The city is spread mostly across a plain making it nearly flat in the inner parts with hillier areas in the eastern suburbs.

České Budějovice is situated in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.

A set of large fishponds is located in the northwestern part of the municipal territory.

[5] České Budějovice has a cooler and wet inland version of a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb; Trewartha: Dcbo) with an average annual temperature of 8.3 °C (46.9 °F).

The city quickly became rich thanks to the development of trade and crafts and thanks to silver mining in the nearby area.

[11] In 1341, King John of Bohemia allowed Jewish families to reside within the city walls.

Reconstructions in the Baroque style, which took place in the following decades, changed the architectural character of the city.

In 1785, Pope Pius VI founded the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and the Church of Saint Nicholas was promoted to a cathedral.

[15] The production of Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth pencils was relocated from Vienna to České Budějovice in 1847.

Aside from Hardtmuth brothers, Adalbert Lanna the Elder belonged among the city's most prominent industrialists of the 19th century.

Until the end of World War II, the city contained a significant German minority (about 15.5% in 1930).

[17] The reason for the change in the ratio was the high increase in the city's population, mainly caused by newly immigrated Czechs.

[19] During the final stages of World War II, in March 1945, České Budějovice was significantly damaged by United States Army Air Forces raids on strategic locations.

[13] České Budějovice is the economic centre of the entire South Bohemian Region and the seat of many large corporations.

In 1351, they obtained the so-called "mile right" from the king, i.e. that no pubs outside the city can be located within a radius of 10 km, and from 1410, not even breweries.

[24] For a time, the town was the imperial brewery for the Holy Roman Emperor, and Budweiser Bier (i.e. beer from Budweis) became,[25] along with Pilsner from Plzeň, one of the best-known lagers.

The oldest operating and second largest brewery, founded in 1795, was renamed to "Pivovar Samson", replacing its original German name "Budweiser Bürgerbräu" during the communist period.

The European route E55 (the section from Prague to the Czech-Austrian border at Dolní Dvořiště) passes through České Budějovice.

The speedway stadium on the Dlouhá louka, off Na Sádkách, opened in September 1955 and had a capacity of 30,000 spectators.

[32] The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.

[33] Among the main landmarks of the city and most visited tourist destinations is the Black Tower (Černá věž).

[37] The historic city centre is formed by the large Přemysla Otakara II Square and its surroundings.

It was originally a Renaissance house from the mid-16th century, completely rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1727–1730 according to the design of Anton Erhard Martinelli.

[41] The Dominican monastery with the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are the oldest monuments in the historic centre of České Budějovice.

[43] The Church of Saint Nicholas is a three-nave basilica, located near the main city square.

[45] The Church of Saints John the Baptist and Procopius was founded in the first half of the 13th century, in the original village before the foundation of the royal city.

[46] The Museum of South Bohemia was founded in 1870 and opened to the public in 1877 in a house next to the city hall.

The house, as well as all the preserved sections of the horse-drawn railway, is protected as a national cultural monument.

České Budějovice is the setting and was the working title for the play The Misunderstanding by Albert Camus.