17 Czech Towns That Feel Like Fairy Tales

The Czech Republic might be small, but it packs more storybook charm per square mile than just about anywhere else in Europe. Rolling hills dotted with medieval castles, cobblestone streets winding through centuries-old squares, colorful buildings that look like they were painted by someone with serious whimsy — this country’s basically a real-life fairy tale waiting to be explored.

From tiny villages where time seems to have stopped around the 14th century to larger towns that Disney probably used as inspiration, these places will make you feel like you’ve stepped straight into the pages of a Brothers Grimm story. Here is a list of 17 Czech towns that feel like they belong in a fairy tale.

Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov is like someone took a medieval fantasy and decided to make it real. This UNESCO World Heritage Site sits in a horseshoe bend of the Vltava River — with a massive castle complex looming over red-roofed houses that seem to tumble down the hillside. The town’s Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings create an architectural mix that works so perfectly together, you’d think it was planned by some master storyteller. Walking through its narrow, winding streets feels like being inside a living museum where people still go about their daily lives among 700-year-old walls.

Telč

Telč’s main square is so picture-perfect that it almost seems fake at first glance. The town square’s lined with Renaissance and Baroque houses painted in soft pastels — yellows, pinks, blues, and greens that look like Easter eggs arranged in a neat row. Each building has its own unique gables and decorative details, creating a harmonious yet varied streetscape that photographers absolutely love. The whole town’s surrounded by artificial ponds that act like a moat, making it feel even more like something out of a storybook.

Cheb

Cheb sits right on the German border and feels like it belongs to both countries and neither at the same time. The town’s medieval market square is dominated by a cluster of 13th-century merchant houses called Špalíček — which look like they’re huddled together for warmth. These narrow, tall buildings with their steep roofs and timber framing create one of the most photographed corners in the entire Czech Republic. The town’s mix of German and Czech influences gives it a unique character that feels both familiar and exotic, like stumbling into a fairy tale from a different culture.

Kutná Hora

Kutná Hora was once so wealthy from silver mining that it rivaled Prague in importance. You can still see that prosperity in its stunning Gothic architecture. The town’s crown jewel is the Cathedral of St. Barbara — a Gothic masterpiece that took over 500 years to complete and looks like it could house a fairy tale princess. Though the real showstopper is the Sedlec Ossuary, a small chapel decorated with the bones of over 40,000 people arranged in artistic patterns. It’s macabre but oddly beautiful, like something from a dark fairy tale.

Jindřichův Hradec

This town feels like it was designed by someone who really understood the concept of ‘charming.’ The massive Renaissance castle overlooks a historic center filled with Gothic and Renaissance buildings that seem to have been painted in every color imaginable. The town’s narrow streets and hidden courtyards invite exploration, revealing little surprises around every corner, like tiny chapels or unexpected gardens. What makes Jindřichův Hradec special is how it manages to feel both grand and intimate at the same time, like a fairy tale that’s epic in scope yet personal in detail.

Mikulov

Mikulov sits in wine country near the Austrian border, where the combination of rolling vineyards and baroque architecture creates a setting that’s almost impossibly romantic. The town is dominated by a large baroque castle that overlooks red-tiled roofs and pastel-colored houses spreading down the hillside. The surrounding landscape of gentle hills covered in grapevines adds to the fairy tale atmosphere — especially during autumn when the leaves turn golden. It’s the kind of place where you expect to see princes and princesses having picnics in the castle gardens.

Znojmo

Znojmo perches on cliffs above the Dyje River, creating dramatic views that look like they were designed for a fairy tale adventure. The town’s medieval walls and towers remain largely intact — giving it an authentic fortress-like appearance that most other towns have lost over the centuries. The historic center is a maze of narrow streets and Gothic buildings, with the impressive St. Nicholas Church rising above everything else like a beacon. What sets Znojmo apart is its position on those dramatic cliffs. It looks like the perfect spot for a fairy tale hero to spot trouble coming from miles away.

Slavonice

Slavonice might be small, though it packs an incredible amount of Renaissance charm into its compact historic center. The town square is surrounded by houses with elaborate sgraffito decorations — intricate patterns and designs scratched into colored plaster that create almost lace-like effects on the building facades. These decorations are so detailed and well-preserved that walking around the square feels like browsing through an outdoor art gallery. The town’s location near the Austrian border gives it a slightly different feel from other Czech towns, like stumbling into a fairy tale from a neighboring kingdom.

Litomyšl

Litomysl, Czech Republic, 29 September 2023: Smetana Square or picturesque Smetanovo namesti with medieval colorful gothic merchant houses at sunny day, historic renaissance and baroque buildings.
— Photo by artush

Litomyšl is famous for being the birthplace of composer Bedřich Smetana, but the real star is the town’s incredible Renaissance castle with its unique sgraffito facade. The castle looks like it’s covered in an enormous — intricate tapestry thanks to these decorative patterns that cover nearly every inch of its exterior walls. The town itself spreads out below the castle in a neat grid of colorful baroque and Renaissance houses that create perfect photo opportunities from every angle. It’s the kind of place that makes you understand why so many composers and artists have called the Czech Republic home.

