One of the most beautiful towns in Central Europe that you’ve never heard of…..
Gothic towers and spires, Renaissance townhouses, Baroque churches, cafes and bars under medieval arches. It could be a blueprint for so many towns in the Czech Republic – andLitoměřice, barely an hour north of Prague, is one of the most enchanting we visited in four years living in the country.
There are enough things to do in Litoměřice to spend a couple of days exploring this corner of Northern Bohemia. It’s one of the best places on the River Elbe to visit, in scenic wine-growing country near the Porta Bohemica, the beginning of one of the most beautiful stretches of the river.
The town – called Leitmeritz in German – is packed with historic treasures from the 13th to 18th centuries. Yet it’s relatively unknown among English-speaking visitors, many of whom make it to the nearby Terezin concentration camp site, but don’t travel the two miles or so across the Elbe to Litoměřice.
This guide covers all the main sights in the town, and also the surrounding area and places to stay. Enjoy!
Things To Do In Litoměřice
Mírové náměstí
Mírové náměstí – Peace Square – is the historic heart of Litoměřice. Many small towns in the Czech Republic – Telč and Tábor are among the best examples – have superb squares, bigger and more ornately decorated than you’d perhaps expect for places of their size. Litoměřice’s main square is in the same vein, the sort of place fit to grace a city ten times its size.
Mírové náměstí is the best place to start exploring the town. It ‘s the setting for several of its finest buildings. It’s a great place for an introduction to the architecture of Central Europe, especially the Renaissance and Baroque period, Litoměřice’s heyday.
It’s also where you’ll find several of the best cafes and restaurants in town. And the tourist office is on the ground floor of one of the older buildings, and where you buy tickets for one of the best places to see in Litoměřice.
Climb The Chalice
The Chalice (Kalich) is the striking turret on the roof of the town hall, upstairs from the tourist office.
The cup-shaped feature was built in the 16th century by the wealthy local Mrazu z Milesovsky family. It doesn’t look very big from the outside, but there is room for up to 12 people in the viewing gallery close to the top (you can see the shuttered windows in the image above.
Disappointingly it was closed during the winter season when I visited, but it would offer great views over the square and the rest of the town.
All Saints Church
The most impressive building in Litoměřice is All Saints Church (Kostel Vsech Svatych) on the corner of Mírové náměstí. It’s a stunning sight, with a rare tent-style roof (there’s another in nearby Louny, and the most famous example is the Cathedral of St Barbara Kutna Hora).
It’s Gothic on the outside, but Baroque within. It’s more elaborately decorated than the Cathedral, but less so than the Annunciation Church just down the street near the river.
The door of the Church is usually open during the daytime, but you can only walk around the church during the summer months (or before a service in the winter). If you can get in, don’t miss the painting of Christ on the Mount of Olives by the Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece. This renowned – but unnamed – Bohemian painter mainly worked in Prague, but is best known for this commission.
Karel Hynek Macha Statue
The Romantic Bohemian poet moved to Litoměřice in 1836, ostensibly to settle down with his partner Eleonora Šomkova. Just a few weeks later, he died at the age of 25, apparently falling ill after helping put out a nearby fire.
Macha’s popularity grew greatly after his death, and his poem Maj is an inspiration to lovers almost 200 years after it was written. A bust of the poet overlooks the Cathedral and streets below. He lived a few minutes from there, at a what is now the Vinarka winery on the street named after him, Machova.
Old Town & Baroque Architecture
Much of Litoměřice dates from the 17th and 18th centuries, and there is plenty of Baroque architecture to appreciate as you walk around the town.
Many townhouses date from this period, but the most striking features are its churches. The red and white Jesuit Annunciation Church, which overlooks the River Elbe, is the most ornate inside, with much of it decorated with frescoes.
Just to the north of the town square, the Baroque barn of St James Church (kostel sv Jakuba) is sparkling white and gold outside, and rather dark and austere within.
And St Wenceslas Church (kostel sv Vaclava) is a handsome domed building a two-minute walk from the Cathedral precincts. The Cathedral itself is from the middle of the Baroque period.
St Stephen’s Cathedral
The Catholic Cathedral is built on the highest point of Litoměřice, Dome Hill, and its tower is the most prominent landmark as you view the city from the River Elbe (Labe in Czech).
The present Baroque church was completed in 1681, replacing an earlier Gothic building. The 65-metre tower – connected to the church by an arch – was added in the 19th century.
We had difficulty getting into the church in the winter low season, but eventually managed to get inside when it was opened before a service. It’s worth the walk up the hill to see five paintings by the 17th century Bohemian artist Karel Škréta, including the main altarpiece, The Stoning of St Stephen.
