It is always a good idea to travel to Cesky Krumlov from Prague for a weekend. And there even a direct train without any stops (still, there are more trains with a change at Ceske Budjeovice, which is also a nice city to have a stop-over). For some reasons the train is not working these days. So, I need to take a bus.
Maybe the bus is even better, because it can stop very close to the city center (the bus stop is called Spicak). And the duration is approximately 2h45min.
When I was enetering the old city through the main gates I saw no people around. I was a bit scared, because I do not feel comfortable in a city with no people, basically, the creepy feeling of some scary movie.
Luckily, after a while I met some people on my way. But now I wish them to clear the view to make better photos 😅
Let's talk about the town. The dominant feature of Cesky Krumlov is definitely the castle, which originally was founded before 1250. It occupies the highest, most strategic rocky ground above the river. Visually, the castle seems to grow straight out of the cliff. For me, it looks like something marvelous.
I have made some must-be photos. And it is already time for check-in to my hotel. It looks like I have stayed there before, but honestly I do not remember for sure.
Honestly, I expected a bigger room, but despite the size, I loved it, because I felt as if living in the old times in a rich family of some nobles, but obviously not the most beloved child, because of the small room right under the roof.
I am staying in so-called "Inner Town", which is located on the peninsula formed by the Vltava's loop. The streets here are quite narrow and curved, because the town had to fit into a difficult natural shape, rather than being laid out on open flat land. Land inside the protected town was valuable, so houses were built close together, often with deep, narrow plots behind small street facades.
It is not necessary to buy a ticket to visit the castle, because you can wander around and make excellent photos absolutely for free. From above, you can see the compact houses, narrow streets, bridges, riverside buildings and beyond the roofs the slopes and wooded hills.
Another distinctive feature of the castle is the Cloak Bridge, which is the tall multi-level bridge, standing on the arches, inside the castle. The open bridge deck is only one level, and above it there are two enclosed passageways.
The bears in the lower moat are the constant inhabitants of the castle since the late 1500s. They began as a dynastic symbol of the Rosenberg family, not as guards. I hope, they are doing fine there.
The exploration of the city continued until the early evening and I was not bored at all. I was just exhausted and hungry.
I stopped at the atmospheric Svejk restaurant. It was some fried fish on the special menu. With the side salad, which was unexpectedly the best potato salad I have ever tried!
Very atmospheric night vibe of the city, which I love so much. The dark quiet and only the sound of the river.
And tomorrow morning will be also quiet, but in a different way, which I also like. Night and early morning are my favourite parts of the day when I am traveling somewhere, because at this time I can feel the real vibe of the place, not distracted much by the tourists' noises.
