Cesky Krumlov: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Český Krumlov sits inside a tight S-bend of the Vltava, a medieval town of red roofs under a castle that grew for five centuries on the rock above. Under communism it decayed but was never rebuilt, so after 1989 it could be restored almost untouched. An hour; it is very crowded at midday in summer.
A short history of Cesky Krumlov
The castle above the bend of the River Vltava is first mentioned in 1253. From 1302 to 1602 it was held by the Rožmberk family, one of the most powerful families in Bohemia, and in their time a town of craftsmen and merchants grew up below the castle. In 1602 Emperor Rudolf II bought it, and it then passed to the Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg families, who added the Baroque theatre that has survived with its original scenery. Until 1945 most of the inhabitants spoke German; after the war they were expelled and the town was neglected. That neglect actually preserved it, and in 1992 it was declared a World Heritage Site.
The ten best sights in Cesky Krumlov
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1Náměstí Svornosti
The square in the middle of the river bend
2Castle TowerThe painted tower; climb it for the whole town
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3Český Krumlov Castle
The second largest castle in the country
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4Baroque Theatre
One of the best-preserved baroque theatres in the world; guided only
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5Cloak Bridge
A covered bridge of three levels over a ravine
6Castle GardenBaroque gardens and a revolving open-air theatre
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7St Vitus Church
The Gothic church above the river
8Egon Schiele Art CentrumThe painter the town once threw out
9Regional MuseumA model of the town in an old Jesuit seminary
10Seminary GardenThe classic view of the castle over the river
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Cesky Krumlov →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Cesky Krumlov:
Free walking tours in Cesky Krumlov
The town in the river bend
Český Krumlov sits inside a tight S-bend of the Vltava, a medieval town of red roofs under a castle that grew for five centuries on the rock above. Under communism it decayed but was never rebuilt, so after 1989 it could be restored almost untouched. An hour; it is very crowded at midday in summer.
- Náměstí Svornosti · The square of Concord in the middle of the river loop, with the town hall and a plague column of 1716 raised after the epidemic. Almost every house around it is Renaissance or Gothic underneath its later façades.
- St Vitus Church · A tall Gothic church on the bank above the river, whose spire balances the castle tower across the water. It was built in the fifteenth century, when the Rosenberg lords ruled the town.
- Egon Schiele Art Centrum · The Austrian painter Egon Schiele, whose mother came from this town, moved here in 1911 with his young model Wally Neuzil. The townspeople were scandalised when he painted local girls nude, and within weeks he was forced to leave. Today the town has a gallery in his name.
- Barber’s Bridge · The wooden bridge that joins the old town to the castle quarter. Below it, in summer, a stream of canoes and rafts runs the weirs of the Vltava, a favourite Czech trip; you can hire one upstream and float through the town.
- Seminary Garden · A small garden on the edge of the old Jesuit seminary, from whose wall you get the classic view: the castle and its painted tower rising over the bend of the river.
- Synagogue · Jews were allowed to settle freely here only in the nineteenth century, and in 1910 the small community built this synagogue across the river. The German-speaking town was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, and the community was destroyed; the building has been restored as a cultural centre.
Up through the castle
The castle of Český Krumlov is the second largest in the country after Prague Castle, a chain of courtyards climbing the rock for half a kilometre, built by the Rosenberg family, whose emblem was a five-petalled rose. Two hours; the theatre is by guided tour only.
- Latrán · The street below the castle where the lord’s servants and craftsmen lived. From it a gate leads up into the first courtyard and to the moat where the castle has kept bears since the sixteenth century — the Rosenbergs claimed descent from the Italian Orsini, whose emblem was a bear.
- Castle Tower · The round tower, painted in 1590 with false stonework, columns and figures in pink and green, is the emblem of the town. A climb of about a hundred and sixty steps leads to the gallery at the top.
- Český Krumlov Castle · Room after room passes from Renaissance to baroque, as the castle went from the Rosenbergs to the Eggenbergs and then the Schwarzenbergs, one of the richest families of the Habsburg empire. Its Masquerade Hall is painted with a crowd of costumed figures watching the visitors.
- Cloak Bridge · A covered bridge built on three tiers of arches over a deep ravine, linking the castle to its theatre and garden; the prince could walk from his rooms to his box without going outside.
- Baroque Theatre · A castle theatre of the 1680s, rebuilt in 1766, which still has its original wooden stage machinery, painted scenery, costumes and props. With the theatre of Drottningholm in Sweden it is the best-preserved baroque theatre in the world, and it is used only a few times a year.
- Castle Garden · A long baroque garden on the hill behind the castle, with a fountain and a summer palace. In it stands an open-air theatre whose auditorium revolves to face different scenes in the garden, built in 1958.
