Bohemia has more castles per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Europe — somewhere around two thousand castles and chateaux in a country the size of Ireland. Within an hour of Prague you can reach a Gothic fortress built to hold imperial crown jewels, a Renaissance palace holding one of Europe’s great private art collections, and a rock-top castle that has belonged to the same family since 1241.
The problem is that almost everyone goes to the same one. This list is ordered by distance from Prague, so you can see what actually fits your day — and where to go when Karlštejn is full.
Within 45 minutes of Prague
1. Průhonice — chateau and a UNESCO park (~15 km)
Barely outside the city, and technically inside Prague’s administrative boundary. The neo-Renaissance chateau is handsome enough, but the reason to come is the park: 250 hectares of designed landscape laid out from 1885, with lakes, streams, and a rhododendron collection that turns the whole valley pink and purple in May. It is part of the UNESCO listing for the historic centre of Prague.
Getting there: city bus from Opatov metro, around 30 minutes total.
Best for: A half day, a walk, and May.
2. Nelahozeves — Lobkowicz treasures and Dvořák’s birthplace (~30 km)
A Renaissance chateau above the Vltava, owned by the Lobkowicz family, holding part of the collection that also fills their palace at Prague Castle — Canaletto, Velázquez, Bruegel the Elder, and original manuscripts annotated by Beethoven and Mozart. In the village below, the house where Antonín Dvořák was born in 1841 is a small museum.
It is astonishingly under-visited for what it contains.
Getting there: ~35 minutes by train from Prague Masarykovo to Nelahozeves zámek.
Best for: Art, music, and anyone who found Prague Castle too crowded to enjoy.
3. Karlštejn — the famous one (~30 km)
Charles IV founded it in 1348 to house the imperial crown jewels and his relic collection, and its silhouette above the forest is the most reproduced castle image in Czechia. Two main visitor routes: the short one covers the imperial apartments; the longer one includes the Chapel of the Holy Cross, its walls set with more than 2,000 polished semi-precious stones and 129 painted panels by Master Theodoricus.
The chapel route has strictly limited numbers and must be reserved well ahead — often weeks in summer. Book it first and build the day around the time you get.
Getting there: 40 minutes by train from Praha hlavní nádraží, then a 20–25 minute uphill walk through the village.
Best for: First-timers. Go early, go midweek.
4. Konopiště — the archduke’s hunting lodge (~45 km)
The home of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in Sarajevo in June 1914 set off the First World War. He filled it with roughly 300,000 hunting trophies — corridors lined floor-to-ceiling with antlers — and one of the finest private collections of arms and armour in Europe, plus a remarkable St George collection. The interiors have barely changed since 1914.
It is a strange, heavy, fascinating house, and the rose garden and lake outside are the antidote.
Getting there: ~1 hour by train to Benešov plus a bus or a 2 km walk.
Best for: History travellers. One of the best-value castle interiors in the country.
One hour to 90 minutes
5. Křivoklát — the royal hunting castle in the forest (~50 km)
Deep in a forested UNESCO biosphere reserve on the Berounka river. Older and rawer than Karlštejn, with a Gothic great hall, a chapel widely regarded as one of the finest in Czechia, a large historic library and a genuinely grim dungeon. It gets a fraction of Karlštejn’s visitors despite being just as good.
Getting there: ~1 h 15 by train with a change at Beroun.
Best for: Anyone who wants Karlštejn without the souvenir village. Pair with a river walk.
6. Kokořín — a romantic ruin in a sandstone valley (~50 km)
A slim tower and walls on a spur above a wooded sandstone gorge north of Prague, restored in the early 20th century in deliberately romantic style. The surrounding Kokořínsko protected area is the point as much as the castle: narrow valleys, rock formations, and marked trails past cottages carved into the sandstone.
Getting there: best by car; public transport involves a bus from Mělník.
Best for: Walkers. Combine castle and gorge into one day.
7. Český Šternberk — same family since 1241 (~55 km)
On a narrow rock ridge above the Sázava river, founded in 1241 by Zdeslav of Divišov and held by his descendants ever since — with an interruption under communism, after which it was restored to the family. The Baroque interiors are lived-in rather than staged, and the collection of 17th-century engravings of the Thirty Years’ War is one of the largest anywhere.
Getting there: ~1 h 15 by car; train plus bus is slow.
Best for: Continuity — very few castles in Europe can claim eight centuries with one family.
8. Točník and Žebrák — two castles on one hill (~60 km)
A pair, a few hundred metres apart. Žebrák is the older, lower ruin; Točník was built above it by King Wenceslas IV when Žebrák kept flooding and burning. Walking between the two in twenty minutes and seeing the medieval upgrade laid out side by side is genuinely instructive, and almost nobody does it.
