Prague vs Český Krumlov
Which would you pick?
The short answer
Český Krumlov is the cheaper trip, by roughly 17% a day — $90–150 against $110–180 mid-range per person. Meals run the other way, though: a cheap plate is $7–10 in Prague against $8–12 in Český Krumlov. Both are at their best in May–Jun, Sep, 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.
| 🇨🇿 Prague | 🇨🇿 Český Krumlov | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $110–180 | $90–150cheaper |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $7–10cheaper | $8–12 |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $120–215 | $85–150cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $1.70 | $0.70cheaper |
| 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.
🇨🇿 Prague
A thousand years of architecture that nobody got around to bombing, a castle district on one bank and a Gothic Old Town on the other, and the best cheap beer in Europe. The center is crowded by ten; the city is wonderful before and after.
- Prague Castle$$Sights
- Lokál$Food & drink
- National Theatre$$Music & theater
- Charles Bridge$Sights
- U Zlatého tygra$Food & drink
🇨🇿 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
Practicalities
| Prague | Český Krumlov | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Czech; English is standard anywhere tourists go, less so in neighborhood pubs | Czech; English and German widely spoken in hotels and restaurants |
| Currency | Czech koruna (CZK, written Kč). US$1 ≈ CZK 21. Czechia is in the EU but does not use the euro | Czech koruna (CZK, written Kč). US$1 ≈ CZK 21. Not the euro, though many places near the Austrian border quote euros too |
| Tap water | Safe to drink everywhere; restaurants will still sell you bottled unless you ask for tap | Safe to drink |
The same in both:
- Time zone
- CET (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer)
- Power
- Type E plugs (Type C fits), 230V
- Emergency
- 112 general · 155 ambulance · 158 police · 150 fire