Lukas
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We went on the 6-9h boat trip with Malecek. We had to be at the office at 8:45. At 9 we walked over to the bus terminal and drove ~35min to Rožmberk. Got the boats and got started at ~10:00. With around 1.5h hours of breaks, a lot of paddling, because the water was quite low at the end of August, we reached Český Krumlov at ~19:00. So we took 10 hours, longer then expected as we were paddling most of the time. The 6 hours seem only possible with much higher river flow. There is a grocery store near by to stock up on provisions, more on that later.
Overall it went alright. It was a bit of a long day but was fun overall. Some things to look out for:
They said, we would have to pay a fine if we arrive later then 18 o'clock. That was not checked at all, and is probably just said so people don't stick around at the bars forever to drink. Would have been nice to know that before hand to be not stressed about time.
The bars along the river are hit and miss price wise. Some offer cocktails like mojitos for 150 CZK (6€) and double the alcohol for 50 CZK (2€) extra, which is expensive for Czech but alright if you are used to Austrian prices. Some charge 300 CZK (12€), with 50 CZK (2€) deposit for mugs that you can return at some place, just unsure where, which seems mostly like a scam. I would recommend you pick a price cap and if anything feels off just skip them.
On the topic of drinking, bring more then enough, ideally in a cooler. The bigger rafts are very stable so you can bring as many drinks and food as you want. Beer was around 25 CZK (1€) at the store so you get six beers for the same price as one cocktail.
There is not much need for cash as even the bars in the river had card payment available.
For food we went to one of the first snack places on the side of the river. Was eatable but very cheaply made. The lángos were made with ketchup to give you an idea. This one doesn't exist on google despite looking like it has been there some time, seems like no accident. Stick with one of the later ones, there are some with decent reviews. Your mileage may vary depending on what place you choose.
If I did it again, I would probably pick the 3-4h one for the first time. The longer one would be fine as well with a lot of food and drink provisions, so you don't have to stop. Just be prepared to still paddle quite a lot depending on how low the water is. The route we took and the stop where I guess the shorter one would start.
Inside the city main dishes where 200-250 CZK (8-10€) and drinks like beer 50-75 CZK (2-3€). Every now and then there are outliers but have a look at the menu before to see if it's alright.
One place I can recommend for food inside the city is My Saigon. We stayed from Friday to Sunday, with the boat trip on Saturday and looking at the city and the castle on the other two days.
Overall, I can recommend it for a weekend trip.
