Cesky Krumlov is one of Europe’s most beautiful towns. Expect painted buildings, river rafting and enormous pork knuckles.
What is Cesky Krumlov about?
This little town in southern Bohemia is deservedly inscribed on the UN World Heritage list. However, it has gone from being one of Europe’s best kept secrets to being firmly on the tourist map. But that doesn’t mean its appeal has dimmed – you’d be hard-pushed to find a more beautiful town anywhere on earth.
Cesky Krumlov is built around a loop in the Vltava River, and most of the buildings in the centre are hundreds of years old. Many architectural styles are represented – from gothic to rococo – but it’s the Renaissance the gets prime billing. From a distance, the town looks coated in elaborate stone and brick work. But get close, and it’s a painted-on mirage of incalculable elegance.
Many people visit Cesky Krumlov on a day trip from Prague, either by bus or by train, but that’s a mistake. It’s a five-to-six hour round trip, and one of Cesky Krumlov’s great pleasures is idly sitting on a riverside restaurant terrace in the late afternoon/ early evening once the tour buses have gone home.
A walk through Cesky Krumlov’s highlights
Cesky Krumlov’s star attraction is the castle, which is the apogee of the painted building gimmick and sits serenely on the cliff above the river. It’s built around a series of courtyards, has some sublime viewing terraces and a wealth of detail in the decoration.
The museum inside features period rooms, an armoury and a mint, while the tower is worth the thigh-sapping climb upwards. The highlight, though, is the remarkably well preserved – and jaw-droppingly pretty – baroque theatre. A bewildering series of combination tickets are available, but it’s free to walk around the grounds.
The town’s other museums and restored monasteries aren’t exactly must-sees, but the Museum Fotoatelier Seidel is worth a visit if only to see the old-time photography studio on the top floor. The building was the home and business premises of renowned, innovative photographer Josef Seidel, and a great number of his glass plates and prints are still there.
Cesky Krumlov’s top attraction
Outside of the winter months, a fine Cesky Krumlov tradition is to hire a boat, then spend a few hours floating down the River Vltava in the sunshine. Vltava Sport Service is amongst several agencies that will take you and your hired craft – whether a canoe or a big inflatable raft – to the start point a few kilometres away, then float back into town.
Cesky Krumlov tours and experiences
Other Cesky Krumlov activities include private walking tours and beer tours.
Where to eat in Cesky Krumlov
Dining leans towards unashamed meat and dumplings heartiness in these parts, and Krcma V Satlavske pulls this off better than most. It plumps for a medieval tavern vibe, with meats cooked over an open fire by the stack of logs used to fuel it. The mixed grill with homemade potato pancakes is practically mandatory.
Le Jardin is a more refined affair, going for the white table cloths rather than bare benches look, and serves gamey dishes such as the guinea fowl with chanterelle mushrooms, brussel sprouts and baby carrots in a marsala sauce.
Shopping in Cesky Krumlov
Cesky Krumlov has plenty of iffy souvenir shops, but wallets shouldn’t necessarily be kept in pockets. The local semi-precious stone is moldavite, which is sometimes yellow or brown, but most valuable when it’s green. The Moldavite Museum’s shop is the most reliable source of jewellery made from it, and provides certificates of authenticity.
Galerie Na Ostrove at Na Ostrove 88 offers ceramic mugs, dolls and toiletries, but it really specialises in the sort of cute, old-fashioned wooden toys that grandparents love to buy for their grandchildren in the desperate home of weaning them away from digital screens.
Cesky Krumlov accommodation recommendations
The Hotel Ruze takes over what was once a Jesuit college, and is regarded as the top address in town. It goes in for the romantic heavy drapes and dangling mock-candle light fittings, but it’s the spa treatment rooms and surprisingly sizable indoor pool that really set it apart from the rest.
The Hotel Latran is charming and comfortable, with old wooden furniture and bare wood floors covered in plush, rich red rugs. Old black and white portraits of past residents dot the walls, staff are friendly, and breakfast is included.
The Krumlov Mill Apartments are spacious, come with kitchenettes, and rather cool beds that hang from the unvarnished ceilings on thick iron chains. Large free-standing baths, leather couches and dining chairs, brimming bookcases and furry faux bear skin rugs add to the loft apartment gone country vibe.
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