Jindřichův Hradec offers many different ways to explore it: from a mechanical nativity scene and castle rooms to weaving and a nature trail through a rocky valley. You can shape your stay around cultural history, crafts, media or the landscape—without combining these distinct interests into a single itinerary.
Cultural history in the nativity scene, castle and monastery
The Krýza Nativity Scene is the world’s largest folk mechanical nativity scene. It includes around 1,400 figures of people and animals, 133 of which move. Its scale and mechanics make the nativity scene a particularly distinctive part of the town’s cultural offerings.
The selected tour of the castle and chateau complex takes you through buildings and interiors dating from the Late Gothic to the High Renaissance. It begins in the late Gothic Black Kitchen and ends at the Rondel music pavilion. These two stops give the tour a clear framework: it begins in a historic kitchen and ends at the music pavilion. In between, you encounter different periods of architectural history in their actual settings.
The Church of St John the Baptist is also an important destination for those interested in cultural history; it is one of South Bohemia’s most valuable historic monuments. The church and the Minorite monastery house permanent exhibitions on religious art, the “Tree of Life” and Tomáš Krýza’s anamorphic portrait. The former Minorite monastery is managed by the Muzeum Jindřichohradecka and is now used as a cultural and educational centre.
Weaving, media and stargazing
At Dům gobelínů, a permanent exhibition introduces the history of weaving in Jindřichův Hradec and the work of Marie Teinitzerová. In a lively exhibition, you can watch handweaving on horizontal and vertical looms. The focus is therefore not only on finished textiles, but also on the craft process. In 2026, the museum is also offering creative workshops in traditional and newer crafts. If you are planning to attend a workshop or see a particular demonstration, check the current programme in advance.
The Muzeum fotografie a moderních obrazových médií takes a different approach: its permanent exhibition “Moc médií” explores key moments in the history of photographic, film and audiovisual technology, as well as their role in society. The museum offers the general public guided tours with practical demonstrations of imaging and recording principles. Unlike the hands-on weaving demonstrations, the focus here is on the development of image media and their role in society.
In clear weather, the Hvězdárna prof. Františka Nušla offers opportunities to observe the sky through telescopes. This weather-dependent activity adds a view of the heavens to the cultural themes.
Nature trail and the landscape of Česká Kanada
The Jindra nature trail follows a red-marked hiking route between Jindřichův Hradec and Malý Ratmírov and is approximately 13 kilometres long. Along the way, it passes the stony bed of the Hamerský potok through the Jindřišské valley. Rocky slopes and scree forests characterise this section. Its specific length and the landscape features described give the nature trail a different character from the town’s exhibitions and historic interiors.
The Jindřichův Hradec–Nová Bystřice narrow-gauge railway offers another regional perspective. Dating from 1897, it runs through the landscape of Česká Kanada towards the Austrian border. The town’s observation tower by the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is 68.3 metres high. Different themes therefore stand side by side: architectural and cultural history in town, a clearly defined hiking route, and a historic railway line through the landscape. Choose your focus according to whether you would rather spend your time exploring collections and buildings or the nature trail and regional landscape.
Discover more destinations: Horní Radouň, Dvory Nad Lužnicí, Plavsko, Dačice, Třeboň Ii, Hatín, Lasenice, Vnorovice.
For the broader travel overview: Okres Jindřichův Hradec.
