How to Get from Prague to Cesky Krumlov
Cesky Krumlov is 175 kilometres south of Prague and, for a place that appears on every list of the prettiest towns in Europe, surprisingly awkward to reach. The single most useful thing to know before you plan the day: there is no direct train.
The three ways to get there
| Option | Time | Roughly | What it is really like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train | ~3 h 30 | €12–20 | Prague to Ceske Budejovice on a fast train, then a change onto a slow regional line. The Krumlov station is a fifteen-minute walk downhill from the old town, which is fine empty-handed and less fine with luggage. |
| Coach | ~3 hours | €8–15 | Direct from Prague, comfortable enough, and the cheapest option. Fixed departures that fill up in summer, so book ahead. Arrives at the bus station on the edge of town. |
| Private transfer | ~2.5 hours | from 150 € per car |
Door to door, any departure time, luggage and child seats not an issue. Priced per car, so it divides between everyone travelling. |
Which one should you take
Travelling alone on a budget? The coach. It is direct, it is cheap, and three hours on a modern Czech coach is no hardship.
Two, three or four of you? Do the arithmetic before assuming the bus is cheaper. Four coach tickets each way come to a meaningful sum, and a car is priced per vehicle rather than per seat — the gap closes quickly, and you get your own departure time and your hotel door at both ends.
Staying overnight in Krumlov? Worth knowing that the old town is pedestrian. Several hotels sit on lanes no vehicle can enter, so whichever way you arrive there is a walk with the suitcase at the end. A driver will at least carry it to the door.
Going for the day and coming back? This is where the options really separate, and it is worth thinking about before you book anything.
A day return by public transport means roughly six or seven hours of travelling for four or five hours in the town, on someone else’s timetable. Our day trip does the same thing differently: we collect you at your hotel in Prague, drive down, wait four hours while you explore, and bring you back the same evening — 190 € for the whole car, both directions included.
Practical notes
Start early. Two and a half hours each way means a day trip needs a morning departure. Leaving Prague at eight puts you in Krumlov at half past ten, when the castle tours begin.
The town is small. You can cross the old town on foot in fifteen minutes. Four hours is enough to see it properly, including the castle grounds and the tower; a full day lets you add an interior tour without rushing.
The baroque theatre needs booking. It runs small guided tours, usually May to October, and places go. If it is on your list, reserve before you travel — it is one of very few theatres in the world that still has its original stage machinery.
Summer is busy. July and August fill the main square with day groups. Arriving before ten or staying past five gives you a noticeably different town.
Stops on the way. If you are driving or taking a transfer, Hluboka Castle is a short detour and one of the most photographed buildings in the country, and Ceske Budejovice is the home of the original Budweiser brewery.
What to see once you are there
The castle is the second-largest complex in the Czech Republic after Prague Castle — some forty buildings across five courtyards, much of it walkable without a ticket. The round tower, renaissance-painted in the 1580s, gives the view everyone photographs. Below it are the Cloak Bridge, the Latran quarter, St Vitus Church and the Egon Schiele Art Centrum, and in the castle moat, bears — kept there since the sixteenth century.
Booking a transfer
Write to cz@cztransfer.com or message +420 773 477 799 (Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram) with your hotel, the date and the time you would like to leave. We confirm the car and the price the same day, and the price does not change afterwards.
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