Karlštejn Castle: a day trip from Prague with a driver
Solid Transfers — solid-transfers.com
Karlštejn is the nearest of the great castles around Prague, forty minutes by car. Charles IV began building it in 1348 as a safe place for the imperial regalia and his collection of relics. Half a day is enough, but with lunch in the Berounka valley and a walk it easily becomes a whole one.
Getting up to the castle
Cars are not allowed up to the castle. The driver drops you by the car park in the village, and from there a path of about two kilometres climbs uphill, first past souvenir stalls, then through the woods to the gate. Allow half an hour on foot; for part of the way you can also take a horse-drawn carriage. The driver waits below and you just send a message when you are on your way down.
Which tour
The basic tour of the imperial residence takes just under an hour, and individual visitors do not need to book it. The real treasure, though, is the tour with the Chapel of the Holy Cross: its walls are covered with 129 panel paintings by Master Theodoric and the gilded vault is set with glass stars. The tour lasts a hundred minutes, takes no more than sixteen people, and you cannot get on it without a reservation. The chapel is open only from May to October and closed in winter. If you skip the tours, you can walk round the grounds free of charge with an audio guide in an app.
Combining it
On the way back you can stop at the flooded quarry of Velká Amerika, nicknamed the Czech Grand Canyon, or visit the Koněprusy Caves. Both are a few minutes from Karlštejn. Put the stop in the Stop on the way field when you book and we confirm the price with it in advance.
What it costs
It is about 35 km from central Prague. The outward journey costs 1 340 CZK in a Mercedes E-Class (1–3 passengers) or 1 611 CZK in a V-Class (up to 7 passengers), VAT included. Coming back the same day costs half, so the whole trip in an E-Class is 2 010 CZK, waiting included. The calculator gives the price for your address.
Book a ride
Work out the price in the calculator, write to info@solid-transfers.com or call +420 739 468 647. We confirm every booking — only then does the contract of carriage arise.
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