Cesky Krumlov is a little picturesque town located in the south of the Czech Republic, very close to the borders with Germany. Recognised as the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is one of the most beautiful towns in Europe. It resembles Prague with its architecture, the river Vltava going through the city centre and its spectacular castle located on a hill above all the historical beauty. The town will make you feel as if you travelled back in the time for a moment. Similarly, as you would feel in Prague.
The name of the town “Cesky Krumlov” stands for “Bohemian Krumlov.” The name specifies it is Bohemian to make it different from a town that lies in Moravia and is called “Moravian Krumlov.”
The castle of Cesky Krumlov
Despite the little size of the town (only 13K people live there), the castle is the second biggest in the Czech Republic behind the large castle complex in Prague called Hradčany.
The Cesky Krumlov castle was founded in 1240 by the Witigonen family. The complex consists of five courtyards. The size of the castle is accurate to the fact of how important Cesky Krumlov and the families it was owned by were in the Bohemian history. It was occupied with many significant aristocrats and the castle was owned by powerful and rich families of the South Bohemia, such as the Rosenberg family and the House of Schwarzenberg.
Location and area
The town is located within South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic.
The castle lies on the natural elevation in the middle of the town. Due to its size, it is easily visible.
The charming castle grounds
The castle complex is enormous, consisting of five courtyards. Each of them has its own specific characteristics of architecture as it was built in different times. The castle is, however, also famous for its large gardens. Divided into the French and English parts, the castle garden is 700 meters long and its size is about 10 hectares.
Visiting the castle
The castle has six different tours and the opening times differ in each of them. However, whenever you decide to go during the year, there should be always at least one tour open. As a recommendation, the best time to visit the castle is in summer because most of the tours are available. However, even visiting Cesky Krumlov in winter can be wonderful as it is less touristy, and the town gets very different atmosphere with all the Christmas decoration and dust of snow.
The opening times of the castle are usually from 10 am until 17 pm but check the official website for more detailed information: https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en/plan-your-visit/opening-hours
Admission
As with the open times, the admissions also differ from every tour. The average full price for adults is about 300, – Czech Crowns (roughly about £10) per tour. Children up to 15 years and seniors over 65 years have reduced price.
For more detailed information, visit the official website: https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en/plan-your-visit/admission
Contact
If you want to make reservations in advance, you can do so via the telephone number: +420 380 704 721
If you need to get in touch with the castle for any other reason, you can contact ceskykrumlov@npu.cz
What else to do in Cesky Krumlov?
Although the castle is the main attraction of the town, there are many other places that are worth of visit.
Church of St. Vitus
The church is a national Culture Czech Monument. It was built between 1407 and 1438 and its creation and history are connected to the most important families that occupied the town, the Rosenbergs and Schwarzenbergs.
Egon Schiele Art Centrum
Egon Schiele is a gallery of the contemporary art placed in an old historical building. The exhibitions of paintings, drawings and graphic art can be seen there.
Cloak Bridge
A favourite attraction of tourists for taking pictures. It is one of the most stunning architectural objects in the region. The three-storey bridge is erected on huge pillars and connects two courtyards of the castle.
Furthermore, you can find many local pubs that offer Czech typical cuisine and Czech famous beer. There are also many spots around the river where you can make a picnic or relax with the view at the castle.
How to visit Cesky Krumlov from Prague?
There are multiple ways how to get in Cesky Krumlov from Prague. All of them are very similar.
Train
You can take a direct train from Prague. It takes about two hours and a half, and the tickets cost 300 Czech crowns. The trains leave from the main train station in Prague.
Price: 300 CZK
Duration: 2,5 hours
Bus
Or you can take a direct bus. The price and length of the travel is the same as taking the train. The buses leave from multiple places, depending on the provider. The central bus station in Prague is Florence.
Price: 300 CZK
Duration: 2,5 hours
