Cesky Krumlov in one day on foot: a walking itinerary

By Edward Ter-Hovhannisyan · Oct 15, 2026

This Český Krumlov one day itinerary is a walking plan for the castle and the old town inside the Vltava bend: the Baroque castle garden, the Egon Schiele Art Centrum, the main square, the Church of St. Vitus, the Regional Museum, the castle tower and the main guided tour of the castle interiors. Seven stops, about 16 minutes of walking between them, and every opening hour and price checked against the venue's own site.

I built the day in Passage AI for a Wednesday in late October 2026, added the stops, let Optimize set the order and ran the Need tickets? scan. The plan below follows the October hours. Tuesday to Sunday is the window: on Mondays the castle tours and most museums close.

Last checked: Oct 2026. Hours and prices change with the season. Open the linked official page before you go.

The Český Krumlov one day itinerary at a glance

Passage AI day map of Český Krumlov with seven numbered stops between the castle garden in the west and the old town inside the Vltava bend — The day in Passage AI: seven stops between the castle hill and the old town.

The table shows the day in order, with a suggested time for each stop and the walking minutes to the next one.

#	Stop	Suggested time	Walk to next stop
1	Castle Garden	9:00	about 6 min
2	Egon Schiele Art Centrum	10:00	about 2 min
3	Náměstí Svornosti (main square)	11:30	about 1 min
4	Church of St. Vitus	11:50	about 2 min
5	Regional Museum, then lunch	12:30	about 3 min
6	Castle Museum and Castle Tower	14:00	about 2 min
7	Castle Tour Route I	15:00

Walk times in Passage AI are straight-line estimates between stops. Tap Directions and your phone's maps app opens with the street route.

Stop by stop

Passage AI Plan list for the Český Krumlov day: Zámecká zahrada 9:00 AM, Egon Schiele Art Centrum 10:00 AM, náměstí Svornosti 11:30 AM, Kostel svatého Víta 11:50 AM, Regional Museum 12:30 PM, Castle Tower 2:00 PM, with walk times between stops — The Plan list in Passage AI, with a time for each stop and the walk to the next one.

1. Castle Garden, 9:00

Start high. Walk up through the castle courtyards to the Baroque garden on the hill southwest of the castle buildings, past the fifth courtyard. It was founded in the 17th century and is part of the castle complex. In October it's open daily 7:00 to 17:00, so it's the one stop on this route you can do before the museums open. (official hours)

From here the walk runs downhill into the old town, and you come back up to the castle after lunch.

2. Egon Schiele Art Centrum, 10:00

Egon Schiele (1890 to 1918) was an Austrian painter whose mother was born in Krumlov. The centre on Široká street holds a permanent exhibition on his life and work: drawings, prints, his own furniture, letters, photographs and the places in town that turn up in his pictures. Changing exhibitions run alongside it, and one ticket covers them all. (official page)

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00. Price: 280 CZK full, 230 CZK concession, cash or card. (admission prices)

Buy the Český Krumlov Card at the desk here. It costs 490 CZK for an adult and covers one entry each to five places: the Egon Schiele Art Centrum, the Regional Museum, the Castle Museum and Tower, the Museum Fotoatelier Seidel and the Monastery Museum. It's valid for 12 months. The information centre and the participating museums sell it, except the Castle Museum, so buy it before you go back up the hill. (official page)

The sums for this day: the Schiele centre (280 CZK), the Regional Museum (60 CZK) and the castle tower and museum (280 CZK) come to 620 CZK at full price. The card saves 130 CZK, and more if you add Seidel.

3. Náměstí Svornosti, 11:30

The main square of the old town, a short walk from the Schiele centre. The town's information centre is at náměstí Svornosti 2: Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 17:00, Sunday 9:00 to 16:00, with a lunch break from 12:00 to 13:00 on weekends and holidays. It also sells the Český Krumlov Card and bus tickets. (official page)

4. Church of St. Vitus, 11:50

The parish church's spire is the other tower on the skyline, across the river from the castle, a minute or two from the square. I couldn't find opening hours on an official page, so check before you go. If the doors are shut when you arrive, walk around the church for the view back up to the castle.

5. Regional Museum, 12:30

A small museum of the town and the region "from prehistory to the present". The piece to see is a ceramic model of the historic centre as it looked around 1800. It shows how the whole town fits inside the river bend before you climb to the castle for the afternoon. (official page)

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 12:00 and 12:30 to 17:00, so 12:30 is right as it reopens after the midday break. Price: 60 CZK full, or covered by the Český Krumlov Card. (visitor information)

Eat lunch after the museum, in the old town on the way back toward the castle.

6. Castle Museum and Castle Tower, 14:00

The round, painted tower is the one in every photo of the town. It stands on the rock between the first and second castle courtyards, above the Vltava and the Latrán quarter. The arcaded gallery at the top was added in 1581, the murals date from 1590, and one of its bells is dated 1406. The gallery looks out over the whole town and the river. (official page)

The Castle Museum below it is self-guided, with an audioguide to rent, and shows pieces from the castle depositories tied to the Rožmberk, Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg families who owned the estate.

Hours: daily 9:00 to 16:30 from 1 September to 31 October; Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 15:30 from 1 November to 20 December. Price (2026): 280 CZK full, 220 CZK for seniors 65+ and visitors 18 to 24, 80 CZK for children 6 to 17, or covered by the Český Krumlov Card.

