How to spend a fabulous day in Trebon + Complete visitor’s guide (2026)
Trebon has a historic town square with a viewing town hall tower, pretty Renaissance houses, a beautiful castle with a park, town gates and original walls. If that’s not a good enough reason, there is also Zlatá stoka (Golden Canal) that winds around the historic centre and on the other side you can find the large Svet (World) pond.
I always enjoyed visiting Trebon, ever since I was little and we used to camp at the local ponds during summer holidays. Every time I visit, I find something new to explore, new cafe opening or see something different I didn’t get the chance to visit last time.
MORE DAY TRIPS FROM PRAGUE
- Visiting Pardubice Town (Gingerbreads, Medieval Town & Horseracing) >>
- The complete visitor’s guide to historic Slavonice Town >>
- Exploring Zatec & it’s hops brewing history >>
My favourite reasons to visit Trebon
For those of you who might be wondering, whether Trebon is worth visiting or not, let me share with you my reasons for visiting Trebon.
The town is easily reachable by train from Prague and whilst it takes just over 2 hrs one way, it’s a straightforward journey with just one change over. Bring a book, look out from the window or listen to music or podcasts and the journey will seem super fast. I usually bring my laptop and write on the train – it’s my favourite office!
Another great reason for visiting Trebon is that whilst there is a lot of walking involved around the town, it’s all fairly flat level. The Trebon Chatteau is right in the centre of the town, so you don’t have to climb any hills like when you are going up to the Prague Castle. The spa, historic town and lovely medieval town streets are also very easy to navigate. If you fancy a walk, you can walk around the local lakes, which again is a flat walk.
Also, if you happen to visit Prague during Christmas time and taste the traditional Christmas dinner of fried carp and potato salad, it’s 99% chance that the carp would have come from Trebon. This is because the fish pond industry at Trebon is the largest one in the Czech Republic and also in Europe.
I’ve been to Trebon many times, but the last time I visited it was in the summer heatwave. I was very happy to try the many different types of ice-creams from different shops, take a tour of the Trebon palace in the middle of the day (nice and cold inside) and then walk towards the Trebon lakes on paths covered by tall trees. When I was leaving I saw the most amazing sunset as I was waiting for my train. This was a truly perfect day trip from Prague.
How to Experience Trebon in One day
I first walked up to the water tower, because it was designed by Plecnik, who also designed elements of Prague Castle and other buildings in Prague, and I wanted to see how his style was transferred to a functional building of a water tower.
I also wanted to see the town from the top of the tower (my new favourite way to take half-decent photos in the summer, when the sun throws shade so strong that nothing comes out right…). The town hall tower is on the main square and costs only 40 CZK to enter.
Don’t forget to try locally-made ice cream as you walk through the town. The best one is tucked away in one of the side streets close to the chateau. They specialise in yoghurt ice cream and my raspberry sorbet with vanilla yoghurt was absolutely delicious (and the large size cone cost only 45 CZK)
I took the tour of the Trebon chateau because although I’ve been before (about 20 years ago) I couldn’t remember any of the interiors and wanted to hide from the sun inside the chateau for an hour. Sadly you can’t take pictures inside, so I only have photos of the castle courtyard as it was being transformed into an outdoor theatre for that evening’s play.
I spend some time just wandering the streets, which are full of pretty historic houses, often going back as far as the 16th century. I’ve also enjoyed walking under the house’s vaulted ceilings, which are not only nice and cold in the heat of the summer but also have some wonderful local shops to explore.
If you fancy a little walk, you can follow the well-marked walking trails along the Svet pond to the Schwarzenberg burial tomb. On the way there you will also see the local brewery and the large fishponds. The fish industry in Trebon is the largest and biggest one in Europe. If you choose a local carp from your restaurant menu, there is a high chance that it will be from Trebon.
The best time to visit Trebon
There is plenty to see and do throughout the whole year, but if you want to see the chateau and other attractions inside it’s best to visit during the main tourist season, which is from the beginning of April until the end of September/October. The museums, tower and chateau are usually closed on Mondays even during the main tourist season.
If you don’t want too many crowds, visit during weekdays (not on Monday) slightly off the main summer holidays, like in May, June or September.
