České Budějovice

Alš South-Bohemian Gallery

It belongs to the five largest institutions of its kind in the Czech Republic. A permanent exhibition South Bohemian Gothic paintings on wood and sculpture 13–16th century. Flemish and Dutch paintings of the 17th century. Part of the exhibits are housed in Wortner House in České Budějovice.

Closed · opens 9 am tomorrow

Budvarka

a really nice little beer hall just off the main town square. It is owned by Budvar and has four of their beers on draft. The food includes lots of traditional Czech dishes and is cheap and very nice.

HochŠpalíček

Bar with a terrace that overlooks the bridge and the Vltava river.

Open now · closes 10 pm

IGY Centrum

A shopping mall which also contains a pool and fitness centre (includes gym, squash, solarium, sauna, etc.) that is about 20 min by foot from the train station and is next to the Hotel Clarion Congress České Budějovice.

Closed · opens 9 am tomorrow

Kavarna VLNNA

A cafe right by the river. You can rent a paddleboat at the cafe to paddle in the two rivers in České Budějovice.

Lannova Tr

A pedestrianised street leading from the train station to the old town. Has various shops along its length, including a Billa supermarket and department store.

Masné krámy

Butcher’s Market

Famous local restaurant, formerly a butcher’s market. It was founded in 1364. It is your best chance to try the traditional food of region.

Mercury Centrum

A two-storey shopping mall that shares space with the town's main bus terminal.

Museum of the Horse-drawn Railway

The museum is in the horse railway station. It is the first railway station in continental Europe.

May to September, Tue-Sun·30 Kč

Naměstí Přemysla Otakara II

Wander around the large old town square and surrounding streets to find many specialised stores (i.e. butcher, produce, tea & spices, fabric and so on).

Pivovar Budějovický Budvar

brewery Budvar

Karoliny Světlé 4. Take a tour of the town's largest brewery and home of "Budweiser" brand beer sold in most of Europe. Make sure to call several days in advance to schedule a tour, or if that's not possible, tours for visitors without reservations take place each day at 14:00. Visitors aged 18 or over are also able to visit the beer-tasting cellar. This is not the same as the "Budweiser" beer sold in the United States and Canada; due to trademark disputes over the name with US-based Anheuser-Busch, this is sold in the Americas under the "Budvar" or "Czechvar" name.

09:00-17:00 (reservations required)·Adults 180 Kč, students and children 90 Kč

Plachý Café

A coffee shop with an interesting name. It means "shy coffee" in Czech.

Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00

Přemysl Otakar II Square

Naměstí Přemysla Otakara II

The immense square in the middle of the town. Historical landmarks here include St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Black Tower, Samson's Fountain and the distinct yellow-coloured Včela Palace. In the middle of the square there is one of the symbol of the town, the Baroque Samson’s Fountain. It was created in the years 1721-1726 by Zachariáš Horn and the statues were created by Josef Dietrich. On the top is a statue of the biblical hero Samson. The Erratic Boulder is not far from the Samson’s fountain, marked with a cross. It used to have an execution scaffold, and legend says that anybody who crosses the Erratic Boulder after 22:00 will not find his way home and will wander the city until the morning.

Soupculture

A soup restaurant where you can eat the edible soup container afterwards.

St. Nicholas Cathedral

Built as a Gothic building in the 13th century. However, it burned down in the 17th century and today’s appearance is Baroque. There are three statues at the frontage: St. Wenceslas, St. Nicholas and St. Auratian. The interior of the church is very simple. The most important part is the main altar from the 18th century.

The Remains of the fortification

The Iron Maiden and Rabenštejnská Tower, parts of the old fortifications and the last remaining part of the fortifications of the middle-age Budějovice. The Iron Maiden dating back to the 14th century. It is named after the instrument of torture, which was located inside.

The South Bohemian Museum

It has a rich collection relating to the history and nature of South Bohemia. Natural history collections of primeval South Bohemia, history of the Middle Ages, and arts of the 17th and 18th century.

Tue-Sun 9:00-17:30·Adults 90 Kč, family 200 Kč

The Town Hall

The building with three towers was built in the Renaissance style in 1555. Today it is an elegant Baroque building from 1727-1730 built by A.E. Martinelli. It is decorated by Dietrich’s statues allegories of Justice, Courage, Wisdom and Caution and symbols of the Town and Bohemia.

Vypečený okno

Meaning "a little bakery in a window", you can buy various baked goods here. Be sure to try the Zelňák (cabbage pita).

Mon-Fri 07:00-18:00

ZMRZ.LI

Meaning "they froze", this ice cream shop has many flavours of scoop ice cream.

11:00-18:00 seasonally

Zoo Ohrada

Zoo Hluboká

It is located near Hluboká nad Vltavou and České Budějovice, which is the capital of the region, lies 8 km away. The zoo can be reached very easily by train, bus or car and it is open daily all year.

Adults 150 Kč

the Black Tower

The main dominant of České Budějovice, a 72-m-high renaissance tower that was completed in 1577 and there are six bells in the tower, the largest of which is called Bumerin.

1 April–31 October

Cafe Placidus

odern café with Davidoff coffee and wide selection of cakes and other desserts.

Cafe au chat noir

Small cafe right on the main square near with awesome views on what's happening on the square as it is on the first floor (don't give up and walk through the stores on the ground floor to the stairs if you want to enter).

Café Ionia

Small place with a bar, two tables outside during the summer and less frequent coffee brand which also gives a name to this place.

Café Plaza

"New kid on the block" right next to the city hall. One of the pluses here are particularly quite late opening hours every day.

Café la Storia

Café in one of the oldest buildings in the city near city walls. In the hot summer day don't sit outside, but try to find your chair inside in small yard between the buildings where you can avoid the sun and where the temperature stays always comfortable. Take one of the Lavazza coffee magazines to learn something new.

Green House

Healthy bio cuisine including vegetarian dishes, vegetable salads and soups.

Horká vana

Café and club in modern space. It organizes regular performances every month.

Manon

Café on the west side of the main square with highly decorated interior purely in black & white tones. Good coffee, views of the square, but a bit lack of atmosphere.