My name is Karolina Kortusova, I have been a tour guide for more than 14 years.I live in a small uniquely preserved historical city of Cesky Krumlov, UNESCO site in South Bohemia, the Czech Republic. 

 Apart from the tours to Cesky Krumlov old town and the castle area, I developed series of day trips in South Bohemia and Upper Austria including UNESCO sites as Cesky Krumlov, Telc, Holasovice, Salzburg and more of hidden treasures of Czech (Trebon, Vyssi Brod, Zlata Koruna, Jindrichuv Hradec, Ceske Budejovice).I take my client around in my own car (VW minivan) and always come up with the itineraries, which meet my client interests and expectations.I also do cycling and walking trips in South Bohemia.  

Cesky Krumlov is my home.I like to share my love and passion for Cesky Krumlov - its history, architecture, and spirit, which you breathe in the moment you arrive.I am here to make you understand this special place and hopefully you will start to feel about it in the same way I do, making Cesky Krumlov an unforgettable addition to your travel itinerary.I am the founder of Krumlov Tours, originally I hail from Northeast Bohemia, but I have family roots in Cesky Krumov. I studied textiles & clothing technology just after the collapse of the Communist regime and was one of the first students who obtained a UK scholarship, which enabled me to complete my Master´s degree in Marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University.After finishing my studies, I worked for some time abroad and since 1995 I have worked in the private business sphere in the Czech Republic.  I am a professional tour guide,  a certified English legal interpreter, keen walker, skier and mountainbiker. I live with my husband and three daughters on one of the Cesky Krumlov hills. 

Cesky Krumlov walking tours and private guide services recommended by the Rick Steves´ - Prague & The Czech Republic 2014 and [sensitive content].I provide all year round daily walking tours to the Cesky Krumlov Old Town, Castle Courtyards and Gardens.Driver-guide services across South Bohemia, Hluboka and Rozmberk castles, Trebon, Telc, Ceske Budejovice 

v     What does your city 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.  

v     What is the best season to travel? 

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.  

v     What to do if it rains?

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).  

v     Where can you 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.  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.   

v     Where to eat really well? 

When we dine out as a family we love to eat at Nona Gina at Klasterni Street.It is run by an Italian who married a local women and their food is just great.When we go out with our friends, we like to eat at Papas Living Restaurant.They have excellent selection of Moravian wines and very good cuisine.On working days I like to stop for a bowl home made soup at Svejk Restaurant at castle stairs, they have also a great selection of traditional Czech food. 

v     In which subject you are a local expert? 

I love Renaissance times – architecture, arts and way of life.It is my cup of tea.  

v     How did you become a tour guide? 

I decided to do what I like the best – meeting people, studying history and arts, introducing Czech history into European context and above all I love being outdoor all year round!  I actually decided to become a tour guide after spending hectic years in nineties.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 company developing a market for special industrial products in Czech, Slovakia and [sensitive content]anwhile 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.    

v     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.   

v     Why have you chosen to become a tour guide? / When did you know you were a tour guide? 

I love traveling myself and when I travel I always travel independently, therefore it was a straight forward decision to become a tour guide focusing on tours for independent travelers.I love history, when I was little, I wanted to be an archeologist, but being brought up in communist times, there was a little chance to become what you really wanted to be.Finally I am doing what I really love, meeting people, sharing with them not only my passion for history and arts, but also practical experience of living through two different systems.  

v     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 ☺ 

v     What is a typical custom of your culture? 

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

v     Is there a cliché about your city? 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.  

v     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.  

v     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.