Karlštejn Castle is one of the most visited places near Prague and, in my opinion, the easiest day trip you can make from the city. If you are staying in Prague for a week, you should set aside a day for it. The castle stands on a rocky hill above a small village in the valley of the Berounka river, surrounded by forest, and besides the castle itself there is very pleasant, colourful and easy hiking all around it.
History of Karlštejn Castle
Karlštejn was founded in 1348 by Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor. He did not build it as an ordinary residence or a border fortress. Its purpose was to protect the most valuable things he owned: the royal treasures, his collection of holy relics and the Imperial Regalia. Later the Bohemian crown jewels were kept here as well.
That purpose explains the unusual layout. The buildings climb the hill in steps, from the settlement below the walls, through the Burgrave’s house and the Imperial Palace, up to the Marian Tower and finally the Great Tower at the highest point. The higher you go, the more sacred the space becomes. At the very top, inside the Great Tower, is the Chapel of the Holy Cross, where the relics and regalia were stored. Its walls are covered with a famous set of 129 Gothic panel paintings by Master Theodoric, court painter of Charles IV, and its vault is decorated to look like a starry sky.
The castle was besieged during the Hussite Wars and rebuilt several times in later centuries. The look it has today is largely the result of a major restoration at the end of the 19th century led by the architect Josef Mocker, who gave it the clean, romantic Gothic outline you see in every photograph.
What to See
- The Imperial Palace – the private and representative rooms of Charles IV, shown on the basic guided tour.
- The Marian Tower – with the Church of Our Lady and the small Chapel of St. Catherine.
- The Great Tower and the Chapel of the Holy Cross – the highlight of the castle. Access is limited to small groups in the main season and normally has to be booked in advance.
- The Well Tower – at the lowest point of the castle, with a deep well and a large wooden treadwheel.
- The courtyards and walls – free to walk around and good for views down into the valley.
The interiors can only be visited with a guide, and the routes, opening days and prices change with the season. Check the official castle website before you travel, especially outside summer and if you want to see the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
How to Get to Karlštejn from Prague
The castle is roughly 30 kilometres southwest of Prague. The simplest way is the train: regular services on the line towards Beroun leave from Prague’s main railway station (Praha hlavní nádraží) and also stop at Praha-Smíchov. The ride takes around 40 minutes. From Karlštejn station you cross the bridge over the Berounka and walk through the village up to the castle. Count on about half an hour, the second half of it uphill on a street lined with souvenir shops and restaurants. Cars have to be left in the car park at the bottom of the village.
Hiking Around the Castle
Karlštejn lies in the Czech Karst protected landscape area, a region of limestone hills, old quarries and beech and oak forest. Marked trails start right behind the castle. A popular route continues through the woods to the village of Svatý Jan pod Skalou, with its monastery under a high rock face, and on to Beroun, where you can take the train back to Prague. Other paths lead to the flooded quarries known as Amerika. The trails are well signed and not difficult, but wear proper shoes because the limestone gets slippery after rain.
Karlštejn Castle and Hiking Trail Photos
Photographing Karlštejn
The castle is long and narrow and sits on a ridge, so it looks completely different from each side. From the village street you mostly see walls above your head, which is impressive but hard to fit into a frame. The better pictures are taken from a distance.
- From the hiking trails above the castle – a few minutes along the paths behind and beside the castle, the forest opens and you can see the whole silhouette with the Great Tower rising above the trees. These are my favourite views.
- From the opposite hillsides – the slopes around the village give the classic profile with all the towers stepped one above another.
- From the river and the bridge – the castle is small in the frame here, but the Berounka gives a calm foreground, especially in the morning.
Light is best early and late. The valley is deep, so the sun reaches the walls later than you might expect and leaves them earlier; in the middle of a summer day the stone looks flat and the street is packed with tour groups. If you can, take an early train, photograph the castle before the first tours start, and do the hike afterwards.
Autumn is the most photogenic season. The forests of the Czech Karst turn yellow, orange and red around October, and on cold mornings mist often lies in the valley below the towers. Spring brings fresh green and wildflowers on the limestone slopes, and winter, when there is snow, gives the cleanest and quietest views of all, though the interiors have reduced opening days then. Weekends in summer and during the wine harvest festivities in early autumn are the most crowded times.
Photography rules inside the castle can be restrictive, so ask your guide before you take pictures indoors. Outside, a standard zoom covers almost everything; a telephoto is useful for compressing the towers against the wooded hills from the more distant viewpoints.
Planning more stops in the city? Browse more Prague guides for other places worth visiting and photographing.
