---
title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Český Krumlov, Czechia | Wimup"
description: "Český Krumlov in one page: the castle tour routes, the Baroque theatre, the revolving stage in the gardens, and where to paddle the Vltava through town."
url: https://wimup.com/city/cesky-krumlov
type: City guide
updated: 2026-10-18
publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com)
---

# Top 10 Things To Do in Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov, Czechia · Europe · By Wimup Editorial, 14 min read

Český Krumlov is a town of 12,658 people wrapped in a double meander of the Vltava, and the whole historic centre has been UNESCO-listed since 1992. The castle above it is the second largest in the country. Everything worth seeing sits inside a twenty minute walk.

## Quick answer

Give it two days. One for the castle: Tour Route I for the Renaissance interiors, the painted tower for the roofscape, and the Baroque theatre, which sells a limited number of tickets. One for the town below, where the Egon Schiele Art Centrum and the Seidel photo studio are the museums worth your time. In summer, paddle the Vltava through the centre before the coaches arrive.

## Quick facts

- **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep
- **Ideal length:** 2 days
- **Budget per day:** $70–120
- **Language:** Czech
- **Getting around:** Walking
- **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.ckrumlov.info/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## The 10 best things to do in Český Krumlov

### 1. Tour Route I of Český Krumlov Castle

Castle · Zámek 59, 381 01 Český Krumlov

The original Renaissance and Baroque interiors, ending in the Masquerade Hall, whose 1748 wall paintings put a whole masked ball on four walls. Guided only, in Czech or on a separate English tour. Interiors do not run on Mondays, so plan the castle for any other day.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** From 280 CZK
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Book the English tour

Links: [Website](https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en/visitors-information/tours/1064-tour-route-i-of-cesky-krumlov-castle-basic-tour-i?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 2. The painted tower and Castle Museum

Viewpoint · Zámek 59, second courtyard, 381 01 Český Krumlov

The tower is the picture everyone comes for, and climbing it is the only way to see the town from inside its own loop: red roofs, the river, the Šumava foothills behind. The museum below covers the Rosenberg, Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg centuries. Neither needs a guide, so both open when the interiors do not.

- **Time:** 45 min
- **Cost:** Ticketed
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Buy the combined ticket

Links: [Website](https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en/plan-your-visit/opening-hours?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 3. The Baroque Castle Theatre

Theatre · Zámek 59, fifth courtyard, 381 01 Český Krumlov

One of the best preserved Baroque theatres anywhere, with the original stage machinery, scene flats, props, costumes and librettos still in the building. Tour groups are capped to protect it and the season is short, so this is the one ticket to secure before you arrive.

- **Time:** 45 min
- **Cost:** Ticketed
- **Best at:** Book ahead
- **Tip:** Capacity is capped

Links: [Website](https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en/visitors-information/tours/1069-baroque-castle-theatre-in-cesky-krumlov?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 4. The castle gardens

Garden · Zámecká zahrada, 381 01 Český Krumlov

Eleven hectares of terraced Baroque garden on the ridge above the castle, free to walk, with a Rococo cascade fountain at the midpoint. It is the quietest ground in Krumlov on a busy afternoon, and the climb up from the Cloak Bridge takes ten minutes.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Afternoon
- **Tip:** Enter past the Cloak Bridge

Links: [Website](https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 5. A night at the revolving auditorium

Theatre · Zámecká zahrada, 381 01 Český Krumlov

The auditorium turns to face each scene in the open garden: 644 seats on a 650 tonne turntable, played through the summer by the South Bohemian Theatre. Performances start after dark and carry English and German subtitles. Tickets open in January and the season sells out.

- **Time:** 2–3 hrs
- **Cost:** Ticketed
- **Best at:** After dark
- **Tip:** Tickets open in January

Links: [Website](https://www.otacivehlediste.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 6. Egon Schiele Art Centrum

Gallery · Široká 71, 381 01 Český Krumlov

Schiele's mother came from Krumlov, he painted here in 1911, and the town ran him out of it. The gallery that took his name in 1992 keeps a permanent room of his work and gives the rest of the old brewery building to twentieth-century shows. The best art in South Bohemia.

- **Time:** 1–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Ticketed
- **Best at:** Any time
- **Tip:** Closed on Mondays

Links: [Website](https://www.esac.cz/en/egon-schiele-art-centrum/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 7. Museum Fotoatelier Seidel

Museum · Linecká 272, 381 01 Český Krumlov

The Seidel family photographed the Šumava for eighty years and their studio survived intact: glass plates, the retouching desk, the painted backdrops, the darkroom. You can sit for a portrait on the original equipment. The most particular thing in town.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Ticketed
- **Best at:** Any time
- **Tip:** Sit for a plate portrait

Links: [Website](https://www.seidel.cz/en/museum-fotoatelier-seidel-cesky-krumlov/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 8. Paddle the Vltava through the town

Outdoors · Vltava riverbank, 381 01 Český Krumlov

The river runs a loop straight through the centre, and the short town trip takes anywhere from half an hour to two hours, past the castle wall and over the weir. Half-day runs carry on downstream to Zlatá Koruna. Boat, paddles, life jacket and the transport back are in the price.

