Bohemian Beauty [Český Krumlov]

There were exactly two things that I knew about the town of Český Krumlov before going there.

1. It’s one of those real-life fairy-tale towns like Colmar, Rothenburg, Hallstatt…

2. It has a castle.

And I guess a third thing, although not about the town itself, was that I was going to fit a day trip there into my itinerary if it was the last thing I did.

Upon arriving in the tiny town of Český Krumlov, I walked down from the bus station and was greeted with the most spectacular view of a cloudy medieval town engulfed by a moat river and perched on one of the numerous hills in Bohemia with the castle taking center stage.

After descending down the steep, narrow, twisting streets (side note: wear good shoes here, especially in snow/rain. I may have slipped several times as the snow fills the crevices of the cobblestone streets, making for one slick and fairly even surface to climb up/down.) through the town square, I made my way back up the other side to walk through the castle.

Fun fact: there are apparently bears in the moat before the castle’s entrance. There are signs telling you not to feed the bears. Although I didn’t see the bears, I found it sad to see their cramped quarters.

The castle grounds were interesting to walk through. It’s weird, though, that instead of doing brick work, they made the castle of a solid surface and painted on surreal looking bricks and designs.

At the end of the castle grounds, you reach the gardens. Although they were closed off the day I went due to the snow, I am told that is where you can get the best view into/over the city. Even still, I found a pretty fantastic viewpoint just past the castle’s bridge.

After spending a couple of hours walking around the castle grounds, I wandered the streets and took in the sights before an early sunset (thanks, winter!).

As a tip for money, do NOT try to exchange money in Cesky Krumlov. You will receive a horrific rate anywhere in town. Do it in Prague if you are coming for a day trip.

It would be lovely to spend at least one night in this little town so as to wake up in the morning and have the town all to yourself (as though it would seem!) It seems like most people only come as a day trip from Prague (which is totally doable and recommendable as well).

If you haven’t figured out already, I’m a little obsessed with checking out UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And it is no wonder why the town center of Cesky Krumlov gained a title of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I can’t recommend a visit to the city enough. I’d imagine it to be breathtaking in any season.