Cesky Krumlov is one of those places you don’t believe exists until you actually see it with your own eyes. From the moment you get off the bus, the city comes into view and it’s incredible! With a 2 day trip to Cesky Krumlov, you’ll be able to walk all over the city, see all the highlights and then some. The city of Cesky Krumlov isn’t the biggest but there are still so many places to see and explore!

With 2 days in Cesky Krumlov, you’ll have extra time to do fun things like floating down the Vltava River and exploring the local brewery in town. 

There are lots of things to see and museums to visit in Cesky Krumlov but with some planning and a guided blog post to give you an idea of what there’s to do you should be able to Czech (😉) off most of the activities!

The goal of this guide is to be practical and fun so you can fully enjoy your time in Cesky Krumlov and make the best of your trip. Lots of people visit Cesky Krumlov from Prague as a day trip but we believe you need at least two days to fully take in this beautiful city in Southern Bohemia. 

Disclosure: This post has been created in collaboration with Cesky Krumlov Tourism. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on our personal opinions and experiences. This post contains affiliate links which means if you decide to use the links and make a valid purchase, we will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Spending 2 days in Cesky Krumlov

Quick breakdown of your trip:

Where to stay in Cesky Krumlov

Since two days is quite a short trip, you’ll want to stay somewhere in the heart of Cesky Krumlov. Luckily it is quite easy to find something centrally located since most accommodations and hotels are in the city center. Cesky Krumlov is a town that’s very accommodating to tourists which means there are some great options for places to stay.

You can find all the hotels in the heart of Cesky Krumov here where you can choose from a few great options.

Here are some of the best-rated hotels in Cesky Krumlov that are centrally located:

Once you have your accommodation for Cesky Krumlov covered, you can start to plan your 2 day itinerary. Below are our recommendations on what to do and see in Cesky Krumlov in such a short time

Day 1: Visiting the sights and viewpoints of Cesky Krumlov

The first day is going to cover more of the famous sights and popular places to visit in Cesky Krumlov.  That’s where it comes in handy to buy the Cesky Krumlov Card which will save you over 50% on visiting all the main attractions besides the castle museum. 

The Krumlov Card will give you access to most of the activities on the first day. It’s the best 400 CZK ($17) you can spend in Krumlov.

Visit the Castle Museum and Castle Tower

  • Entrance fee to the castle museum + tower: Free with the Cesky Krumlov Card or 180 CZK
  • Opening hours: Opens at 9 am every day. Closing hours vary depending on the season.

The best for first right?! 😉

There’s something fun about seeing a city from above. The iconic castle tower you can see from everywhere in Cesky Krumlov has a panoramic lookout tower at the top that overlooks the whole city. It’s a must-do while visiting Cesky Krumlov so we think it’s a good way to start the day!

First, you’ll enter the castle where you can use the Cesky Krumlov Card to enter or just buy a regular entrance ticket (discounts available for kids, students, and seniors). 

Once you’re in the castle it’s a self-guided tour where you can walk from room to room learning about the times of the Rosenbergs and other important families that shaped Cesky Krumlov.

Bed and nightstand from inside the castle museum.

The rooms are filled with artifacts and everything imaginable from that time. You can browse through the rooms until you get near the end where you can find the staircase up to the castle tower. 

The view from the top of the tower is incredible. There’s lots of room so you should hopefully feel quite safe from the viewpoint even if you’re afraid of heights. The views will make you forget about how high you’re up! 

Stop by Drunken Coffee for coffee and some food

After taking in the view of Cesky Krumlov from above, you can make your way down into the old town where you’ll find Drunken Coffee. The cafe is perfectly located and has a nice outdoor seating area where you have one of the best views in Cesky Krumlov.

In the afternoons the cafe gets plenty of sun so in the warmer months, you can sit outside while enjoying some delicious food. They make really good batch coffee, and their cakes are top-notch too. Drunken Coffee will usually have a soup of the day special and we tried two different soups on two different days and they were both excellent. The Hermelin cheese is also worth trying out!

Drunken Coffee’s a nice place to have a little break after exploring the castle before heading to the next museum. We love the outdoor seating area here and love the cozy vibe you get at Drunken Coffee.

Explore the Egon Schiele Art Museum 

  • Entrance fee to the museum: Free with the Cesky Krumlov Card or 200 CZK
  • Opening hours: Tue – Sun from 10.00 am – 6.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

A short walk from Drunken Coffee you’ll find the next museum that is on the Cesky Krumlov Card; the Egon Schiele Art Centrum. The whole museum is dedicated to the life and work of Egon Schiele who is a famous artist and designer. His mom was actually born right here in Cesky Krumlov so they created a permanent exhibition with all of Schiele’s work. 

