Hi, I am visitng Czech Republic for a week spending 3/4 days in Prague and would like to visit somewhere else for a few days. Somewhere within a couple of hours of Prague by public transport as we would have to travel back to catch a plane at 16:00 hours. Possibly somewhere a bit quieter than Prague. I have heard that Ceskie Krumlov is nice - any advice on this town or others? Thanks for your help
Cesky Krumlov is a very nice town. We visited it in November last year during our Prague stay. Very picturesque, quaint. I would like to visit again when the castle is open (it was closed for the winter months). Sharon
You might try Kutná Hora as well. Wonderful town, and much closer than Český Krumlov. For romantics, the castles Karlštejn or Křivoklát might be another option. For "even more romantic" romantics :lol: ,I would recommend the medieval ruin of Okoř Castle which, in fact, is at Prague´s surroundings very close to the airport. And then you can relax by hiking or walking in the Divoká Šárka valley, the rocky valley neighbouring with the highway to Ruzyně. (Recommendation: Prior going to Šárka, do not forget to study the ancient Czech legend related to that Brave Šárka girl, her admirer Ctirad and murderous tragedy that took place there in Dark Times ... a highly instructive piece of man-woman relationships. :wink:
All depends ontime of year you are going. If you do want to leave Prague and get accommodation elsewhere my first choice would be Cesky Krumlov for two nights and three days (incl. travel) - IF Castle is open at that time you will have lot to look at. Old town has lots of shops and on every step is phhoto opportunity. I was simply charmed and I have to say I travel a lot all over the World. From there you can take bus to Ceske Budejovice for one night only and at that time take local bus (cca 15 min - not sure) to Zamek Hluboka (Castle) which is worth seeing. Except for one of the largest old architectural squares, I did not find Ceske Budejovice that interesting so I would not count on any more than one night staying there. As you will find on this website by "search" Krumlov Bus" you can take public bus from Florence. It is very inexpensive, comfortable and it will take you right there in 3.5 hrs.
You can also stay in Prague and plan outings. Train to Karlstejn goes every hour and it takes perhaps 30 minutes to get there. From the train station you just walk up to the hill to the castle, take tour, peek into some souveneer shops on the way and that's it. No other reason to spend more time. Another very nice outing is Troja Chatteau. Nicest way to go there is by boat, but again it depends on time of the year if service is still running. Much shorter way is to take Metro or Street car and then bus (all included in your Metro pass). You can make is really full day with visit to the Catsle, ZOO just across the street and Botanical Gardens short walk from there. Above mentioned Sarka and other activities in that neighbourhood is only one day outing also. You can take tram there. Please note that many castles are closed outside of tourist season and Monday is usually day when they are all closed.
