5 Best Things to do in Cesky Krumlov

If you want to escape the busy crowds of Prague when you’re in the Czech Republic then you should definitely go to Cesky Krumlov from Prague! Cesky Krumlov is like walking back in time, with narrow cobbled streets, medieval buildings, and Cesky Krumlov Castle towering over the Old Town.

We may just have found the BEST hidden gem in Europe! Have you heard of Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic before? No? We hadn’t either!

But it’s just a 2-hour drive from Prague, and it’s one of the most beautiful, idyllic, and romantic towns you could ever visit. The medieval Old Town is crammed onto a tiny island, surrounded by the Vltava River acting like a moat. And high above the town is Cesky Krumlov Castle... like something straight out of a fairytale!

So what are you waiting for… visit Cesky Krumlov from Prague now!

Wander through Cesky Krumlov Old Town

One of the best things to do in Cesky Krumlov is to just wander the streets and get lost admiring the medieval town.

We say get lost, but that’s actually quite difficult as it takes less than 5 minutes to walk from one end to the other! 

We walk around the town in the evening and early morning and have the streets almost to ourselves, it’s the perfect time to visit.

The town square is the centre, surrounded by pretty buildings with the Fountain and Plague Column in the middle. And the Church of St. Vitus is worth a visit.

But it's not the main sights which make Cesky Krumlov feel so special, it's just the general feeling and atmosphere of the town. Each cobbled winding street lined by the pretty medieval buildings, it's an incredible place.

TrovenTrippers Tip...

Don’t miss the Seminární zahrada park and garden for the view of the river and Cesky Krumlov Castle… it's the perfect place to sit and just enjoy the peace of the town.

Cross Cloak Bridge

If you park in P1 parking (full details at the end of the blog) like we did then the first thing you will see of Cesky Krumlov is Cloak Bridge.

The ancient bridge is huge with different layers looking like they’ve been built on top of each over the centuries and it makes for an amazing sight as we walk under on the way into the Old Town.

The next morning we make our way up the steps to the top and cross the bridge to Cesky Krumlov Castle, and the views of the town are spectacular!

TrovenTrippers Tip...

Don't miss the hidden balcony behind a door as you walk from Cloak Bridge to Cesky Krumlov... it has amazing views and is like your own private paradise!

Explore Český Krumlov Castle

After crossing Cloak Bridge we reach Cesky Krumlov Castle, and given the size of the town below, we’re surprised by how big it is!

The tickets were a little confusing so we go to the ticket desk first and try and understand them. Basically you can only visit the castle on a guided tour and there are a few different tours you can choose from.

There is a tour of the Renaissance and Baroque apartments, a tour of the 19th century apartments, or the Castle Baroque Theater which we opt for (we think there is also a small museum you can visit with an audio guide but we still didn’t quite figure that out fully).

Before our tour starts though we have a bit of time to explore and as well as Sneha reading that the Theatre is a must-see… Paul read that there are bears kept at the castle!

And somehow we almost miss them… but just as we’re about to head back for the start of the tour we see some people standing on some wooden benches looking over a metal fence. And down below are the famous Cesky Krumlov bears!

See the Cesky Krumlov Castle Bears

Yes you read that right, there are bears at Cesky Krumlov Castle!

Bears have been kept at Cesky Krumlov since the 16th century, and today they live in the old Castle moat. We see 2 of the 3 bears roaming around the moat and they look super cute (from a distance, we’re not sure we’d like to be down in the moat with them!)

Go back in time on the Cesky Krumlov Castle Theatre Guided Tour

We only have time for one of the guided tours this morning so we picked the Cesky Krumlov Theatre tour.

The Baroque theatre has to be seen, with all of the original stage machinery, costies, and set designs from the 18th century still intact. In fact, it’s the largest and best preserved Baroque theatre remaining in the World!

Is Cesky Krumlov and Cesky Krumlov Castle worth visiting from Prague?

Yes! 100%!! When we were planning our trip to the Czech Republic we weren’t convinced about coming here as we were looking at a few other options, but we’re so glad we came!

Cesky Krumlov is one of the most beautiful and amazing medieval towns we’ve ever visited, and we’d recommend anyone looking to visit Cesky Krumlov from Prague to do it!

Where to eat in Cesky Krumlov

On our drive to Cesky Krumlov Sneha did her usual research into all of the restaurants in town and picked out Krčma Šatlava.

The restaurant is an old renaissance building and serves medieval style banquet food cooked on an open fire… it’s super cool!

And the food is delicious! We started with a garlic soup served in a whole loaf of bread, and then shared a Mix of Grilled Meats (steak, chicken, and pork) and an amazingly tender and juicy Spiced Pork Belly. To complete the medieval experience Sneha drank flavoured meads (an almond and a cherry), and Paul had the local Budvar beer.

When is the best time to visit Cesky Krumlov?

Although Cesky Krumlov is a true hidden gem in the Czech Republic and Europe, as it’s so small it still gets quite busy with day-trippers visiting Cesky Krumlov from Prague. 

So we recommend staying in the town overnight, so you can see the beautiful Old Town in the evening once the crowds have left for the day, and visit the Clock Bridge and Cesky Krumlov Castle in the morning before the crowds arrive. 

There are some great hotels and restaurants in Cesky Krumlov too, so staying overnight is a real treat, and with prices way lower than Prague, it’s friendly on the pocket too!

Where to stay in Cesky Krumlov

We stayed at the Hotel Edward Kelly in the Old Town and had a riverside room with great views of the Castle. 

The room was really nice with old antique furniture giving us the feeling of staying in medieval times, and included a very good breakfast at the nearby Ebersbach Hotel (where you also do check-in and check-out). We paid £94 for the room for 1 night which we thought was a bargain!

Where to park in Cesky Krumlov

You can’t drive into the Old Town as it is pedestrianised and only cars with special permits are allowed to enter. There are a few big car parks surrounding the Old Town on the opposite side of the river, we parked at P1 which is the closest, only a couple of minutes walk under Clock Bridge.

You get 40-mins for free, and then it’s 50CZK (£1.70) per hour after that so it can get quite expensive, with 24-hours costing 450CZK (£15). Our hotel offered a discount ticket at 280CZK (£9.50) for 24 hours.

Also, the car park can get VERY busy if you’re visiting Cesky Krumlov from Prague on a day-trip so be sure to arrive early (or better yet, stay over like we did!). When we left late at lunchtime there was a long queue on the main road of cars waiting to enter and try and find a space, whereas we parked in a nice quiet car park when we arrived the previous evening.

We visited the Czech Republic on an amazing 4-day road-trip. We spent 2 days in Prague exploring the Old Town and exploring the best things to do in Prague using the Prague Visitor Pass. before getting a car hire from Car Love Prague. We hit the road and visited the scary Kutna Hora Church of Bones and the beautiful Cesky Krumlov, and ended with a stop at Karlstejn Castle. Read all of our blogs below…

The Ultimate Prague 2-Day Itinerary with the Prague Visitor Pass

The Scary Kutna Hora Church of Bones!

5 Best Things to do in Cesky Krumlov

Our Amazing Czech Republic Road-Trip with a Car Hire in Prague