"Enchanting Town in the Heart of Europe" Cesky Krumlov by longsanborn

My friend and I were in this lovely little town near the border of Austria and the Czech Republic at the end of August. We took a bus coach from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov; the journey took almost 4 hours each way. We left Vienna at 6.30 am and arrived there by 10.30 am.

We were taken on a guided tour around the Cesky Krumlov Castle's park gardens and a bit around the old town. We had lunch in a restaurant near the river, spent 1 hour inside the Cesky Krumlov Castle, and then 2 hours of our own free time exploring the old town. We returned to Vienna around 5.30pm and reached home by 9.00pm.

That was a full exhausting day! But we love it so much we plan to return for another visit, this time, more leisurely and relaxing.

Castle of Cesky Krumlov in the background

Old Český Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When we walked around the cobblestone streets and alleys of this lovely little bohemian town, we were taken by how well-kept the old buildings were. We were told by our guide that Cesky Krumlov was lucky not to be bombed during the WWII but it became run down when the Communist took over.

After the liberation of the Czech Republic, Cesky Krumlov began reconstruction only in the 1990s; perhaps that's why the town still looked quite good. Anyway, since then, more tourists started visiting this lovely bohemian town every year.

If you are interested to know more and perhaps visit this lovely town, you can open this website about Cesky Krumlov.

The bridge over a deep gap in the rock

Český Krumlov Castle is unusually large for a town of Krumlov's size; within the Czech Republic it is second in extent only to the Hradčany castle complex of Prague. Inside its grounds is a large garden, an extensive bridge over a deep gap in the rock upon which the castle is built and the castle itself, which in turn consist of many defined parts dating from different periods of time.

The Castle itself has a lot of history due to its past occupants, including a ghost lady in white (according to the castle guide!). It is interesting to visit the castle interiors and the castle tower (which we didn't have time to do).

We were so taken by this lovely town that we hope to visit it again in the future, perhaps for a long weekend, instead of a one-day excursion. So that we can enjoy the town at a leisure pace.

• Pros:Romantic setting complete with cobblestone streets
• Cons:Not easy to get there; need own/hired transport
• In a nutshell:Still some Bohemian soul in left in this medieval town!