In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Český Krumlov is a RegioJet bus of 2 hours 30 to 2 hours 40 from Praha Na Knížecí, 209 to 279 CZK each way, so the day is about 5 to 5½ hours on the road and 3 to 5 in town. The castle’s Tour Route I is 300 CZK and closed on Mondays; its 2026 dates end on 31 October, and the interiors are closed from November. Stay a night, or book a tour. Gray Line’s tour with České Budějovicead (£60.11 to £72.42, 4.1 stars from 1,191 reviews, 10 hours) includes the castle ticket, and the Premiant full-day tripad (£72.42, 4.6 stars from 1,372 reviews, 11 hours) has a guided walk. A tour costs £30 to £45 more than the bus and one castle tour, and buys pick-up in Prague and no timetable (GetYourGuide).
Going on your own
Bus fares are RegioJet’s in October 2026, and train fares are České dráhy’s full adult second-class fares (IDOS).
- By bus: RegioJet from Praha Na Knížecí (metro B) to Český Krumlov bus station. About 13 buses a day, the first around 6:00 and the last around 19:00, taking 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes at 209 to 279 CZK each way (up to 299 CZK on some dates). Back, buses run from about 5:00; the last on a Tuesday in October was at 19:00, and the ride takes about 2 hours 45 minutes. FlixBus has fares from 208 CZK in about 2 hours 35 minutes (flixbus.cz).
- By train: one direct České dráhy Intercity leaves Praha hlavní nádraží at 9:21 and takes 2 hours 28 minutes, 255 to 265 CZK. Other trains out change at České Budějovice (415 CZK, 2 hours 33 minutes to 2 hours 36 minutes). Coming back, every option changes at České Budějovice: 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours 13 minutes, 415 CZK.
- A night in town: takes the 5 to 5½ hours of road out of a single day. The town is free to walk, and the castle gardens are free.
| The day on your own, by bus | CZK | Pounds |
|---|---|---|
| Bus, return | 418 to 598 | £14.50 to £21 |
| Castle Tour I | 300 | £10.50 |
| Total | 718 to 898 | £25 to £31 |
Add the Castle Museum and Tower (280 CZK, £9.50) for a second castle ticket.
Tours from Prague
A tour costs £30 to £45 more than the bus and one castle tour. What it buys is pick-up in central Prague, no timetable and a guide. It does not buy time: the coach or van takes the same road, and the tours that state their time in town give 3½ to 5 hours. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price for one adult, with the usual price where it is on offer.
Gray Line’s tour, castle ticket included
£60.11 to £72.42 · 4.1 stars from 1,191 reviews · 10 hours
Český Krumlov and České Budějovicead includes a castle entry ticket from April to October, with České Budějovice as a second stop. Lunch is optional. It is a GetYourGuide bestseller.
The full-day trip with a guided walk
£72.42 · 4.6 stars from 1,372 reviews · 11 hours
Full-day trip to Český Krumlovad has about 3 hours each way on the road, a 2-hour guided walk and 3 hours of free time. It includes lunch and a ticket for the Kingdom of Railways, a model railway in Prague. Castle admission is bought at the castle.
Small group by car
£71.06 to £83.60 · 4.9 stars from 132 reviews · 10 hours
Český Krumlov in a small groupad goes by car with a 1½-hour guided tour and lunch.
With pick-up in a van
£85.87 to £101.02 · 4.7 stars from 629 reviews · 9 hours
Bohemian Walks’ full-day tourad collects you in a van from your hotel and includes a 2-hour guided tour.
With Hluboká Castle
£41.75 to £63.90 · 4.6 stars from 112 reviews · 10 hours
Český Krumlov and Hluboká Castlead gives 3½ hours in Český Krumlov and 70 minutes at Hluboká. The guide speaks Spanish and English.
Which to choose
- The bus and a night in town if you can spare the time: it is the cheapest way to see the castle and the town without the 10-hour day.
- Gray Line’s tour if you want the castle ticket included in one booking.
- The Premiant tour if you want a guided walk and the review count (1,372).
- A small group or van if you want a guide and a smaller vehicle.
Going on to Vienna? GetYourGuide sells a one-way transfer from Prague to Vienna that stops in Český Krumlovad, £153.62 (5.0 stars from 50 reviews).
What to see
The castle dominates a day, and most of it is closed on Mondays. All prices and hours are from the castle’s own pages (zamek-ceskykrumlov.cz).
Český Krumlov Castle and its tower above the old town. Photo: Scotch Mist, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Castle Tour Route I. 300 CZK · 55 minutes · October: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 16:00 · closed Mondays. The Renaissance and Baroque interiors of the 16th to 18th centuries, including the Castle Chapel of St George and the Masquerade Hall, for up to 45 people a tour. The castle offers a guidebook in English. Buy at the box office or online; only groups need to reserve.
- Castle Museum and Tower. 280 CZK · self-guided · 9:00 to 16:30 every day to 31 October, 9:00 to 15:30 Tuesday to Sunday from 1 November to 20 December. An exhibition of the castle’s stores, opened in 2011, on the Rožmberk, Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg families who owned it, with the castle tower on the same ticket.
- The Baroque Castle Theatre. 400 CZK · reservation required · tours at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00, Tuesday to Sunday to 31 October. The castle calls it the best-preserved Baroque theatre in Europe, with its stage machinery, sets and costumes kept in the original building. Book ahead.
- The castle gardens. Free · October, 7:00 to 17:00 daily.
- The town. Free to walk. If you have time for one ticket, make it Tour I.
- Skip: Tour Route II (the Schwarzenberg family, 260 CZK) and the Bellaria summer house (200 CZK), which run only on set days; neither is scheduled in October.
The old town and the bend of the Vltava, seen from above. Photo: Scotch Mist, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Practical information
- Winter: the castle lists its interior tours to 31 October 2026 and the Castle Museum and Tower to 20 December. From November the interiors are closed until the spring. Gray Line lists its castle ticket for April to October.
- Payment: the castle takes cards and cash.
- Bus times: book the return as well as the outward bus, since the last bus back on a Tuesday in October was at 19:00.
Český Krumlov is one of the day trips from Prague. Kutná Hora is the shorter alternative, at under an hour by train, and Karlovy Vary is the other trip that goes by bus. Prague public transport has the metro B link to Na Knížecí and the PID fares. If you stay a night in Český Krumlov you still need a bed in Prague either side, and where to stay in Prague has the areas. What to book before you go to Prague has the city tickets, and 3 days in Prague shows where a day out fits.
Common questions
Is Český Krumlov worth a day trip from Prague?
It is a long day: about 5 to 5½ hours on the road and 3 to 5 hours in town. A tour (from £60.11) removes the timetable but not the road time. A night in town gives you the evening and the morning after the coaches leave.
How do I get from Prague to Český Krumlov?
RegioJet buses run from Praha Na Knížecí in 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes, 209 to 279 CZK each way, with the first around 6:00 and the last around 19:00. A direct České dráhy Intercity from Praha hlavní nádraží takes 2 hours 28 minutes (255 to 265 CZK), but the way back changes at České Budějovice and takes 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours 13 minutes.
Is Český Krumlov Castle open on Mondays and in winter?
Tour Route I, the Renaissance and Baroque interiors (300 CZK), runs Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays. Its 2026 dates end on 31 October. The Castle Museum and Tower (280 CZK) is open every day to 31 October, then Tuesday to Sunday until 20 December.
Does a Český Krumlov tour include the castle ticket?
Gray Line's 10-hour tour includes a castle entry ticket from April to October. The Premiant tour with the most reviews (1,372) does not: castle admission is bought at the castle.
