Český Krumlov

Státní hrad a zámek Český Krumlov

Red roofs in an S-bend of river, seen whole from the castle tower

⚠ Castle tours Tue–Sun

Hours

Castle museum and tower: 1 Sep–31 Oct daily 09:00–16:30; 1 Nov–20 Dec Tue–Sun 09:00–15:30. Castle Tour I: 1 Sep–31 Oct Tue–Sun 09:00–16:00. Castle garden in October 07:00–17:00, free. From the castle's official site

Tickets

Castle museum and tower: adults CZK 280, seniors and 18–24 CZK 220, 6–17 CZK 80. Castle Tour I CZK 300 (reduced 240, children 90); Tour II CZK 260. Castle garden free. Official site: zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz

Address

Measured from the state castle ticket office; the old town sits inside the river bend with the castle on the bluff opposite

The Vltava loops into a tight S here, and inside the bend is a town of red roofs packed shoulder to shoulder. Climb the pink-and-green painted castle tower and the whole loop lies at your feet; plenty of visitors say they liked it more than Prague. Cross the castle's three-tiered Cloak Bridge to reach the baroque garden, and look back from the bridge for another view across the old-town roofs. The town is small enough to walk in an hour or two, so day tours usually give about three hours of free time after the guided part. Stay a night and you get the lanes to yourself once the coaches leave.