Czech Republic Guide
South Bohemia
Zvíkov
Hidden amid the woods of an isolated rocky promontory at the confluence of the Vltava and the Otava is the bare medieval husk of Zvíkov (April & Oct Sat & Sun 9.30am– noon & 12.30–3.30pm; May & Sept Tues– Sun 9.30am– noon & 1–4pm; June– Aug Tues– Sun 9am–5pm; tours in English; 
www.pamatky-jc.cz ). You can wander at will among the light honey-coloured stone buildings, left to rack and ruin by the Rožmberks as long ago as the fifteenth century, then further destroyed by imperial troops during the Thirty Years' War. A small dusty track passes under three gatehouses before leading to the central courtyard, which boasts a simple, early Gothic, two-storey arcade, reconstructed in the nineteenth century from the few bays that still stood. Even the meagre offerings in the museum are more than compensated for by the absence of tour groups, the cool stone floors and the wonderful views over the water. The chapel's faded fifteenth-century frescoes feature a particularly memorable scene "where nimbed souls in underpants float uncomfortably through a forest", as one critic aptly described it.
Buses from Písek (weekdays only) generally only go as far as the village of ZVÍKOVSKÉ PODHRADÍ, 1km south of Zvíkov, from where the castle is signposted. Here you'll find spotless accommodation at the Pivovarský dvůr ( 
382 285 660, www.pivovar-zvikov.cz ; Price: 1001-1500Kč), a micro-brewery with a restaurant and pub that serves up several superb Zlatá labuť kvasnicové (yeast) beers.