- the pond paths — in daylight
Worth more attention
- the pond paths after dark — unlit stretches beside deep water
- the arcades — uneven stone floors and steps that are easy to miss
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
GoodPlain Czech cooking, and pond fish — carp and trout — on most menus because the ponds round the town are fish farms. The restaurants on the square charge for it; there are only a handful, so book on a summer weekend.
Travel tipsGetting around
Car needed- 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.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Czech Republic, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay 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.
Travel tipsDo'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 Telč
No Holistay rentals in Telč 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 Telč 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· 134 km as the crow flies
About 2h 30 by hire car; the direct buses take about the same, the trains longer.
Also worth pricing: Vienna VIE — about two and a quarter hours by road, and many more routes than Brno.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