Twin Gothic House
This late medieval house – believed to date from the 15th century – is hidden behind a house (At The Blue Grapes) on Jezuitska, just off the main square. The passageway leads to an open courtyard and garden, with this large townhouse dominating the space.
The interior has been restored recently, and two of the rooms are now used as an art gallery.
Litoměřice Castle and Wine Exhibition
Apart from its architecture, Litoměřice is best known for its wine. And much of its restored 14th and 15th-century Castle, on the northern edge of the town centre is devoted to an exhibition on Wine Making in the Czech Republic.
The town’s vineyards are around two miles west of the centre, around the village of Velké Žernoseky. You can reach the village by train – it’s on the line to Usti and Labem, and only a three-minute journey from Litoměřice město station.
There are several cycle and hiking trails around the vineyards, which overlook the Porta Bohemica. This is one of the most beautiful sections of the River Elbe, as it cuts through the conical volcanic hills of the České Středohoři (Central Bohemian Uplands).
Litoměřice Town Walls
Just below the bust of Karel Hynek Macha, the Machovy Schody (Macha Stairs) zig-zag down the hill, past a series of impressive Gothic fortifications. They were built in the late 14th century, and remodelled in the early 1500s.
There are more prominent sections of the town walls next to the roundabout outside the town train and bus stations, and around the corner from there on Velke Dominikanska.
Litoměřice Museum
The town – and region’s – Museum is housed in the old town hall on the main square, directly across the street from All Saints Church.
Like several other Litoměřice attractions, it was closed during our month-long winter visit. It’s a fine Renaissance period building (pictured above), and there are limited tours of the restored interior three times daily, Tuesdays to Sundays.
The Museum’s permanent exhibition is being reconfigured at the time of writing (2024).
Litoměřice Underground
There is a network of over 3 km (2 miles) of tunnels beneath the centre of Litoměřice. These were built to connect different properties, including churches. Around 360 metres of these tunnels are open to the public during the summer season (April to October). They can be visited as part of a guided tour – tickets from the tourist office at Mírové náměstí 16/8a.
Radniční sklípek Restaurant
The entrance to the network of tunnels is via the Radniční sklípek (Town Hall Cellar)) restaurant on Mírové náměstí. As soon as you walk through the main door you head underground. Turn right at the bottom of the first flight of stairs, and continue down two more flights before you reach the small dining room.
It’s wonderfully atmospheric, a small stone vaulted room with seven or eight tables. They serve traditional Czech food, including all the classics, such as svičková na smetane (sirloin in a cream sauce with cranberries and dumplings)and pečeni káchna (roast duck with dumplings and red cabbage). They also serve dark Kozel beer, which I recommend if you’d like a change from all that superb pilsner you get all around the country!
They also run a small café a couple of doors away on the square, which serves some lovely cakes.
Kava s parou Café
We loved this café, housed in an old railway station halfway between the main square and River Elbe. Its name means ‘Coffee With Steam’, and there’s an old steam engine parked outside to add to the atmosphere.
The coffee and cakes were most enjoyable too. And there’s also a small toy railway, with an engine chuffing its way around a track passing all the main Litoměřice landmarks.
Christmas Market
We got to spend a whole month in Litoměřice, which coincided with the two-and-a-half week run of the town’s Christmas Market. Like other events in the town it’s held on Mírové náměstí, which makes a fantastic setting, especially in the evenings just as the lights come on around the square.
It’s a much smaller, more homespun affair than you’d encounter at places like the Prague Christmas Markets. There’s a large Christmas tree, a stage with performances on and off through the day and evening, and a small Nativity stall with animals. And, of course, plenty of food and drink to be had, with grilled sausages, trdelnik (chimney cakes), mulled wine and Czech beer all very popular.
For more on our Christmas in Litoměřice, check out my short story, A Czech Country Christmas.
Terezin Concentration Camp
Litoměřice isn’t anywhere near as widely known as the former garrison town of Terezin, 2 ½ miles away across the Elbe. The town is more widely known as Theresienstadt, a fortress town turned into a Ghetto by the Nazis during World War Two.
The Ghetto housed Jews deported from nearby Prague and across Central Europe. It was a holding camp, from where many detainees were deported to the death camps in Poland. Theresienstadt was cynically used by the Nazis to deceive the world that they were treating Jews well – hosting a visit by the Red Cross in 1944, and also producing propaganda films showing inmates watching a football match.
