Best Hidden Speakeasies in Cesky Krumlov You Need a Tip to Find

The Quiet Art of Finding Cesky Krumlov's Best Speakeasies in Cesky Krumlov

I have lived in Cesky Krumlov for over a decade, and the thing that still surprises me is how many drinking spots you will never find unless someone whispers an address, a knock pattern, or a password scrawled on a napkin. The best speakeasies in Cesky Krumlov are not listed on Google Maps. They do not have neon signs. Some of them do not even have a permanent name. What they do have is atmosphere, character, and a sense that you have slipped through a crack in the UNESCO shell of this town and found something that belongs to the people who actually live here. If you only walk the main drag from the castle tower down Latran Street to the bus station, you will miss all of it. This guide is for the ones willing to look a little harder.

The Back Room at Eggenberg Brewery on Budejovicka Street

Cesky Krumlov's brewing tradition runs deep, and the Eggenberg Brewery on Budejovicka Street is the most visible face of that legacy. But what most visitors do not realize is that behind the main tasting hall, there is a smaller room where locals gather for unfiltered lager that never makes it onto the tourist menu. You have to ask for it by name, "nefiltrovane," and even then, the bartender might look at you twice before nodding toward the back. The room is low-ceilinged, stone-walled, and smells like malt and old wood. I have spent many winter evenings here when the rest of the town is quiet, and the only other patrons are brewery workers finishing their shifts. The unfiltered lager costs about 45 CZK for a half liter, which is less than you would pay for the filtered version in the main hall. Go on a weekday evening after 7 PM, when the tour groups have cleared out. The one thing I will warn you about is that the ventilation in that back room is not great, and by 9 PM it can get thick with cigarette smoke even though the official smoking ban is technically in effect. Locals do not seem to care, and neither will you after the second glass.

The Cellar Bar Beneath Pension Lobo on Kaplirjova Street

Kaplirjova Street runs along the river on the inner curve of the Vltava, and most tourists walk past Pension Lobo without a second glance. The pension itself is unremarkable, but if you know the owner, or if you are staying there and ask the right question at check-in, you might get invited down to the cellar. This is not a commercial bar in any formal sense. It is a vaulted stone cellar dating to the 14th century, with a few tables, a collection of regional wines from South Moravia, and a bottle of Slivovitz that has been there longer than anyone can remember. The owner, a quiet man named Petr, pours drinks himself and tells stories about the building's history as a tannery. There is no menu, no posted hours, and no sign outside. You pay what feels fair, usually around 80 to 120 CZK for a glass of wine. The best time to experience this is during the Five-Petaled Rose Festival in June, when the town is full of costumed revelers and the cellar feels like a secret holdout from another century. Most tourists would not know that the stone floor in the far corner is original medieval paving, worn smooth by centuries of foot traffic. Petr will point it out if you seem genuinely interested. My only complaint is that the cellar has no cell signal whatsoever, so do not expect to post about it in real time.

The Hidden Bar Cesky Krumlov at Na Plovance

Na Plovance is the street that runs along the river on the castle side of town, and it is where Cesky Krumlov keeps some of its best secrets. There is a small, unmarked door near the canoe rental shacks that leads to a basement space known locally as "the boat house bar," though its actual name changes depending on who you ask. This hidden bar Cesky Krumlov locals talk about is run by a rotating cast of kayaking guides who use it as an off-season hangout. In summer, it is packed with river people drinking Bernard beer and eating pickled cheese from a communal bowl. In winter, it is quieter, and the conversation turns to water levels and flood stories. The space is raw, concrete and river stone, with paddles mounted on the walls and a sound system that plays Czech folk rock at a volume that makes deep conversation impossible. A half liter of Bernard runs about 50 CZK, and the pickled cheese is around 60 CZK. Go on a Friday night in September, after the summer tourist rush has ended but before the guides have fully dispersed for the off-season. The detail most tourists miss is that the back wall of the bar is actually the original medieval fortification wall of the town, and if you run your hand along it, you can feel the chisel marks from 600 years ago. The downside is that the single toilet is genuinely terrible, a fact that everyone acknowledges but no one has fixed.

The Secret Bar Cesky Krumlov Inside the Old Post Office on Latran

Latran Street is the main artery of the old town, and the Old Post Office building is one of those structures everyone photographs but few people enter. The ground floor still functions as a post office, which is part of why the secret bar Cesky Krumlov regulars love it. You walk past the stamp counter, through a door marked "zamcene" (locked), and down a narrow staircase to a basement that was once a mail sorting room. The bar is run by a woman named Marta who used to work for the postal service and retired into this instead. She serves Becherovka, local mead, and a homemade limonade that she makes from a recipe her grandmother brought from Telc. The room is small, maybe six tables, and the walls are still lined with old postal cubbyholes, some of which now hold bottles instead of letters. A shot of Becherovka is about 40 CZK, and the mead is around 70 CZK per glass. The best time to visit is mid-afternoon on a Tuesday or Wednesday, when the post office upstairs is slow and Marta has time to talk. She will tell you about the time a package arrived addressed to "the ghost of the post office" and how she delivered it anyway. Most tourists do not know that the building's foundation incorporates stones from the original 13th-century town wall, visible if you crouch down near the base of the staircase. The one drawback is that the staircase is steep and uneven, and after a few drinks, the trip back up requires concentration.