TRAVELING AROUND CZECH REPUBLIC
- Visiting Kutna Hora by train from Prague >>
- How to get to Cesky Krumlov >>
- Karlstejn castle by train – easy 1/2 day trip from Prague >>
- How to get to Terezin by public transport from >>
The Trebon Chateau
This large Renaissance chateau is right next to the historic centre of Trebon. You have three different options here for the guided tours, including seeing the refurbished Rožmberk Renaissance rooms with beautiful picture art collections, the alchemist workshop from the time of Bohemian King and Emperor Rudolf II, where English alchemists John Dee and Edward Kelly tried (and failed…) to make gold from other minerals, the impressive library of Petr Vok, and the Rožmberk armoury.
There is also a guided tour that includes private Schwarzenberg apartments. The third tour shows you the horse stable building, casemates, and a dog kitchen where the dog handler lived and prepared food for all dogs at the castle.
If you’ve never been to the castle before, I’d recommend taking the main (first) tour as it shows you the best parts of the castle and gives you the best idea of what it was like to live there.
The Renaissance castle was built on the site of the original manor, which was previously a fortress, and a stone castle. In 1562, the castle was pretty much burned down by a fire that spread from the nearby town streets. The owner Vilém of Rožmberk and his younger brother Petr Vok had to rebuild the castle and choose to go with then the modern Renaissance style.
In 1660, the Schwarzenbergs acquired the castle and became the owners for nearly 300 years until 1947 when they lost all their castles, houses and lands to the Czech government.
- Open Times: April – June and September – October – weekends only, July – August – every day except Monday. 9 – 5 pm.
- Castle Tours: There are 3 different tours to choose from and they run through the day starting at different times. The tours are in the Czech language but ask for a printout in English as you are buying your ticket (the staff will understand what you need and they have the printouts ready for people). You can read the guide as you go through the rooms and give it back to the tour guide at the end of the tour.
- Ticket Cost: 180 CZK adult ticket – students/children/seniors discounts available (no photography is allowed inside).
MORE DAY TRIPS FROM PRAGUE
- Castles near Prague you can visit during winter >>
- The complete guide to UNESCO listed sites in the Czech Republic >>
The Schwarzenberg’s Tomb
When the original burial site in the St. Giles chapel in Trebon was no longer suitable, Princess Eleonora Schwarzenberg decided to move the family burial site to a new place just outside the town. The family burial vault was built in a beautiful Neo-Gothic style in the English park at the southern end of the Svet (World) pond.
I really like how the history makes sense when you connect the dots. The building of the new tomb was first given to Josef Schmidt and later to F. D. Deworetzsky, who was also working on the reconstruction of Hluboka Castle. The buildings have similar features and now I know why!
The neo-Gothic structure of the tomb is in the shape of a regular hexagon and in the middle is the chapel dedicated to the Divine Redeemer. Inside there are 26 double-layer coffins with embalmed bodies of the Schwanzenberg family. The only part that’s missing in one coffin is the heart of Princess Eleonora’s son, which is buried in Cesky Krumlov, following a fairly common burial custom for noblemen at the time.
- Opening Times: You can walk around the tomb any time (there is no fence), but if you want to see the inside the opening times are: main tourist season (April – end of October), 10-5.30 every day, but not on Monday with June, July and August slightly longer opening hours 9 am-4.30 pm. During the winter season, it’s mainly Thursday, Friday and Saturday with guided tours from 1 pm and 2 pm
- Ticket Cost: 150 CZK adult ticket (chapel & crypt), 60 CZK adult ticket (chapel only) or 30 CZK (chapel only without guided tour). Concessions for students/children/senior citizens available.
MORE DAY TRIPS FROM PRAGUE
The water tower
You can see the tower on the top of the hill just outside Trebon. It’s quite special, because it was built in 1909 and designed by the famous Czech architect Jan Kotera (1871-1923). He copied his own work of a water tower that he had already built in the Prague area called Zelena Liska (Green Fox).
The tower was used until the end of World War II, when it was decommissioned. In 2013, the tower was re-opened to the public and how has a permanent exhibition of Buddhist art inside and you can also get regular guided tours of the building.
Location: The water tower is on the outskirts of Trebon, in the Na Kopecku district, which is less than one kilometre away from the historic centre. From the train station follow the one road up the slight hill away from the town and you will get there in less than 15 minutes.