Getting there: ~1 hour by car; train to Zdice plus a walk.
Best for: Ruin people. Bring a picnic — facilities are minimal.
Worth the longer drive
9. Zvíkov — “the king of Czech castles” (~90 km)
On a promontory where the Otava flows into the Vltava, now above a reservoir. Early Gothic, 13th century, with an arcaded courtyard and a chapel with original wall paintings — and, unusually, remarkably little later rebuilding, so what you see is close to what was built.
Getting there: ~1 h 30 by car. Difficult without one.
Best for: Purists, and a boat trip on the reservoir in summer.
10. Orlík — a chateau at the water’s edge (~90 km)
Once high on a rock, now apparently floating at the edge of the reservoir that flooded the valley in the 1960s. Held by the Schwarzenbergs, with Empire-period interiors, a huge English park and a hall of hunting trophies. Boats connect it to Zvíkov in season, which makes the two into one very good day.
Getting there: ~1 h 30 by car.
Best for: Pairing with Zvíkov by boat.
And the one that is too far: Hluboká nad Vltavou
The white neo-Gothic chateau modelled on Windsor, and probably the most photographed in the country — but it is roughly 140 km south, near České Budějovice. As a Prague day trip it is a five-hour round trip for a two-hour visit. It belongs on a South Bohemia itinerary with Český Krumlov, not on this list.
Quick comparison
| Castle | Distance | Public transport | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Průhonice | ~15 km | Easy (city bus) | Park and gardens, half day |
| Nelahozeves | ~30 km | Easy (direct train) | Art collection, Dvořák |
| Karlštejn | ~30 km | Easy (direct train) | The classic, book ahead |
| Konopiště | ~45 km | Moderate | Franz Ferdinand, armoury |
| Křivoklát | ~50 km | Moderate | Quiet alternative to Karlštejn |
| Kokořín | ~50 km | Hard | Ruin plus sandstone gorge walk |
| Český Šternberk | ~55 km | Hard | Lived-in family castle |
| Točník & Žebrák | ~60 km | Moderate | Two ruins, one hill |
| Zvíkov | ~90 km | Hard | Early Gothic, river confluence |
| Orlík | ~90 km | Hard | Lakeside chateau, boat to Zvíkov |
How to choose
- One castle, no car, first visit: Karlštejn. Book the chapel route weeks ahead or take the short route and accept the crowds.
- Karlštejn is sold out: Křivoklát. Similar era, better atmosphere, a fraction of the people.
- You care about interiors and collections: Nelahozeves or Konopiště.
- You want a walk as much as a castle: Kokořín, or Průhonice in spring.
- You have a car and a full day: Zvíkov and Orlík together, by boat between them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best castle near Prague?
Karlštejn is the best known and the easiest to reach — 40 minutes by direct train plus a 20-minute walk uphill. For a better experience with far fewer people, Křivoklát offers a comparable Gothic castle in a forested biosphere reserve about 1 h 15 from the city.
Which castle near Prague is easiest without a car?
Karlštejn and Nelahozeves both have direct trains from Prague and are under 40 minutes away. Průhonice is reachable by city bus. Konopiště and Křivoklát are doable by train with a connection, while Kokořín, Český Šternberk, Zvíkov and Orlík really need a car or a guided trip.
Do I need to book Karlštejn Castle in advance?
For the standard route you can usually buy on the day outside peak season, though you may wait. For the route including the Chapel of the Holy Cross, booking is essential — numbers are strictly limited to protect the interior and slots often sell out weeks ahead in summer.
Are Czech castles open in winter?
Mostly not. The majority of Czech castles and chateaux close from November to March, with some opening for limited Christmas or Advent programmes. Karlštejn and a handful of larger sites run reduced winter routes. Always check the specific castle’s calendar before travelling between November and Easter.
How many castles can you visit in one day from Prague?
Two, comfortably, if they are close together — Točník and Žebrák sit on the same hill, and Zvíkov and Orlík are linked by boat in season. Trying to combine Karlštejn with Křivoklát or Konopiště in a single day is possible by car but leaves you rushing both.
Is Hluboká Castle a good day trip from Prague?
Not really. Hluboká nad Vltavou is about 140 km south of Prague, which makes it a five-hour round trip for a two-hour visit. It is much better combined with Český Krumlov and České Budějovice on an overnight trip into South Bohemia.
Planning more than Prague?
Castles are what we do. We run small-group day trips across Central Europe — from Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest — to castles most travellers never hear about. See our guides to day trips from Prague, castles near Vienna and the best castles in Slovakia, and get in touch if you want help fitting them into one trip.