If you are spending a few days in Cesky Krumlov and would like to see what else the surrounding region of South Bohemia has to offer, well, you’re in luck, as there are quite a few highly interesting options that are a short hop away. These include the lovely old town of Ceske Budejovice, the castle ruins of Dívcí Kámen, the UNESCO historic village of Holašovice, and the impressive Hluboká nad Vlatou Castle. Below we present our Travel Guide of the Best Day Trips from Cesky Krumlov to help you get the most out of your time in South Bohemia. The area is best explored with your own vehicle because several of the destinations are rather rural, and public transit options are limited, particularly from Ceske Krumlov.
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You might also be interested in these pages:
4-Day Itinerary in South Bohemia
Best Things to See and Do in Cesky Krumlov
Best Day Trips from Cesky Krumlov
Ceske Krumlov & South Bohemia
Although not its largest town, that title goes to Cekse Budejovice, Cesky Krumlov is South Bohemia’s crown jewel. An enchanting UNESCO heritage site, with beautiful baroque and renaissance architecture, and an imposing castle towering over the Vlata River, it’s definitely easy to fall in love with Krumlov.
We find that Krumlov is best explored and enjoyed in the morning and evenings, before and after the hordes of day trippers from Prague invade the city (this is particularly true during the summer). If you are staying a few days in Krumlov (we highly suggest that you do), several great nearby destinations make great day trip options to explore some of the beautiful South Bohemia region.
If you are still looking for a place to stay, we highly recommend Pension Fortna, located right along the river with great views of the historic town and St Vitus Church (the picture was taken from our room window).
All five day-trip options presented below are within a 35 km radius of Cesky Krumlov, and each can easily be visited within half a day (or less). Apart from Ceske Bodejovice for which there are good direct public transit options, the other sites are significantly easier to visit if you have your own vehicle, given their primarily rural locations.
If you haven’t booked your rental vehicle yet, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Scotland.
If you would like to have cellular/wireless data while driving abroad for up-to-date navigation information, we highly recommend Airalo, the world’s first and largest eSIM store. They have plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, you can get connected the moment you land at your destination and avoid data roaming charges.
Otherwise, you will almost always have to transfer to Cekse Budejovice first before heading to your destination.
Best Day Trip From Ceske Krumlov
Historic old town of Ceske Budejovice
The capital city of Czechia’s South Bohemia Region is about 25km north of Cesky Krumlov. Today, Ceske Budejovice has a population of roughly 100,000 people and is the country’s 7th largest city. Although the modern part of the city is quite sprawling, all the main sites of interest and attractions are located in the old historic center, which can easily be visited on foot.
The old town square, officially known as Premysl Otakar II Square, is no doubt the piece de résitance of the city’s historic center, which happens to be the second biggest town square in the country and one of the largest squares in Europe. Surrounding the square are 48 arcaded buildings, with a variety of Renaissance and Baroque styles. Located in the center of the square you will find the Samson Fountain – which depicts the biblical character Samson holding the mouth of a lion open, from which water spouts.
Once you leave the town square, there’s plenty of exploring left to do including along riverside paths with views of the Dominican Monastery, and through cute pastel-coloured cobblestone streets. If you are a fan of beer, another reason to visit this town is because it is home to the Budweiser Budvar Brewery, founded in 1885.
For more information on Ceske Budejovice, be sure to check out our guide on the Top Things to See and Do in Ceske Budejovice.
The Castle ruins of Dívcí Kámen
Hrad Dívcí Kámen (also known as “Maiden’s Stone”) is a stunning medieval castle ruin set atop a scenic hilltop in South Bohemia, located only 18 km from Ceske Krumlov. Dívcí Kámen is a castle from the 14th century and is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval monuments in the Czech Republic. It was abandoned early in the 16th century and has been left to decay ever since (until the government intervened to preserve what’s left of the site).
It was a particularly atmospheric site in the dense fog that surrounded the castle during our morning visit. Few people seem to know about it or they don’t want to hike the easy 2km trail to reach the castle from the parking lot, but we saw very other people during our visit. During a brief time, we even had the entire castle site to ourselves!
The castle ruins of Dívcí Kámen are not a particularly large site, but you can easily get lost in your thoughts here imagining how the castle might have looked in its heyday. And since it’s neither too big nor too busy, it’s tempting to explore every nook and cranny around the site.
Although the ruins themselves are quite spectacular, the short forest walk/hike required to get is also very pleasant through tree-covered trails. You can also reach the castle as an out-and-back, and turn it into a loop trail by coming back along a different path that doesn’t add much time to the walk.
If you would like more information on Dívcí Kámen and why it makes such a great day trip option from Cesky Krumlov, be sure to check out our Dívcí Kámen Castle Ruins Travel Guide page.
