chaucer1114
火车站到城堡的沿路上都是纪念品店,纪念品都比Prague卖的便宜,非常值得走一趟。城堡外观很美,好像卡通里常见的城堡样子。城堡内部需要购票导览,免费的部分没甚么可看性。
983agn_s
First of all - it is really worth walking that hill. The castle is really fantstic! Thanks to Charles IV! The tour guide was also really nice and was talking in english really fluent!
CHCantu
The castle is located about 30km far away from the city of Prague, so you will need a car or go by bus. It stays in a small beautiful village, where you can find several of the souvenirs sold in Prague's downtown, but in the village they costs half the price, so buy it there and save money!The castle stays in the top of a mountain, so you have a wonderful view of the village. Unfortunately, if you want to go inside the castle rooms, you need to pay and go with a guide. In the castle area, you will find gift shop selling books, stones, swords, etc. It was a very pleasant visit! There are several restaurants in the village where you can have a lunch and drink a beer.
Billster66
If you love castles, put this one on your itinerary while in Prague. Karlstejn castle was constructed by Holy Roman Emperor and Bohemian king Charles IV in 1348. This Gothic-style castle is built on a hill that dominates the beautiful Bohemian village of Karlstejn, about a 30 minute train ride from Prague. When you reach the station, exit to the left and follow the road that leads to the bridge that crosses the river. The bridge is a great place to stop for photos, as the village and hillsides evoke the beauty and tranquility of the Bohemian countryside. After crossing the bridge, turn right and follow the road until you see signs that lead to the castle. The walk up to the castle takes about 15 minutes, but there are lots of shops and cafes along the way where you may purchase trinkets, ice cream, or a cold adult beverage. Once you reach the castle you will need to book a tour. The wait is not bad- -typically about 10 minutes- -and one may mill around the courtyard or explore the ramparts during this time. A guide will take your group through the castle on a tour that will take about 45 minutes. My only complaint is that they do not allow pictures of the inside of the castle. After the tour take some time to explore the ramparts and take pictures of the stunning Bohemian hills and forests. If coming from Prague allow yourself at least half a day, although many people (myself included) prefer to make a full day out of it.
EDLichtenstein
This castle has a very dramatic structure. If you are driving, I suggest that you drive across the river (use the bridge right by the parking) and up the hill opposite the castle. This will give you excellent, unobstructed views where you can take excellent pictures. It will maybe take you 5 minutes out of your way, but very worth it!If you have small kids, plan to carry them. No strollers allowed on the tour (too many stairs) and the main entry walk to the ticket courtyard is very rocky anyway making pushing one difficult.We also visited this caslte slightly backwards: we were on a private tour and our driver drove us up to the castle so we walked back down to the parking below after our castle tour.
Walkhome
We made the trip by taking the train from Prague's mainline station - Praha Hlavni Nadrazi . The station was modern and had shops, places to eat and a pharmacy which was open on the Sunday we travelled. Getting a ticket was very easy to do as the booking staff spoke English and the station's electronic signs also provided information in English. The return fare for both of us travelling return on a double decker clean and bright modern train was Kc180 - approximately £5.80. The walk to the castle was uphill and took us approximately 25 minutes. We passed through a lovely if touristic village on the way. The ticket for the castle included a tour and our guide Michelle was really informative. The views of the castle from the village and from the castle of the surrounding countryside are worth the trip. The train journey - it takes about 40 minutes each way - and the frequent stops for 'hot wine' made the trip even more worthwhile. For us the most delicious 'hot wine' was to be had from the stall on the left hand side of the road a few steps from the entrance to Karlstejn station.
sarahbX3834ZC
When I visited Prague, friends told me I had to go to Karlstejn castle. It was totally worth the uphill walk (and freezing temperatures). Once you arrive, you walk through an adorable little village of restaurants and shops. The tour was informational and cheap. I would, however, recommend paying for the the second tour. There were a few rooms not visited on the first tour, and by that time I was wanting to see more and more. It's beautiful! Be sure to bundle up in the winter--it's rather cold inside the castle!
