Český Krumlov Travel Guide

A fairy-tale town that most visitors see in a day

The Gothic castle sits above the meanders of the Vltava, and the town below it has been a protected urban heritage reserve since 1963 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. The castle was first mentioned in writing in 1253, and the Rožmberk, Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg families held the town in turn; the Schwarzenbergs kept it until 1947. It is a small place with a very large reputation, and the reputation is mostly earned.

The Czech Statistical Office counted 232,000 guests in Český Krumlov's accommodation in 2025, making it the second most visited town in South Bohemia after České Budějovice (249,000). It is also the region's most international town: about 68% of those guests were non-residents, led by visitors from Taiwan (25.3%), Austria (10.7%), Germany (10.4%), China (6.6%) and the United States (6.3%). The town's own tourist office says one day covers the historic centre, the castle, the tower and the gardens, two days allow museums, galleries and viewpoints at a relaxed pace, and three days leave room for more sights or a trip into the surrounding area.

Three parts of town on both banks of the Vltava

The old town is a loop of the Vltava with the castle on one side of it, so the layout is easy: you cross the river, you are in the next district. The three parts below sit next to each other on both banks of the river.

Inner Town The river peninsula · Planned in the 13th century · Svornosti Square

The Inner Town sits on the peninsula inside the right bank of the Vltava and was built to a plan from the 13th century. Svornosti Square is the centre of the historic old town: a Baroque fountain with a plague column from 1716 stands in the square, and the town hall facade takes up almost the entire northern side. The Infocentre is at Svornosti Square 2, and Hotel Grand is on the square itself.

Latrán Below the castle · Left bank · Castle servants' district

The older part of the historic core, on the left bank of the Vltava beneath the castle. It runs from the wooden Barber's Bridge to the Budějovická Gate, and its houses were mostly home to castle servants. The Minorite and Poor Clares monastery complex lies on its eastern side. The Barber's Bridge connects it to the Inner Town.

The castle complex The dominant landmark · Courtyards, garden, tower

The tourist office says only Prague Castle rivals it in size, and the town's visitor site calls it the second largest of its kind in Czechia. It includes the small Hrádek and around 40 other buildings and palaces. The castle garden covers 11 hectares, and bears have lived in the lower castle moat since 1707.

Old-town hotels that guests rate 9 or higher

Český Krumlov has plenty of small hotels and guest houses inside the historic centre, and several are rated 9 or higher by guests. These picks cover the range and every one is listed on Booking.com with a rating from real guest reviews.

Prices below are rough winter midweek averages for a double room (February 2027), so check current rates for your dates. At the top, Boutique Hotel Villa Beatika is a five-star on Prikra street that guests rate 9+ (around €110 to €120 a night). In the old town, Garni hotel Castle Bridge on Hradební (around €110 to €115) has close to 2,000 guest reviews averaging about 9, and Hotel Grand sits right on Svornosti Square (around €105 to €110, guests rate it 8.9 from over 1,200 reviews).

In the four-star middle, Hotel Latrán in the Latrán district (around €90) has a guest rating of 9.3 from over 450 reviews, and Hotel Dvořák on Radniční street (around €85 to €115) is rated 9 from over 900 reviews. On a tighter budget, Pension Kristian on Masná (around €75) and Penzion Landauer on Rooseweltova (around €70) both score above 9 from several hundred reviews, and Residence Muzeum Vltavínů, an apartment property on Panská (around €45), is rated 9.1 from over 500 reviews.

Open-fire grills, local beer and old brewhouses

The town's own historic brewery supplies local beer, and a few kitchens lean on it. The venues below are the ones this guide could confirm with the town's tourist office or the national tourism portal; check current opening hours before you go, as none of the sources list them.

Krčma Šatlava Medieval-style tavern · Masná 157 · Open all year

A medieval-style tavern with 120 seats (80 indoors, 40 outdoors), less than 500 metres from the main square. The kitchen grills suckling pig, game and chicken over open fire, and the drinks list includes Moravian wines and Budvar light and dark beer. The tourist office lists it as open all year.

Hospoda Na Louži Classic Czech dishes · Kájovská 66

A family-run restaurant in a Renaissance house in the historic centre, with interiors styled after the 1930s and a summer garden. The national tourism portal says it serves traditional restaurant cooking with classic Czech dishes and pours beer from the local historic Krumlov brewery.

Port 1560 Former manor brewery · Pivovarská 27

Opened in 2024 in a former manor brewery, Port 1560 has four exhibitions across a Gothic-Renaissance palace, a neo-Gothic brewhouse and an industrial kiln building. The town's event listings have included guided tours of the historic brewhouse, which show the brewhouse where Krumlov beer is made today and include a tasting; dates and prices change, so check the tourist office's events page.

A castle, a Baroque theatre and a river to float down

One day covers the historic centre, the castle, the tower and the gardens. Everything else is a bonus: museums, viewpoints, the river and the monasteries just outside the centre.

Castle complex

Český Krumlov Castle

The second largest castle complex in Czechia, with a tower rising 86 metres above the Vltava.

• 280 CZK museum and tower
• Garden free

Book a private walking tour →

Baroque theatre

Baroque Castle Theatre

One of the best preserved Baroque theatres in the world, with its original stage machinery and costumes.

• 400 CZK
• Check dates ahead

Gothic church

St Vitus Church

A three-nave church with a late Gothic core, a neo-Gothic tower and Gothic frescoes from the early 15th century.

