Central Europe's hidden treasure; Olomouc has thus far avoided all the pitfalls of Prague, Cesky Krumlov and Krakow. Despite being beautiful it is as yet off of most tourists itineraries. This may change as people start to discover more outside Prague and the latest editions of English language guidebooks are really starting to sing its praises. In the past it has received praise from a wide range of luminaries ranging from Tolstoy to REM.

The Trinity Column itself sits on the main square, and is breath taking. It is the largest baroque sculpture in Europe; if you have seen any of the other Plague/ Trinity columns in Europe then this will be impressive for its sheer size. It was the first one that I saw and I was massively impressed. It is also one of the few examples to have a chapel in it, which is open one or two times a year. I was very lucky to see it open on two occasions; it is a pretty simple design inside. The column is also one of the largest at 35m and its top is impressively adorned by a gold depiction of the Holy trinity. If you stay in Olomouc then it becomes even more impressive at night when it is magnificently lit up.

If you just come and see the column and head back out after an hour or so then this WHS may seem a little unremarkable. As such I would recommend spending a little more time here, it is the nicest place to base yourself in Moravia, it has good transport links, and is a much more rewarding destination than Brno.

The rest of the city is a maze of cobbled streets and fine edifices and also contains the country's second oldest university and this gives the city a fantastic buzz and great night life. The parks that encircle the city are nice, especially Bezarucovy Sady which gives you impressive views of the massive medieval city walls.

If you have an interest in baroque architecture then the city is well worth a visit as it contains six fountains and another plague column all in this style. They were originally nominated with the Trinity Column; however it was deemed that the column was of more outstanding value on its own.

Olomouc is about 3½ hours east of Prague 3 hours north of Vienna and 5 hours south of Krakow, making an excellent stop over point between them. It is also a good base for several of the other nearby UNESCO sites. It is one of Central Europe's cheapest cities and despite the outskirts being a little industrial looking the historic centre is truly one of central Europe's finest.