We wanted to take some day trips from Prague that were less visited by tourists. The type of place you could hardly find information about online. One day, I stumbled upon a brief comment about Tábor on an old Rick Steves message board and just knew I had to add it to our list!
I know lots of people recommend Telč, Třeboň or even České Budějovice as an “off the beaten path” day trip in the South Bohemian region, but I’m glad we found Tábor instead because it was definitely off the radar of many tourists.
It felt like Cesky Krumlov but a very low key, smaller, relaxed version of it. There were many locals which made it a refreshing experience outside of busy Prague.
About
The second largest town in South Bohemia with a population of 34,000, Tábor lies about 50 miles south of Prague.
The town’s name means “camp” or “encampment”. According to historians, a radical religious group within the Hussite Movement who were called The Taborites, were the inspiration behind the town’s name.
It was established in 1420 and became the central location for the Hussite Movement with influential ties to Jan Hus and Jan Žižka.
There is also a lake called, The Lake Jordán (or The Jordán) and it is the oldest reservoir in Central Europe. It is used for recreation and the town’s water supply.
Getting There
You can get to Tábor by train from Prague’s main rail station (Praha hl.n.) in a scenic, 1hr 25min. ride. Tábor is actually on the way to Ceske Budejovice and South Bohemia’s popular town: Cesky Krumlov. Some incorporate it into their itinerary on the way to Cesky Krumlov, but you wouldn’t have enough time in my opinion to really experience Tábor.
Just a 20 minute walk from the rail station and you will enter Zizka Square (the town square.) It really wasn’t a bad walk for us.
Tip: The town has public transportation if you prefer not to walk. Take minibus lines 60 or 61 from the bus station’s stop and it will go to Zizka Square.
Directions: Right across the street of the rail station is Husův park. We strolled through this public park and continued on to the street, 9. Kvetna. I think it is a shopping district since there were a ton of stores along the way.
Next, we crossed nám. F. Křižíka/Route 137 to Památník (Memorial Park – see picture above) then walked along the street, Palackého which took us straight to Žižkovo Náměstí (Zizka Square).
We took lots of pictures of the streets and buildings along the way and we were at Zizka Square pretty quick!
Majority of the sights are within that area, including Kotnov Tower where you can climb to the top and get a beautiful view of the town.
What to See and Do
The Deanery Church of Lord’s Transfiguration – This beautiful church will probably be the very first thing you notice when entering the square. For a small fee, you can climb the 250 steps up to the top of the church’s tower and get a nice view of the town. We didn’t get around to doing this, however we did climb up Kotnov Tower nearby. And for the life of me, I keep mistakenly calling the church “Daenerys” (like the character from Game of Thrones) instead of Deanery. Sorry!
Tourist Information Center – The first thing we did was go inside the tourist center so we could get a map and some information on visiting the Hussite Museum since we couldn’t find the entrance to the museum. Apparently the museum was next door to the center but we couldn’t tell for sure since there were some construction work going on outside of it.
The staff were very friendly and helpful, (they also spoke English if you’re wondering.) While you’re at the center, don’t forget to pin where you’re from on the center’s world map! If you see North Carolina, USA – that’s us!
Hussite Museum – Tristan loved this museum and it was wonderful to see him showing an interest in history.
Located in Old Town Hall, it’s an interactive museum that takes you through ten halls of Hussite history starting with the Hussite Movement. It was a religious movement that preceded the Protestant Reformation and was led by religious reformer, Jan Hus. He was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415 for heresy against the Catholic Church.
If you’re traveling with family, we found it cheaper to buy a family ticket for the museum (and this was the best option for almost every museum we visited in the Czech Republic.)
Feeling adventurous and have the time? You can also take an underground tunnel tour that goes underneath parts of town! Meshach and I did something similar to this in Orvieto’s underground tunnels.
Kotnov Tower and Bechyně Gate – I’m so glad we decided to climb this tower! The views are amazing but climbing to the top was a bit of an adventure.
Be mindful of some of the steps, it can get a bit scary since many of them are steep, wooden steps. There are 155 steps.
Just take your time and don’t forget to stop on your way up to see some of the views from the window.
Kotnov Tower is believed to have been part of four round towers and an angular one dating back to the 13th century. Kotnov is named after the founder of the castle.
The tower is the only preserved part of the castle since a fire damaged it in 1532. Bechyňská is the only preserved town gate.
The Museum of Chocolate and Marzipan – If we didn’t have a train to catch that day, I’m sure we would have bought a lot of delicious chocolate from this museum!
You can take a tour (along with chocolate tastings) and there is even the option to create your own hand crafted chocolate bars and figures.
Klokoty Monastery aka Church of Blessed Virgin Mary – If we had an overnight stay, I would have loved to visit this monastery. I’ve seen pictures of it online. The chapel, cloisters and grounds look beautiful and peaceful!
There is a walking path which I’ve read takes you on a 25 minute marked walking path up to the monastery from Zizka Square.
LEGO Museum – We made it our mission to surprise Tristan each day of our trip with a special visit to somewhere cool. Since he’s a big fan of LEGO, we were excited to find there is a LEGO museum in Tábor!
Some of his favorites were the Star Wars, Ninjago and airplane exhibits. A lot of them were also interactive which he had a great time doing.
We made a vlog of our museum visit which you can watch on our YouTube channel or here on our website.
Kozí Hrádek (Goat castle ruins) – A National Cultural Monument of the Czech Republic, these ruins date back to the 14th century. Jan Hus actually stayed there in the year 1413 – 1414 seeking refuge.
You can’t get to it by public transportation so if you have a car you may be able to drive there. It’s 20 minutes away from the town center. I believe some tour companies also offer a visit to the ruins. We were unable to go due to time and transportation, but it was on my wish list anyway.
Where to Eat
I’m not going to spend much time on food recommendations only because we weren’t in town long enough to really recommend anything.
We did however have lunch at a pretty good place in Zizka Square and we ate plenty of food for a decent price.
The restaurant is called Budvarka U Zlatého Lva Tabor and we definitely recommend their pizza. It was big enough to share and it was delicious!
Just Get Lost
If there is one thing I’d recommend doing above all else when visiting, it would be to literally just walk around town.
It’s compact enough, and even if you think you may have gotten lost, somehow you’ll always end up back in the town square. At least that’s what happened with us.
We spent most of our visit walking around town, the Hussite Museum and LEGO Museum. My most favorite thing by far was simply admiring the architecture.
There is a super cute, storybook vibe in Tábor. Some of the buildings remind me of a fairytale village – something you’d see in a Disney movie except this is a real place!
Have you ever been to a place that reminds you of a fairytale village? Comment below and share this post with your friends!
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