Olomouc

Olomouc takes 1 day, because the old core — two squares, a cathedral and an astronomical clock — is compact and walkable, and a direct train from Prague takes about 2 h 15. The core is the country's second-largest heritage-protected town centre, yet rarely gets the day Prague claims for itself.

The train from Prague reaches the main station in about 2 h 15 (direct train (ČD, RegioJet, Leo Express)), and from there it is a short walk to the Upper Square (Horní náměstí). At its centre stands the Holy Trinity Column, a Baroque monument built between 1717 and 1754 and UNESCO-listed since 2000 as one of the finest examples of central European Baroque in the region. The outside is free to view.

Beside the column, the Town Hall façade carries an astronomical clock whose mechanism dates from the 1420s, though the face on show today is not medieval: German soldiers damaged it with a grenade in May 1945, in the war's final days, and painter Karel Svolinský rebuilt it in 1955 in socialist-realist style — a worker, a sportswoman, a scientist and a farmer on a tractor replaced the saints. The show runs performance once daily, at noon, and watching it is free. The same squares hold three Baroque fountains — Hercules, Arion and Caesar — free to see at any hour.

From the square, a street climbs to St Wenceslas Cathedral, where entry is free (church); €9 (tower climb): the church itself is free, while the tower's 488 steps, open only from age 18, tower open only on announced dates, so the date is worth checking ahead.

Downhill, towards the river, lies the Lower Square — quieter than the Upper one, with fountains of Jupiter and Neptune and fewer visitors around them. From there, a few kilometres outside the centre, the road leads to Svatý Kopeček, the Basilica of the Visitation on a hill: entry is free (basilica); €5 (museum and residence), the church is open daily 8:30–17:00 (except Monday afternoon), closed Monday afternoon.

When it is time to eat, Olomoucké tvarůžky has carried an EU protected geographical indication since 2010, and can only be sold under that name if made in Loštice, near the city. It costs €4.30 (plain) / €3.89 (fried), plain with butter or fried, at taverns around both squares.

Anyone staying longer than 1 day has three short train links: Přerov is 13 min away by train, ticket from €4; Hranice na Moravě, with its aragonite caves and chateau, is 35 min, ticket from €4; Zábřeh na Moravě, with its own chateau, is 21 min, ticket from €4.