Cesky Krumlov

Arguably the most well known part of the town is the castle complex, and the view of the town from the walls on the right must be one of the most photographed scenes. The castle itself is interesting for a variety of reasons, one is that it still has bears in the moat! It dates back to the 13th century, and comprises a series of 5 courtyards including a theater, with lavishly decorated ceilings and murals, unfortunately closed while I was there. there is also an outdoor theater with a revolving stage, which is in use today with frequent performances.
This lens cannot do justice to the history of the town, but there is an excellent site here
A similarly much photographed view is of the highly decorated castle tower from the town. The tower is open to the public and gives some stunning views from the top balcony.


All around the castle and castle gardens, there are statues and fountains, many created by well known sculptors of the time.

Dating from the time of the castle, the town grew up around the river, as you'd expect being the major trade route from Prague to the south. It was allowed to deteriorate into a very sad state during the communist era after WWII, but has now been largely restored. Alongside the river are numerous bars and restaurants, which can get quite busy but are a lovely place to sit with a delicious Czech beer with interesting names like - Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Radegast, Velkopopovický Kozel, and the proper Budweiser - Budvar (Incidentally, kozel is a male goat, and Velké Popovice is the town it comes from). From there you can watch the antics of people in hired canoes as they negogiate the weirs.

Above are the former church of St Jost, which now houses shops and a museum, and the painted fronts of houses in a narrow back street.
Below, a view of the castle complex from the tower, and a view from outside the town.

Things to do
Nearby to the west is the Sumava National Park, which is a popular place for walking, cycling and horse riding, and in winter, cross country skiing. Just outside of Cesky Krumlov is Lake Lipno which is the start of the river Vltava.
Sumava National Park site
Canoe hire, rafting, bicycle hire, and sailing on nearby Lake Lipno
Horse riding

To the NW of Cesky Krumlov there is also a golf course, but the website appears to be only in Czech or German at present -

In Krumlov itself, there are museums, theater and concerts ( more information) as well as the aforementioned canoe hire. You can also find accommodation on this site.

Places to go
Castle Hluboka is about 40km away and the monastery at Zlatá Koruna, about 10km

No visit to the Czech Republic would be complete without a visit to the brewery of Budejovický Budvar (The Czech Budweiser), in Ceské Budejovice, about 15 km east of Ceský Krumlov.

I hope this lens inspires you to visit this beautiful part of Europe! Don't be concerned about the language, as most people speak some English, though it's always polite to learn at least please (prosim pronounced proseem) and thank you (dekuji prounounced dyek-oo-yi - I have a real struggle with that one!).