I was not initially planning to go to Ceske Budejovice (or České Budějovice if you spell it correctly with accents).
I was trying last minute to make travel plans to get to Cesky Krumlov (Český Krumlov) but was getting super frustrated when I found that all of the buses were booked until late in the afternoon (and because I already had accommodation in Prague, I just wanted to make a day trip of it). I got desperate and nearly considered booking an 80 euro day tour that didn’t have great reviews, but for some reason, I got the idea to stop in České Budějovice on my way.
To my luck, there was an early morning bus with a seat left to České Budějovice and a late morning bus to Český Krumlov from there, leaving me about 2 hours in the first city.
I almost didn’t find the town center, as I followed the arrows that ended up bringing in the total opposite direction of where I needed to go. Thankfully, I didn’t give up; I found the town center and was completely blown away.
It was literally out of a story book with the pastel colored houses and the fresh blanket of morning snow.
I think it’s the largest town square that I have come across in a long time and probably the cutest town square that I have ever come across.
All of the main sights of the city can be found in or right near the square, such as the Radnice (town hall…the blue building), the Cerna vez (black tower…in the photo above), the Fountain of Sampson (I think you can figure this one out), and a few noteworthy churches.
As I found myself a cafe to have a quick (and VERY cheap) bite to eat (about 50 euro cents for a slice of cake), I found it so enjoyable to sit in the window and look out onto the square.
If you ever plan to take a day trip to Český Krumlov, I can’t recommend a stop in České Budějovice enough. Even just for an hour or two.
Into Uncertainty 