- **Time:** 0.5–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Rental
- **Best at:** May to September
- **Tip:** Start with the town run

Links: [Website](https://www.malecek.cz/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 9. Church of St. Vitus

Church · Horní 160, 381 01 Český Krumlov

Founded in 1309 and rebuilt into the Gothic three-nave hall you walk into now, its spire is the counterweight to the castle tower in every photograph of the town. A national cultural monument, and the Rosenberg burial church.

- **Time:** 30 min
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Check the service board

### 10. The Krumlov monasteries

Historic site · Latrán 50, 381 01 Český Krumlov

The Rosenbergs began the Minorite house and its Corpus Christi church in 1350, with a convent of Poor Clares on the same block, and the Baroque rebuild of 1649 to 1681 is what stands. Restored as a museum complex, it is the one large site here that is never crowded.

- **Time:** 1–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Ticketed
- **Best at:** Any time
- **Tip:** Enter from Klášterní

## Best old town landmarks in Český Krumlov

Five things you pass between the castle gate and the square.

1. **The Cloak Bridge** (Bridge · Free · Castle): The tiered covered bridge carrying the castle across a ravine to its gardens.
2. **The bear moat** (Free · Castle): Brown bears have been kept in the castle dry moat since the Rosenberg era.
3. **Náměstí Svornosti** (Square · Free · Inner Town): The sloped main square, arcaded town hall on one side, plague column in the middle.
4. **Latrán** (Street · Free · Latrán): The castle-side street of workshops and gates, ending at the surviving Budějovice Gate.
5. **The synagogue** (1909 · Ticketed · Za Soudem): Neo-Romanesque, built in 1909, with an eight-sided tower and Torah-shaped windows.

## Best museums & galleries in Český Krumlov

Three small museums for a wet afternoon.

1. **Regional Museum** (Museum · Ticketed · Horní 152): The area from prehistory to the 1890s, in a Baroque Jesuit college, with a 1:200 ceramic model of the centre. [Website](https://muzeumck.cz/english/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **Moldavite Museum** (Museum · Ticketed · Panská 19): The green tektites thrown across South Bohemia by a meteorite impact 15 million years ago.
3. **Czech Marionettes Museum** (Museum · Ticketed · Latrán): Nineteenth-century puppets and whole stage sets in the deconsecrated church of St. Jobst.

## Best restaurants in Český Krumlov

Six tables in a town of menus printed in six languages.

1. **Krčma v Šatlavské ulici** (Grill · $$ · Šatlavská): Open-fire grill down a candlelit medieval lane. Book, or queue.
2. **Hospoda Na Louži** (Czech · $ · Kájovská): Plain Czech cooking in a pub interior that has not been redecorated in a century.
3. **Krčma u Dwau Maryí** (Czech · $$ · Parkán): Old Bohemian dishes on a riverbank terrace directly under the castle.
4. **Laibon** (Vegetarian · $$ · Parkán): Vegetarian and riverside, the one kitchen here not built around pork.
5. **Nonna Gina** (Italian · $$ · Klášterní): Family Italian and wood-fired, the standing answer to dumpling fatigue.
6. **Papa's Living Restaurant** (International · $$ · Latrán): Terraces stepping down to the water, and a broader menu than most of the centre.

## Best bars & cafes in Český Krumlov

Where the town drinks once the coaches have gone.

1. **Café Kolektiv** (Cafe · Latrán 13): One of the originals here, Angry Beans coffee, Czech and Austrian wine.
2. **Cikánská jizba** (Pub · Dlouhá 31): Small Roma pub with live music most nights of the week.
3. **Eggenberg brewery** (Brewery · Latrán 27): Beer has been brewed on Latrán since the 1620s, now under the Port 1560 name.
4. **Divadelní kavárna Ántré** (Cafe · Inner Town): Theatre cafe with quiet tables and a programme of its own.

## Best neighborhoods in Český Krumlov

Four quarters, and ten minutes on foot between any two.

1. **Vnitřní Město** (Old town · Centre): The meander itself. Everything inside it, and the highest room rates in town.
2. **Latrán** (Historic · North bank): The castle side of the river: workshops, the brewery, the monasteries.
3. **Plešivec** (Residential · West): The residential slope west of the centre, where the town actually lives.
4. **Horní Brána** (Arrival · South): The upper gate approach, nearest the bus station and the main car parks.

