Likes & Dislikes

Opinions

Czech Republic - Cesky Krumlov - Elter photo

Czech Republic - Cesky Krumlov - peter.h. photo

“Despite the tourist crowds, Krumlov has more or less succeeded in preserving its authentic appearance, though these days you hardly even see a local in the tiny town center: everything’s been turned into tourist accommodation, restaurants or souvenir shops. Fortunately, though, a lot of the old Czech pubs (hospoda) and guesthouses, many of which have been in business for decades, are still around. The town is an interesting blend of the fairy-tale medieval past with socialist architecture, and even some minimalist design.


We beat a hasty retreat after crossing the river and going into one of the bars on that side: instead of a medieval building without a straight line to be seen, furnished with ancient bric-a-brac, we found ourselves in a brand-new interior with furniture so sterile it wouldn’t have looked out of place in an open-plan office. This wasn’t the Krumlov we’d fallen in love with.

The front half of a Trabant mounted next to a photo of Marilyn Monroe on the wall of the Don Julius pub exemplifies the town’s charming eclecticism. However, we still found the misguided minimalism of the interior a little off-putting. If you’re looking for traditional Czech dumplings, avoiding the biggest restaurants is probably best, as they specialize in feeding large tour groups. Also, if you’re ordering a beer, it doesn’t hurt to specify that you’d prefer the local Eggenberg variety, as otherwise, in many places, they’re likely just to bring you a standard commercial lager. (2016)”

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“Český Krumlov is an eternal classic. It's close, affordable, and has the atmosphere of a fairy-tale town once upon a time, while the pub crawl can be interrupted with an excellent rafting trip on the Vltava.

The fairy-tale city of beer and dumplings has now been completely taken over by the tourist mobs led by the Japanese, followed immediately by the Hungarians. The entire old town lives in Babel-like linguistic chaos because whoever has the good fortune to visit the Czech Republic will almost certainly come here, besides Prague.

Complete Disneyfication may have avoided Krumlov only because the city already looks like it was drawn as if it were the archetype of every Disney fairy-tale city. It is just as colorful, with curvy, winding, cobbled, narrow streets and towers, surrounded by a river and a castle, as the places described in the great fairy tales.

Despite the crowds of tourists, Krumlov has more or less managed to keep the appearance of authenticity, even though the tiny downtown area is hardly inhabited by locals today. Everything has been transformed into accommodations, restaurants and souvenir shops, but fortunately, many old beer bars and pubs/hostels that have been in operation for decades have also remained. The retro feel left over from socialism is interestingly mixed with the atmosphere of a medieval fairy tale and sometimes even with minimalist design."



Practicals

Transport

Vienna is a 3-hours drive distance.

The Old Town is car-free.

Food

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Cesky Krumlov - roasted pork knuckle - b.z. photo

Cesky Krumlov - restaurant - r.g. photo

Cesky Krumlov - street food - m.l. photo

Shopping

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Cesky Krumlov - traditional regional products - d.a. photo

Fun

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Cesky Krumlov by night

Others

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Cesky Krumlov - themed chairs - r.g. photo

Cesky Krumlov - imaginative bench

Background

Cesky Krumlov - view - b.z. photo

Destination in brief

Cesky Krumlov is a city in Czechia, a top tourist attraction of the country. The town is 175 km (108 mi) south of Prague, close to the Austrian border.

The Old Town is surrounded by the Vltava (Moldau) river that forms a U-bend around it.

Population (in 2020): 14,100

Cesky Kurmlov is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Practically, the entire population of the city lives on tourism; almost every building is a hotel, a guesthouse, a restaurant, a cafe, or a tourist shop.

One of the city's main attraction is a castle perched on a rock high above the old town.

People

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Cesky Krumlov - tourists - r.g. photo

Attractions

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Cesky Kurmlov - Old Town Square (or Svornosti Square) with Marian Column (or Plague Statue) - r.g. photo

Cesky Krumlov - r.g. photo

Cesky Krumlov - r.g. photo

Český Krumlov - Castle Tower - K. Elter's photo

Museums

Cesky Krumlov - Museum of Commerce - a.t. ma photo

Cesky Krumlov - Museum of Commerce - a.t. ma photo

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