GRIN & BEAR IT
- Bill Watt
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Travellers to Europe seem to be in a constant search for the ultimate picture-perfect fairytale town. BILL WATT reckons he may have found it in Czechia. Welcome to Cesky Krumlov.
As you stroll down the hill from the bus station towards Cesky Krumlov you cross the 240-year-old Most Svateho Michala (St Michael's Bridge), and its like stepping into another world.
Suddenly you are walking on cobblestones, in a narrow laneway surrounded by a colourful array of buildings dating back hundreds of years. And, then, just a little further along the memorably named Horni Street, the Seminary Garden (Seminární zahrada) opens up to the right ... and what a view it offers. A sea of red roofs punctuated with castle, church spires and ancient towers.
The scene is spectacular (and worth returning to without luggage), but the crazy thing is that there are so many great vistas in this little town that Seminární zahrada arguably is battling to crack the Top 5.
Cesky Krumlov is situated in Czech Bohemia about 170km south of Prague. It's historic centre is embraced on three sides by the Vltava River (the same one that graces Prague). We (my wife Marie and I) arrived from the opposite direction, however, via a Flixbus coach from the Austrian capital Vienna.
Yes, the town is arguably the prettiest I have visited, but I confess, my real reason for visiting was some quirky trivia from enigmatic English author Simon Winder.
In his book Danubia, Winder tells how Cesky Krumlov's towering castle was once protected by a bear moat. That's right, a moat with bears in it. And, when I read bears were still kept in the castle moat I really had to see it for myself.
Admittedly, the town's fabled beauty was what sold the idea to Marie, not the fact that there were bears! (We will get back to the moat later. I'm sure you can't bear to wait.)
BALCONY WITH A VIEW
Our first stop on arrival was, naturally, our digs for the next two nights - the Garni Castle Bridge Hotel. And, quite frankly, the view from our room's balcony alongside the Vltava River and opposite the town castle's famous Cloak Bridge was so perfect we could have sat there for hours before venturing out again ... except it was just too bloody freezing to sit outside for too long on this spring day, and a brisk walk was the warmer option.
WINDING STREETS
In reality walking is the only way to enjoy this picturesque little town, unless you are the local cops, who patrol on electric scooters. Sure, a few motor vehicles struggle through the narrow alleys, but they are restricted to service transport for local residents.
When you first head out into the streets of Cesky don't look at a map. Just wander the winding narrow cobblestone streets. In the space of an hour or so you will discover hidden archways, pretty bridges, colourful squares, riverbank trails, art galleries, restaurants, rustic bars, quirky museums and, of course, arts and craft shops. Even these "tourist traps" can offer something different. One we had a stickybeak at was called Loutky A Vino, or Puppets & Wine!
Throughout your walk in Cesky two landmarks are omnipresent. There is the white tower and black spire of the 15th Century St Vitus Church, built on a rocky bluff above the town. It's well worth following your nose and tracking down this gothic masterpiece, climbing the stone stairs and taking a peek inside.
Then there is - brooding over the town - the 13th Century castle, a magnificent complex of walls, towers, bridges and moats stretching along the shores of the Vltava.
View from Cloak Bridge to Little Castle tower. View from tower to main castle building. View from the tower.
FORTRESS FOCUS
The views from the castle - especially from the tower in the oldest section (Little Castle) and from the multi-storeyed Cloak Bridge - are not to be missed. Laid out beneath you is a patchwork quilt of winding alleys, red-roofs, church spires and the majestic Vltava River.
The castle precinct has all the fascinating bits and pieces European castles are meant to have - period furnishings, weaponry, armour, artwork, holy relics, a dead saint or two etc - with the addition of the "best preserved baroque theatre in Europe". But for me (wait for it) the most fascinating bit was ... the bear moat.
Bears in a moat! Bear in a moat! Tower view of the bear moat.
BEAR BABBLE
Yes, there is a moat, alongside the castle's main entrance. And, yes there are bears in it, just like there has been for more than 300 years.
But, it's time for another confession: My wife was underwhelmed by the moat with the bears. I know, we couldn't get a close-up view of the three bears we had glimpses of, but where else can you see bears in a moat? Marie remains unconvinced to this day!
Well, if bear moats don't grab you, the castle also has a ghost! The White Lady (Perchta of Rozmberk) was doomed to walk the castle forever after being cursed by her ne'er-do-well husband on his deathbed. However, we didn't see her ... and we did see bears. Just saying!
FOOD & DRINK
My wife is coeliac and lactose intolerant, so it is sometimes a challenge to find great food. Cesky Krumlov didn't pose much of a difficulty, though. We found two great eateries with top class gluten free options. They were: Mustek Beer & Burger (I enjoyed a great dark beer and we loved the burgers); and Authentic Cafe (an art deco establishment in the main square with a great range of options).
We also had a few drinks at the rustic Travellers Restaurant. I had a half litre glass of Eggenberg Tmavý Ležák, a delicious dark beer brewed in Cesky, but made the mistake of asking for a smaller glass for the next one. The barman, hilariously, came back with a tiny shot glass of beer. It was part of the good humour that abounds in the little town.
TOURISTS
We visited Cesky during a cold snap in spring and tourist levels were quite low. However, we were told it would get much busier as summer progressed.
During our stay, we were surprised by the sudden appearance now and then of groups of impeccably-mannered, selfie-obsessed Chinese tourists. The reason, we were told, is that the beautiful Czech town featured prominently in a massively popular Chinese reality TV show called Divas Hit The Road, which has nearly a billion avid viewers.
The author travelled to Cesky Krumlov at his own expense, arriving via Flixbus (https://www.flix.com/) from Vienna. He stayed at the Garni Castle Bridge Hotel (https://www.castlebridge.cz/en/welcome) which he reserved through booking.com.
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