## Best outdoors & river in Český Krumlov

The river, the ridge and the forest the town sits in.

1. **Vyšší Brod to Český Krumlov** (Paddling · Full day · Upstream): The full Vltava run: 35 km, eight to ten hours, past Rožmberk castle on its spur.
2. **Kleť** (Hike · 9 km north · Blanský les): The 1,084 m ridge north of town, with an 1825 stone lookout tower and the highest observatory in the country. [Website](https://www.jiznicechy.cz/en/targets/30-klet-observatory?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
3. **Šumava National Park** (National park · West): Bohemian Forest: peat bogs, glacial lakes and lynx, about an hour west.
4. **Městský park** (Park · Free · South): The riverside green below Horní Brána, and the walk in from the P3 car park.

## Best day trips in Český Krumlov

Six trips, each of them there and back inside a day.

1. **Zlatá Koruna Monastery** (8 km · North): Cistercian Gothic 8 km downstream, and where the half-day paddle finishes. [Website](https://www.klaster-zlatakoruna.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **Hluboká nad Vltavou** (40 km · North): Windsor-styled white chateau above the river, one of the most visited sights in Czechia. [Website](https://www.zamek-hluboka.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
3. **Holašovice** (24 km · North): A UNESCO-listed village of 23 farmsteads in South Bohemian folk Baroque. [Website](https://www.npu.cz/cs/hrady-a-zamky/tipy-na-vylet/7010-holasovice?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
4. **Rožmberk nad Vltavou** (26 km · South): One of the oldest castles in Bohemia, on a promontory inside a river bend. [Website](https://www.hrad-rozmberk.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
5. **Lipno Treetop Walkway** (31 km · Southwest): A ramp through the canopy to a 40 m tower, with the longest dry toboggan in the country. [Website](https://www.stezkakorunamistromu.cz/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
6. **České Budějovice** (25 km · North): The Budvar city, built around one of the largest squares in the country.

## Festivals & annual events in Český Krumlov (2026)

- **Five-Petalled Rose Festival** (19–21 June): The town turns Renaissance for three days of tournaments, craft fairs and a costumed procession.
- **International Music Festival** (Jul–Aug): Around forty concerts in the riding hall, the gardens and the churches, running since 1992.
- **Revolving Theatre season** (Jun–Sep): The South Bohemian Theatre plays the turning auditorium in the castle gardens after dark.
- **Festival of Baroque Arts** (Late September): Baroque music and staging, performed in the rooms the repertoire was written for.
- **St. Wenceslas Celebrations** (Late September): The autumn fair, folded together with the International Folklore Festival and an evening of open museums.
- **Advent and the Christmas market** (December): Stalls on Svornosti Square, and the shortest queues of the year at the castle.
- **Castle season opens** (Late March): Interior tours restart after the winter, with the town at its emptiest.
- **Egon Schiele Art Centrum annual show** (Apr–Nov): The gallery hangs one large twentieth-century exhibition a year beside the Schiele rooms.

## Must-try dishes in Český Krumlov, Czechia

- **Kulajda**: South Bohemian dill and potato soup, soured with cream, a poached egg dropped in.
- **Svíčková na smetaně**: Beef in a root-vegetable cream sauce, with bread dumplings and cranberry.
- **Vepřo knedlo zelo**: Roast pork, dumplings and cabbage. The Czech Sunday plate.
- **Fried carp**: The pond fish South Bohemia is built on, breaded and fried, at its best in December.
- **Grilled trout**: Šumava river trout, whole off the grill, the summer alternative to pork.
- **Bramborák**: Garlicky potato pancake, sold from hatches along Latrán all afternoon.
- **Ovocné knedlíky**: Fruit dumplings under quark, butter and sugar, eaten as a main course.
- **Eggenberg lager**: Brewed on Latrán since the 1620s, light and dark, poured across the town.

## Český Krumlov transport & airports

- **Prague Airport** (PRG): The nearest large airport, about 170 km north. Nothing runs direct, so it is a transfer into Prague and a bus south, roughly five hours in all. [Website](https://www.prg.aero/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Buses from Prague** (BUS): RegioJet and FlixBus run direct from Na Knížecí and Florenc, roughly hourly, in about three hours. The fastest and cheapest way in. [Website](https://regiojet.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Trains via České Budějovice** (RAIL): České dráhy runs south from Prague with a change at České Budějovice. The station sits above the town, a twenty minute walk down into the centre. [Website](https://www.cd.cz/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Parking and walking** (CAR): The historic centre is closed to cars. Four signposted lots (P1, P1r, P2 and P3) hold about 630 spaces around its edge, and the first 40 minutes are free. [Website](https://www.ckrumlov.info/en/car-parking/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## Český Krumlov at a glance