Many choose to visit Terezin on day trips from Prague, and never get to see anything of Litoměřice, which is just five minutes away by bus. Most people visit the Small Fortress, Ghetto Museum and Former Magdeburg Barracks, but there are also several additional sites not on tour itineraries, including the Crematorium, the Ceremonial Chambers and the remarkable Jewish Prayer Room and Attic.
For more information, check out my article on Visiting Terezin Concentration Camp.
Ploskovice Castle
There are several castles in the area around Litoměřice, the most notable of which is the Baroque palace at Ploskovice, around seven miles from the town.
It was built in 1720-30 for Anna Marie Frantiska, the last descendant of the Florentine Medici dynasty. The work of famous Baroque architect Kilian Ignaz Dietzenhofer, Zamek Ploskovice was later used as a summer residence by Emperors Ferdinand V and Franz Josef I.
It deserves to be mentioned up there with the finest Baroque palaces in Europe, and many filmmakers have used it as a location. The best-known example is Milos Forman’s Amadeus, part of which was shot there in 1984.
Like most Czech Castles, Ploskovice is only open during the summer months (April to October). And as it’s rather off the beaten track, expect tours to be in Czech only, with a text handout in English. The Park and Gardens – which are magnificent – are open year-round.
Cycling Along The Elbe
Litoměřice is also a popular stop for cyclists taking the leisurely slow route from Prague to Dresden. This usually takes between five days and a week, and several tour companies offer a package where they transport your luggage each day from hotel to hotel.
Where Is Litoměřice
Litoměřice is in the Usti and Labem province in the north of the Czech Republic.
It is 69 km (43 miles) northwest of Prague, on the River Elbe.
How To Get To Litoměřice
Most visitors will be travelling to Litoměřice from Prague, from which it’s around a 90-minute journey from the city centre.
The 413 bus service runs every hour from Praha-Letňany bus station. Letňany is the northern terminus of Metro line C (the red one).
From the station concourse, follow the sign to the bus, which also passes through Terezin a few minutes before Litoměřice. The journey to Litoměřice bus station (Litoměřice aut nadr on timetables) takes an hour.
You can also get to Litoměřice by train from Prague main train station (Praha hl n). You normally have to change trains at Všetaty. From there, trains run to Litoměřice město, the main town station. The journey takes between 1 ½ and two hours. On balance, the bus is 15-30 minutes quicker from the centre of Prague.
If you’re travelling from Germany, the train line from Dresden runs to Usti nad Labem main station (Usti and Labem hl n). You need to change there for trains to Litoměřice.
Where To Stay In Litoměřice
There are several hotels and guest houses around the centre of Litoměřice, within walking distance of the town train and bus stations and the historic centre and main square.
We stayed at theHotel Apollon, a great 3-star option 5 minutes’ walk from the main square. If you stay there, take at least one walk up the stairs from floor 2 to floor 3 for the best view in the town (see the lead shot of the article).
Penzion Dubina is a highly rated guest house in a beautiful part of the old town, between the Cathedral and main square.
Penzion Macha is also ideally located, less than five minutes’ walk from the main square, and just down the hill from the Cathedral.
There is also a good selection of apartments in Litoměřice. Of these, Apartman U Gotickeho Dvojcete particularly caught my eye. It’s in a beautiful stone-vaulted medieval building, a two-minute walk from the main square and All Saints Church.
Things To Do In Litoměřice – Final Thoughts
After intending to visit Litoměřice for over three years, I’m very glad we finally made it there. It’s a gorgeous country town, just the sort of place to enjoy a slice of quiet Czech life. I’m always urging people to look beyond Prague when they visit the Czech Republic, and it’s great when they venture somewhere like Český Krumlov.
But somewhere like Litoměřice is even more rewarding. Relatively few English-speaking visitors make it there – and many of those that do visit on Elbe river cruises. We had the whole town – not to mention our hotel – to ourselves in the winter low season, and it was magical.
Litoměřice is a great staging post, not only for cruises on the Elbe, but also travelling the slow way – by train or bike – from Prague to Dresden. It’s also close to the wine-growing town of Mělník, another of the best day trips from Prague, 15 miles or so upstream. Litoměřice is also within reach of Kokořin Castle, one of the most romantic Czech Castles, a few miles north of Mělník.
You can also travel north into Germany from Litoměřice, as we did. Local trains run via Usti to the stunning Bohemian Switzerland National Park, and onto its German counterpart over the border, the Saxon Switzerland National Park. Check out my article on visiting the amazing Bastei Bridge, one of the highlights of the region.
For more ideas on places to visit, take a look at my article on the best day trips from Prague, which covers much of the Czech Republic. My feature on the best day trips from Dresden has more information on places to visit across the border in Germany.