Things to do
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Castle Tower
Painted in pink and ochre bands, the round tower carries the town's skyline and stands over the castle's second courtyard. A spiral stair of roughly one hundred and sixty steps ends at a gallery with the river loop, the red roofs and the forested hills laid out below. Narrow treads and a single file slow the climb when the town is busy.
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Český Krumlov Castle
Rising over the river bend on a rock spur, the complex runs to forty buildings, five courtyards and a cloaked bridge, and includes a rare baroque theatre with its original stage machinery. Interior routes are guided and the theatre opens for limited dates in the warm months. The gardens and courtyards can be walked without a ticket.
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Historic Centre
Inside a tight double loop of the Vltava, lanes of painted burgher houses, a Renaissance square and a Gothic church fill a medieval plan that survived the twentieth century almost untouched. Day groups from Prague and Linz arrive late morning and leave by late afternoon. Staying a night gives the streets back, and the river walk below the castle stays quiet.
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Castle Baroque Theatre
Tucked between the castle's upper courtyards and its garden, this wooden theatre still has its original stage machinery, painted scenery and costumes from the eighteenth century. Entry is by small guided group only, from May to October, and closed on Mondays. Places sell out early on summer days, so book ahead.
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Dívčí Kámen
High on a wooded spur where a stream meets the Vltava, the walls of a Gothic castle stand open to the sky. A footpath climbs from the railway halt at Třísov in about half an hour, and paddlers on the river below often moor at the foot of the hill. Upper walls and stairs are unfenced in places, so sturdy shoes help.
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Egon Schiele Art Centrum
A converted brewery holds work by the Austrian painter who spent part of 1911 in the town, along with changing exhibitions of modern Czech and central European art. Schiele's stay ended early when local disapproval of his models drove him out. Galleries are quiet even when the streets outside are full, which makes this a useful stop in bad weather.
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Hotel Růže
Set in a sixteenth-century Jesuit college on Horní street, this hotel has vaulted halls, a terrace above the river and a pool in its wellness rooms. The castle and the main square are each a few minutes away on foot. Rooms on the river side look across to the painted castle tower.
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Kleť
Topped by a stone lookout tower and an observatory, this forested summit rises over the Vltava valley north of the town. A chairlift from Krasetín takes about fifteen minutes and runs mostly at weekends outside the summer holidays. Marked trails climb the same slope on foot. On clear autumn days the Alps show beyond the Šumava ridge.
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Zlatá Koruna Monastery
Cistercian monks built this abbey on a meander of the Vltava a short way downstream from Český Krumlov, and its tall Gothic church, cloister and restored baroque pharmacy survive. Interiors are shown on guided tours, Tuesday to Sunday through the summer and at weekends only in October. It is closed in winter apart from a few advent dates.