Prachatice

Prachatice was once an important stop on the salt trade route — and its wealth from those golden days is still visible in its beautifully preserved medieval center. The town square is lined with Gothic and Renaissance houses, many with elaborate painted facades that tell stories through their decorative elements. The mix of architectural styles creates a visual feast that changes depending on where you’re standing, like a fairy tale that reveals new details each time you read it. What makes Prachatice special is how complete it feels. Walking through its streets is like stepping back in time to when merchants and traders filled these same pathways.

Tábor

Tábor has one of the most unique layouts of any Czech town, thanks to its origins as a Hussite stronghold in the 15th century. The medieval streets were deliberately designed to be confusing to invaders, creating a maze-like pattern that still confuses visitors today in the most delightful way. The town’s hilltop position offers great views of the surrounding countryside, while its Gothic and Renaissance buildings create an atmosphere that’s both mysterious and inviting. It’s like being inside a fairy tale where the town itself becomes a character with its own personality and secrets.

Štramberk

Štramberk is built on and around a hill topped by a distinctive cylindrical tower called Trúba, which looks exactly like something from a fairy tale illustration. The town’s wooden folk architecture is unique in the Czech Republic, featuring traditional Moravian-Wallachian houses that have steep roofs and decorative wooden details. These buildings are painted in bright colors and scattered around the hillside in a way that seems almost random but creates an incredibly picturesque effect. The whole town feels like it was built by people who really understood the concept of living in harmony with the landscape.

Třeboň

Plague Column, square – Trebon – Czech Republic
— Photo by perfecky

Třeboň sits in the middle of a landscape dotted with hundreds of fishponds, creating reflections and water views that add an extra layer of magic to this already charming town. The historic center’s dominated by a large Renaissance castle and surrounded by well-preserved medieval walls that still define the town’s boundaries. The combination of water, historic architecture, and peaceful atmosphere creates a setting that feels like it belongs in a gentle, contemplative fairy tale rather than an action-packed adventure. It’s the kind of place where fairy tale characters would go to rest and reflect between their adventures.

Kadaň

Kadaň’s location on the Ohře River and its incredibly well-preserved medieval walls make it look like a textbook example of what a fairy tale town should be. The town gate towers and fortifications are some of the best-preserved in the Czech Republic, creating an authentic medieval atmosphere that many other towns have lost. The Gothic and Renaissance buildings within the walls are painted in soft colors that complement the gray stone of the fortifications perfectly. Walking through Kadaň feels like entering a fairy tale kingdom where the walls have successfully kept the modern world at bay.

Kroměříž

Kroměříž is dominated by its magnificent Archbishop’s Palace, a baroque masterpiece that looks like it could house a fairy tale royal court. The palace gardens are equally impressive, featuring formal baroque landscaping and a flower garden that blooms in different colors throughout the seasons. The town’s historic center spreads out from the palace in a collection of baroque and Renaissance buildings that create a cohesive, elegant streetscape. The combination of the grand palace, beautiful gardens, and charming town center creates an atmosphere of refined fairy tale elegance.

Boskovice

Boskovice offers a unique fairy tale experience through its combination of a medieval castle ruin on a hill and a perfectly preserved Jewish quarter below. The castle ruins create a romantic, mysterious atmosphere overlooking the town, while the historic Jewish quarter tells stories of a different kind of fairy tale — one about communities and traditions. The town’s mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and baroque buildings creates layers of history that you can read like chapters in a long, complex story. It’s the kind of place that reminds you that the best fairy tales often have depth and complexity beneath their surface charm.

Pernštejn

While technically more of a castle with a small village than a town, Pernštejn deserves mention because it’s one of the most fairy tale-like places in the entire Czech Republic. The Gothic castle perches on a rocky outcrop surrounded by deep forests, looking exactly like the kind of place where Sleeping Beauty might have pricked her finger on a spinning wheel. The small village below the castle consists of just a few houses, though they’re perfectly preserved examples of traditional Moravian architecture. The whole setting feels so removed from the modern world that you might expect to see knights riding up the forest paths.

Where Stories Come to Life

These Czech towns prove that fairy tales aren’t just stories — they’re places you can actually visit and experience. Each town has managed to preserve not just its buildings but also its atmosphere, creating destinations that feel magical without being artificial. The Czech Republic’s history of surviving various empires and political changes while maintaining its architectural heritage means these towns offer authentic fairy tale experiences rather than theme park recreations. Whether you’re looking for romantic castles, mysterious medieval streets, or simply places where beauty seems to exist for its own sake, these 17 towns deliver the kind of experiences that make you believe in magic again.