Czech hidden gem – awesome castles to visit

Most of the tourists are visiting mainly Prague and Prague castle. Prague castle isn’t the only fancy mansion in the Czech republic. There is a lot of them. Because of Czech rich history where kings and queens often build several castles, you can now visit more than 100 castles all around Czechia. Of course, some of them are more beautiful and preserved than others, not all of them are open to the public. In my list, you can find mainly these, that you can visit by yourself and where you can get an English guide.

Best Czech castles to visit

Karlštejn

Karlštejn is a large Gothic castle, just about 45 minutes from Prague by train. It was founded in 1348 by king Charles IV, the emperor of the Roman Empire. Also, the only Czech King, who became Emperor. The place was used for keeping safe crown jewels and relics and royal treasures.

This castle, in particular, was made so it has a big defense advantage. Its location is conveniently surrounded by hills. Some of the hills are almost impossible to get to due to challenging terrain around. So the only time this castle was successfully invaded was during Hussite wars in 1421 when the attackers catapulted dead bodies to spread the infection among the defenders.

The legend says, that women were not allowed to this castle. That was the decision of Emperor because he wanted this place for praying and for holly purposes, so no “fun” was allowed here. According to this legend, this rule got broken when Emperors’ wife dresses as a boy to see what is her husband up to here. Once he figured out, the women were allowed to most of the castles, but there was still room from praying that were just for men.

How to get to Karlštejn?

This castle is located just 40 kilometers from Prague, which would make a perfect day trip from Prague. The easiest way of getting there from Prague would be to jump on a train. The train goes every 30 minutes and costs just 59 czk (about 3 USD).

The castle is very visible from the translation, so it is enough just to follow the path. You will walk through a village with a lot of street markets and restaurants.

Opening times and fees

Both opening times and fees vary. The reason for it is that Karlštejn has several circuits that you can see. Each circuit has a different length and therefore a different price. Due to the fact, that this castle is really old, you can visit it only with a guide. If you are planning to visit the castle in the summertime, when it is a relatively busy season, you need to book your ticket online.

Lednice

This castle is located in the south Moravia region, close to town Brno but also the borders with Austria. The castle has a big garden in the English style, a very impressive interior and lookout tower outside. Generally, this castle belongs to one of the most beautiful ones in the Czech Republic and perhaps because it belongs to one of the UNESCO heritage. The current look, that you can see now, is here mainly due to massive reconstruction in the 19th century. When it comes to architecture, this castle is perhaps one of the biggest projects in the romanticism style. This style was popular in the Czech republic in the 19th century. You can find a lot of Czech buildings in this style. For example, a national theatre in Prague is there as well.

Even though the castle suffered during the second world war, up till now it kept most of its beauty. The main issue during the war was the thing, that a lot of treasures and art pieces were taken by Lichtenstein’s house to Lichtenstein (the country). And that is one of the reasons why Czechia doesn’t have great relationships with them. Even though this castle used to belong to them.

How to get to Lednice castle?

If you are planning to come from Prague, the easiest way would be to rent a car. Otherwise, you can get here by public transport as well it is just a little bit longer. If you are visiting Brno, it would be much easier. But anyway, you need to jump on the train that goes to Breclav. From there, you will need to wait for a bus that will go to the main square in Lednice village. From there it is only 400 meters to the castle.

Even if you are going from Bratislava (Slovakia) or Viena (Austria), you will still need to go through this change of transport. The only difference is that it doesn’t take that long time to get there from these cities.

Opening times and entry fees to Lednice castle

Similarly to Karlštejn, Lednice also has several circuits, that you can visit. You can choose whether you want to see the representative rooms or apartments for nobles. You can also choose whether you want to see a local Minaret and a botanical garden. Each circuit has a different time and a different duration. However, the cheapest tour here is from 80 czk (5 USD) that tour is only for garden. For the castle interior, the lowest fee is 290 czk.

The castle is open from February to October. During these times the opening times vary as well so it is better to check it out before you go there.

Hluboká

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Another castle that is part of UNESCO heritage also in the romantic style of architecture. The first mention of the castle is from the 13th century. That means that the Hluboká castle was the first Gothic. However, it was renovated several times to suit different styles. It is also considered one of the most beautiful Czech castles, that there is. It is a very popular place to visit not only by Czech tourists. Except for another great garden, you can find here winter garden, massive riding hall, and very impressive interiors.

The castle was renovated to look a little bit like Windsor castle in England. The renovation took place in the 19th century and since then, you can see the Hluboká castle the way it is now. It is also a popular movie location. You could see this castle in the movie Underworld: Blood wars or in Shanghai knights.

How to get to Hluboká castle?

If you have a car, it will take only 2 hours to get to the castle. However, if you are planning to come here by public transport, you will have to switch trains again. Unfortunately with train, you will have to go first to České Budějovice and there hop on another train that goes directly to Hluboká. This whole road takes around 3 hours and costs about 290 czk one way.

Entry fees and opening times for Hluboká

There are several tour routes that you can choose, so you can visit the noble apartments or the representative rooms. You can also have a look into the kitchen of the castle or go and see the view from the local lookout. The cheapest fee cost 230 czk and that is for noble apartments. The kitchen or the lookout circuit is for only 100 czk.

The castle is open all year round but the opening times vary, depending on when are you planning your visit. Naturally, the tours and opening times are much shorter. However, in summer, you can enjoy the castle from 9 am to 5 pm. Be aware that in some months the castle is closed on Mondays.

