Things to Do in Český Krumlov

Castle Tower and Round View

Climb the 162-step spiral of the 13th-century tower. The higher you go, the more the scent of linden drifts through the narrow windows. From the top you'll see the river's hair-pin bend cradling orange roofs, with the Bohemian Forest bruise-blue on the horizon.

Baroque Theatre Backstage Tour

Inside the castle's northern wing a 1766 theatre still uses candle-smoke machines and hand-cranked thunder. You'll smell beeswax and centuries-old canvas while the guide demonstrates how stagehands once simulated rain by rolling dried peas across a tin sheet.

Raft the Vltava Bend

Push off from the wooden landing below the monastery. The current spins you slowly beneath weeping willows and under the stone bridge where kids shout 'ahoj!' Water slaps the rubber sides and you taste river-spray mixed with hops drifting from the Eggenberg brewery.

Egon Schiele Art Centrum

A former brewery on Široká Street now holds canvases Schiele painted while scandalising the town in 1911. The attic smells of raw timber and old paper. Charcoal nudes stare from walls the colour of sour cream.

Rozmberk Tavern Evening

Below the castle moat, this low-beamed pub serves roast boar with cranberry and bread dumplings that soak up smoky gravy. A trio of local teachers usually occupies the corner table, their laughter rising above the clack of shepherd's-pipe reels from the house band.

Latrán neighbourhood under the castle drawbridge - stone alleys, early-morning bakery smells, easiest access to tower tours

Plešivec ridge south of the river - quiet lanes, garden guesthouses, ten-minute downhill walk to cafés but you'll feel like a local

Horní Street inside the pedestrian core - mid-range pensions, wake to church bells, expect late-night foot traffic from nearby bars

Vnitřní Město island loop - Renaissance houses converted into small hotels, river views, canoes gliding past your window

Station vicinity - budget hostels, quick bus exit, lacks medieval charm but saves hauling suitcases across cobbles

Výsluní suburb uphill east - family B&Bs with forest trails, ten-minute stroll to town, darkest skies for stargazing