Making our way from Prague to Vienna, we wanted to break up the journey so we decided to spend one night in Český Krumlov.
All week we had heard people mention this small town, and it seemed like no one had actually been there themselves, but had heard it was a great place to visit. We didn’t really know what to expect or what to do while we were there, but as more and more people began to ask me if I would visit there on this trip, I knew I had made the right choice to stop there.
And let me start by saying, this town didn’t disappointed.
As the bus arrived it had just started drizzling. I worried that the rain would ruin the one night we had, but even with grey skies as the backdrop, Český Krumlov sparkled in the distance.
I couldn’t believe how adorable this town was. And here I’d thought Prague was the most fairytale-like city in Europe– Oh how I was wrong.
Český Krumlov’s is a medieval town now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The buildings dating back to the 13th century were so colorful and covered in beautiful trompe-l’œil. At the center of the Old Town stood Český Krumlov Castle, fit perfectly for Rapunzel herself.
We had been given a Český Krumlov Card in order to make the most of our day there, which allowed us to access the castle and many museums. As the rain cleared up we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to take Wiseman’s free walking tour to learn more about the adorable town we found ourselves in.
Wandering up and down the cobbled streets, we eventually made our way up to the colorful castle atop the hill. We stopped to marvel at the bears down below in the castle’s moat– Yes, real bears! How badass is that? I mean, who needs water and alligators or whatever, when you can have BEARS??
We then found out the tradition of bears being kept in the moat actually dates back to the early 1700s.
At the top of the castle we were given stunning views out over the whole town. While we were marveling at the city down below, the sky actually began to slowly shift from grey to blue.
It truly looked like a postcard. Look at these views!
There isn’t a whole lot to do in the town itself, but there is a lot of biking and hiking that can be done nearby.
I was actually glad there wasn’t much to do as that meant just being able to wander the narrow alleys and enjoy lots of delicious Czech cuisine (and Pilsners) without having to worry about missing out on something.
I can now see why people raved about this town. It has the fairytale-like charm of Prague without all the tourists, the partying backpackers, and the obnoxious touts.
Český Krumlov was the perfect, quaint European town that I had been hoping for.
Getting to Český Krumlov: we took the Bean Shuttle from Prague and then continued to Vienna with CK Shuttle.
Copyright © 2014 by BesuDesu Abroad. This article was written by Beth Williams and originally published on BesuDesu Abroad
