People very often ask me:

  • Why did you become a tour guide?

I decided to do what I love. My job is my passion. I love meeting people. I love history and arts. I am a keen traveller like you!
I am always happy to explain how the Czech history  fits into European and the US context and above all I love being outdoor all year round! I actually decided to become a tour guide after going through hectic years of transition in nineties mainly involved in private business sphere. In 1992 I left for the UK to study Master course in International Marketing, then worked for a bit in the UK, coming back to Czech in 1994 to work for foreign consultancies helping to assist Czech industrial companies to switch from planned economy system to a market economy. For few years, I worked for my husband’s private business developing a market for special industrial products in Czech, Slovakia and Poland. Meanwhile I already started to work as a guide, which I initially thought it would be just my hobby, but it turned up that it is what I really wanted to do. Apart from that, I a mother to 3 daughters.

  • Tell us your personal recipe for a perfect day with your guests

I pick you up at the place of your stay in Cesky Krumlov at your convenience, we talk about what you would like to do and see. Once we agree on the final plan of the day, I book the tickets to make sure you see the places you wish to visit. There is no problem to change the plan for the last minute. I show you the best spots as well as hidden nooks, take you to meet up with local artists, to taste local food and beer, see the best of the castle area and make sure we don´t miss any of the stunning view points. I have a car available so I am happy to pick you up at the bus or train station and take you to your hotel first, after you are settled, we can do the city tour, visit the castle and next day I can take you for a trip to hidden picturesque sites around Cesky Krumlov or even more far,  so you can continue via other European destinations (Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Prague etc.) meanwhile visiting Ceske Budejovice, Trebon, Telc, Vyssi Brod, Zlata Koruna etc.

  • What does Cesky Krumlov offer that you can’t find in other places?

Cesky Krumlov is a uniquely preserved town with original houses dating back to medieval times, with currently restored Renaissance and Baroque facades. Having traveled all over Europe, I believe Cesky Krumlov old town features the highest density of original authentic historical buildings easily reachable with walking distance. Visitors admire not only the second largest castle in the Czech Republic, the largest one in Prague, but also dramatic scenery of the Vltava River zigzagging through the old town and the castle area.

I just love living here! Not only for its old times spirit, but also for the pulsing town life in summer months and quiet spiritual winter. There are so many concerts, theatre shows, live music shows and festivals going on all year round so you don’t feel like living in the middle of nowhere, even though Cesky Krumlov is in fact in the middle of nowhere – but a very pretty one. There is the river, which you can go down to on a boat; there are the hills of Blansky les ideal for walking and cycling and old castles and monasteries in a close neighborhood.  Cesky Krumlov is an ideal place for people who want to slow down and relax. Some visitors call it little Prague (Praha).

Eating out is excellent; they say Cesky Krumlov is the town with the highest density of restaurants, bars, coffee shops in Czech. It is always tempting not to stop and have a cup of coffee at the river side overlooking the castle area.

  • Is there a cliché about Cesky Krumlov ? And is it true?

A big cliché is – Cesky Krumlov castle is closed from November till March. This is not true. People can visit castle grounds even at midnight. The castle gates never close. What are closed during winter months are the castle residence and the castle Baroque theatre, no guided tours are available during this time.

  • What is the best season to travel to the Czech  Republic?

Great time to come is early spring (April, early May) and late autumn (end of September, October). The main tourist season is not on yet, all sites are open and the visitors can enjoy relaxed atmosphere without crowds we get here from late May till early September.

  • What to do if it rains once in Cesky Krumlov?

On rainy days, there is so many place to visit, only at the castle there are three different guided tours  visitors can take (Mondays closed), apart from visiting the castle tower and castle museum, which stay open all year round. For art lovers, there is Egon Schiele Art museum open all year round, Museum of Photography, local Historical Museum and also local Eggenberg brewery (tours available daily include beer tasting).  You might like to get Cesky Krumlov Card, which includes 5 museums.

  • Where in Cesky Krumlov can I relax best?

Castle gardens are a great spiritual place. It is quite a big garden, almost 1.5 miles long, with a Baroque fountain, Rococo house and lake with ducks and water lilies in its top end. There are meadows, forests and hills around where you can take nice easy walks following marked paths. Wonderful is to take walk or cycle  around Cesky Krumlov viewpoints.

If you like night life way of relaxing, there series of clubs with live music, bars in the old town of Cesky Krumlov, which stay open till almost morning.

  • Where to eat really well in Cesky Krumlov?

When we dine out as a family we love to eat Svejk Restaurant at castle stairs, they have a great selection of traditional Czech food, exactly as I would make it or I would love to know how to cook it ! When we have visitors, we like to take them to Papas Living Restaurant. They have excellent selection of Moravian wines and very good cuisine.

  • What do you enjoy most about leading tours?

Meeting people coming from all over the world and trying to make them understand the places they are visiting as well as what Czechs are like as a nation and how we fit into the past and current Europe.

I like to listen to people and hear about their experience on different things comparing with what Czechs have been through, what my home town has been through. Meeting people is for me a never-ending source of knowledge, experience, inspiration and adventure.

  • What do you do apart from showing people your country?

I am also appointed as a legal interpreter from English to Czech. Every year I organize up to ten weddings in Cesky Krumlov for couples from all over the world wanting to get married in my home town and coming here few days before their ceremony. It is up to me to plan everything carefully and make sure wedding day goes smoothly.  I do most of planning in winter months, where apart from skiing there is not much to do ☺

  • What is a typical custom of your culture?

Producing and drinking beer, making many kinds of Christmas cookies.

  • What do you recommend to travelers to put in their bag when they make a trip to your country?

A bottle opener – Czech beer is very good and cheap (pint of beer costs the same as a half pint of bottled water). If you get bottled beer, you need a bottle opener to taste it.