A day trip from České Budějovice to Český Krumlov by train on Monday 24 November 2026 was an interesting excursion in
South Bohemia.
It brought us quite close to the Czech border with Austria.
The small local train takes 45 minutes to cover the 31km single track route which wends its way through forests in the rolling countryside after crossing the river Vitava.
There are several stops at small stations and halts along the route. One station had a timber yard.
Arriving at Český Krumlov, we passed
Hostinec Slepá kolej after leaving the train. It was too early for a beer so we resolved to visit before catching the train back later.
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| View from steps towards the town |
The station is uphill from the well preserved medieval town.
Serpentina - a pedestrian route with broad steps can be taken to avoid following the curved road all the way down to Český Krumlov.
Approaching
Budějovická brána (Budweiser gate), we passed
Hostinec u Dušků with a balcony overlooking a tributary of the river Vitava (left above) and in the other direction there were views of the town from the
bridge.
We walked along the sloping cobbled streets of the town passing several shops with tasteful displays.
There were a few tour groups in evidence near the castle (left above) and at the bridge near the town centre -
Lazebnický most (right above).
After crossing the river we looked at the town square with it's Christmas market and then walked to the
museum (closed on Mondays) where elevated views are possible from a
courtyard garden.
Retracing our steps towards the bridge at a lower level we enjoyed soup and beer for lunch at
Krčma U dwau Maryí (the Tavern of the Two Marys). Our small table by the first floor window had the best view!
The draught
Eggenberg was 75 Kc for a half litre glass.
In 2016 a new craft brewery Historický
Pivovar Krumlov was founded at the site of the old Eggenberg brewery. With a large yellow circle on the right of the aerial map above, the brewery was only a short walk from the tavern near the bridge, marked with a small yellow circle.
Port 1560 is the town's new cultural centre at the former brewery site. It looks like the old brewery buildings are in the 'C' area on the Mapa / plan.
We walked through the courtyard and turned left to find the new brewery site next to the taproom and restaurant marked as 1 & 2 in the top right of the Mapa / plan.
A wide stairway leads up to a hall area with a traditional beer barrel top displayed on the whitewashed wall. The taproom and restaurant is further inside.
We found a table at the far end of the room near an exit to the terrrace. A stairway opposite the bar leads up to another seating area above the hallway. The small bar has a font with three taps and a wooden frame with pretzels. An historic framed photo in an arch by our table shows brewery workers and directors with large beer barrels. In the top photo of this post is the 0.2 litre glass of Cesky Krumlov dark lager (38 Kc) which Tim enjoyed here. Music playing included tracks by REM, U2 and Dire Straits.
Leaving before 2pm we reached the Budweiser gate and took a photo from the town side that includes a sundial above the roadway. From here we retraced our steps uphill to the station.
We had intended to visit Hostinec Slepá kolej before catching the 14.54 train but a railway official encouraged us to join the train standing at the station, the 14.29 departure. We missed out on a further beer but had the benefit of an uncrowded train and the rest of the journey back to České Budějovice
was completed in daylight. Note that it is possible to visit Český Krumlov from Prague in a day using the only daily direct Jizni Expres service operated by
Ceske drahy that includes a bistro carriage. However this involves leaving Prague at 8.21 (arriving 10.57) and returning from Český Krumlov at 14.08 after a visit of only 3 hours.
Český Krumlov is a fascinating town to visit. We were lucky with the weather although it was cold in late November and the days are short. There are restrictions on motor traffic in the old town and combined with the absence of new buildings and chain stores it makes walking around comparable to the experience one might have enjoyed 100 or even 150 years ago! It's possible, of course, that tourism in summer months makes daytime visits less of a pleasure.
It's difficult to think of comparable towns in other countries as it has the compact form, river and inclines that set it apart. In the south of England perhaps Lewes or Totnes might compare. Apart from neighbouring countries and Switzerland, perhaps some towns previously visited in Spain might compare - Cuenca, Teruel or Albarracin or in Italy - Teramo, Sulmona or Lucca?
