Cesky Krumlov Day Trip from Prague
Are you thinking of visiting Cesky Krumlov on a day trip from Prague, Czech Republic? I just did this myself, and now I’m here to share all my tips with you to help you plan your own perfect day trip!
Cesky Krumlov is often described as a “fairytale town” and it’s not hard to see why. This quaint town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic is incredibly picturesque. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped right into the pages of a storybook as you wander around this beautiful medieval town.
The historic center is well preserved and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With postcard views around every corner, it’s easy to see why this is such a popular day trip.
If you’re thinking of visiting Cesky Krumlov on a day trip from Prague, read on! I’ll be sharing important tips, including how to get to Cesky Krumlov and the best things to do once you’re there.
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Best Day Trips to Cesky Krumlov:
- Guided tour to Cesky Krumlov and Ceske Budejovice (this is the one I did!)
- Small-group guided tour to Cesky Krumlov with hotel pickup
Why Visit Cesky Krumlov?
As I mentioned above, Cesky Krumlov is an incredibly popular day trip. (Some would even argue it’s too popular — it’s a small town, and with big bus tours depositing hundreds of visitors into the historic center every hour, Cesky Krumlov can definitely feel the crowded effects of overtourism sometimes.)
Not only do people visit Cesky Krumlov from Prague, which is a little over two hours away, but day trippers also come from nearby Austria and Germany to explore the town for the afternoon.
Despite the crowds, I still think it’s worth visiting Cesky Krumlov. I’ve been to a lot of beautiful fairytale towns in Europe, and this is one that really stood out to me. It’s such a lovely town to wander around.
There’s a lot to explore here, including the castle, its gardens, and plenty of narrow, winding cobblestone streets lined with shops and restaurants. And it really is one of the prettiest small towns in Europe. Cesky Krumlov is a photographer’s dream, with perfect views everywhere you look.
You’ll have no trouble keeping yourself occupied here, but it’s also a great place to relax. Stop at one of the riverfront restaurants and enjoy a drink or a meal on the terrace, and take in the views.
Things to Do in Cesky Krumlov
One of the major highlights here is Cesky Krumlov Castle. It’s the second most visited castle in the Czech Republic after Prague Castle. This medieval castle consists of 350 rooms spread across 40 buildings connected by five courtyards. (The courtyards are free and open to the public; the interior is not.)
If you book a group tour to Cesky Krumlov, it may include admission to Cesky Krumlov Castle and a guided tour of the interior. If you’re visiting on your own, you’ll need to buy tickets if you want to go inside the castle. There are several different tour “routes” you can book, so look into each one of them first.
Note that the interior of the castle is only open for tours from April through October. If you’re visiting from November through March, you’ll only be able to see the courtyards of the castle. The Castle Gardens are free and open year-round, and they are accessible uphill behind the castle.
The Castle Tower is also open year-round except for Mondays in the winter and for two weeks around Christmas and New Year’s. Although it’s 162 steps to the top of the tower, you’ll be rewarded with amazing views. Tickets are required for this, and can be combined with a tour of the castle’s interior as well.
Within the historic center of Cesky Krumlov, the Church of Saint Vitus is worth a quick visit. To learn more about the town’s history, you can head to the Regional Museum in Cesky Krumlov. If you’re visiting in the summer, whitewater rafting on the Vltava River is also a popular activity you can try.
Should You Stay Overnight?
Should you stay overnight in Cesky Krumlov, or is a day trip enough? This is a question a lot of people have, and the reigning sentiment seems to be that you should stay overnight if you can.
And honestly, having visited on a day trip, I agree. I wish I had stayed overnight in Cesky Krumlov! Even though it’s a small town, you really need more than a few hours to fully enjoy yourself here.
It also takes a while to get here from Prague (just over two hours if you’re driving without stops and there’s no traffic, but really it can take closer to three hours if you make stops or take the bus), so it’s a lot of time spent in transit if you’re just going for a day trip. It’s better to spend one night in Cesky Krumlov.
This also helps you enjoy the town without the crowds. I visited on a day trip in late April, and it was pretty busy even though this is still technically the “off season.” However, Cesky Krumlov gets extremely crowded in the summer months. But most of the day trippers will be gone by around 4 PM.
Once the town clears out, you can enjoy a peaceful evening and a relaxing morning the next day, having the cobblestone streets and beautiful viewpoints to yourself without the tourist hordes.
However, if you’re staying in Prague and don’t want to deal with the logistics of moving to Cesky Krumlov for just one night, I also think it’s doable as a day trip. Just know you might wish you had more time!
If you decide to stay overnight in Cesky Krumlov, Hotel OLDINN is the perfect place to stay. It’s located right in the historic Town Square, with comfortable rooms and close proximity to everything.
How to Get to Cesky Krumlov
So now that I’ve talked about why to visit Cesky Krumlov and the best things to do there, let’s get into the logistics of actually getting to Cesky Krumlov. This part can be a little tricky for visitors. Cesky Krumlov is over two hours from Prague, and it’s a small town, so it’s not super well-connected for transportation.
These are the options you have for getting to Cesky Krumlov from Prague…
1. By Tour
The easiest option for visiting Cesky Krumlov is to take an organized tour. There are a number of tour operators in Prague that offer day trips to Cesky Krumlov, including transportation and a guide.
