5 Czech castles to visit on a day trip from Prague!
To get to know the country’s past, while also enjoying a nice day out in pretty surroundings, visiting a Czech castle is a good way to spend time in Czechia – whether you’re here for the first time, or are a long-term resident in search of new weekend plans. So, as Czechia’s historical attractions start to open again for their annual season, here’s our list of top five castles and chateaus that you can easily get to from Prague.
Czechia is a land rich in history, and its many castles are witnesses to that fact. All over the country, you can find both mighty medieval castles built for defence (hrady in Czech) and later elegant chateaus (called zámky) that showed off their owners' wealth and sophistication.
For each entry on this list, we’ll give you a little bit of the castle's history and some reasons why you might like to pay it a visit. Each one is under an hour’s drive from Prague, but we’ll also suggest how to get there comfortably by public transport.
1. Konopiště
South of Prague, right outside the town of Benešov, lies Konopiště Castle. This picturesque site has a story stretching back to the thirteen century, but is most notable for its modern history. It was the home of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination in 1914 was the spark that lit the fires of the First World War. By all accounts, Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were very happy there, preferring Konopiště to life in Vienna, the imperial capital.
A visit to Konopiště today gives you a window into the world of the old aristocracy. It may look Gothic from the outside, but a guided tour can take you around its private apartments, which were renovated in the 1890s to include all the latest modern comforts, like electricity! Its rooms and halls are filled with the archduke’s enormous collection of hunting trophies, weaponry and armour. Konopiště featured heavily in the 2006 film The Illusionist, starring Edward Norton and Jessica Biel.
Trains from Prague to Benešov are very frequent, and the route from Benešov station to Konopiště is a relaxed stroll through the castle’s 550-acre park.
2. Mělník
Overlooking the confluence of the Elbe and Vltava rivers, the town of Mělník is an impressive sight. It is packed full of history from the Middle Ages that visitors can explore – not only in its pretty streets, but underground too! Mělník is famous too for its wine. It gives its name to a region of wine production, one of the most northerly in Europe, and holds wine festivals every year.
One of the main sights of Mělník’s skyline is the town’s chateau. For centuries, it was under royal ownership, specifically the property of the queens of Bohemia. Today, Mělník Castle belongs to the ancient Lobkowicz family, who first acquired it in the middle of the eighteenth century, and later reacquired it in the 1990s after the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. Its architecture combines elements of the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. A tour around Mělník Castle will show you the extensive art collection of the Lobkowicz family, and their wine cellars too!
Direct trains run from Prague Main Station to Mělník, and there are direct buses to Mělník from stations on the Prague Metro C Line.
3. Křivoklát
Head west of Prague, and you’ll soon reach the beautiful Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area. This picturesque area takes its name from the impressive medieval castle at its centre: Křivoklát. A castle on the site is first mentioned in a source from the early twelfth century, and was a residence of the kings of Bohemia. What you see today mostly dates to the reign of Vladislaus II Jagiellon, a Polish prince who managed to become King of Bohemia, Hungary and Croatia, and who in 1471 bought and rebuilt Křivoklát.
The castle also served as a much-feared prison. In the 1590s, it ‘hosted’ the English alchemist Edward Kelley, who had promised Emperor Rudolf II that he could produce plenty of gold and the elixir of life. Kelley was imprisoned in Křivoklát, officially for killing a member of Rudolf’s court in a duel, but the real reason might have been that the emperor didn’t want to lose Kelley before he had fulfilled his promises!
Křivoklát has its own train station, which you can reach from Prague with one change in the town of Beroun. The train journey itself can be part of the experience, as the line to Křivoklát wiggles its way through the protected landscape area.
4. Průhonice
The closest to Prague on this list, Průhonice Park and Chateau sit right on the border between Prague and the Central Bohemia region. This makes it probably the most accessible destination on this list, with regular buses from Opatov station on the Metro C Line.
READ ALSO
It is certainly worth the trip! The chateau, rebuilt in the Neo-Renaissance style between 1889 and 1894, is today the home of the Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. With the country’s best botany experts on site, you can imagine how much of a natural paradise the surrounding park is. Its valleys and streams create the necessary conditions for a cornucopia of plants, trees, fungi and wildlife. Some parts feel tropical, other parts feel like the Alps!
Průhonice Park has been a national cultural monument since 2010, the year in which the park and its plant collections were also included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
5. Karlštejn
Last, but certainly not least, is Karlštejn Castle, one of the iconic symbols of Czechia. Perhaps only Prague Castle can rival Karlštejn in international fame. Founded in 1348 on the orders of Bohemia’s greatest king, Charles IV, this Gothic fortress can be spotted from quite far away, and is breath-taking up close.
Such was the power of Bohemia under Charles IV that Karlštejn Castle was in fact never intended to be used as a place of defence or a royal residence. Instead, its primary purpose was to store the Bohemian Crown Jewels and other treasures of the king. Karlštejn must surely be the biggest and most impressive safe ever made!
Tours around the castle enchant visitors by taking them up its towers and through its many grand halls and rooms. These include the richly decorated Chapel of the Holy Cross. Lying in the castle’s shadow is the village of Karlštejn, which has many cafés and shops, and has a station with direct trains to Prague.
So, this is our list of the top five castles that you can comfortably visit during your time in Prague. Trips to see them offer the chance to see a new part of this beautiful country, and to understand the history of Czechia even better. We wish you bon voyage on your Bohemian adventures – or, as the Czechs say, šťastnou cestu!
Related
-
Discover Czechia's regions
With its rich history, stunning architecture and beautiful skyline Prague attracts visitors from all over the world. But there is much more to see in Czechia.
