Karlstejn Travel Guide

  Karlstein
by DanDidriksen
 
  • Karlstein
      Karlstein
    by DanDidriksen
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by DanDidriksen
  • restaurant at the train station
      restaurant at the train station
    by doug48
  • karlstejn village
      karlstejn village
    by doug48
  • karlstejn village
      karlstejn village
    by doug48
 

Pro

alancollins profile photo

  Wonderful castle and views 


Con

Sagespot profile photo

  ...castle was closed...MAKE SURE TO CALL IN ADVANCE IF YOU ARE TOURING BY YOURSELF! 


In a nutshell

el_ruso profile photo

  a must-see! 

 

Explore Karlstejn

Things to Do  

Karlstejn Wax Museum

Karlstejn Wax Museum, Karlstejn

 Sagespot Says:  While on a winter walk to see Karlstejn Castle, my husband and I stopped at the Karlsejn Wax Museum (more to warm up than to see the figures.) We were very suprised to see a nice display of the Czech Republic's historical figures.We were most impressed by the kaleidoscope... 

imperial palace

imperial palace, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  the building in the center of the picture is the imperial palace. it is the only part of the castle you see on tour 1. the first floor of the palace was used by knights and courtiers. the second floor are the private rooms of charles IV. also you can see the impressive... 

well tower

well tower, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  the well tower is one of several defensive towers at karlstejn. this tower has a wooden treadwheel for hauling water up to the castle. 

st. mary's tower

st. mary's tower, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  the building with the spire in the center of the picture is st. mary's tower. inside is st. catherine's chapel and a painting of charles IV receiving two thorns from the crown of jesus from the french dauphin. 

grand tower

grand tower, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  on the first floor of the grand tower are two rooms with paintings of karlstejn and other bohemian castles. on the second floor is holy cross chapel with a collection of paintings by master theodoric, the court painter of charles IV. 

karlstejn castle

karlstejn castle, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  finally i get to the castle and it is worth the hike. see my transportation tip for some alternatives to hiking up to the castle. karlstejn was built for holy roman emperior charles IV between 1348-1357. it is one of the most visited castles in bohemia. 

castle courtyard

castle courtyard, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  when you enter the castle the first place you come to is the castle courtyard. here you can purchase a tour of the interior of the castle. tour 1 lasts about an hour and tour 2 an hour and a half. tour 2 must be reserved in advance. the tours are in czech, german, and... 

first restaurant

first restaurant, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  i arrived from prague by train and across the street was a restaurant. my first impression was that i was in the village of karlstejn. wrong ! i had to walk down a street to the car park then across a bridge over the berounka river. the walk took about 10 minutes. but at... 

st. sebastian statue

st. sebastian statue, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  pictured is a statue of st. sebastian on the road up to karlstejn castle. a great place to stop and catch your breath. this is approximately the half way point to the castle. by the way, st. sebastian was a christian martyr who was killed in 287AD during the rule of emperor... 

the village

the village, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  finally after a 15 minute walk i have reached karlstejn village. the street is lined with tourist shops, cafes, and restaurants. good news-bad news. i have reached the village but now the road gets steep. 

the lower village

the lower village, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  after crossing the bridge i finally see karlstejn village. from the bridge it looks like a charming bohemian town. wrong again ! still more walking to go. 

Restaurants  

Pension Restaurant "U Janu": Hot Wine Heaven

Pension Restaurant "U Janu": Hot Wine Heaven, Karlstejn

 Sagespot Says:  My husband and I stopped at U Janu on the way down from Karlstejn Castle. Its a cute little local place on the mainstreet of town. They have a huge mural along the back wall of the front room that is quite beautiful. The hot wine at this restaurant was some of the best we... 

Transportation  

horse cart

horse cart, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  it is quite a hike up to the castle. from the car park you can take a horse drawn cart or a taxi up to the castle. tourists are not allowed to drive in the village. these are good options if you are short on time or if walking is a problem. the walk down the hill from the... 

karlsejn by train

karlsejn by train, Karlstejn

 doug48 Says:  from prague you can take a train to karlstejn (direction beroun). the trains leave prague central station about every half hour during the day and the trip takes about 45 minutes. once you arrive at karlstejn station you have a 30 minute walk up to the castle. 

Shopping  

Egermann, Co. Ltd.: Cryastal and Glass Mecca

Egermann, Co. Ltd.: Cryastal and Glass Mecca, Karlstejn

 Sagespot Says:  This shop is on the main drag of Karlstejn and features beautifully done glass and crystal creations. We initially stopped here because they had a huge sign on the door that said "We Ship." We had wanted to bring some crystal home and didnt want to pack it in our luggage, so... 

Tourist Traps  

Karlstejn

Karlstejn, Karlstejn

 alancollins Says:  Most visitors to Karlstejn have to walk the 2kms from the car/coach park to the castle. Every other building appears to have some connection with the tourist industry. These building are backed up by numerous kiosks. I was fortunate to go late in the year and business was... 

Off The Beaten Path  

See Karlstein at its best

See Karlstein at its best, Karlstejn

 DanDidriksen Says:  Follow the yellow trail around 200-300 meters up to a small cross, and you will get a perfect view of the castle (You will find the trail, when you walk towards the castle). 

Krivoklat

Krivoklat, Karlstejn

 el_ruso Says:  There is another beautiful, but less known castle located just a few kilometers to the West in Krivoklat. I highly recommend visiting it if you are in the area. 

Favorites  

KARLSTEJN CASTLE

KARLSTEJN CASTLE, Karlstejn

 NightStar Says:  The way to the castle court 

KARLSTEJN CASTLE

KARLSTEJN CASTLE, Karlstejn

 NightStar Says:  The view to the Karlstejn forest valley 

 
Explore Deeper into Karlstejn
Karlštejn castle
Things to Do
Climb!
Things to Do
Kayak or Canoe
Things to Do
Jeka - Chalet: Great place for a big group
Hotels
Parking
Transportation
Karlstejn Castle
Things to Do
Getting here
Transportation
Berounka river valley
Things to Do
The Castle
Things to Do
See the castle
Things to Do
Train from Prague
Transportation
Karlstejn Castle
Things to Do
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Things to Do
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Things to Do
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Things to Do
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Things to Do
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Things to Do
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Things to Do
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Transportation
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Transportation
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Transportation
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Transportation
KARLSTEJN CASTLE
Favorites

The Place

Plan a Karlstejn vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Karlstejn locals

Experience Karlstejn
  •   55 Tips and Reviews
  •  112 Photos
  •  2 Videos
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The People

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 The way to the Karlstejn castle visiting 

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Top Karlstejn Writers

1

karlstejn

doug48 profile photo

 karlstejn castle was built for the holy roman emperor charles IV in 1348. it was a royal residence and treasury for the imperial insignia, the crown jewels, and for religious relics. the original... 

2

Karlstejn Castle

alancollins profile photo

 After Prague, Karlstejn Castle is the next most popular destination in the Czech Republic with over a quarter of a million tourists. Unfortunately this has led to every other house in the village... 

3

Grand Castle Misdaventure

Sagespot profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Karlstejn. I'd love to share with you the 5 tips I've written, the 41 photos uploaded, and 4 travelogues I've created. 

4

A must-see in Czech Republic

el_ruso profile photo

 This amazing historic monument looks like something out of a dream, but you can enjoy it with your own eyes. Coming to Czechia without seeing it, is like coming to India and not see the Taj Mahal. It... 

5

KARLSTEJN CASTLE

NightStar profile photo

 The wonderful castle near Prague is the most visited place for tourist next to Prague - cca 30 km from the centre of the city 

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