These tours depart from central Prague, so the logistics are simple for tourists staying in the Old Town. You’ll travel by bus to Cesky Krumlov and have several hours to explore the town at your leisure. Most tours also include a guided walk around the town, as well as entrance to the Cesky Krumlov Castle.
This is what I opted to do, and this is the exact tour I booked. More on my experience below! Suffice to say, I enjoyed my tour, but the biggest drawback of all the tours is that you’re limited to about four hours total in Cesky Krumlov. I couldn’t find any that offer more free time in the town than that.
However, if you don’t want to deal with any logistics, this is the most straightforward option.
2. By Bus
If you’d prefer to visit Cesky Krumlov independently without a tour, taking the bus is your best bet. FlixBus and RegioJet both offer buses to Cesky Krumlov, with a journey time of approximately 2.5 hours.
However, it’s important to note that many buses leaving for Cesky Krumlov depart from bus terminals outside the city center. FlixBus has some departures from central Prague, so check carefully when buying your tickets. This is the best option for public transportation, because there are many departures per day.
This is also an affordable option, with bus fares starting at around $10 each way. I recommend buying your tickets for the bus in advance, especially if you are visiting during the summer high season.
Taking the bus can give you more time in Cesky Krumlov if you leave early and return on a later bus.
3. By Train
There is a direct train that goes from Prague to Cesky Krumlov, but it’s not feasible for day trips. This is because there’s only one departure per day, leaving Prague at 9:21 AM and arriving in Cesky Krumlov at 11:49 AM. And there’s only one return, leaving Cesky Krumlov at 2:07 PM and arriving in Prague at 4:39 PM.
Because of this, the train really only works if you are taking an overnight trip to Cesky Krumlov. You could arrive there just before noon, have all day and evening to explore, and then have the following morning and early afternoon before you head back to Prague. But for a day trip, the train doesn’t work.
It’s technically possible that you could return on a later train departing Cesky Krumlov for the nearby city of Ceske Budejovice and change trains there for one heading to Prague. But doing this would take you close to four hours, so it’s not worth it. If you want to take public transportation, the bus is much better.
I should also mention that the train station in Cesky Krumlov is about a 25-minute walk outside of town, while the bus station is just a 10-minute walk. So the train really just isn’t a good option, unfortunately!
4. By Car
If you want the most flexibility for your day trip, you can rent a car to visit Cesky Krumlov from Prague. This can be more cost-efficient than a tour or even the bus if you have several people in your group.
The drive takes a little over two hours, and it’s a pretty easy drive once you’re out of Prague’s traffic. In Cesky Krumlov, there are seven official parking areas near the historic center of town, and parking for the day isn’t too steep (around $14.) Just be sure to arrive early, because parking lots can fill up!
For booking rental cars in Prague, I recommend DiscoverCars. This allows you to check all the major rental car companies and find the best price. A rental car can cost as little as $30 for the day.
My Day Trip to Cesky Krumlov
As I mentioned above, I opted for a guided tour to Cesky Krumlov. This is the tour I booked. It was with Gray Line Tours, but there are many other operators in Prague that are running similar tours.
I chose my tour for two reasons. First, it was the cheapest one I could find on GetYourGuide (I paid $79) and second, it included a stop in another town, Ceske Budejovice, as well as Cesky Krumlov. I couldn’t find any tours that included a longer amount of time in Cesky Krumlov (all of them gave you four hours), so I figured I might as well check out another destination in the Czech Republic on this tour.
I was lucky that my tour only had ten people, so we were in a smaller van and not a big coach bus. However, it’s my understanding that this is not the norm — so look for a guaranteed small group tour if that is important to you. Personally, I don’t like day trips where you’re on a giant bus with fifty people.
My tour started off with a one-hour and 45-minute drive to Ceske Budejovice. We had half an hour to explore the center of this city, and while it was nice, it was nothing compared to Cesky Krumlov.
Then we drove the remaining 45 minutes to Cesky Krumlov. Here, we had an hour-long guided tour of the town with our local guide Helen, who was very knowledgeable. We then had two hours of free time to enjoy lunch on our own. (I ate at Laibon, a riverfront vegetarian restaurant that was great!)
After that, we met back up in one of the castle courtyards for our hour-long guided tour of the castle interior (tickets for this were included.) And then it was time to head back to Prague.
I enjoyed this tour and would definitely recommend it, but I could have easily spent several more hours in Cesky Krumlov. Next time, I’d want to stay overnight here, or at least have a longer day trip.
Day Trip to Cesky Krumlov from Prague
This guide showed you how to take a day trip to Cesky Krumlov from Prague.
While I ultimately think that taking a day trip to Cesky Krumlov is worth it if you’re short on time, I really think that you’ll have the best experience if you spend one night here instead. Although it’s a small town, there are plenty of things to do here, and you will be glad that you have more time to explore.
However, if you are staying in Prague and just want to check out the town of Cesky Krumlov on a day trip, that’s also an option. Even with just a few hours, you can see a lot of this fairytale-like town.
Enjoy your trip to Cesky Krumlov!
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