The medieval town of Cesky Krumlov in South Bohemia is built on a group of rock outcrops, around which the Vltava River makes several twists and turns. Its town center is wrapped 270 degree by the Vltava, across which, up on a cliff, is the Český Krumlov Castle, from where the Rosenberg, Eggenberg, and Schwarzenberg houses ruled the region from 1302 to 1945. It survived WW2 with no damage, but fell into disrepair during the Communist era. Ironically, such neglect also kept it from being spoiled by industrial development. Post Cold War market economy turns it into a major tourist destination. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

We took a day trip there from Prague. Before we went, we checked the alternatives, from the expensive private shuttle to guided group tour and settled on the economical Student Agency Bus, which takes 3 hours each way. Private shuttle with no stop on the way takes 2.5 hour. The small time saved hardly justifies the high cost. Reviews on the quality of group tours are inconsistent, because the booking agencies outsource the tour to independent operators. The information from tour guides can be easily found on the Internet. Since it is almost impossible to get lost in this small town, we opted for the flexibility of exploring this new place by ourselves.