From Wikitravel

Český Krumlov is a fairly large town located in Southern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is notable for its well preserved architecture from the middle ages as well as a very beautiful castle overlooking the town, for which it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992.

Contents 1 Get in 2 Get around 3 See 4 Do 5 Eat 6 Drink 7 Sleep 8 Get out

Get in

You can take a train from Prague for under 10 EUR. Train goes from Prague to České Budějovice. You may take the bus from the bus station down the street to the left from the train station or change train and go for about 30 min before you enter České Krumlov railway station. It's a 15-20 minute downhill walk from the station to the town.

The direct bus from Praha leaves from Andel bus station (near metro). One way for 177kr (as at May 2006). It takes around 3 hours. The bus station is quite close to the town.

Get around

Walking is only option for getting around in the city center. To get up to the castle you cross the bridges over the Vltava river. If you want to do a multi day canoing trip you will need to catch a bus to Vyšší Brod.

See

• The Castle

• The old town

Do

• Canoing from Vyšší Brod to Český Krumlov

• Walk up Mount Klet' (1084m). It is the highest point in the region. At the top is a tower which was formerly an observatory, and there's a restaurant and bar, accessed by a road and chairlift. From the Český Krumlov side, it's a gentle 3 hour uphill and downhill hike, largely through forest. Easy to navigate. The green marked trail is followed from the railway station. Cross over the tracks and continue up the road looking out from horizontal green lines painted on trees.

• Rent an inner tube and go round the river's meander. You rent it, hop on the tube and float on the river. You sunbath a while and you take a pleasure in beautiful view on the town and castle before the first dam appears. But there's nothing to worry about, it's safe. However, adrenalin pump your body up until you're behind the dam's treacherous returning wave. You can watch stacks of canoeists trying to overcome the dam. Some of them will manage it, some of don't. Then you sunbath and relax for a while again. You hop out on a shelf and go with your tube for 100m (slight uphill) to where the river flows again. 100m on the ground gets you over 1km up the river. You hop in the water (opposite the town park), overcome another but easier dam and you're where your little adventure began. Locals say: "The view on the town is most beautiful from the river".

Take a guided tour to the Old Town or eggenberg brewery. Tours aer vailable every day, all year round. Just turn up to one of the Tourist Offices and buy a ticket.

Eat

There are reputed to be over 100 bars/restaurants in this tiny picturesque town.

There is certainly no shortage of restaurants offering good value meals in a nice setting.

There are restaurants in the town on just about every street although most are set back off the street and just have a small street frontage. Down by the river which winds through the town and under the spectacular town castle and tower there are a few establishments which will serve you your choice of cuisine at the waters edge.

But rather don't go to eat to hotels, especially 'Hotel Dvorak'. Pick rather a stylish restaurants. There are one or two that are definitely worth checking out such as 'Na Louži' in the center of town. Traditional and hospitable with good portions and great beer in an atmospheric setting. This place is small so get in early. If you really strike lucky you can sit outside and watch the world meander by. Or you can try 'Dvě vdovy' (at the waters edge near Hotel Dvorak) and 'Maštal' (means stables). Theese are the most traditional restaurants in the town and probably in the whole region of South Bohemia. Waiters are dressed as a grooms; you can get hot mead, a potato soup in a loaf of bread and a great Old Czech dinner including 3 kinds of meat, dumplings and sauerkraut.

Hostel99 at the old city gates has a great restaurant attached ,as does the travellers hostel.

Drink

It's probably not possible to throw a stone here without hitting a drinking establishment, and it would probably be one you have walked right past without even noticing it.

There is the full range of bars from copies of typical western bars with a nice local twist to cellar bars that feel like they were carved out of the hill and probably were. Beer is inexpensive and very good, probably the best beer in the world, and that's after living in Munich for a few years.

You will not believe how much you can drink without feeling sick later on or the next day. When it gets late the bars seem to have a strange custom of closing the beer taps but still serve shots until very late.

Sleep

You will have no trouble finding the hostels here, though there may not be room. Check out the Havana Hostel at the south end of town for a fairly cheap stay on the river--it has kitchen access, too.

Hostel99 is just inside the gates to the old city on the left. It is a beautifully restored period building which houses a restaurant and hostel which are seperate but run by the same people. Meals are good value and tasty and there is a terrace outside with a lovely view. The hostel itself is cosy and atmospheric with dorm rooms from around 300 Kc, although a three or four bed room is only about 330 Kc. There is alsoa tv room and nice little kitchen. The terrace is sectioned so you can cook your food and then eat it out on the terrace in the fresh air. And have a beer while you're at it! The showers are hot 24-7 and are not timed, and for a hostel the bathrooms in general have to be seen to be believed.

There is also the travelers hostel near the main square which is a much noisier affair but a lot more lively. There is a bar which is generally full of locals and backpackers and goes on till the small hours. You can also get food in the restaurant out the back till around two in the morning.

There is good camping about a 30 minute walk outside of the center. Ask at a tourist information office for directions.

Get out

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