Robyn BoxCesky Krumlov
November 4th 2008 03:57
Tell anyone who has already visited the Czech Republic that you’re planning a visit. The response? “You have to go to Cesky Krumlov!”
Just 2 hours south of the bustling, tourist packed Prague known to well is a tiny slice of medieval beauty, which has held it’s historical integrity since it’s construction during the 13th century, and continue to enchant visitors from all corners of the globe. This small town offers such a majestic ambience that those who have visited love it forever, and those who haven’t wished they could.
With a population around 15,000, the town itself is small. Tiny, even. Most people visit for a day trip, sometimes for a night. It’s not often tourists hang around longer than that to soak up the unique flavours of this enchanting little pocket.
All the towns’ action starts in the Main Square and spreads out from there. All hotels, shops and restaurants sit within buildings dating back to the 16th century and the roads are lined with the original cobblestones. The square itself holds a wonderful assortment of food, activities, useful touristy stuff and a few accommodation options.
The ice cream shop and the north east of the square offers some unusual flavours, including green apple (with real apple chunks), orange (with real orange rind) and white chocolate (you guessed it, with real white chocolate chunks). A couple of doors down is a café which offers a wonderful array of cakes and just around the corner, down one of the many cobble-stoned alleyways is a beautiful, traditional Czech restaurant called Zlatý Andel. Save this one for a special occasion, and be sure to scrub up on your Czech: waiters love it and you’re bound to get a little bit of special treatment.
If a great night out with friends is what you’re looking for, head to the south of the main square and search for a small, rustic restaurant, which seldom sees tourists in the evening. Locals come here to enjoy a beer with their colleagues at the end of the working day. If you’re lucky one of them will pop over to your table to show you how to correctly ‘cheers’ in Czech (“nahdrazi!’). If you’re unlucky you’ll simply have to learn by watching them do it.
Don’t expect to stowe away in this little gem to enjoy some peace and quiet: in the corner sits a piano, vigorously played by an enthusiastic piano man. Lovely, although a little overwhelming in a restaurant as big as a standard loungeroom and caters to around 15 guests. Guests can tip him in beer, but it’s probably better to throw a few crowns his way.
There is no culinary divine in the Czech Republic, but if you’re ready to tuck into a combination of foods you would never find on a traditional Australian dinner table, you’re in the right place. Ordering smažený sýr (deep fried cheese), knedliky (dumplings) or guláš (goulash) will reposition any travellers understanding of how good deep fried food can be. Expect to enjoy your ‘main’ with a side of cabbage or potato and often with mayonnaise. Even while I write this I can see readers’ faces pinching up at the thought of potato and cabbage atop of fried cheese. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it – and you have to try it. All this for around $8.
Yep, food is cheap. Beer is cheaper. Expect to pay around AU$1.50 for a 500ml stein of smooth Czech beer. If you’re feeling particularly frugal, head 500 metres up the hill and towards the town’s main entrance to the supermarket and pick up a 500ml bottle of beer for around .80c. For those keen on tasting the local wines, be ready for it to be served in tall, strangely shaped ceramic cup. Not glasses. Although in the ‘classier’ establishments you might snare a glass.
A refreshing aspect of Cesky Krumlov is that although everyone in speaks English, locals still wander the streets after a long day at work, whom of which speak not one word of it. This small aspect makes this marvellous little town so much more enchanting and genuine.
The myriad options for accommodation, from hostels and hotels to room hire in private houses, apartments and B&B’s means Cesky Krumlov can accommodate any of traveller, and while the Czech Crown is still present, even those on the smallest budget can enjoy this wonderful little town.
It could feel touristy. It has all the elements of being a wonderful little tourist trap. Pokey little trinket shops, street parades, an enormous, newly painted castle (of which Hans Christian Andreson helps design) and a handful of side shows including the local Medieval Torture Museum and Wax Works (a visit is encouraged if you need a bit of a laugh). But somehow it doesn’t feel like a ‘trap’. It exudes a sincerity rarely felt in towns marketed to the tourism industry. Visitors can walk the tiny, cobbled streets and not feel obliged to throw a crown to a busker (because their aren’t any), tourists can wander into a shop and not be badgered by the shop keeper. Why? Because this town is equally as relaxing as it is captivating. Those who work there appear to truly enjoy it. And they seem to want those who visit it to enjoy it as well.
While the torture dungeon is a side show that could be missed if time is pressing, the multiple beer dungeons are a must, and those who decide to bypass Cesky Krumlov as a day trip will miss out on a truly memorable and unique slice of Czech tradition – beer drinking.
A few things to note:
· In restaurants, plates are cleared before you can order your second pivo (beer). Doesn’t matter if everyone else at the table is still eating – that plate needs to be cleared, and it will be!
· There are seldom few vegetarian options in this neck of the woods. For those that way inclined, take a right down Parkin 105 to a restaurant called Laibon, popular for it’s fabulous vegetarian cuisine and lovely riverside dining
· Although not the easiest language to learn, pick up a pocket guide to Eastern Europe and learn the Czech basics: please, thank you, hello, good bye, and of course ‘cheers!’ The Cesky Krumlov experience will be made all the more richer when you’re greeted with the smiles of local restaurant and shop owners when you say ‘thank you’ in Czech.
AU$1 = 16 Crowns. Into perspective:
§ Beer: AU$1.50
§ Wine: AU$1.80
§ Main meal: AU$10-12
§ Bus ticket: AU$2.50
§ Castle entry: AU$15
§ Average tip: AU$2-4
· Tip: Visit before the Euro is introduced, while this little pocket of gems can still be enjoyed on a meagre budget.