South Bohemia
Around Krumlov is South Bohemia, a land of fish ponds, forests and castles: a monastery of the golden crown, a fairy-tale castle copied from Windsor, the city of the original Budweiser beer and a village of painted farmhouses. A full day and a car.
- Zlatá Koruna Monastery · A Cistercian monastery founded in 1263 by King Ottokar II, named the Golden Crown, it is said, after a thorn from Christ’s crown that the king gave it. It was one of the richest monasteries of Bohemia until the Hussites burned it in the fifteenth century.
- Kleť · The highest hill of the region, with a stone lookout tower of 1825, the oldest in the country, and an observatory where several asteroids were discovered. On clear days the Alps are visible to the south.
- Holašovice · A village of about twenty farmhouses around a green, with curving gables in the South Bohemian folk baroque style of the 1840s. It was almost abandoned under communism and is now a world heritage site.
- České Budějovice · A royal town with one of the largest squares in central Europe, arcaded all round, and the Budvar brewery, which has made beer here since 1895. Its German name, Budweis, gave the name Budweiser, and the Czech and American breweries have fought over it in courts across the world.
- Hluboká Castle · The Schwarzenbergs rebuilt this castle in the nineteenth century as a white neo-Gothic palace in the style of Windsor Castle, after a princess fell in love with English Gothic. Its interiors are carved wood and tapestries.
- Rožmberk Castle · South of Krumlov, the first castle of the Rosenberg family, on a rock over the Vltava. The legend of the White Lady, Perchta of Rožmberk, who was unhappily married and is said to appear in the family’s castles before a death, began here.
Getting to Cesky Krumlov and getting around
- Český Krumlov Station · Above the town; buses from Prague, about three hours, are easier
Cheap eats in Cesky Krumlov
South Bohemian food is hearty: svíčková, beef in a cream sauce of root vegetables with bread dumplings and cranberries; kulajda, a creamy soup of potatoes, mushrooms and dill with a poached egg; and carp and trout from the region’s hundreds of fish ponds. The town has its own brewery, Eggenberg, beside the castle. A bowl of kulajda and a beer cost a few euro.
- Latrán · Pond carp and river trout
- Náměstí Svornosti · Svíčková and kulajda on the square
- České Budějovice · Budvar beer at the brewery
- Barber’s Bridge · Riverside terraces by the weir
- Holašovice · A village inn on the green
Museums in Cesky Krumlov
The museums of Krumlov are the castle and its theatre, a painter’s gallery and the town museum; around it are monasteries and castles of the families that ruled Bohemia.
- Baroque Theatre · Original stage machinery of the 1760s
- Egon Schiele Art Centrum · Schiele and modern art
- Regional Museum · A model of the whole town
- Hluboká Castle · A Windsor in Bohemia
- Zlatá Koruna Monastery · The monastery of the Golden Crown
Nature and day trips near Cesky Krumlov
The Vltava winds through forests from the Šumava mountains past Krumlov, and the classic way to see it is from a canoe, floating from weir to weir.
- Barber’s Bridge · Canoes through the town
- Kleť · The lookout tower over the forests
- Devil’s Wall · Boulders over the river gorge
- Lipno Treetop Walk · In the treetops over the lake
Things to do in Cesky Krumlov with kids
Children love the bears in the castle moat, the painted tower, the canoes and the treetop walk.
- Latrán · The bears in the castle moat
- Castle Tower · Climb the painted tower
- Lipno Treetop Walk · A slide down from the tower
- Castle Garden · The revolving theatre
Holy places in Cesky Krumlov
Krumlov’s churches and monasteries were founded by its lords, and a small synagogue across the river recalls the Jewish community that lived here until 1938.
- Synagogue · The synagogue of 1910
- St Vitus Church · The Gothic church over the river
- Vyšší Brod Monastery · The Cistercians by the border
- Zlatá Koruna Monastery · The Golden Crown
Nightlife in Cesky Krumlov
When the day-trippers leave, Krumlov’s evenings are quiet beer halls and riverside terraces, with the castle lit over the bend.
- Náměstí Svornosti · Beer halls around the square
- Seminary Garden · The castle lit at night
- Barber’s Bridge · Terraces on the river
Frequently asked questions about Cesky Krumlov
What is there to see in Cesky Krumlov?
The top sights in Cesky Krumlov are Náměstí Svornosti, Castle Tower and Český Krumlov Castle. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Cesky Krumlov?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Cesky Krumlov without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Cesky Krumlov?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Cesky Krumlov, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The town in the river bend.
How do you get to Cesky Krumlov and get around?
The main ways are Český Krumlov Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Cesky Krumlov, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Cesky Krumlov that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Cesky Krumlov for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.