The ‘World’ – Svet pond
Only in Trebon can you take a trip around the World and be back in a few hours – the World Pond that is! The 201-hectare World – Svět pond is used for summer recreation and as a center for water sports, but you can also hire a bike to explore the wider Trebon fishpond system.
The Svět pond, with an area of 200 hectares, is the tenth largest pond in the South Bohemian Region and the fourteenth largest in the whole of the Czech Republic. It is located on the southern edge of the town of Třeboň, and its history is closely tied to the town itself. It was created by building a dam near the city walls and became an important part of the city’s fortifications.
The area where the pond was built used to be the entire suburb of Trebon called Svinenské Předměstí, which was completely destroyed, when the pod was built. The volume of the reservoir is 3,325,000 m3. During the flood in 2002, however, it was able to hold incredible 10-11 million m3 of water.
The Svět pond was built by the famous Jakub Krčín of Jelčan and Sedlčan in the 70s of the 16th century and originally called Nevděk (Ungrateful). Originally, it occupied a larger area, but after a flood in the early 17th century, it was divided into today’s Svět and Opatovický ponds.
You can see the founder’s statue at the beginning of the walk between the ponds. You can walk around the whole lake as well as explore the forest park which leads to the Schwarzenberg tomb.
The trail around the Svět pond is called the Cesta kolem Světa (The Path Around the World), and from the dam, there are educational trails called Rožmberk and the Okolo Třeboně (Around Třeboň) cycle path. You can also take sightseeing trips on a motorboat across the lake.
The Chateau Pharmacy – Exhibition & Cafe
This is a really lovely place to pop in for an afternoon coffee. It’s an old pharmacy where you can see the old dispensing rooms, the pharmacist’s apartment and the herb room.
But what’s even better is the courtyard cafe, which is furnished in an Italian style and has large plane trees. It’s very laid back here, the coffee and the local wine are great and so are the homemade cakes and food. There is also a small souvenir shop and regular history talks and exhibitions.
The Model Railway Exhibition
The Model Railway Exhibition is great attraction for anyone who loves trains. The exhibition includes a model of an African railway, as well as railways set in Czech landscapes. The Třeboň model railway is complemented by figures of people and animals, and everything is worked out in the smallest detail.
You can have a go at operating the railways yourself and there are play areas with toy trains for the youngest visitors.
Location: Masaryk Square, behind the Hradecká Gate
The town hall tower
The 31-meter-high town hall tower has us the most beautiful views of the town, countryside and the lakes surrounding Trebon.
In 1638, it was rebuilt as part of the old town hall by the Italian master builder Jakub Corabello. The historic building of the old town hall has stood here since 1566 and hides its original Renaissance charm under the reconstruction of 1808-1820.
But, the beautiful frescoes of Salomon Gottfried Job with the coats of arms of the Rožmberk, Schwarzenberg, and town families are still visible. The town council no longer sits in the old town hall and the ground floor is being used as the local Tourist Information Center.
You can also see the original memorial plaque with the names of fallen Třeboň legionnaires displayed on the building of the old town hall.
In the house passage under the town hall tower, you can also see a well-preserved stone vessel of the size of a bushel (99 litres) and a quarter-bushel (24.5 litres) with the engraved date of 1556 and the five-petal rose emblem – the Rozumberk’s family emblem. It was used for precise measurement of products at the Třeboň market in the olden days.
House of Stepanek Netolicky
This is a beautiful historic building on the main Masarykovo square, which is definitely worth a visit. It’s a museum dedicated to Štěpánek Netolicky, who owned the house and was the original designer and builder of the Třeboň ponds. During his lifetime, Štěpánek built seven larger and more than forty smaller ponds.
The museum is small, but with plenty of exhibits to give you an idea of how the ponds around Trebon were built.
Štěpánek was born in the South Bohemian town of Netolice, probably around the year 1460, into a peasant family. He inherited the house in 1522 through his marriage to Dorota Lukšová, the widow of a Třeboň town scribe.
The town gates
Trebon has a beautiful historic centre, which has the original gates, that would have been normally closed at night in the olden times. There are four remaining gates, which you can see as you walk around the town: Budejovice Town Gate, Hradec Town Gate, Svinec Town Gate, New Hradec Town Gate.
The marzipan museum & workshops
This is a fun museum, that also has a chocolate and marzipan shop and workshops, where you can make your own marzipan figurine. Inside you can find a “Třeboň in Marzipan” exhibition, which presents the history of the town and important events completely made out of edible marzipan.
