Things to do in Olomouc
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Olomouc
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather overall: late April to June and September to early October, with parks in leaf and full opening hours.
Shoulder good in March and late October: cold, quiet, museums empty and prices low.
Hardest in mid January and February: short, grey days and some interiors on winter hours, but Jeseníky skiing is at its best.
What's on
- Flora Olomouc spring
The country biggest gardening exhibition in Smetana Park, filling hotels. Further stages follow in summer and October.
- Academia Film Olomouc (AFO) April
Palacký University international science documentary festival, one of Europe largest of its kind.
- Tvarůžky Festival April
Open air stalls on the Upper Square cooking the local cheese every way, with music and dancing.
- Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon June
Evening race starting and finishing on Horní náměstí. Brilliant to watch, disruptive to traffic and hotels that weekend.
- Hefaiston late August
International blacksmiths gathering at Helfštýn Castle, filling it with smiths from across Europe.
- International Organ Festival September
Organ festival centred on St Maurice, the best chance to hear its historic organ properly.
- Hortikomplex October
Autumn Flora stage for fruit and vegetables at Výstaviště Flora.
- St Martin's goose menus around 11 November
Goose specials take over traditional restaurants as South Moravian wine arrives.
- Olomouc Christmas Markets 20 November to 23 December
Markets across both squares and Tržnice, famous for punch, with a free ice rink and Advent Ferris wheel.
Best things to do in Olomouc
Holy Trinity Column
UNESCO Baroque column with a chapel inside it, best seen on one slow circuit in quiet light.
St Wenceslas Cathedral
Neo-Gothic cathedral with the tallest church tower in Moravia, on the hill where the city began.
Archdiocesan Museum Olomouc
The serious museum in Olomouc, with bishops treasures, Old Masters and a gilded coach.
Archbishop's Palace Olomouc
Guided state rooms where Habsburg history happened, including the room linked to 1848.
Olomouc Astronomical Clock
Socialist Realist rebuild of a clock shot up in 1945, with workers and farmers at noon.
Church of St Maurice
Climb the tower for the classic 360 degree view over both squares and the red roofs.
Neptune Fountain
One of the matched Baroque fountains that still structure the Upper Square.
Hercules Fountain
Baroque fountain on the Upper Square, best walked as part of the full fountain trail.
Where to stay in Olomouc
Historic Centre
first trip, all-round base
Every main sight is within a 15 minute walk and the best restaurants are here or just beyond.
Cathedral hill / Denisova / Univerzitní quarter
two or three night cultural stay
Quieter, prettier university streets with better sleep, five to ten minutes from the Upper Square.
Svatý Kopeček / Dolany (golf)
golf or a family zoo weekend, with a car
Fine one night countryside stays, but they strand sightseeing visitors 8 to 9 km out.
By the main station (Hlavní nádraží / Jeremenkova)
one night early train or a conference
Functional and tram connected in 10 minutes, but charmless as a holiday base.
Think twice about
- Svatý Kopeček / Dolany as a sightseeing base
Only choose it with a car and a purpose such as golf or the zoo. It strands you 8 to 9 km from the centre.
- Main station area as a holiday base
Drab and transient at night rather than dangerous, and charmless when the centre costs barely more.
Best restaurants in Olomouc
Entrée Restaurant
Olomouc only starred table, with an eight course tasting menu reworking Czech ingredients.
Long Story Short Eatery & Bakery
Contemporary Moravian cooking and bakery in the old fortress bakery, with a buzzy courtyard.
Moravská restaurace
Classic Moravian table on the Upper Square, the reliable first night for the regional canon.
Hanácká hospoda
Traditional pub restaurant for tvarůžky in beer batter, garlic soup and big Haná portions.
Bistro Paulus
Top-level cooking in a weekday canteen format, one of the great lunch bargains in Olomouc.
STeaK Restaurant
Modern steakhouse in Hodolany with serious cuts and the strongest meat reputation in the city.
Sal de Mar
NH hotel fine dining room with Mediterranean cooking, a big wine list and calm, polished service.
Original Restaurant Drápal
Big, beloved Czech restaurant pub with tank beer energy, a terrace and huge volume done well.
Best coffee in Olomouc
Café La Fée
French style café comfort in the university café scene, vegetarian friendly.
Traffic Coffee
Speciality coffee pick on the tested local café list.
Café Jan
Speciality coffee café, a good alternative to Traffic Coffee.
Cà Phê District
Vietnamese coffee culture with pho and bánh mì at student prices.
