Jílové u Děčína

A small town in the valley under Děčínský Sněžník, with a moated château on the square and enough pubs and shops to make it the natural supply stop before the climb.

Jílové fills the valley of the Jílovský potok directly under the table-mountain rim of Děčínský Sněžník, and for walkers it is mainly a practical place: shops, pubs and buses, the last easy refill before the steep climb to the plateau.

It has one sight worth a detour on the way through — the château by the square. It started as a water castle in 1370, was rebuilt into a Renaissance seat in the 16th century, and still keeps its moat with a Baroque bridge. The town owns it today; the ground floor, Renaissance cellars and exhibitions on local history are open to visitors.