JK Tyl’s House
As you walk by the Golden Canal past the spa houses, you can also see a tiny green house. This was a house, where Josef Kajetán Tyl, famous Czech theatre writer and his family of nine spent his second (and the last) stay in Třebon in the winter of 1856.
The house is only about 20 m2, but somehow the whole family managed to stay there. The house is not open to public, but it’s part of a lovely walk around the Trebon town.
Golden Canal
This is a 45 km long water canal built at the beginning of the 16th century by Štěpánek Netolicky, which feeds the pond system in the Třeboň area.
The town section will take you around the historic centre, through the spa area and you can walk all the way to the World Pond and then to the Schwarzenberg Tomb. The path is flat and very easy to walk on.
The canal is a testament to Štěpánek’s masterful skills, as its average gradient is approximately 33 cm per kilometre in length, and in some sections, it is even less than 10 cm per kilometre—often giving the illusion that the water is flowing in the opposite direction.
Trebon Spa
The spa area in Trebon is much smaller than in Marianske Lazne or Karlovy Vary, but it has a very calming feel. There are also no springs you can taste here as Trebon utilises its peat soil layers for treatments.
The Bertina Spa is located near the historic town centre, and close to the Svět pond you can also find the Aurora Spa with the Aqua Viva wellness centre. There is really nice walk around the spa buildings and the local park and you can easily turn back to the Trebon centre from there.
All spa facilities and treatments have to be booked in advance – these are not like spa treatments in England for treating yourself to some ‘me’ time, but traditional spa treatments that are prescribed by a doctor usually as part of rehabilitation after a long illness or injury.
Brewery
The Třeboň Brewery sells beer under the brand name Bohemia Regent and you can find it just outside the town historic centre on the way to the Svet Pond.
The brewery was founded in 1379 and by 15th century, it was one of three main breweries in Třeboň.
The brewery had to be rebuilt numerous times because of frequent fires that repeatedly destroyed the original building (e.g., in 1781). The current building was designed in 19th century by Italian master builders, the de Maggi brothers, Vienna’s Carlo Martinelli, and Prague builder Paolo Ignác Bayer.
Both World Wars resulted in a decline in production, with brewing completely halted during the Second World War and not resumed until after 1945. At that time, the brewery also transitioned from Schwarzenberg ownership to South Bohemian Breweries based in České Budějovice, where it remained until the end of 1988.
The brewery then became part of the state enterprise Pivovary České Budějovice, and after privatization in 1992, it became part of South Bohemian Breweries Company. In August 2000, the brewery was purchased by Bohemia Regent.
There is a brewery pub and restaurant, where you can taste the local beer, including yeast beer that is hard to find elsewhere.
Former Augustins Monastery and Church
I’ve really enjoyed walking around the former Augusting’s Monastery. It was late afternoon and it was so quiet and peaceful there.
The complex of the monastery of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine in Třeboň was founded in 1367 by Petr, Jošt, Oldřich, and Jan of Rožmberk and confirmed by the Archbishop of Prague.
What is amazing about this monastery is that the Gothic buildings from 1370 and the church of St. Giles and the Virgin Mary with the chapel of St. Vincent and the frescoes from the early 15th century, have been preserved almost in their original state. The rest of the monastery complex was built in a late Baroque style in 1750.
The monastery became an important centre of religion, art and education. By 1379 the monastery wealth included nearly a quarter of the value of the land and rents in the Třeboň region.
The monastery nearly didn’t survive the 15th century. After the outbreak of the Hussite War revolution, the priests left the monastery and didn’t return until 1433.
In the 16th century, the monastery nearly closed down for the second time, because of the Jesuit’s arrival to a nearby Jindřichův Hradec. The monastery was dissolved during the Josephine reforms in 1785 because at the time it didn’t carry out any educational or hospital activities, which might have prevented the closure.
Can I visit Trebon town independently or do I need a guided tour to visit?
Yes, you can completely do this by yourself. The train journey is straightforward and the train station is just one long street away from the historic town so you can’t get lost.
You can buy all tickets to all the attractions on the day as you walk around, so there is no need to pre-book. The chateau tours start regularly and if you have a little wait, you can sit in the park or walk back to the town (the chateau is part of the main historical centre).
