Karlstejn, Prague

I have been at Karlstein a few times. It is always a pleasure, and always a new "wow"!
If you are on holiday in Prague, more than a few days, I highly recommend going to Karlstein.
You can take the train from the central station, and the trip takes no more than 20-25 minutes.
When you are in Karlstein is no more than 10 mins walk to main street and then 10 minutes up to the castle.
Before you go all the way up to the castle, I would recommend you to follow the yellow trail away from the castle (You will find the marks on the way to the castle). If you follow it, just a couple of 100 meters, you will have the perfect view of the castle.
To go inside the castle is not worth it. There is really nothing in there.

Karlstejn is one of the most famous travel destinations in Czech Republic. Main landmark in village of Karlstejn is castle.

Gothic castle was built from 1348 till 1365 by Holy Roman emperor and King of Bohemia Charles IV. Actually the purpose of constructing this castle was safekeeping of royal treasures.

Castle is about 30 kilometers from Prague. It is possible to reach it by train.

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The vast reaching hrad ( castle ) Karlstejn is spread out over the highest densely forested hilltops overlooking the well preserved Renaissance central Bohemian city of the same name. Construction of this mighty fortress commenced in 1348, by order of the ambitous, vain, and treasury pillaging King Karluv IV ( yes the same king under whose reign many of Prague's most popular tourist sites were built and given his name ). The king declared that the primary purpose of the fortress was to house the crown jewels, the other royal treasures, and the important and guarded documents. However, the completed fortress which rivaled a small city in size, served many more functions, including defense of the region.

The castle was revamped in about 1550, from which it received its present appearance. The architectural style is very characteristic of Bohemian and Austro-Hungarian Renaissance.The semi pyramidal roofs of the towers and other buildings, as well as the half timbered great halls are common throughout the region in castles as well as free standing towers. Photo #2 is a closeup view of the great hall and primary tower. Photo #1 shows more detail of the sloping crenalated ramparts. Photo #3 shows the older buildings in the castle complex, indluding one of the medieval turrets with a coned roof. Photo #4 shows the steeples of the castle's church, protruding from behind the massive defense ramparts.

There are excellent hiking trails through the woods surrounding the castle, which afford great views of all sides of the castle and of the surrounding river valley and countryside. Admission to the castle grounds and many of its structures is free of charge, and you can enjoy them as long as you wish. There are two guided tours offered of the castle interiors, although the long tour is only offered a few times a day. The tours are not very memorable and no photography of the interiors is allowed. It is hard to say why ! The best views of the castle are from a distance and from the courtyard, such as the ones shown in my photos.

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The city of Karlstejn and its famous Gothic castle are located about 35 km. southwest of Prague. Karlstejn is a short, uncomplicated, scenic, and very inexpensive, train ride from Hlavni Nadrazi ( central or main ) train station of Prague. Many tour packages for hrady ( castle ) Karlstejn are available, but most leave much to be desired, and a few are outright hoaxes. My advice is to save your money by taking the public train. The red, white, and blue, flag of the new republic of Chechia, is shown flying proudly over the upper court of the castle.

Shown in both photos are the tallest rook and part of the castle's ramparts, as well as the surrounding steep and heavily forested hills. Further in the distance are the villages that dot the river valley. You can see from the photos that attacking the castle was a very formidable task for all of the invaders who tried. The photos were taken in April when the Bohemian countryside is especially beautiful and captivating.

more later !

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Take a daytrip by train to the famous Gothic Castle of Karlstejn. The medieval castle was built between 1348 and 1355 to deposit the Empire coronation jewels and state documents.

It is located on a hill and offers great views of the surrounding area. The way up the hill is packed with tourist stalls selling every kind of souvenirs.

Karlstejn ist located about 35 km southwest of Prague. A return train ticket was 112 CZK in 2003 (less than 2 EURO).

Karlstejn Castle is probably the most famous castle outside of Prague. Its proximity to Prague obviously helps that, but it is a very interesting castle in its own right. It is a great example of the Bohemian late gothic style architecture and has a very interesting structure to it.

For me, to be honest, the tour itself was boring. It was more of a tour of the family artifacts than the castle itself(the castle was used as a place of safe-keeping for most of the royal's most important treasures, includin the crown jewels). You don't generally learn much about the castle itself. However, it is an interesting look into Charles IV's family life, etc.

Karlstejn, as a town, has basically become a tourist junction between the train station and the castle. You can find everything and anything you would expect to be sold where tourists frequent...restaurants, accomodation, ice cream, useless trinkets, etc. But it still, strangely, holds its character, as it almost seems these shops are sort of like a circus that came into town for the week and will leave it exactly as they found it.

it is a great day trip from Prague, especially if you want something that is close and important in the course of understanding the nation's history...not to mention great picturesque views!

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There are splendid castles around Prague. The most impressive is Karlstejn (XIV century), Krivoklat (XIII century), and several others located along the scenic Berounka river. Karlstejn IMO is a must see, like visiting Taj Mahal when in India. You can get more info on my Krivoklat and Karlstejn pages. I wanted to see Cesky Sternberk SE of Prague, but I didn't have the opportunity.

After visiting Karlstein Castle, you will be led down to your transport via the street along the lovely town. There are numerous shops selling souvenirs, crystals and other local handicraft. The walk itself is a great experience because the scenery is beautiful and people are friendly.