The Underground Bar Cesky Krumlov at the Monastery Complex on Kaplirjova

The former Minorite monastery complex on Kaplirjova Street is one of the most historically layered sites in Cesky Krumlov, and it houses an underground bar Cesky Krumlov visitors rarely discover. The monastery has been repurposed multiple times, most recently as a cultural center, but the cellars beneath the cloister have been used for storage, shelter, and informal drinking since at least the Hussite wars. The bar itself is a seasonal operation, open primarily from May through October, and it functions as an extension of the cultural center's programming. On any given night, you might find a jazz trio, a poetry reading, or just a group of locals sharing a bottle of Frankovka red wine from a Moravian vineyard. There is no fixed menu, and prices are suggested donations rather than set rates, usually in the range of 60 to 100 CZK for a drink. The best night to go is Saturday, when the cultural center hosts its weekly "podzemni vecer" (underground evening), which draws a mix of artists, musicians, and long-time residents. The space is genuinely underground, with vaulted brick ceilings and a temperature that stays cool even in August. Most tourists do not realize that the monastery's cellar system connects to a network of tunnels that run beneath the old town, some of which were used for smuggling during the Thirty Years' War. The bar staff will neither confirm nor deny this, which is part of the charm. My only real complaint is that the sound quality in the cellar is uneven, and if you are sitting near the back wall, the music can become a muddy wall of bass that makes conversation difficult.

The Wine Cellar at Dlouha Street

Dlouha Street is one of the narrowest and oldest streets in Cesky Krumlov, running parallel to the river on the castle side. It is easy to miss entirely if you are not looking for it, and that is precisely why the wine cellar at number 47 has survived as a local secret for so long. The entrance is through a wooden door with no signage, down a set of stone steps into a cellar that has been used for wine storage since the 16th century. The current operator is a wine merchant named Tomas who sources exclusively from small producers in South Moravia and the Mikulov region. He opens the cellar on Thursday and Friday evenings from 6 PM onward, and the experience is less a bar and more a private tasting. You sit at a long wooden table, and Tomas pours three or four wines with detailed explanations of the terroir, the grape variety, and the producer's history. The cost is around 200 to 300 CZK per person for the full tasting, which includes bread, cheese, and olives. The best time to visit is in late autumn, October or November, when Tomas features the new vintage and the cellar's cool air feels appropriate to the season. Most tourists do not know that the cellar's stone walls are nearly a meter thick, which keeps the temperature constant year-round and makes it one of the most comfortable drinking spaces in town regardless of weather. Tomas will also tell you that the street above was once the town's red-light district, which explains the unusually wide doorways designed to accommodate sedan chairs. The one downside is that Tomas does not take reservations, and if you arrive after 8 PM on a Friday, you may find the cellar full with no room for additional guests.

The Rooftop at the Former Mill on Pivovarska Street

Pivovarska Street, as the name suggests, is the brewery street, and it connects the Eggenberg complex to the industrial edge of the old town. At the far end, there is a former mill building that has been converted into a mixed-use space with artist studios on the upper floors. The rooftop terrace is not a bar in any official capacity, but the artists who work in the studios have been hosting informal gatherings up there for years, and word has spread. You access it through the building's main entrance, up three flights of stairs, and through a door that is sometimes locked and sometimes not, depending on who is working that day. If the door is locked, wait a few minutes and someone will likely come up after you. The rooftop offers a panoramic view of the castle tower, the Vltava, and the red rooftops of the old town, and the artists usually have a cooler of beer and a bottle of something stronger to share. There is no set price, but a contribution of 50 to 100 CZK is customary. The best time to go is on a summer evening around 8 PM, when the light is golden and the castle is illuminated. Most tourists do not know that the mill building was the site of Cesky Krumlov's first hydroelectric generator, installed in 1897, and that the original turbine housing is still visible in the basement. The artists will show you if you ask. The obvious drawback is that the rooftop has no railing to speak of, just a low wall that comes up to about knee height, so anyone with a fear of heights should think twice before accepting the invitation.

The Speakeasy Room at Hotel Ruzeka on Ruzena Street

Hotel Ruzeka is a small boutique hotel on a quiet street just off the main square, and it has a back room that functions as a private bar for guests and their friends. The room is decorated in a style that mixes Art Nouveau furniture with contemporary Czech art, and the bartender, a young woman named Katerina, makes some of the best cocktails in town. She uses local ingredients, including elderflower syrup from a farm outside Zlata Koruna and juniper berries foraged from the hills above the town. A cocktail runs about 120 to 160 CZK, which is high by Cesky Krumlov standards but justified by the quality. The best time to visit is on a Sunday evening, when the hotel's restaurant is closed and the back room becomes the de facto gathering place for the hotel's regulars. You do not need to be a guest to get in, but you do need to know someone who is, or you need to be friendly enough at the front desk to get an invitation. Most tourists do not know that the building was once a glove factory, and that the room where the bar is located was the cutting room, where leather was laid out on the large wooden table that now serves as the bar top. You can still see the knife marks in the wood if you look closely. Katerina will point them out and tell you about the factory's history, which lasted from 1880 until the Communist nationalization in 1948. The one thing I will say is that the room is small and fills up quickly, and if you arrive after 9 PM on a weekend, you may be standing in the hallway waiting for a seat.

When to Go and What to Know

Cesky Krumlov's hidden bars operate on a rhythm that is tied to the seasons and the tourist calendar. From June through August, the town is overwhelmed with visitors, and many of the informal spots either close entirely or become so crowded with locals escaping the crowds that getting in requires genuine connections. The best months for exploring the secret bar Cesky Krumlov scene are April, May, September, and October, when the weather is pleasant and the town belongs more to its residents than to tour operators. Weekday evenings are almost always better than weekends, with Tuesday through Thursday being the sweet spot. If you are serious about finding these places, learn a few phrases of Czech, even just "dobrý den" and "děkuji." The effort is noticed and rewarded. Do not expect credit card payments anywhere on this list. Carry cash, preferably in small bills. And the most important tip I can give you: talk to your accommodation host. In a town this small, the person whose bed you are sleeping in almost certainly knows someone who knows someone, and a single conversation over breakfast can unlock doors that no guidebook will ever open.