Saint Vitus Archives - From Texas to Beyond

After two full days enjoying Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, Rebekah and I were looking forward to a change of pace as we explored a small portion of the Czech countryside!

We boarded a train at Praha Hlavní Nádraží Train Station in Prague’s New Town, and were on our way to Český Krumlov, a small town located in the Bohemian area of the Czech Republic.

With an early departure, we wanted to make sure we had everything prepared. The day before our departure we purchased one-way tickets for 240 Crowns each, roughly $11.50. Overall, we found the rail tickets to be very reasonable as long as we did not cross country lines, which can escalate the prices.

The four hour train trip was comfortable. Rebekah LOVES trains, and this leg of the trip was a highlight as we watched the Czech countryside pass before our eyes! The only disturbance from the peaceful views was a large group of college-aged students having an overtly good time with alcohol. We changed trains once in České Budějovice, where we found the locals extremely helpful in successfully making our connection.

At 1:00 PM, we arrived in the Český Krumlov! The main attraction of Český Krumlov is the town itself, dominated by its imposing Castle. We loved exploring this UNESCO World Heritage Site! Český Krumlov is situated on a double oxbow on the Vltava River, with the Castle Town occupying the larger oxbow, and the Old Town occupying the smaller oxbow.

Rebekah and I have always wanted to explore Eastern Europe, and Prague was the top city on our list. Prague, the City of a Hundred Spires. When we found a cheap flight to Prague using frequent flyer miles, we didn’t think twice about booking the flight!

After much planning, we decided to spend four of our ten day European trip exploring the Czech Republic. We also wanted to see the Czech Republic beyond Prague, so we limited our time in Prague so we could travel 4 hours south by train to the picturesque Czech town of Český Krumlov. This decision left us with two full days in Prague. Looking back, two days is theoretically enough time to catch the Prague highlights, but we moved quickly to cover so much ground. You could have easily spent a week in Prague, including short day trips to see the surrounding countryside complete with small castle towns.

To make the most of our time, we researched the destination beforehand so we could spend our time on the ground enjoying. Rick Steves 2014 Prague & the Czech Republic Guidebook was a most helpful resource. I highly recommend this book for traveling in the Czech Republic.

Before we jump into what we did, let’s take a look at the city of Prague itself.