Outdoor things to do in Olomouc
Litovelské Pomoraví Protected Landscape Area
Flat, shaded floodplain forest ride to Litovel through Morava channels, oaks and wetlands.
Bouzov Castle
Fairy tale Teutonic Order castle with furnished interiors, a watchtower, moat and drawbridges.
Golf Resort Olomouc
18 hole championship course plus a 9 hole course on rolling Moravian parkland.
Praděd
Moravia highest peak, reached via the Bílá Opava gorge walk with waterfalls and ladders.
Dlouhé Stráně
Pumped storage reservoir at 1350 metres with a rim view over the Jeseníky to Praděd.
Helfštýn Castle
Vast castle ruin with huge walls, modern steel walkways and year round blacksmith ironwork.
Kroměříž Castle
UNESCO chateau with a formal Flower Garden and a free, rambling Castle Garden by the Morava.
Rafting Morava
Gentle guided canoe and raft paddling on lowland water, a scenic float rather than white water.
Best hotels in Olomouc
Theresian Hotel
Calm, design led boutique by the Theresian Gate with a small spa, five minutes from the squares.
NH Collection Olomouc Congress
The big hotel option with spa, fitness and consistent international standard rooms.
Miss Sophie's Olomouc
Eight playful rooms in a 13th century building, the most romantic central base in town.
OREA Hotel Arigone
Characterful stay in joined historic houses on a cobbled lane, with secure parking and good breakfast.
Smarthotel Nezvalova Archa
Converted arch roofed aparthotel with loft style rooms, good for longer stays.
Hotel Trinity
Reliable central bench pick if the main central hotels are full.
Central Park Flora
Hotel by Smetana Park, the family and parking choice among the bench picks.
Long Story Short
Design hostel with dorms and privates, a big courtyard and a destination restaurant.
Is Olomouc expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CZK 1,200 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CZK 2,400 a person |
| Splurge | CZK 4,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Archbishop's Palace Olomouc: a few days ahead
- Bouzov Castle: a few days ahead
- Golf Resort Olomouc: a few days ahead
- Dlouhé Stráně: a few days ahead
- Rafting Morava: a few days ahead
- Entrée Restaurant: weeks ahead
- Long Story Short Eatery & Bakery: a few days ahead
- STeaK Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Entrée needs days to weeks for dinner, especially weekends. It is the only hard booking in the city.
- Book hotels in Flora weeks, AFO in April, half marathon weekend in June and Christmas market weekends.
- Long Story Short dinner, STeaK and Sal de Mar normally need only a day or two ahead.
- Dlouhé Stráně excursions, Archbishop's Palace tours and Bouzov in peak summer are scheduled, so check times the day before.
Is Olomouc safe?
- No base area needs avoiding on safety grounds. The centre is clean, well kept and comfortable on foot at night.
- Station surroundings at night feel drab and transient, with occasional drinking groups. Walk with normal city awareness or take the tram.
- Use pocket awareness in crowded festival moments such as Christmas market punch queues and the half marathon start.
- After midnight stick to lit streets rather than dark park paths, as you would anywhere.
- Ticks in the floodplain and Jeseníky in late spring and summer are the main outdoor risk. Use spray, long socks and check after forest days.
Olomouc travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Astronomical Clock as a Prague rival. Expect a Socialist Realist curiosity and a brief noon stop, not a prettier Orloj.
- Zoo Olomouc as a headline attraction. The basilica justifies the hill and the zoo is the add on, not the reason.
- Station area and Galerie Šantovka dining is convenient and forgettable when every listed restaurant is a short walk or tram ride away.
- Day tripping Olomouc from Prague misses its unhurried evening. Sleep here instead.
- Tvarůžky from a petrol station puts visitors off a great cheese. First taste should be cooked, in a restaurant, with beer.
- Anyone selling skip the line for the centre is inventing a problem, and never change money on the street or at a too good Prague exchange booth.
Getting around Olomouc: public transport and more
- Train is the way in, with Prague in about 2 hours 10 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes and Brno about 1 hour 15 minutes.
- From the station take tram 1, 3, 5 or 7 to Tržnice or Náměstí Hrdinů, about 10 minutes, or walk 25 minutes.
- Walk the compact, flat centre. Buy tram tickets in the DPMO app or by card and validate immediately, as inspectors are frequent.
- Do the maths on the Olomouc Region Card before buying. It pays with two paid museums, a castle day and trams.
- Park outside the pedestrian core and walk in. Use Bolt rather than an unbooked taxi from the station rank.
Who Olomouc suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Olomouc your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store