Just 2 hours south of the bustling, tourist packed Prague known to well is a tiny slice of medieval beauty, which has held it’s historical integrity since it’s construction during the 13th century, and continue to enchant visitors from all corners of the globe. This small town offers such a majestic ambience that those who have visited love it forever, and those who haven’t wished they could.
With a population around 15,000, the town itself is small. Tiny, even. Most people visit for a day trip, sometimes for a night. It’s not often tourists hang around longer than that to soak up the unique flavours of this enchanting little pocket.
All the towns’ action starts in the Main Square and spreads out from there. All hotels, shops and restaurants sit within buildings dating back to the 16th century and the roads are lined with the original cobblestones. The square itself holds a wonderful assortment of food, activities, useful touristy stuff and a few accommodation options.
The ice cream shop and the north east of the square offers some unusual flavours, including green apple (with real apple chunks), orange (with real orange rind) and white chocolate (you guessed it, with real white chocolate chunks). A couple of doors down is a café which offers a wonderful array of cakes and just around the corner, down one of the many cobble-stoned alleyways is a beautiful, traditional Czech restaurant called Zlatý Andel. Save this one for a special occasion, and be sure to scrub up on your Czech: waiters love it and you’re bound to get a little bit of special treatment.
If a great night out with friends is what you’re looking for, head to the south of the main square and search for a small, rustic restaurant, which seldom sees tourists in the evening. Locals come here to enjoy a beer with their colleagues at the end of the working day. If you’re lucky one of them will pop over to your table to show you how to correctly ‘cheers’ in Czech (“nahdrazi!’). If you’re unlucky you’ll simply have to learn by watching them do it.
Don’t expect to stowe away in this little gem to enjoy some peace and quiet: in the corner sits a piano, vigorously played by an enthusiastic piano man. Lovely, although a little overwhelming in a restaurant as big as a standard loungeroom and caters to around 15 guests. Guests can tip him in beer, but it’s probably better to throw a few crowns his way.
There is no culinary divine in the Czech Republic, but if you’re ready to tuck into a combination of foods you would never find on a traditional Australian dinner table, you’re in the right place. Ordering smažený sýr (deep fried cheese), knedliky (dumplings) or guláš (goulash) will reposition any travellers understanding of how good deep fried food can be. Expect to enjoy your ‘main’ with a side of cabbage or potato and often with mayonnaise. Even while I write this I can see readers’ faces pinching up at the thought of potato and cabbage atop of fried cheese. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it – and you have to try it. All this for around $8.
Yep, food is cheap. Beer is cheaper. Expect to pay around AU$1.50 for a 500ml stein of smooth Czech beer. If you’re feeling particularly frugal, head 500 metres up the hill and towards the town’s main entrance to the supermarket and pick up a 500ml bottle of beer for around .80c. For those keen on tasting the local wines, be ready for it to be served in tall, strangely shaped ceramic cup. Not glasses. Although in the ‘classier’ establishments you might snare a glass.
A refreshing aspect of Cesky Krumlov is that although everyone in speaks English, locals still wander the streets after a long day at work, whom of which speak not one word of it. This small aspect makes this marvellous little town so much more enchanting and genuine.
The myriad options for accommodation, from hostels and hotels to room hire in private houses, apartments and B&B’s means Cesky Krumlov can accommodate any of traveller, and while the Czech Crown is still present, even those on the smallest budget can enjoy this wonderful little town.
It could feel touristy. It has all the elements of being a wonderful little tourist trap. Pokey little trinket shops, street parades, an enormous, newly painted castle (of which Hans Christian Andreson helps design) and a handful of side shows including the local Medieval Torture Museum and Wax Works (a visit is encouraged if you need a bit of a laugh). But somehow it doesn’t feel like a ‘trap’. It exudes a sincerity rarely felt in towns marketed to the tourism industry. Visitors can walk the tiny, cobbled streets and not feel obliged to throw a crown to a busker (because their aren’t any), tourists can wander into a shop and not be badgered by the shop keeper. Why? Because this town is equally as relaxing as it is captivating. Those who work there appear to truly enjoy it. And they seem to want those who visit it to enjoy it as well.
While the torture dungeon is a side show that could be missed if time is pressing, the multiple beer dungeons are a must, and those who decide to bypass Cesky Krumlov as a day trip will miss out on a truly memorable and unique slice of Czech tradition – beer drinking.
A few things to note:
· In restaurants, plates are cleared before you can order your second pivo (beer). Doesn’t matter if everyone else at the table is still eating – that plate needs to be cleared, and it will be!
· There are seldom few vegetarian options in this neck of the woods. For those that way inclined, take a right down Parkin 105 to a restaurant called Laibon, popular for it’s fabulous vegetarian cuisine and lovely riverside dining
· Although not the easiest language to learn, pick up a pocket guide to Eastern Europe and learn the Czech basics: please, thank you, hello, good bye, and of course ‘cheers!’ The Cesky Krumlov experience will be made all the more richer when you’re greeted with the smiles of local restaurant and shop owners when you say ‘thank you’ in Czech.
AU$1 = 16 Crowns. Into perspective:
§ Beer: AU$1.50
§ Wine: AU$1.80
§ Main meal: AU$10-12
§ Bus ticket: AU$2.50
§ Castle entry: AU$15
§ Average tip: AU$2-4
· Tip: Visit before the Euro is introduced, while this little pocket of gems can still be enjoyed on a meagre budget.
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