Passage AI Guide card for Český Krumlov Castle Tower with a photo of the town's red roofs, a Listen button, Story, Interesting facts and Experience tabs, and a Directions button — The Guide card for the Castle Tower, with a Listen button and the Story, Interesting facts and Experience tabs.

When you reach a stop, Passage AI's Guide opens a card like this one for the place. Tap Listen to hear the story read aloud.

7. Castle Tour Route I, 15:00

Route I is the main guided tour of the castle interiors: Renaissance and Baroque rooms from the 16th to 18th centuries, including the Chapel of St. George and the Masquerade Hall. It runs 55 minutes, takes up to 45 people, and needs a reservation only for groups. (official page)

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 16:00, from 1 September to 31 October. Closed on Mondays. Price (2026): 300 CZK full, 240 CZK for seniors 65+ and visitors 18 to 24, 90 CZK for children 6 to 17. The Český Krumlov Card doesn't cover it.

Buy a timed ticket on the castle's online ticket site the day before, and check the tour language when you pick a start time. Any afternoon slot inside the 9:00 to 16:00 window works with this plan.

How Optimize ordered the day

Passage AI Optimize preview reading Smoother day found, minus 11 min walking, listing the new stop order with each stop's old position and Keep as is and Apply new order buttons — Optimize's preview: "Smoother day found, −11 min walking", with each stop's old position.

I added the seven stops starting from the square, then tapped Optimize. It found an order with 11 minutes less walking, 16 minutes in total instead of 27, and I applied it. The new order makes one loop: up to the garden first, down through the old town museums before lunch, then back up to the castle for the afternoon.

Optimize shows a preview with each stop's old position before anything changes, and nothing saves until you press Apply.

What to book ahead in Český Krumlov

One stop on this route is worth booking ahead. Need tickets? in Passage AI scans a trip for stops like that and links you to the official ticket site. The table lists each stop as the official sites describe it:

Stop	Official site says (Oct 2026)	My call
Castle Tour Route I	Timed guided tours, max 45 people, online tickets	Book the day before
Castle Museum and Tower	Self-guided, daily in October	Walk in
Egon Schiele Art Centrum	Tue to Sun, cash or card	Walk in
Regional Museum	Tue to Sun, closed 12:00 to 12:30	Walk in
Castle Garden	Open daily 7:00 to 17:00 in October	Walk in
Church of St. Vitus	Hours not listed	Check before you go

If you add the Baroque Castle Theatre (see below), book that too: visits run at fixed times only.

What to skip or swap

Swap the Regional Museum for the Museum Fotoatelier Seidel. It's a photographer's studio and Art Nouveau villa on Linecká street, kept with its original equipment, and it covers the start of photography and a photo record of the Czech, German and Austrian border region. It's open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00 (last entry an hour before closing) and closed on Mondays. An audioguide tour costs 170 CZK, needs no booking, and the Český Krumlov Card covers it. (official page, tours and prices)
Add the Baroque Castle Theatre if you're here by 31 October. The castle calls it the best-preserved Baroque theatre in Europe, with its original stage machinery, sets and costumes. Visits run Tuesday to Sunday at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00 from 21 September to 31 October, and cost 400 CZK full. A 13:00 or 14:00 slot fits after the garden. (official page)
Travelling with kids? The Muzeum čokolády (chocolate museum) is open daily 10:30 to 18:00, last entry an hour before closing, and a full ticket is 270 CZK. (official site, prices)
Avoid Mondays. Castle Route I and the theatre are closed, and so are the Schiele centre, the Regional Museum and Seidel. The tower, the castle museum and the garden stay open, so a Monday works for the outside of the castle and not much else.
Coming in November or later? Route I's season ends on 31 October. From 1 November to 20 December, the Castle Museum and Tower open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 15:30. Check the castle's opening hours page for what's running on your date.
Coming from Prague for the day? Check bus or train times and the last connection back before you go. The information centre on the square sells Student Agency and FlixBus bus tickets. If you arrive late in the morning, move the castle tour to the afternoon: Route I runs until 16:00.

FAQ

Is one day enough for Český Krumlov?

One day covers the old town on foot: the castle tower, one guided tour of the interiors, the garden and two museums. The old town fits inside one bend of the Vltava, so most of the day is sightseeing, not walking. Stay the night if you want the castle theatre, a second tour and the river too.

Do you need to book the castle tour in advance?

The castle says a reservation is needed for groups only. Each Route I tour takes up to 45 people, so buying a timed ticket online the day before locks in your start time and language. The Castle Museum and Tower is self-guided, so you just turn up.

Is the Český Krumlov Card worth it?

For this route, yes. The tower, the Schiele centre and the Regional Museum cost 620 CZK at full price; the card is 490 CZK and also covers Seidel and the Monastery Museum. Buy it at the information centre on the square, because the Castle Museum doesn't sell it. It doesn't cover the guided castle tours.

What day of the week is best?

Tuesday to Sunday. On Mondays the castle tours and three of the museums on this route are closed. In autumn, go before 31 October if you want Route I or the theatre.

Can I plan this on Android?

An Android app is coming soon. On Android today you can plan in the browser at mypassage.ai.

How this was made: planned in Passage AI on 15 October 2026, facts checked against the official sites of Český Krumlov Castle (National Heritage Institute), the Egon Schiele Art Centrum, the Regional Museum in Český Krumlov, the Museum Fotoatelier Seidel, the Muzeum čokolády and the Český Krumlov information centre, written by Edward.

Cover photo: Guido Radig on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0, cropped)