Prague to Cesky Krumlov & Karlovy Vary itinerary suggestion

I believe the bus to Cesky Krumlov is about 3 hours. The train is about 2.5 hours. Speaking of the trains I believe the first direct train doesn’t arrive in Cesky Krumlov until about noon. Then, I believe, the only direct train back is about 4pm. That means 5 or 6 hours of travel for a few hours of visit. Maybe the buses have more convenient timing but I don’t much enjoy buses.

Because a lot of folks use the tour groups to do Cesky Krumlov as a day trip (visit Viator for examples), that time from lunch to mid-afternoon isn’t as enjoyable as the mornings and the evenings when the day trippers are gone.

And there is a lot to see so doing a day trip to Cesky Krumlov isn’t something I would do. I would spend a night at the very least, and two nights isn’t bad.

CK Shuttle offers door to door transfers from Prague to CK in either shared vans or private cars. We used them years ago - they offered great service. We stayed overnight - I wouldn't want to do it as a day trip.

You might want to consider booking a private scenic transfer either to CK or back to Prague, and add a stop somewhere along the route, i.e. Kutna Hora. The two locations you're looking at are in different directions from Prague, and would involve a great deal of travel time to see both.

I used CK too. The other shuttle is Bean, but the train is maybe a bit faster unless you are the first hotel at both ends and as I recall tge train leaves at about 9am which is about as early a transfer as I want on holiday. Return you could do the shuttle if they have a good later one as the 4pm train is a bit early for me with an overnight stay but maybe okay with a 2 night stay. I like the freedom of movement on a train, but nothing wrong with the shuttle.

Český Krumlov is definitely worth an overnight stay, especially since the throng of tourists tends to arrive at 10 a.m. and leave at 3pm. Trains from Prague have to make the connection in České Budějovice, so that actually takes a little bit longer than if you would hire a private car or even take a bus directly down from Prague. I am a professional guide at the castle, so if you like some suggestions about how to spend your time in Český Krumlov, please feel free to let me know. Bryce

Would you consider renting a car?