Cesky Krumlov is the kind of place that looks invented: a tiny medieval town folded into a tight S-bend of the Vltava in South Bohemia, its huddle of red-roofed houses wrapped around the river and overlooked by one of central Europe's largest castles. The whole historic core is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is small enough to cross on foot in fifteen minutes - which is exactly why it rewards slowing down rather than rushing through.
The town has two halves, divided by the river. On the south side of the loop sits the Inner Town (Vnitrni Mesto), a maze of cobbled lanes radiating from the sloping main square, Namesti Svornosti, with the Gothic spire of St. Vitus Church rising above the rooftops. Across the water on the north bank is Latran, the old craftsmen's quarter that climbs towards the castle, threading past the Eggenberg brewery and the last surviving town gate. Two small bridges stitch the halves together, and the castle ridge looms over everything.
The castle is the headline act and deserves a half-day of its own. It is not a single building but a complex of more than forty, strung along the ridge: the round, fresco-painted Castle Tower that is the town's emblem, decorated state rooms seen on guided tours, the dramatic multi-storey Cloak Bridge, terraced Baroque gardens, and a rococo theatre from 1767 that ranks among the best-preserved in the world. Climb the tower's 162 steps for the definitive view of the rooftops curling around the river.
Beyond the castle, the pleasures here are small and analogue. You wander the lanes, duck into the Egon Schiele Art Centrum or the time-capsule Seidel photo studio, hunt down the perfect viewpoint, and eat well: open-fire grills in medieval taverns, dumplings and roast pork in family pubs, and unfiltered Eggenberg beer brewed in town since the 16th century. In summer the calm river fills with rafts and canoes, and paddling beneath the castle - bumping over the little weirs - is one of the most enjoyable things to do in the whole country.
