Telč

A UNESCO-listed Renaissance town between fishponds — one long square of arcades and painted gables, with the chateau closing its northern end.

Telč is the completest Renaissance townscape in the country and has been on the UNESCO list since 1992. After a fire in 1530 the town was rebuilt in one campaign under Zachariáš of Hradec: the result is a single long triangular square where every house carries arcades below and a painted or sgraffitoed gable above, with the chateau — one of the finest Renaissance residences in Moravia — closing the northern corner. Two fishponds wrap the old town, so it is effectively an island, and the views across the water to the towers are the classic picture.

As a hike’s endpoint it delivers: pubs, cafés and accommodation on the square, and a rail station a short walk east with connections via Kostelec u Jihlavy. Arriving on foot over the Javořice highlands is the best possible approach.