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Where To Get Drunk - What To See And Do - Day Trips
In the unlikely event that you think you've seen everything there is to see in Prague, or if you just fancy a bit of a change of scenery or want to see a bit more of the country around Prague, there's no shortage of places within easy reach of Prague and that make an interesting day trip, even if you're reliant on public transport. Hopefully this section will expand over time as I go back to Prague.
Karlstejn Castle
Karlstejn is less than 20 miles to the south-west of Prague. It's easy to get there on the train; from the main station (Hlavni nadrazi) take the train to Beroun and get of at Karlstejn (some of the stations on this line aren't particularly well marked, and might only have one sign on the platform, but Karlstejn station has plenty of signs).There are 2 trains an hour and journey takes about 40 minutes. We went the trains in both directions were clean and comfortable, and arrived and left bang on schedule. Our return tickets (which we bought from the Cedok travel agency as we figured that the staff there were more likely to speak English than those at the station) set us back a grand total of 51 crowns (around £1.25) each, an absolute bargain. Why can't British railways be more like this?
When you get off at Karlstejn station it's about a 20 minute to the castle; go out through the main exit, turn right, turn left to cross the bridge over the river, then turn right and then left by the church. It's all well sign-posted so you'd have to be really stupid to miss it. It was just after we crossed the river that we saw the sign detailing the castle's opening hours. The Lonely Planet Guidebook says of Karlstejn Castle that "the crowds come in theme-park proportions". That's as may be but what The Lonely Planet Guidebook fails to mention is that the crowds don't come in theme-park proportions in February because the bloody castle is closed for the entire month! Just something that must have slipped their minds I suppose. And to be fair to Lonely Planet, none of the other guidebooks mentioned it either.
Anyway, enough moaning. Construction on Karlstejn castle started in 1348, built by the Emperor Charles V to hold his crown jewels and other precious objects. Advances in warfare quickly rendered the castle obsolete and after the Bohemian crown jewels were transferred to St Vitus Cathedral the castle fell into ruin. It wasn't until the late 19th century that the castle was fully restored, and some of this restoration work was romanticized and not historically accurate. Still, it's hard to argue with the results. Today the castle, perched on an outcrop of rock, towers over the Beroun river valley and the touristy village of Karlstejn (in which pretty much everything is closed in February, along with the castle), an almost impossibly perfect combination of towers, spires and battlements. It's exactly what you'd imagine a gothic castle should look like.
To be honest we were still glad that we went, even though the castle was closed; we still managed to have a decent look around the village and the castle walls (it's quite a steep climb from the village to the castle, not suitable for the infirm or the rotund), and at least the place wasn't swamped with hordes of tourists (only the odd obviously confused one who had also been misled by their guidebook). The train ride was fun, and it was nice to get out in the countryside, and best of all we found the one bar in the village that was open and so stopped off for a bit of refreshment. And even from just the outside the castle is absolutely breathtaking.
For those going to Karlstejn during any other month than February, you have to pay to get in. There are two different tours, the standard tour goes through the Knight's Hall, Audience Hall and Jewel House and costs 220 crowns. The second tour is (apparently) much more interesting and includes the Chapel of St Mary, St Catherine's chapel, and probably the highlight of the entire castle (or so I'm told), the Chapel of the Holy Cross, at the top of the great tower, which is covered in Renaissance panels. Tickets for this second tour can only be bought in advance, and cost 300 crowns. You're not allowed to take photos inside the castle. The Castle's website (showing opening hours), and where you can also book tickets for the second tour, is here.
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