Frequently asked questions

Český Krumlov Castle is the second-largest castle complex in the Czech Republic, after Prague Castle, rising on a rocky spur above a bend of the Vltava river in South Bohemia. Founded in the thirteenth century by the Lords of Krumlov, it was later the Renaissance and Baroque seat of the Rožmberk, Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg families. Its best-known features are the painted Renaissance tower, the multi-tiered Cloak Bridge, and one of Europe's few surviving fully-equipped Baroque theatres. The historic castle and town together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Route I leads through the Renaissance and Baroque state apartments, including the Castle Chapel of St George and the Masquerade Hall, and runs year-round. Route II covers the nineteenth-century apartments furnished by the Schwarzenberg family, the family portrait gallery, and the Cloak Bridge corridors. The Baroque Theatre is a separate, reservation-only tour of the castle's original 18th-century stage, capped at 20 people per group and offered only in season. If seeing the theatre matters to you, book it separately and early, since it is the one that sells out.

For the Baroque Theatre, strongly — it takes only 20 visitors per group, runs a limited season, and slots sell out days to weeks ahead in high season. Routes I and II are easier to join but departures are still timed and capped. Booking in advance is the difference between a confirmed guided tour and being turned away at the gate.

Yes — the castle's interiors can only be seen on a guided tour, offered in several languages including Czech, English and German. We secure a tour in your language on your chosen date and send you plain-English joining notes.

The theatre's stage machinery, painted scenery and costumes are original eighteenth-century survivals, among the very few complete sets left anywhere in the world, so access is deliberately limited to protect them. Tours are capped at 20 people per group and run only in season, with a set number of departures each day. Demand from international visitors far outstrips those places, so tours fill fast. We watch the operator's live availability and can often secure a place — including released or cancelled slots — when one opens.

Each guided tour lasts about an hour. Český Krumlov is roughly 170 km south of Prague — about two and a half to three hours by direct coach. Allow a comfortable half-day for one tour, or a full day if you take more than one and explore the old town.

The simplest way is a direct coach from Prague, such as RegioJet or FlixBus, taking around two and a half to three hours. There is no direct train, so rail travellers change at České Budějovice. From the Český Krumlov bus station it is a walk of about 15–20 minutes into the old town and up to the castle gate. We send clear directions with your confirmation.

The old town and castle approach involve cobbled streets and gentle slopes, and there are stairs inside the castle, including crossing the tiered Cloak Bridge. Most visitors with reasonable mobility manage comfortably. If anyone in your party has mobility needs, tell us before booking and we'll confirm the current arrangements.

Very much — the town looks like a storybook set, and the castle's towers, bridges and painted halls tend to capture younger visitors. Route I suits families well. Children aged 6–17 have their own reduced ticket, and under-6s enter free. Bring comfortable shoes for the cobbled streets and a layer, as the interiors are cool.

The operator offers a reduced rate for eligible visitors such as seniors aged 65 and over and young people aged 18–24, and a separate child ticket for ages 6–17. Choose the tier that matches each member of your party at checkout; you may be asked to show photo ID at the castle. Children under 6 enter free and need no ticket.

You can walk freely through the castle courtyards, across parts of the Cloak Bridge and around the Baroque garden, but the historic interiors — the state apartments on Routes I and II, and the Baroque Theatre — can only be seen on a guided tour with a dated ticket. That is what we help you book.

The interiors look the same whatever the season, so timing is mainly about booking pressure and weather. Summer, weekends and Czech public holidays are busiest, and the Baroque Theatre tour can sell out well ahead; spring and autumn are calmer with pleasant weather for walking the old town. Whatever the date, if the Theatre tour matters, book it first and shape the rest of your day around it. Remember it runs only in the warmer months.

Once you confirm and pay, we purchase the official dated guided-tour ticket from the operator's authorised channel on your behalf and send it to you by email, along with plain-English joining notes: which coach to take, how long the walk is, and where to meet your tour. You show the ticket at the castle.

Neither — we're an independent booking-assistance service for international visitors. We are not the castle, its operator or an official partner; we help you book and buy the official ticket in your own language, with our service fee included in the price. If you'd rather buy directly, the operator's official portal is vstupenky.npu.cz.

Guided-tour tickets are dated and time-specific, and all sales are final once booked. If the operator cancels your tour — for operational or other reasons on their side — we refund you in full. We recommend travel insurance to cover changes to your own plans.

Often yes, if the timings allow — Route I, Route II and the Baroque Theatre leave at set times, so we fit them together around the same visit where the schedule permits. Tell us you'd like more than one and we'll find a workable combination of departures, subject to the Theatre tour's live availability and its seasonal calendar.