Things to do in Český Krumlov & South Bohemia

Český Krumlov, a UNESCO-listed town packed into the S-shaped bends of the Vltava, rises to a castle complex of 40 buildings and five courtyards, where the Castle Museum and its 162-step tower are open all year and the 17th-century Baroque Castle Garden spreads over the hill behind. Below the castle rock, walk the lanes of Latrán and the old town to the Gothic St. Vitus Church, then see the Gothic cloisters and St. Wolfgang's Chapel at the Český Krumlov Monasteries Museum, where families can try glass, pottery or blacksmith workshops. Around the region, Hluboká Chateau shows a Baroque chateau given a Romantic makeover in the mid-19th century, the Lipno Treetop Walk climbs to 40 metres above the forest before a 52-metre slide back down, Holašovice Village keeps 17 farmsteads with ornate Rural Baroque gables around its green, Třeboň Chateau has Rosenberg rooms with an alchemist's laboratory, and České Budějovice's Přemysl Otakar II Square centres on the Samson Fountain below the 72-metre Black Tower. In Advent, the Christmas market fills Svornosti Square below the castle tower, and Light Park Český Krumlov lays a trail of light installations through the garden of the Port 1560 complex near the old town.

Good to knowGuided interior tours of Český Krumlov Castle, such as the Masquerade Hall, run only in the main season and not on Mondays, but the courtyards, the tower and the Castle Museum can be visited year-round; the Castle Garden is free yet opens only in the warmer half of the year. Outside the main season Hluboká offers a shorter winter tour of heated rooms and Třeboň's winter tours run only on set days, so check schedules before going. Light Park tickets are sold online in advance, and the Lipno Treetop Walk adds evening hours in the Advent season.