There is definitely a lot to see in the museum and you can easily spend hours exploring every room. We found some of the art stunning and spent some time inside seeing it all but also knew that with only two days in Krumlov there’s a lot more to see. So some rooms we’d just quickly browse through while still admiring all the work. It really is a fascinating museum.

Enjoy some ice cream with a view

The park next to the Regional Museum in Cesky Krumlov has one of the best views overlooking the city. As you walk from the Egon Schiele Art Museum to the regional museum you’ll walk on Horni Street where you’ll pass by Zmrzlinarna v Horni which is where you can get delicious soft-serve ice cream.

Grab a delicious ice cream and make your way to the park Seminarni Zahrada next to the Regional Museum. There are a few park benches where you can sit and enjoy the view of the castle tower and old town. The park is also right next to the museum which is the next stop on this itinerary. 

This part is probably more applicable during the warmer months but we hope you get to enjoy some ice cream and pretty views before heading to the next stop! 

Explore the Regional Museum 

Entrance fee to the museum: Free with the Cesky Krumlov Card or 60 CZK
Opening hours: Tue – Sun from 9.00 am – 12.00 pm and 12.30 pm – 5.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

The Regional Museum is located directly next to the Seminarni Zahrada park and your Cesky Krumlov Card will give you access to this museum as well. One of the coolest things inside the museum is the detailed ceramic model of Cesky Krumlov’s old town, which is one of the largest models of its kind in the world.

The ceramic model of Cesky Krumlov is just the highlight! There are also plenty of other awesome exhibits to see and explore including a World War II exhibition where you can see photos and read stories from the time Hitler came to visit Cesky Krumlov.

There are four floors covered in different exhibits of life in Cesky Krumlov to the communist occupation. It’s a very detailed museum full of interesting information. Take your time as this is the last museum of the day! 

Have a delicious Czech dinner at Svejk Restaurant 

If you’re thinking traditional and Czech then Svejk is exactly that. It’s a traditional Czech restaurant that gives you that beer hall feeling. It serves amazing beer and delicious food and it’s hard to recommend just one dish because it really all is yummy. If you’ve never tried a Czech potato pancake you should order one before your meal, they are delicious.

The prices at Svejk are very reasonable for Czech and Cesky Krumlov specifically being a touristy city. You’ll get a real Czech feel at this restaurant and get to try some traditional Czech food and drinks.

Check out Svejk’s reviews on Tripadvisor here.

Day 2: Exploring more of Cesky Krumlov and the Vltava River 

On the second day of Cesky Krumlov, we recommend ticking off a few more places that are included with the Cesky Krumlov Card along with probably our favourite activity in Cesky Krumlov: Floating down the Vltava River!

Day 2 is a bit more adventurous than the first day. If you love the outdoors and being out in nature you’ll love being out on the Vltava river, and you’ll experience one of Czechs’ favourite pastimes. 

Enjoy a yummy breakfast

If you end up staying at Klášterní Apartmány you’ll have breakfast included which is a very generous amount of food.  Bread rolls, cheese, eggs, sliced meat, juice, coffee, and water are all included. You definitely won’t have to eat for a few hours after that!

If you end up staying somewhere without breakfast included you can stop by Deli 99 or Zapa Cafe to have a quick and easy breakfast in the center of the city. 

Take a tour of the Baroque Castle Theater in Krumlov

View of the famous Cesky Krumlov Auditorium.
PC: Věroslav Škrabánek

This is the one attraction that is not connected to the Krumlov Card and has to be purchased separately. You can see the opening hours here and even purchase your tickets online. The tours run for roughly 45 minutes where you get to see and learn about this famous theatre. 

The Baroque Castle Theater in Cesky Krumlov is the best-preserved theatre of its style in Europe which makes it something very unique. It really takes you back in time standing in the theatre and admiring the whole complex. 

Some people do forget to visit the theatre but if you love history, art, architecture, and you’ll love it. It’s a special place that’s been preserved for such a long time and really brings out Krumlovs beautiful history.

Canoe or Kayak down the Vltava River 

Time for our favourite part!! Kayaking down the Vltava River is one of the best activities to do in Cesky Krumlov and most people don’t even get a chance to do it. That’s why we absolutely recommend spending 2 days in Cesky Krumlov. If you only have one day you’ll see most of the museums and quickly explore the city but you won’t have a chance to do fun things like canoe down the Vltava River. 

