Český Krumlov vs Brno
Which would you pick?
The short answer
Brno is the cheaper trip, by roughly 17% a day — $75–125 against $90–150 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in May–Jun, Sep–Oct, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇨🇿 Český Krumlov | 🇨🇿 Brno | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $90–150 | $75–125cheaper |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $8–12 | $6–9cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $85–150 | $70–120cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $0.70cheaper | $1.20 |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $1,950 | ≈ $1,950 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇨🇿 Český Krumlov
A red-roofed medieval town inside a double loop of the Vltava, under a castle almost as big as the town itself. Tiny, very beautiful, and full of day-trippers from ten to four — so sleep here and have it to yourself.
- Castle Museum & Tower$The castle
- River trip on the Vltava$$In town
- Krčma v Šatlavské$$Food & drink
- Castle tour, Route I$$The castle
- Egon Schiele Art Centrum$In town
🇨🇿 Brno
Czechia's second city and its student capital: a modernist villa on the UNESCO list, a bone-lined ossuary, cellars under the vegetable market and some of the best cocktail bars in Central Europe — at lower prices than Prague, and with hardly any tour groups.
- Villa Tugendhat$$Sights
- Bar, který neexistuje$$Bars
- Zelný trh$Squares & markets
- Špilberk Castle$Sights
- Super Panda Circus$$Bars
Practicalities
| Český Krumlov | Brno | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Czech; English and German widely spoken in hotels and restaurants | Czech; English is common among the city's large student population, less so with older people |
| Currency | Czech koruna (CZK, written Kč). US$1 ≈ CZK 21. Not the euro, though many places near the Austrian border quote euros too | Czech koruna (CZK, written Kč). US$1 ≈ CZK 21. Not the euro |
The same in both:
- Time zone
- CET (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer)
- Power
- Type E plugs (Type C fits), 230V
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112 general · 155 ambulance · 158 police · 150 fire