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A Romantic Lunch in the Resplendent Telc

Looking to escape the crowds in Prague on a romantic day trip? Head for the World Heritage listed town of Telc for colorful Baroque architecture and delicious food.


What do you do on a cold, wintry gray day and you want to add some color to your day? You drive a few hours, into the Czech Republic, and go to a beautiful pastel-colored town filled with houses that could double as any petit four with the white filigree trim.

Only a couple of hours drive from Prague, Telc is a great place to stop and explore. The town is situated in the middle of three fish ponds, so it almost seems like it is on an island. As you approach by car, there are plenty of parking lots. The town is very small and compact, so it is all within an easy walking distance. We drove inside the triangle, but not into  the town square. We thought that the town square wouldn’t allow parking, but it unfortunately it did.

A light dusting of snow turns Telc historic center into a Baroque wonderland.

Historic Center of Telc – Prague Day Trip

Upon our very first glance, we exclaimed how obvious it was that this stunning town has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The gabled architecture of the houses and the elegant designs and trimming make you feel like you’ve just stepped into a fairy tale.  We would have liked to get rid of those pesky automobiles parked out in front of them and changed them into horse and carriages, but hey I like to drive, too.

Baroque sculpted statues of holy figures in Telc.

The UNESCO designation came in 1992 and just walking around the middle of the town you can easily take in the 14th century castle and the charming architecture.  The manor houses were all built during a time in the town’s history that was very prosperous, and each noble tried to outdo the other as far as how high and how elaborate they could build and decorate their houses.  If you look closely, you’ll notice that the attic window is typically much lower than the upper portion of the house.  It was a a lot of show.

Outer walls of Telc castle.

The town has had a turbulent history of conquerors coming in and razing it to the ground, to have a new ruler take over, settle things, and then not have any heirs. In the 14th century the current rulers took charge, dug the ponds and built a wall around the fortress and town to protect it, but then a natural disaster came along. These houses were built of stone after a devastating fire in 1386, and later a Gothic castle was built on one corner of the square.  It is all worth visiting.

Historic center of Telc, Czechia, fountain with angel statue and Baroque buildings in background.


It was very cold the day we went, and there were hardly any tourists, maybe ten total, us included. A light layer of hard, almost ice, snow covered the ground, and as we crunched out way around the triangular square, our mouths gaped at the beauty. It was a slight shame that the fountains had been boarded up for the winter, but it didn’t take away at all from the sight.

Triangular market square in Telc with Baroque and Renaissance building facades.


It was lunchtime and we love a good Czech lunch, especially during the cooler weather, as they serve hearty and homey dishes. Since the town was so empty, we were a little worried there wouldn’t be much open so we chose the first restaurant we came across, Zach Restaurant. It only had a 3 star rating, but to be honest, we found it cozy and delicious.

Spinach roulade at ZACH Restaurant in Telc.
ZACH Restaurant specialty - meat filled dumplings and sauerkraut.


Here’s what we ate. It was pretty amazing. I had a chicken roulade filled with spinach, blue cheese, and herbs. Jim had these amazing local specialty dumplings, filled with meat and topped with grilled onions,and of course we both had a great Czech beer.

Ornately decorated building facade in Telc, Czechia.
Angel sculpture in Telc.

Warmed up from our food, we continued our stroll through town taking lots of photos until it was time to get back on the road and head to the 2nd largest city in Czech, Brno.

Have you been to Telč?

Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.

Pin Telc for future planning!

Telc watchtower and city wall.

RobRob

Sunday 7th of February 2016

After reading this post, I did a quick survey of our little team: Not only have none of us been to Telc, none of us had even heard of it! Thank you for changing that! It's a beautiful little town - just the sort of discovery we love!

Corinne Vail

Monday 8th of February 2016

Rob, I'm glad! If you happen to be in Czech, go there. You'll love it.

Anna

Sunday 7th of February 2016

such a beautiful city!! I've only been to Prague and Karlovy Vary, but I'd like to explore the Czech Republic more!

Corinne Vail

Sunday 7th of February 2016

Anna, Yes, that's one of our goals. We live so close to the border that we want to make sure that we are doing our best to explore Czech. It's such a beautiful country!

Anda

Saturday 6th of February 2016

I love these little European towns with their cobbled streets and colorful houses. I have to say though that I don't envy you for being there in winter. It must be very cold.

Corinne Vail

Sunday 7th of February 2016

Anda, I love winter! I don't like boring wet, dreary winter, but if there is snow I'm happy!

budget jan

Saturday 6th of February 2016

Such a pretty place. I'll remember that the Czech Tourism Site is a good one if we get over there!

Corinne Vail

Saturday 6th of February 2016

Jan, And if you do get over here, you need to call us so we can show you around!

Lyn aka TheTravellingLindfields

Friday 5th of February 2016

We visited Telc about ten years ago and, like you, I have some lovely photos of the town square. There is water in the fountains in mine. I know what you mean about cars. We drove to Telc too but it would be nice if you could get photos of such beautiful historic towns without modern automobiles photobombing them.

Corinne Vail

Saturday 6th of February 2016

Lyn, Exactly! The town is small enough to walk...sheesh!