Belario
It is not the best idea to succumb to the sales pitches of the Tour Companies offering this excursion from Prague. You will spend a good part of your day, challenge your physical reserves, and come away disappointed. Better to do a bit of research in advance and visit independently. There are actually two tours of the Castle itself, Route I and Route II. The first offers very little but a rushed tour of some of the barren castle's (restored) rooms. That's what was delivered to us on the commercial tour we took from Prague's Namesti Republicky, (Republic Square). Although it is the most informative and interesting, Route II is not offered to those who simply present themselves at the door. Route II requires reservations made days in advance. We were not informed of that by the commercial tour operator until we were already at the Castle courtyard waiting for our turn to start on the disappointing Route I. The best one can say about it is, "I was there.".It was a rushed and exhausting climb up the hill from the parking area in the town below to the Castle itself. It was not worth the effort. The frequent urging of the guide cajoling us to patronize the commercial establishments and buy souvenirs on the way back down the hill did not add to the experience. Undoubtedly, these establishments might have been worth browsing. The problem is, there was no time. The whole experience was rushed, tiring and neither informative nor rewarding and it ate up five hours of valuable time. And it wasn't any bargain. Plan ahead for this one. There is lots worth seeing and it takes time. Explore the options of going on your own by train or bus from .Prague. Make advance arrangements for both of the Castle tours that give you the complete experience. Hire a cab or carriage to go up the hill and save your strength. Then take the time when descending to visit the interesting shops and the delightful town. It will be a day well spent rather than five hours sadly wasted. . .. .
herzliya
I will start off by saying that if you arrive by train, you will need to walk about 3 kilometers. Having said that the castle is big. The inside is not very luxurious, as far as castles go.I would say the one positive advantage is that it's located on a hilltop and the view is magnificent
Kathleen_and_Vic
We had a blast and the guide was perfect. This tour was excellent addition to our Prague visit. I would recommended anybody visiting Czech Republic.
IreneBlag
We came to Karlstejn from Prague for this Castle specially. You can see it right from the railway station, its Gothic shape outlined on top a hill. The building is certainly worth seeing. As for the inside, most of the exhibits are replicas, you feel somewhat disappointed. Yet the town itself makes it up, rather picturesque with lovely cafes and souveirs, worth a visit.
kostasp102
The castle was awesome. The nature surrounding the castle, waters, trees.... Just wow. Nature at its best. Really nice castle, especially for an exotic "house" for the king! The only bad thing is that they close really early, so chee the time schedule before rushing for it.
TravellingEd77
Thank you to Karolina from Premium City Tour for a great morning. An amazing place to visit with a facinating history, made better by our tour guide from Prague, Karolina & the guide around the castle. Absolutely beautiful castle & surrounding area.If you like history & medieval history & architecture, it's a must see if your in the area!
KelKoval
We booked the last english tour II to give us enough time to get there and walk up to the castle since we were driving from Kutna Hora. By the time we got to the Karlstejn parking lot it was about 3:30 and was not very busy. We started our walk to the castle and noticed a lot of the shops and restaurants were closed and there weren't very many people around. We got up to the castle and it was not busy at all, we discovered we were the only ones on the tour!The tour guide was very nice and spoke English very well, he had a lot of knowledge about the castle. We really enjoyed the tour and I'm glad that we chose tour II because the rooms were beautiful and very interesting. One thing to note is that it is a bit of a tiring walk up to the castle and tour II is mostly walking up large steps, so be prepared for a lot of walking! The castle closed right after our tour and was then a pretty deserted place so if you want to explore the shops etc of the town below, you should go early.
Jeff17819
I booked the 13:35 tour 2 at Karlstejn castle online in September. The tour guide's English was quite good. He pointed out many things and interesting facts about the castle. The tour was around 106 minutes long. I didn't realize that the time passed so rapidly. The St. Cross Chapel is well worth the extra time and money. The chapel is beautiful and the ceiling is lined with Gold. You also get to see the Chapel of St. Catherine which was used as a private room for prayer and meditation of Charles IV. It is one of three places in Czech Republic which were built with semi-precious stones lining the walls. Two are in Karlstejn and the third is in St. Vitus CathedraI, Prague. I had to re-schedule the day of my visit from what I had scheduled on-line. The staff were very accommodating and reserved me a spot on the tour for another day. Make sure to notify them on-line before your visit if that happens to you. The tours filled up fast. I would recommend this tour to those who are traveling to visit Karlstejn. Unfortunately, the tour 2 will end for the year on November 2nd so book it while you can. The scenery from the train ride and inside Karlstejn castle was breath-taking. Food in the cafe's and restaurants in town is excellent and reasonably priced for a tourist location. There is a wax museum on the way to the castle that was pretty good but not spectacular. One word of caution to those who are planning to visit. The walk to the castle is a real challenge if you are not in good shape. I injured my knee while I was in Prague before arriving in Karlstejn. The last 300 meters or so reduces one to a mere crawl. If you have any health issues pay for the carriage ride. You'll thank yourself later.