Czech Republic Guide
South Bohemia
Orlík nad Vltavou
With its vanilla-coloured rendering and mock castellations, you're unlikely to be disappointed by your first impressions of Orlík (which means "little eagle"), a creamy nineteenth-century castle that juts out into this wide stretch of the Vltava. No doubt the view was a great deal more spectacular before the valley was dammed in the 1960s; nowadays the water laps rather tamely at the foot of the castle, and concrete has been injected into its foundations to prevent it from being swept away.
As some of the region's greatest self-propagandists, the Schwarzenbergs turned this old Gothic hrad (Tues– Sun: April & Oct 9am–4pm; May & Sept 9am–5pm; June– Aug 9am–6pm; 150Kč; 
www.schwarzenberg.cz ) into a pseudo-Gothic money-waster in the second half of the nineteenth century. There's nothing among the faience, weaponry and military memorabilia on the hour-long guided tour to hint at its seven-hundred-year history, and even the gardens were only laid out in the last century, but if you're interested in the Schwarzenbergs, this is one of the best places to find out about them.
For moderately priced traditional food, head for the restaurant U Toryka (closed Mon & Nov– March), just below the castle; for cheaper options, try the café in the orangery, or head off into the castle grounds for a picnic. There are also a handful of cheap restaurants in the village of Orlík, 1km or so south of the castle. Of the many campsites in the area, the nearest is 3km downriver (but 7km by road) at Velký Vír (May– Sept; 
382 275 192, www.velkyvir.cz ), which has bungalows for rent and two restaurants. En route, there's a nice pension, U Nováků ( 774 721 721; Price: 1001-1500Kč), with a friendly pub downstairs serving cheap food and Gambrinus and Purkmistr beers.