- **Country:** Czechia
- **Region:** South Bohemian Region, Český Krumlov District
- **Population:** 12,658 in the town (1 January 2026)
- **Founded:** First written record in 1253
- **Nickname:** Krumlov
- **Language:** Czech, with English and German widely used
- **Currency:** Czech koruna (CZK)
- **Time zone:** CET (UTC+1), CEST in summer
- **Calling code:** +420
- **Airports:** Prague (PRG) 170 km, Linz (LNZ) 110 km
- **Power:** 230V, 50Hz, type E sockets
- **Emergency:** 112 general, 155 ambulance, 158 police

## Interesting facts

- The historic centre and the castle were inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1992.
- The castle runs to more than forty buildings across five courtyards, second in size in Czechia only to Prague.
- Egon Schiele painted here in 1911 with Wally Neuzil until the town forced the couple to leave.
- The revolving auditorium seats 644 on a 650 tonne turntable driven by four electric motors.
- Asteroid 2747 is named Český Krumlov, after the town below the Kleť observatory that found it.

## Český Krumlov travel FAQ

### How many days do you need in Český Krumlov?

Two. One for the castle, which means a booked interior tour, the tower and the Baroque theatre, and one for the town below, the two museums and the river. A day trip only reaches the square and the courtyards, which is the least interesting version of the place.

### Is Český Krumlov worth it as a day trip from Prague?

It works, but you arrive with the coaches and leave before the town empties. Direct buses take about three hours each way, so a day trip buys you four or five hours here. One night gets you the old town at seven in the morning and after nine at night, which is the reason to come.

### When is the best time to visit Český Krumlov?

May, June and September. June brings the Five-Petalled Rose Festival and the start of the revolving theatre season. September thins the crowds while the river is still warm enough to paddle. July and August are the busiest weeks of the year.

### Do you need to book castle tickets in advance?

For the Baroque theatre, yes: tours are capped to protect the original machinery and the season is short. An English-language Route I tour is worth booking in summer. The tower, the museum and the gardens need no reservation, and the gardens are free.

### Can you paddle the Vltava through Český Krumlov?

Yes, and in summer it is the best thing to do here. Rentals on the riverbank run everything from a half-hour drift through the centre to a full day down from Vyšší Brod. Boat, paddles, life jackets and the transport back are included in the price.

## Nearby guides

- [Prague](https://wimup.com/city/prague.md): Czechia · 10 picks
- [Hallstatt](https://wimup.com/city/hallstatt.md): Austria · 10 picks
- [Regensburg](https://wimup.com/city/regensburg.md): Germany · 10 picks
- [All of Europe →](https://wimup.com/europe): 156 cities

Part of the [Czechia guide](https://wimup.com/country/czechia.md) · [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md)

## Sources

- [Český Krumlov tourism board](https://www.ckrumlov.info/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Tour Route I of Český Krumlov Castle (official site)](https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en/visitors-information/tours/1064-tour-route-i-of-cesky-krumlov-castle-basic-tour-i?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [The painted tower and Castle Museum (official site)](https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en/plan-your-visit/opening-hours?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [The Baroque Castle Theatre (official site)](https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en/visitors-information/tours/1069-baroque-castle-theatre-in-cesky-krumlov?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [The castle gardens (official site)](https://www.zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [A night at the revolving auditorium (official site)](https://www.otacivehlediste.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Egon Schiele Art Centrum (official site)](https://www.esac.cz/en/egon-schiele-art-centrum/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Museum Fotoatelier Seidel (official site)](https://www.seidel.cz/en/museum-fotoatelier-seidel-cesky-krumlov/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Paddle the Vltava through the town (official site)](https://www.malecek.cz/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Regional Museum (official site)](https://muzeumck.cz/english/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Kleť (official site)](https://www.jiznicechy.cz/en/targets/30-klet-observatory?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Zlatá Koruna Monastery (official site)](https://www.klaster-zlatakoruna.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Hluboká nad Vltavou (official site)](https://www.zamek-hluboka.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Holašovice (official site)](https://www.npu.cz/cs/hrady-a-zamky/tipy-na-vylet/7010-holasovice?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Rožmberk nad Vltavou (official site)](https://www.hrad-rozmberk.cz/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Lipno Treetop Walkway (official site)](https://www.stezkakorunamistromu.cz/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Prague Airport (official site)](https://www.prg.aero/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Buses from Prague (official site)](https://regiojet.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Trains via České Budějovice (official site)](https://www.cd.cz/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Parking and walking (official site)](https://www.ckrumlov.info/en/car-parking/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.