The Impressive Hluboká nad Vlatou Castle
Hluboká Castle definitely feels like a fairytale castle and is without a doubt one of Czechia’s most beautiful ones – it’s also the country’s third most visited castle. Originally built in the 13th century in a Gothic style, the castle has gone through several renovations since, receiving its final Windsor Castle-inspired face-lift in the 19th century. The castle is located 11 km northwest of Ceské Budejovice (13 min drive) and 34 km north of Ceský Krumlov (32 min drive).
You can visit the castle’s exterior, interior courtyard and gardens for free. To see the inside rooms, there are several different tours to choose from, including one that provides you with stunning views of the surrounding countryside from the castle tower.
For more information on Hluboká nad Vlatou Castle, be sure to check out our Hluboká nad Vltavou Castle Travel Guide.
The UNESCO historic village of Holašovice
Located only 24 km north of Cesky Krumlov, Holašovice is one of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Czechia’s South Bohemia region (the other being Cesky Krumlov). It is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional central European village of 23 farm buildings. The building’s decorations are in a style known as South Bohemian “Folk Baroque” – an architectural style typical for the villages in Central Europe (and particularly in South Bohemia), which emerged in the 1820s and reached its height in the 1860s.
After the displacement of German residents at the end of the Second World War, many farms in the village were deserted and fell into disrepair and Holašovice was left mostly abandoned. Under the Czech post-war Communist regime, the village was a desolate place. Thankfully the village was restored and repopulated once more in the 1990s – and today has a population of about 140 people. The village layout and the style of the buildings are both so unique and well-preserved that it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.
The village is not particularly large and can be explored rather quickly, but we have no doubt that you will be charmed by this village and will definitely want to take your time exploring the various different building facades. There are also a few pleasant restaurants with outdoor seating to help you prolong your stay and enjoy the scenery.
For more information on Holašovice Historic Village and why it makes such a great day trip option from Cesky Krumlov, be sure to check out our Holašovice Historic Village Travel Guide.
Rožmberk Castle
Considered one of the oldest castles in Bohemia, Rožmberk Castle stands on a promontory carved out on three sides by the river Vltava. It’s located 26 km south of Cesky Krumlov, near the border with Austria. The castle was founded in the first half of the 13th century by the Vitek family. Like many castles in South Bohemia, it changed family hands several times over the decades. The castle received its current look in the mid-19th century, with a remodel in the Romantic Neo-Gothic style. Even before the castle became the property of the state after WWII, the last family owners, the Buqouy family (who were Czech nobles of French origin), transformed it into a museum open to the public in the middle of the 19th century and was one of the first-ever museums in Bohemia.
The small town of Rožmberk nad Vltavou, albeit small, is also pleasant to stroll through, particularly along the river.
Guided tours of the castle interior are offered from early May until late October (closed on Mondays). More details can be found on the castle website.
Bonus: Original Africa
This is not an attraction per se, but we thought we would highlight it given how surprised we were when we crossed this unexpected store on the road between Cesky Krumlov and Ceske Budejovice. They offer great coffee, tea and snacks, in addition to having a large selection of products from across Africa. The exotic interior is quite unusual and filled with stuffed animals.
How To Combine Some of the Day Trip Options
One important thing to mention right away is that you don’t need 4 days to see all the day trip options described above. This is because none of the sites or attractions are particularly far from Cesky Krumlov, many of them are close together, and most require less than 2h to visit. If you really wanted to you could visit all of the attractions listed above in a single day, except Rožmberk Castle as it’s in a different area, except that will likely feel rushed. A better option is to combine them in pairs if you have two days available for day trips from Cesky Krumlov (and this is what we propose in our 4-Day South Bohemia Itinerary Guide). Because of their respective geographical locations, the best fit is to combine to combine Ceske Budejovice and Hluboka Castle on one day, and then Divci Kamen and Holasovice on another.
When is the Best Time to Visit South Bohemia
Although the summer months provide the best weather, they also bring larger crowds. That’s why we prefer visiting during shoulder season, often in mid-September, a time of year that still provides decent and warm weather but with fewer crowds. The region can also be beautiful in winter when covered in snow, but several attractions are closed or have significantly reduced hours.
Preparing a trip to Czechia?
You might be interested in these Czechia pages:
4-Day Itinerary in South Bohemia
Best Things to See and Do in Cesky Krumlov
Best Day Trips from Cesky Krumlov
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steves’ Prague & the Czech Republic
Lonely Planet’s Prague & Czechia
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
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e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Best Day Trips from Cesky Krumlov Travel Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your trip to the South Bohemia region of Czechia!
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