The Czech Republic isn’t ONLY just about Prague and there is so many more fascinating things to do in the Czech Republic! Just beyond Passau, over the Czech Republic border and about 45 minutes to an hour, through back roads, small villages and country side, you can find one of the most perfectly preserved Medieval towns still left in Europe and is without a doubt, STUPID PRETTY!

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As one of the best day trips from Prague, Český Krumlov is the second most visited town in the Czech Republic, which draws in tourists interested in “Czeching” out the second largest castle in the Czech Republic which includes 40 buildings! Besides the castle, people are drawn to this fairy tale town for the kayaking/canoeing down the Vltava river. Founded in the 13th century and once owned by three different families, it escaped the horrors of both world wars and was forgotten about until the 90s, therefore, preserving it’s unique appearance earning it it’s UNESCO World Heritage badge.

If you’re looking to explore a good portion of Eastern Europe and only have a short time, consider doing a 12 day road trip from Prague to Vienna via Cesky Krumlov (or Ceske Budejovice) to Bratislava and ending in Budapest!

How to Get to Cesky Krumlov

Getting to this town might not always be easy to reach, especially by train (if coming from Germany). So, thankfully, we drove our new car, making it for one of our favorite day trips from Munich! Once reaching the outskirts of the town, you will be directed to different parking centers around the town, as you are not allowed to drive in the actual town unless you have special privileges. I highly suggest parking in P1, as it is the closest and is only 400m from the entrance of the town center. Once you park, you’ll walk a few minutes before you have to walk under the Clock Bridge and walk over a small wooden bridge into the old town. 

Immediately, we were greeted by the beautiful, light blue and white arcaded bridge which links the Krumlov Castle with the Castle Theater, one of the main sights to see in Cesky Krumlov. Called the “Cloak Bridge” it derives its name from the fortifications which used to protect the western side of the castle. It was rude to take guests outside when walking to the Castle Theater, therefore they built a covered bridge which dates back to 1777. They say you should walk under the bridge quietly, otherwise it’s bad luck. We would later get to walk over this during our tour. The view from above is also not too shabby. 

For the first time, we finally managed to do a Free Walking Tour. We had a fantastic tour guide named Ondřej (Andrew). He was very knowledgeable about the history of the town and knew lots of little legends and funny jokes.

We started out in the Main Square which is called Náměstí Svornosti, which actually translates to “Conquered Square”. The most impressive building here in the town hall, which was actually two Gothic houses which were combined into one. In the center of the square is a column giving thanks for protecting the town from the plague in 1716.

From there we walked up Horni Street towards the Church of St Vitus which we were told provides a visual counterbalance between it and the Castle Tower. The church tower symbolizes the might of the holy church, while the Castle Tower, although a tad taller, symbolized power.

Just behind the church is a small building which is one of the oldest musical institutions in Europe, which is said to be the most haunted place in the entire town. It is said that a teacher used force just a little too hard on a student, who died in the classroom. The mother, so upset by the loss of her only family member, cursed the teacher, who a year later died as well. Our guide told us that supposedly, they brought an exorcist man to the school to rid the school of the student’s spirit, but instead it only brought more spirits. Every teacher has stayed the night to see if it was true, and all have said the next day that there was definitely something spooky about the place.

He walked us over to a small park next to the Former Jesuit Seminary Regional Museum, which offered amazing views over the town facing the castle. While we stopped to enjoy the view, he told us more history of the town and how the town came to be ruled by 3 different families up until 1945. After 1945, the last family, the Schwarzenburgers fled from the town during the Second World War because of their lack of support for Hitler. After the war, the town was under the control of the Communist government.

Next, we were taken to a former monastery which was allowed to brew beer. Unfortunately, it burned down so many times, today it stands as a library. However, it was here that they discovered the effects of smoked beer called Nakouřený švihák, or more simply, Eggenberg. Only two places in Europe have smoked beer. Here and in Bamberg, Germany! The tour guide and I had a lovely conversation about Bamberg and the beer. It was like he knew, without asking that I had been there.

As we continued, we came up a beautifully painted building, called the House of J. Krcin no. 54. It was here that we learned about how the paintings on the buildings were so perfectly preserved. Apparently, while the plaster was still wet, the artists painted into it, that way the colors dried into it. It was a sign of wealth and soon became very fashionable.