How much time to allow for your visit
This is a whole day trip from Prague and one you might like to get up early to catch the earlier train before 7 am.
There is so much to see in Trebon and you can easily spend the whole day here – visit the tower, take a tour of the castle, walk around the park and the Svet Pond and have lunch at the local restaurant trying out the local fish specialities.
The last time I visited, I spent a good 5 hrs in Trebon, walked 16 km in total and still didn’t manage to see absolutely everything in one day, so the longer day you have the better!
Where to eat in Trebon
Trebon is all about eating! There are many restaurants, pubs and cafes dotted around the main square and in the surrounding streets. If you like fish, you should try the local carp speciality – each restaurant makes it a bit different as there are many local recipes for preparing carp.
Don’t miss the carp fries, a speciality of the Trebon Šupina restaurant, which I’ve also seen being sold from a street vendor at the main Trebon market.
You can also enjoy fresh fish at the Adela and Harmonie spa restaurants or at the Zdejsi Kuchyne restaurant in the Hotel Zlata Hvezda, where you can have fried catfish fries with vegetable salad, in-season pike fillet on sautéed mushrooms or carp fillet with mushroom and dill sauce.
Facilities & Public Toilets
There is a public toilet outside the Budejovicka Gate close to the park (payable) and there are also public toilets at the Trebon castle.
How to avoid crowds in Trebon
Trebon is a very popular tourist town as well as a spa town used by Czech people, who get referred there by their doctors. This means that it can get quite busy, especially in the summer months (Trebon area is mainly flat and very popular with cyclists) and at the weekends. If you travel in summer, I would plan your day trip on the weekday, but not on Monday, as the museums and the castle are closed.
Saying that Saturday crowds in the middle of Prague are very different to the crowds in Trebon, so if you’ve experienced one of these, you’ll think Trebon is practically empty most of the time…
Special Events & festivals
Trebon has a busy cultural calendar and there are plenty of events throughout the year, including the annual theatre festival, and regular music concerts (classical and modern).
When I visited in the summer the ‘Mint’ Handmade Market was at the main square for the whole weekend and I’d love to come back for the annual carp fishing at the Svet Pond in the autumn.
How long does it take to get to Trebon from Prague?
Trebon is 2 hours away from Prague by a direct train from the Main Train Station. The journey with changes takes about 2 hrs and 20 minutes and bus journey about 3 hrs one way.
How to get to Trebon from Prague by public transport
The easiest way to get to Trebon is by a direct train from Prague Main Train Station. Every two hours you get a direct train (no need to change) and the other hour there is also a connection, but you need to change in Vesely nad Luznici. The trains always connect, so you don’t need to worry you’ll miss your connection.
Another option is to take the train from Prague Main Train Station to Ceske Budejovice and then the bus to Trebon. It’s slightly longer just over 2 1/2 hrs.
The best direct connection (no need to change), which takes only 2 hrs is the train express called Silva Nortica which leaves Prague Main Train Station at 7.46 and returns at 18.06.
The last connection (by train or bus) is just before 8 pm, so if you want to spend the evening in Trebon, you’d need to book overnight accommodation.
Trebon is not just a well-known tourist town, but also a spa town, so the trains can be often very busy and it’s best to get the 1st class ticket or buy a ticket with an allocated seat to make sure you get a seat.
Make sure that you get of the ‘Trebon – Lazne’ stop (not ‘Trebon’), because it’s the closest to the historic town (it’s the one stop after Trebon). If you get off at the other ‘Trebon’ you can also walk to the town it’s just a little bit further.
There are also direct buses, from Prague – Roztyly, but they take nearly 3 hrs one way with the last one leaving back from Trebon at 4 pm, which might be too early.
My ticket-buying tip: Always buy just a single ticket (one way) for your journey, unless you are absolutely sure what connection you want to take back (like for example the Silver Nortica train). You won’t save any money by buying a return ticket and if for example you miss your connection and decide to take a bus instead, you will need to buy another ticket.
Ticket cost: One way adult ticket starts from 200 CZK for the direct bus to 220 CZK – 250 CZ for the train depending on the connection. Student tickets/children are usually 50 % cheaper.
This blog post was originally written on 26 August 2024 and last updated on 26 August 2024
PIN TO KEEP FOR LATER