Loket

Loket is a castle in Gothic style, that keeps the gothic exteriors and interiors through the centuries. Once it was known and the “Impregnable castle of Bohemia” mainly due to its thick walls that were impossible to get through. The castle is up till now very popular to visit. And even the town makes theatre and opera inside its walls during the summer.

The Loket castle has an interesting history. Basically, through time, every rich house was interested in having this castle. It was mainly due to strategical advantages during wars, when this castle, that is sitting on a massive rock, is very hard to get to and relatively easy to defend. However, in modern times – around the end of the 18th century – the castle had a function of prison. This lasted until 1948. And in the 60’s it was open again as a castle to the public.

How to get to Loket castle?

Another castle where it is slightly more difficult to go there. This time you will need to catch a train to Chodov. In this little town, you need to switch to another train that goes directly to Loket. All in all, it takes about 4 hours to get there. But then the castle is very close to the station.

Otherwise, the closest interesting town is Karlovy Vary, one of the spa towns in the Czech Republic. From there it takes barely an hour.

Entry fees and opening times to Loket castle

The castle is opened all year round. The wintertimes are significantly shorter than other ones. But in summer, then it is the biggest season for this castle, you can visit it from 9 am to 6.30 pm.

When it comes to fees, you can choose whether you prefer just a paper guide, where everything is written or a regular guide. The paper one costs 110 czk and then you can walk around the castle as much as you want. The guided tour in foreign language costs 170 czk.

Zvíkov

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Zvíkov is very often called the King of castles. It lays at the junction of Vltava and Otava in the southern part of Bohemia. The castle is the most important mansion of early gothic architecture in the Czech Republic. After the first king dynasty of Přemyslid died out, the castle was taken ba Rožmberk house. It was very tough to crack, due to its position. After the time of Charles IV the Roman Emperor, the castle was owned by a rebellious protestant nobleman. Here you can see that the location of the castle was truly important because at this time the castle was defended by 150 men against 4000 thousand men.

Up till today, there are legends about the castle that had its ghost. Several times this Zvíkov imp inspired artists, some even to the level when they wrote a play about him. It is a Czech play, however, you can still see it now since the castle is popular for exhibitions and near hiking places.

How to get to Zvíkov?

This time, the easiest way of getting to Zvíkov from Prague is by bus. You will need to hop on a bus to Písek, which is a town close by. From there you should switch to a bus to Zvíkov. The buses from Prague go approximately every two hours and it also takes two hours to get there. You will need to use the Student Agency company that has direct buses to Písek.

Opening times and entry fees to Zvíkov

Unlike other castles, there is only one tour through the castle and that takes 45 minutes and costs 120 czk. You will see there in the royal palace. It is not necessary to reserve this tour even in the summertime when it is relatively busy.

The castle is closed during wintertime, but you can visit it from early spring to November. There are of course differences in opening times, especially in summer, when they are longer than usual.

Červená Lhota

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Červená Lhota is yet one more of Czech castles from the southern Bohemia region. It stands in the middle of a rocky island. The castle itself is relatively small, but there is a lot to see around, including incredible landscapes or gardens close by the castle. The first mention of this castle comes from the 14th century. It was built on a granite outcrop, where the piece of land was filled with water making it fishpond. And this little outcrop became an island in the lake.

When you look at the castle, you can see that this building was never made for war purposes. It was one of the castles, where you just celebrate. So you can find here a lot of beautiful art pieces, you can also find here a renaissance chapel of the holy trinity.

How to get to Červená Lhota

Good news, there is a bus to Červená Lhota. Even a direct one. But you will need to be precise when talking to the bus driver. It is important to take a bus that is heading to Jindřichův Hradec via a town called Tábor. That should get you there in an hour and a half or so.

Otherwise, with the train, you will have to travel to Soběslav and there switch to the bus that would go to Červená Lhota. This route takes a little bit less than 3 hours.

Opening times and fees

This castle is possible to visit only from spring to autumn. The castle opens on the first day of April and closes on the last day of October. During these times, the time still differs. The longest opening hours are between June and August when you can visit this castle between 9 am and 5.30 pm.

There is also only one tour in a foreign language. But don’t worry, it is the longest and most popular anyway. This tour cost 240 czk.

Trosky Castle

This is one of the Czech castles that you can still visit, however, it is only in the form of ruins now. But still, it is possible to visit it just by yourself without any guide. Trosky lays in the northern region of the Czech Republic and it is supposed to be one of the dominant Czech paradise regions. The castle lays on two volcanic plugs, the higher ones are called Baba (old woman) and the smaller one is called Panna (virgin). This Czech castle comes from 14 century when it was a very important mansion during the Hussite wars.

However, during the Thirty years of war, the castle was under attack and was ruined to the point, where it is not possible to do reconstruction. Up till now, it is still considered one of the best Czech castles to visit, for its romantic look in the middle of beautiful nature.

How to get to Trosky

This castle is clearly for anyone who loves hiking. To get there, you will need to hop on a train to Turnov and there change to another train that would go to station Borek pod Troskami. This station is about 3,5 km away from the castle itself but it is on the blue hiking trail that leads to the castle.

Opening times and fees

There is only one tour in Trosky, it takes only 40 minutes. During that time you will see all of the remains of the castle but also have a great view of nature around. The ticket for that tour costs 50 czk.

The castle is open only from May to late October. And the opening times during this period vary. So it is better that you check out when are they open before you visit.

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