Then, we finally made our way towards the castle. As we crossed the Barber’s Bridge, we were told a very gruesome story about the Barber’s daughter who was brutally stabbed and then thrown from the tallest window in the castle by the son of the King. Fortunately, she lived, but when the sun found out, he put her father in jail and tortured him for 5 weeks, before she finally came to the castle in exchange for his life. She was stabbed again and chopped into tiny pieces and the King finally realized that he was sick with what would later be known as Schizophrenia and needed to be locked away.

From every angle and every street in town, it seemed like you always had a view of the Castle Tower and a beautiful church within eye sight. The streets were all so colorful with gift shops here and there. 

As you walk up towards the castle, there is a little walkway with people looking over the edge on both sides. That’s because there is a Bear Pit with 3 bears. Since 1707, bears have been kept in the pit, since the time of the Rosenberg family.

We stopped in the castle square and admired the tower. It seemed like every inch of the castle was exquisitely painted as if the building was made of stones. It’s all an allusion. Somehow all the different colors of the buildings gracefully blended together, making for one of the most unique looking castles I have ever seen.

Be forewarned, the Krumlov Castle is soooo large, it has three different tours, as the castle includes 40 buildings! Part of the castle, is one of the most impressive and best preserved Baroque Castle Theater in Europe! The theater is  mostly unique in the fact that it still has the furnishings, stage settings, costumes and stage machinery dating back to the 18th century!  

As one of the best things to do in Cesky Krumlov, we would later come back after the tour to climb the Castle Tower, which was only 110Kc per person. Because of its beauty, it has earned the nickname “Wedding Cake Tower”. Towering above the town and built into a rocky hillside, the Castle Tower is a six-storied tower. When climbing up it, you will pass the wider bottom two stories with a little museum about the tower. Further up, you will pass the bells before reaching the top of the tower. Well worth the climb, it offers an amazing 360* view over the entire town.

My favorite part of the entire castle was seeing the two courtyards and the amazing painted walls. They look like real stones had been used, but once looking closer, you can see it was the popular style of painting in the wet plaster. There was a moment when I thought I was in Verona, Italy instead with a window reminiscent of the Juliet balcony.

Just around the corner from this, the tour ended with the option of “czeching” out the Castle gardens, which we were told takes a minimum of 30 minutes to walk around. More similar to gardens found in Vienna with a French look than the Medieval time period, it has supposedly caused a lot of controversy with UNESCO because it doesn’t fit with the Medieval look.

Unfortunately, we didn’t take the time to check this out. Back down in the town center, we meandered around the town, strolling the Medieval streets to see what we could find. We even followed the trail path that surrounds the city and follows the horseshoe shaped river. At one point, we crossed over the river and walked towards a more residential part of town and were surprised to find a pretty good view of the city as well as the Church of St. Vitus!

While doing my research for Český Krumlov, I stumbled upon a recommendation for a great place to eat. When visiting a Medieval town, it is only fitting that one should eat a Medieval-Style meal! So naturally, we we would eat at one of the best places to eat in Cesky Krumlov, Krcma v Satlavske. It was rather difficult to find because google maps was wrong. If you are near the St. Vitus Church, there is a small alley called Masna. Take this small alley and turn left where there is a building with ivy covering the entire corner!

Here you can enjoy a real fire smoked, Medieval meal consisting of different types of meat served on wooden platters. It was by far one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had. I highly recommend it to anyone checking out Český Krumlov!

Afterwards, we walked off lunch by walking around the outer portion of the Old Town, along the river. We eventually came upon a a great location up in a residential area which overlooked the entire town from a different angle. We also caught several people canoeing down the Vltava River which seems to be one of the most popular activities to do in Cesky Krumlov, which takes you practically in a circle around the entire town. As we were taken surprise by the warmth of the day in early May, we were already sunburned and had no lotion with us, therefore, canoeing was out.

If this isn’t your kinda thing, then sit down along the river at this beautiful restaurant which offers the best view of the castle and town church!

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If you’re interested in visiting the Czech Republic and are looking for more information, I highly recommend using the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide or Lonely Planet Travel Guides! Without these guides, I would be lost! Thee are my travel Bible!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might make a little extra spending money, at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own and these products/services have been found useful during our travels and come highly recommended to you from yours truly!

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