• Late Gothic core
• Neo-Gothic tower

River loop

The Vltava

Rental companies run boats, rafts and canoes on the river, from half-day trips through the town to day trips to Zlatá Koruna.

• Book ahead in high season
• Water level decides

Book a 50-minute raft cruise →

The castle and its prices

The castle's own site lists these adult prices: castle museum and castle tower (self-guided) 280 CZK, tour route I 300 CZK, tour route II 260 CZK, the Baroque Castle Theatre 400 CZK, the Bellaria summer house 200 CZK and the stables 80 CZK. The castle garden is free. The tower is the viewpoint: the tourist office puts it 86 metres above the river. The castle's highlights include the Masquerade Hall decorations and the Baroque theatre, and the garden has a cascading fountain and the rococo Bellaria summer house. If you would rather have the context explained, a private two-hour walking tour (guests rate it 4.8 from over 100 reviews) covers the town and its history.

Squares, churches and museums

St Vitus Church, the Minorite and Poor Clares monasteries (14th to 18th century), the Museum Fotoatelier Seidel, the synagogue and the Egon Schiele Atelier, the house on the Vltava bank where Schiele lived and worked in 1911, all appear in the tourist office's top ten sights. The Schiele suite is open to the public in summer. Port 1560, opened in 2024, is the newest of them. Latrán also has houses with historic decoration: house no. 39 carries a mural of the Rosenberg Rider and house no. 15 has Gothic interior paintings.

On the water

Many rental companies operate on the Vltava, and rentals usually include equipment and transport to the start and from the finish. Beginners may prefer a guided trip with an instructor. Routes range from a half-day trip through the town to a day trip to Zlatá Koruna and multi-day trips from Vyšší Brod; the tourist office recommends booking well in advance in high season, and whether a trip goes ahead depends on the water level. For a relaxed look at the town from the river, the wooden raft cruise lasts about 50 minutes and guests rate it 4.8 from over 700 reviews.

One, two or three days in the old town

The tourist office's own guidance sets the shape: one day for the centre, castle, tower and gardens, two for museums and viewpoints, three for more sights or a trip out of town. These routes follow it.

About three hours from Prague, then the sights are on foot

The nearest international airports are Prague (180 km), Linz (70 km), Vienna (210 km) and Munich (300 km). From Prague, the tourist office gives about 3 hours by bus, several times a day either directly or with a change in České Budějovice. FlixBus lists its fastest trip as 2 hours 35 minutes, with arrival stops at the bus station (Nemocniční 586) and at Špičák (U Luny 137).

By train, České dráhy runs a direct Jižní expres once a day, leaving Prague at 8:01 and returning from Český Krumlov at 14:07; the journey takes just under 3 hours and tickets start from 195 CZK. Other trains involve a change in České Budějovice. The station is 1.7 km north of the centre, a walk of about 35 minutes to the square. The bus station is 650 m from Svornosti Square (about 13 minutes on foot) and Špičák is 800 m (about 15 minutes).

By car it is 180 km from Prague, about 2.5 hours, on the E55. More than 800 parking spaces in lots P1 to P5 and P7 are 480 to 880 metres (8 to 15 minutes on foot) from Svornosti Square and are open year-round; they cannot be reserved in advance. Once in town the sights are on foot. An eSIM bought before you travel saves hunting for a SIM in a small town.

The figures we could verify

Rather than a day-budget guess, here are the prices that official and booking sources actually state: the castle tickets, the train from Prague and the hotel brackets. Restaurant and pub prices are not published by the sources above, so none are quoted.

Low-risk, with ordinary petty-crime sense

Canada's advisory for Czechia is its lowest level, "Take normal security precautions", and it describes violent crime as low. It also notes that petty crime such as pickpocketing and purse snatching is common, with pickpockets most active in Prague, at major transport hubs and at tourist sites, so the same habits apply on the Prague leg of the trip as in the small town itself.

The UK government advises reporting a theft in person at a Czech police station within 24 hours, to get a crime number for insurance, and using a major taxi company rather than picking one up in the street. The emergency number is 112. For the scams that catch visitors across the country, see the Czechia scam guide.

A city, a monastery and a ruin close by, plus Prague

Český Krumlov works as a base for the surrounding Vltava valley, and as a day trip in its own right from Prague.

České Budějovice 22 km · about 30 min by bus

The region's most visited town by registered guests, with 249,000 in 2025 against 232,000 for Český Krumlov, and the place where some bus and train routes from Prague change. Buses run at regular intervals.

Zlatá Koruna Monastery Down the Vltava · Cistercian

A Cistercian monastery on a promontory surrounded on three sides by the Vltava, described by the tourist office as one of the most valuable Gothic complexes in Central Europe. It is also the end of the day river trip from Český Krumlov.

Dívčí Kámen Castle Ruins Třísov · Medieval ruin

A large medieval monument on a promontory above the confluence of the Vltava and the Křemežský Stream, near a Celtic oppidum, in the village of Třísov.

From Prague About 3 hours each way · Day trip

If you are starting in Prague, a long day is possible by direct train or bus, but an overnight is better. Guided options include a full-day tour with pickup (9 hours, rated 4.8 from over 650 reviews), a full-day trip with lunch (11 hours, rated 4.6 from nearly 1,400 reviews) and a combined Český Krumlov and České Budějovice day trip (10 hours). The Prague city guide covers the other end of the journey.