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How Many Days In Cesky Krumlov?

I'm planning an eight night vacation to the Czech Republic next Spring, mostly in Prague with a couple of day trips out of town. How many days/nights would you all recommend I allot for a relaxed visit to Cesky Krumlov? I'm thinking two days and one night. Does that sound reasonable? Hotel recommendations in C.K. would be helpful too. Thanks, Ray

Posted by
17636 posts

We drove down and visited a castle along the way, making it to C.Krum about noon. The place was a little crowded with tourists but it was still okay. Then about 3pm the population in the town was cut by more than half; the tourist busses had left and the town was magic. The next morning was also wonderful until the tourist busses reappeared about 11:00. We left at 1pm or so, then visited another castle on the way back to Prague. In C.Krum we stayed at the Hotel Dvork and got the one room with a balcony that faced the castle. Again, magical. Ohhhh, your answer. One night was good. Sort of wished we had planned two nights. But all depends on your interests, the weather, etc. We are pretty laid back and look for a mood more than a bunch of things to check off on a list. The mood when the day tourists were gone was pretty nice in Cesky Krumlov.

Posted by
85 posts

Hi Ray - Just a 1 night stay is what I would recommend. The town is small .... you'll have plenty of time to see what you want.

Posted by
1525 posts

In our experience, it took about 4 hours to leisurely see the castle and grounds behind - 4 hours to stroll every cute street in the town center - 2 hours for a great meal in one of the restaurants by the river - and that's about it. However, if you are there in warm weather and have any desire to float down the river in a raft/canoe, I would highly recommend it. It's not thrills like the Grand Canyon or anything, but it's just very pleasant and a great way to see rural Czech.

Posted by
23 posts

Thank you guys. It sounds like we are on the right track with our planning so far. There will be four of us that get along well and have about the same attention span on this trip. We all like the idea of using public transportation but to be honest, we'll probably rent a car for this outing. Do you think it would be possible to visit Konopiste and/or Kutna Hora on the way to and from Prague in two days? We're not above getting up early, but this is a vacation after all. Again, thanks. Ray

Posted by
4637 posts

If you have only two days including Cesky Krumlov and you will have a car you can stop on the way there in Konopiste and on the way back in Ceske Budejovice (nice historical town and beautiful square also beer hall Masne Kramy) home of the original Budweiser (German name of C.B. is Budweis). If you would do beer tasting, have a designated driver (zero tolerance of alcohol for drivers in C.R.). Kutna Hora is little bit out of way and to try to do it all in just two days certainly would not be relaxed. In Cesky Krumlov I stayed in hotel Konvice and can recommend it. Reasonable price, view of the castle, a big bedroom and a big bathroom.

Posted by
3696 posts

We stayed two nights and I was glad we did. We had time to kind of get to know the town without being rushed. It was a laid back time to wander around and have leisurely dinners and spend time at the castle. I know if we had only stayed one night I would have regretted it. We also took a leisurely drive back to Prague with no particular destinations along the way, but found some fun roadside stops... a beautiful Czech forest that looked like it was a from a fairy tale, tons of roadside fields filled with poppies, and a few quirky little local restaurants with the worst schnitzel I have ever had (like shoe leather) but we had to eat it as we were the only guests :)) We did go to Kunta Hora but that was a stop on our way to Krakow. I thought it was interesting but could have skipped it, but one of the 4 of us loved it!

Posted by
1189 posts

Hi from Wisconsin, If you arrive in the afternoon, spend an evening, get up and look around the next morning, take the canoe during peak buss tourist time, and spend an evening. Then leave then next day. That could be really pleasant. Everyone who has mentioned the tour buses have it correct. Too many people to make the place magical. Once they leave it gets much better. My wife and I tour too slowly I guess, because we have been there more than once and spent more than two days each time. If it THAT magical, why not soak it up good? So we do. Any B&B or hotel is fine, just take a room facing the rear as the clean up from the tourists goes on in the wee hours of the night and can be quite loud. Certainly facing away from the square.
wayne iNWI

Posted by
85 posts

Hi Ray - I have been to Kutna Hora and CK. I would personally skip Kutna Hora. Not much there except the bone church...and that wasn't that interesting. I'd stop somewhere for a break on the way to CK and spent more time there instead of going out of my way to Kutna Hora.

Posted by
23 posts

Great idea about the canoe trip to avoid the tour bus crowd and the room location advice. OK, Kutna Hora falls to the bottom of our priority list, and is replaced by the brewery tour in Ceske Budejovice. BTW, did you know there is a marker near Ceske Budejovice that marks the geographical center of Europe? I've been to what many believe to be the exact center of the known universe and the spot around which the world rotates, that would be Point Zero in Paris, and I'm looking forward to visiting the exact center of Europe as well. Like all vacation trips I suppose, we have a finite amount of time to spend, eight days in this case, and an extra day spent in C.K. would come at the expense of a day in or near Prague. Not that it can't be done, but it's a balancing act. Thanks for all the input thus far.

Posted by
868 posts

>"I have been to Kutna Hora and CK. I would personally skip Kutna Hora. Not much there except the bone church." And the cathedral, one of the most unique and beautiful churches of Central Europe, Sedlec monastery, one of the earliest and most important Gothic churches of Bohemia with several important paintings by Bohemias and Silesias biggest artists (Willmann for instance), St. James with the highest spire of Bohemia, several Baroque churches by Bohemias most famous architects of that era (Dientzenhofer and Kanka), the Italian court, seat of the Bohemian mint since the Middle Ages, several richly ornamented Gothic structures like the Stone House or the Stone Fountain, the Baroque Jesuit College and the wonderful terrace with Baroque sculptures etc..

Posted by
61 posts

Ray, In my humble opinion, Cesky Krumlov deserves at least 2 days & 2 nights. It is a jewel of town, and with charming cobblestone lanes and riverside views! This will allow you to settle in a bit, and enjoy taking in the beauty and charm of this town. CK also has great restaurants. Please don't forget to take a relaxing stroll through the town early in the morning and late at night, when you will practically have the town to yourself! Regarding lodging, I stayed at the Castle View Apartments. I do not know how size of your group, but I really enjoyed my stay there and I give it my highest recommendation! For more details, you can see my review on the RS website under Rick Steve's Guidebooks/Guide Book Feedback/Prague & the Czech Republic/ Best and Worst Accommodations. Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
3696 posts

I also stayed at Castle View... forgot till I saw the previous post. We were a group of 4 women photographers and had a nice large room with 2 bedrooms and sleeper sofas. Loved our stay there.