3 Best Sights in Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic

Look for the Little White Horse, the best-preserved Renaissance house on the square, dating to 1544. It's now a modest hotel and restaurant—the perfect spot to enjoy some excellent local beer.

The Gothic style of Southern Bohemia is exemplified in this curious church. The unassuming exterior gives no clue to the vastness inside or the treasures it holds. Paintings in the Czech Gothic style can be found by the main altar, along with other artwork and frescoes dating as far back as the late 15th century.

The entrance to this château lies at the southwest corner of the square. From the outside the white walls make it appear restrained, but the inner courtyard is covered with sgraffito. There's a variety of tours of the interior, which boasts sumptuous re-creations of the Renaissance lifestyle enjoyed by the Rožmberks and apartments furnished in late-19th-century splendor. The gardens adjacent to the castle are well maintained and free to stroll in. The last of the Rožmberks died in 1611, and the castle eventually became the property of the Schwarzenberg family, who built their family tomb in a grand park on the other side of Svět Pond. It's now a monumental neo-Gothic destination for Sunday-afternoon picnickers. It's well worth the easy stroll along the lake to visit this tomb; summer concerts are held here occasionally. In the summer you can tour a kitchen for preparing dogs' meals, a stable, and casemates (part of the fortifications) with tunnels. The dogs' kitchen is a rarity and was for the noble family's pampered pets and working dogs.