There are a few companies that do these trips but we really enjoyed going with Vltava Sports Service. They basically drive you out to the starting point where you’ll get on the canoe and you’ll canoe all the way back to Cesky Krumlov where you’ll get off at their office which is right next to the river. 

It was such a fun experience and can recommend it to anyone who wants to be a little adventurous. The river is quite easy to navigate and within a few minutes, you’ll get a hang of it even if you’ve never kayaked or canoed before.

The staff is also super friendly. They will share a bunch of information on the best way to go down the river with you so you’re prepared for your trip. Since we were limited with how much time we had we only did the 1-2 hour trip but it was definitely enough and such a fun time.

If you prefer to go with a guide though, you can try this Wooden Raft River Cruise which looks super fun or this white water experience if you’re feeling more adventurous!

Have a quick lunch at Papa’s Living Restaurant

PC: Papa’s Living Restaurant

If you enjoyed the Drunken Coffee recommendation for lunch you can go back there since we also absolutely love it. But if you want to try something different, Papa’s Living Restaurant is another fantastic option for lunch in Cesky Krumlov. 

Papa’s is definitely pricier than Drunken Coffee but offers a completely different style of food. It’s a bit fancier but still has lots of traditional Czech meals and a few others. Amazing place for lunch!

Check out Papa’s Living Restaurant’s reviews on TripAdvisor here.

Stop by Český Krumlov Brewery for a nice cold beer

If you really want to live out the Czech lifestyle, then you should stop for a cold beer at Český Krumlov Brewery after your lunch. The history behind beer brewing in Cesky Krumlov is quite interesting and dates back all the way to the 13th century!

Visiting the brewery is a great way to see and feel the Czech culture. Who doesn’t like a good Czech beer?😉 You can check out their opening hour on the Historický pivovar Český Krumlov Facebook Page.

Walk around the castle gardens

The castle gardens is one of the overlooked spots in Cesky Krumlov. After lunch, you can make the hike up to the castle gardens which is behind the actual castle. The gardens date back to the 17th century and are almost 11 hectares (which means it’s BIG).

During spring, summer, and fall it’s nice to walk around the park and walk to the revolving auditorium which is something you don’t see every day! It’s basically an auditorium or “set” that continuously rotates. It’s something you don’t see every day, that’s for sure!

Other things to see in Cesky Krumlov

This of course depends on how much time you have left until your bus leaves from Cesky Krumlov. If you have time then it’s worth visiting the Cesky Krumlov Monasteries and the Museum Fotoatelier Seidel. Those are the last two places to visit on the Cesky Krumlov Card. 

There’s also the option to walk one last time through the beautiful streets of Cesky Krumlov and just take in this beautiful town. It really is a little fairytale town and every corner, street, and building feels magical. 

It is one of those places you can get lost in for hours just walking around and exploring. 

How to get from Prague to Cesky Krumlov

The directions from Prague to Cesky Krumlov on a map

One of the reasons why Prague to Cesky Krumlov is such a popular day or weekend trip is because of how easy it is to get between the two cities. You can find the easiest ways to get from Prague to Cesky Krumlov here.

Our personal preference is taking the bus because you simply get on it in Prague and it takes you directly to the final stop in Cesky Krumlov. It’s affordable, convenient, and has free wifi which is a nice bonus – and it has free coffee (when the machine works). 

The bus has two quick stops in Pisek and Ceske Budejovice before getting to Cesky Krumlov. A one-way ticket from Prague to Cesky Krumlov will cost you roughly 150 CZK ($6) and takes around 3 hours to get there.

Buses do run almost every hour so should almost always be able to find a bus to get on. We do recommend purchasing the tickets online to guarantee a spot. Worst case you spend an extra night in Cesky Krumlov and get to enjoy even more of this beautiful city!

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Enjoy your 2 days in Cesky Krumlov

With two full days in Cesky Krumlov, you’ll be able to see a combination of the history of the city and also the adventurous side of it. You will have enough time to get lost in the city, take some beautiful photos, and try out some yummy food as well.

You can see how this trip can be done in a day but 2 days in Cesky Krumlov is the optimal amount of time to be able to fully see and explore everything in our opinion.

There’s a reason why it’s such a popular day trip or multi day trip from Prague. It has the charm and beauty of Prague but at a much smaller scale. And even more romantic. 

We hope this 2 day itinerary of Cesky Krumlov helps and that you have the best time exploring this fairytale town. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask by leaving a comment below!

Have fun!

Dom & Jo
Red White Adventures

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