Is Ceszky Krumlov worth a day?

We were there last September and liked it although, if you are just using it for a day trip maybe not. It was pleasant in the morning and late afternoon through the evening. In the mid-day it got kind of crowded but by later in the afternoon the day trippers had for the most part departed. The peak tourist hours were a nice time too take a walk in the park along the river. It is still a pretty town with maybe a few too many touristy shops but without the obnoxious tour groups we had to contend with in Prague.

The original RS back door experience is pretty much a thing of the past, too many of us have read his books. Just look at the Cinque Terra.

There are other Czech towns in Southern Bohemia that are less well known by Rick Steves followers - e.g. Jindrichuv Hradec, which is lovely. Telc is another nice town further east, in Moravia, close to Brno. Not that all of these towns are the same or interchangeable. Cesky Krumlov is unique, just long since discovered.

For me Cesky Krumlov is still worth a visit. But overnight. Day trip would be too hectic. Much better when day trippers leave. There is another smaller town which with little fantasy can resemble Cesky Krumlov but without tourist hordes. Its name is Loket. It is about 10 km from Karlovy Vary.

It's much more crowded these days, just like Prague. If you want to see it again stay overnight.
But why not visit something new? Telc, Tabor, Kutna Hora, Mikulov, Lednice/Valtice, Brno, Olomouc, the Spa triangle + Loket and Cheb... Czechia offers much more than just Prague and CK.

In my opinion , no. Not when compared to other small places, eg, Olomouc or Brno and others.

"...the more I look for back-doors." Then I would suggest not using the guide books aimed at Americans on Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland at all. I don't, and, #2 get out to towns/cities and areas totally off and unknown to the American tourist radar and out of this comfort zone in these countries.

I would not compare Cesky Krumlov to other small towns. First Cesky Krumlov does not really have competition. It is like fairy tale gem. People noticed and that's why there are crowds there. There are many other small towns in C.R. worth visiting, some in Rick Steves book, some not. Obviously those which are in his book have somewhat more American visitors. Olomouc and especially Brno are not small towns (like Cesky Krumlov, Kutna Hora, Trebon, Tabor etc.) Brno is second largest city in C.R. and Olomouc 5th or 6th (depends which source you use). I recommend if you have time visit Brno. Enough to see and do without tourists hordes like Prague. And prices of everything also lower. Don't wait until Brno makes it to Rick Steves book. It could change. Olomouc is already there. Olomouc is on the rail line Prague to Krakow otherwise is out of your way unlike Brno which is on your way from Prague to Vienna or Bratislava or Budapest.

I appreciate all the tips. We are seriously thinking of adding a 2nd smaller city to our Czech Itinerary. Thanks.

Barnstormer, a few years ago I was in Prague and took a day-long bus tour to Cezky-Krumlov, 3 hours transit each way. I enjoyed seeing the countryside and CK was certainly a very pretty town. Toured the castle, then had free time to poke around and have lunch. Many restaurants, inns and shops catering to visitors. I asked our guide about how many people lived in CK at the time, and his response was something like “I don’t know if anyone lives in town anymore, everyone just comes in to work at the businesses serving the tourists.” So much for being a back door experience.

Actually Cesky Krumlov has a little over 13 thousand inhabitants so people live there although very few in historic center. That was not the case when I was there for the first time in 1975. There were only few hotels and restaurants in the historic center, practically no tourists and certainly not foreigners. People lived in the center.

CK is a lovely town, but it will be crowded with day trippers from Prague. It is better if you can at least stay a night there. All of Southern Bohemia is awesome. Telc, Trebon and Trebice are all nice, but my very favorite is Slavonice! It is such a beautiful, charming place, a little off the beaten track. But you can get there by train or bus. There's a nice bike trail that goes into Austria. We walked from Slavonice to Austria. I love it there and will go back there in a few months. My family is from Sraz nad Nezarkou which is a village in the Jindrichuv Hradec estate. JH is also a very nice town, but larger that the other places mentioned.