A tower, a moat of bears and a theatre from 1680

Almost all of this sits inside one castle, a short walk from P1 or P2. With an afternoon only, I'd do the tower, look into the bear moat on the way and finish in the garden.

1. Climb the tower's 162 steps

The Castle Museum and Tower needs no guide or booking: 280 Kč, daily 09:00–16:30 until 31 October. From 1 November to 20 December it's Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00–15:30.

2. Look into the bear moat

The castle has kept bears since the second half of the 16th century, and in the moat between the first and second courtyards since 1707. You cross it on the way in.

3. Book the Baroque Theatre or skip it

The Baroque Theatre keeps its original stage machinery. Tours are 400 Kč, booking is compulsory, and a group is 20 people at most. In 2026 the tours run until 31 October.

4. Take Tour I for the Renaissance rooms

Tour I is 300 Kč and the classic first visit. Tour II is 260 Kč.

5. Walk the garden's four terraces

The castle garden is free, with a cascade fountain and the Bellarie summer house. The open-air revolving auditorium in it has turned since 1959.

6. See Schiele at Široká 71

The Egon Schiele Art Centrum opened in 1992 in the town that once drove him out.

My pick is the tower late in the day; the theatre only if you booked.

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Dill soup, roast pork and a 1560 lager

1. Order kulajda first

A creamy soup of dill, mushrooms and potato with an egg in it, and the one dish I'd call South Bohemian. Then svíčková, beef in a vegetable cream sauce with dumplings.

2. Eat roast pork at Krčma

Vepřo knedlo zelo, roast pork, dumplings and cabbage, is the national plate. Krčma v Šatlavské ulici is at Horní 157, entered from Šatlavská. I'd book an evening table.

3. Drink the local lager by P2

The Pivovarská restaurace belongs to the town brewery, which dates its brewing to 1560. Its pale lager is called PREMIUM, and P2 is next door. In July and August it grills on Thursdays, 18:00–21:00.

4. Try trout and bramboráky

River towns do trout, pstruh, fried or grilled. Bramboráky are crisp potato pancakes with garlic and marjoram.

My rule: one kulajda, one lager, and book dinner before you park.

Rose weekend in June, music all summer

1. Plan around 18–20 June 2027

The Five-Petalled Rose Festival turns the old town into the age of the Rožmberks, with ticketed entry. That weekend I'd park at P5 and be in early.

2. Expect Festival Krumlov dates later

The music festival, running since 1992, held its 34th edition in 2026. The 2027 dates aren't published yet.

3. Catch the theatre before 31 October

Baroque Theatre tours stop after 31 October 2026, and the tower switches to winter hours, closed Mondays, on 1 November.

The rose, the bears and the painter

1. Read the rose as Rožmberk

The five-petalled rose is the badge of the Rožmberks, who held the castle from 1302. The Eggenbergs followed after 1620, and the Schwarzenbergs owned it from 1719 to 1947.

2. Treat the Orsini story as family PR

The Rožmberks claimed kinship with Rome's Orsini, whose name echoes orsa, Italian for she-bear. Hence the bears. It was a claim they made to look ancient, not proven descent.

3. Remember the painter they drove out

In 1911 Egon Schiele came to his mother's birthplace with Wally Neuzil. Residents drove them out, offended by their life together and by talk of his teenage models. The art centre came 81 years later.