
Czech Republic - Cesky Krumlov - peter.h. photo
1. Easy to get around this charming, romantic, beautifully situated town by foot on a one- or preferably two-day visit
2. A wide range of restaurants to choose from (those by the river have an especially good atmosphere) and lots of good beer (I recommend the Švejk). There’s even a restaurant museum which serves historic dishes
3. The extensive range of attractions on offer at the castle (you could spend hours here – there are several courtyards and a large park) while the painted castle walls are particularly interesting
4. The traveler feels like an extra in a costume drama set in the Middle Ages
5. Many spectacular views, and it’s wonderful to walk the narrow, atmospheric streets when they’re illuminated in the evening, or stroll across the bridges
View from the Cloak Bridge
6. Even in the high season it becomes a tranquil, pleasant place in the evening, after the crowds of day-trippers have gone back to Prague
7. Rafting on the Vltava
8. The whole town is enviably clean and well-organized
9. Eggenberger Beer (and Korma, which is a mix of honey wine known as Medovina and lager beer)
10. The places where the Vltava twists and turns amid the little Baroque houses

Cesky Krumlov - frightening statue - k.v. photo
1. Mass tourism has arrived – there are big crowds of tourists during the summer months, so that it’s hard to even find locals
2. The unfortunate bears locked up in the castle
3. Difficult to walk the cobbled streets in sandals (especially when wet, as they can be very slippery)
4. The musty smell in some B&B accommodation
5. Impossible to park near the old town
6. High-turnover restaurants serving the enormous groups of Chinese tourists are absolutely soulless
7. I was served a meal of cabbage and dumplings, but could hardly eat a quarter of it – not to my taste
8. The old town lacks any sense of authentic local life – everything revolves around tourism
9. The style of some bars doesn’t fit the medieval ambiance at all, and there are other places that strain for an eclecticism which feels forced and unnatural
10. The men among the few locals and domestic Czech tourists have the most unfathomable taste in hairstyles