Czech Republic Guide
South Bohemia
Pelhřimov
If you're heading east into Moravia from Tábor and need a place to stay, make for the tiny, sleepy medieval town of PELHŘIMOV. Barely 200m across, the walled town still retains two sixteenth-century tower gates, on one of which, the Rynárecká brána, two rams tirelessly butt each other on the hour. In one corner of the pretty, cobbled main square stands the beautiful Renaissance Šrejnarovsky dům, and the Venetian-red sixteenth-century zámek Říčanskych, both now part of the local museum (May– Oct Tues– Sun 9am– noon & 1–5pm; Nov– April Tues– Fri 9am– noon & 1–4pm; 30Kč). The nearby church of sv Bartoloměje has a splendid, 61-metre-high belfry (May– Sept Mon– Fri 9am– noon & 12.30–5pm, Sat & Sun from 10am), which you can climb for a bird's-eye panorama of the náměstí and surrounding streets. On the main square itself, opposite the museum, it's surprisingly easy to miss a minor work of Cubist architecture by Pavel Janák, who in 1913 adapted the Baroque Fárův dům at no. 13 into a slightly bizarre combination of pale pink Baroque and Cubism. You can get a good feel for the angled interior by stopping for a drink at the Vinárna U brány upstairs.
The train station is, unfortunately, a good 2km south of the town centre, and the bus station is about halfway along the road into town.
Pelhřimov still brews its own beer, which you can sup to your heart's content at U Vlasáků, next to the brewery, beyond the chateau; they also do passable Czech food, though the atmosphere is decidedly grungy. In addition to housing a simple and cheap restaurant, the Secessionist-era Hotel Slávie ( 
565 321 540, 
www.hotelslavie.pel.cz ; Price: 501-1000Kč), at no. 29 on the main square, is also one of the nicest places to stay. Penzion Lucerna ( 565 333 333, www.penzionlucerna.cz ; Price: 501-1000Kč), behind the chateau, has an arcaded patio and offers decent, clean, if somewhat bland, rooms. There's also a restaurant serving Czech food.