Křivoklát Castle really resonated with me. We loved its Gothic architecture and rawness compared to some of the other castles we had seen on our travels.
Not only that – the other thing I loved about it was not battling hoards of tourists to see it. There were a lot of locals and we felt like we were the only foreign tourists there.
I mentioned on my Insta Stories during the trip that we enjoyed its ambiance better than Karlštejn. Not only that, it offered a very inexpensive family admission ticket and it was to tour majority of the castle. Unlike Karlštejn where it was very expensive for a family of 3 without a family combo ticket option.
At Karlštejn, you’d have to book multiple tours just to see the entire castle. While I understand it may go to upkeep, administrative costs, etc. Karlštejn just didn’t fit our budget.
We went to Karlštejn but did not take a tour. I’ll have a post coming up in a few weeks about that visit.
But enough of that!
Overview
Křivoklát Castle dates back as far as the 12th century and was an important seat for many Czech kings and princes. It was originally built as a hunting lodge but also used for some time as a prison which was later reconstructed under the ownership of the Fürstenbergs in the 19th century. They were a German, noble family from Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany.
In previous centuries, the castle was ruled by the Přemyslid, Luxembourg and Jagiellon dynasties.
The castle was damaged by a fire and reconstructed in 1826.
Getting There
If you don’t have a car and want to visit Křivoklát it’s a super easy day trip from Prague on your own. The town is 40km West of Prague in the Central Bohemian region.
Going by train, it’s a 1hr 15mins. ride from Prague. We used Ceske Drahy (Czech Republic’s railway) which had super cheap round-trip tickets at about a few dollars per person.
Like many of the trains we used on our day trips in Czech Republic, we did not make seat reservations. We bought our tickets the day we wanted to depart and sat anywhere that did not have a reserved seat. Typically we buy train tickets in advance and make seat reservations but this trip was so much different than our usual.
Praha hlavní nádraží (aka Praha hl.n) is Prague’s main railway station which we used for all of our train departure day trips.
We bought our tickets at the Ceske Drahy ticket counter. Simply tell the ticket person you want a round-trip ticket for Křivoklát (and don’t forget to tell them the departure time you’d like.)
Train routes
TIP: I suggest checking Ceske Drahy’s website prior to view the train schedule. To see the train schedule, just proceed as if you want to buy online by using Prahah hl.n for departure and Křivoklát as the destination.
It will show the departure, arrival and return schedules. Write them down or take a screen shot on your phone so you could have it on hand.
Please note: Some of the routes are longer – (about 2 1/2 – 3 hours) DON’T take the longer routes! It should not take more than 1 1/2 hrs to get there.
This is the route we used to Křivoklát station:
And this is the route back – same stops but in reverse:
The rail line you’ll be using from Prague is Praha – Beroun where it ends in Beroun, you have to get off the train. Then you jump on the train at Beroun’s station that is on the rail line for Beroun – Rakovnik (this line will end at Rakovnik station.)
TIP: There is a display on the train that will tell you the upcoming stops. Křivoklát is the stop after Roztoky u Křivoklátu stop.
Here is a link to the Beroun – Rakovnik line timetables on Ceske Drahy’s website.
I believe there were no 1st or 2nd class tickets for this particular train. Just basic seats with a bathroom on board and no food/beverage service. But since it’s a short train ride I wouldn’t worry – bring a snack if you need to!
Keep your ticket handy because an attendant will come around on the train to validate it.
Also, you could buy your tickets online but honestly I don’t know how that works exactly (for instance, if you can show an e-ticket or a print out) we felt more comfortable going to the ticket counter the old fashioned way. Especially if we had questions. The ticket counter staff we’ve encountered speak English.
Note: To get to the castle from the train station, we used a nature trail that everyone else who got off the train was using. It starts behind the station towards the right. It’s a trail that is only a few minutes walk which eventually takes you across a pedestrian bridge built over a stream. Continue on the bridge and it will lead you out to a main road. Hotel Sýkora should be on your left. Walk left pass the hotel then turn a corner and you will see a castle sign directing you up a hilly road to the castle. Follow it up to the top pass U Jelena. The castle walls will be on your left. Turn left through a barricade for cars and you’re there.
Be mindful of cars driving up and downhill though!
An Unexpected Surprise
When we arrived and bought our tickets, the tour wasn’t starting for another 30 minutes so we decided to hang out and explore the grounds. That’s when we entered the courtyard and saw cool performances taking place!
Apparently the castle hosts a lot of festivals and shows, especially in the summer months. It was very cool to see the performances alongside the locals even though we had no clue what was being said since it was in Czech. But that’s what made it even more of an authentic, memorable experience.
Gothic Palace
There are four tours and the one we went on is the Gothic Palace (8o mins) castle tour. It consists of viewing the second castle courtyard, silversmithery, August’s prison, prison, dungeon, chapel, small Knight’s Hall, Large Knight’s (Royal) Hall, library, picture gallery, Fürstenberg Museum, lapidarium.
This tour was in English and I believe the only English guided tour for that day. So glad we got to the castle early when it opened! The other tours are in Czech so if you join one of those, you will get a guide in English that you can read as you tour the castle.
It was a very small group of us on the tour, which was helpful as we were able to ask our guide as many questions as we’d like.
With a jingle of the rather large set of castle keys, our guide began our journey into history.
A Secret Marriage
There is so much history and stories about the castle, I wish I could remember it all! For instance: Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria secretly married Philippine Welser of Augsburg at Křivoklát castle. The marriage was in secret because she was not of the same social ranking. However, we were told the couple were madly in love with each other!
They had four children, which unfortunately two of them died in infancy (twins). The surviving children were Andrew (Margrave of Burgau) who became a cardinal and Charles (Margrave of Burgau) who held office in the military.
Did you know? Since born in secret, their children were left at the castle gate after their birth so that Philippine could “adopt” them and raise them as her own (even though they were biologically hers.)
Key Rooms to See
Royal Hall – This is the second largest hall in the Czech Republic with the first being at Prague Castle.
One thing I remember learning about the Royal Hall is that the king would hold his audience here. He was also known for his throne to sit in the corner where there is more light so that the light could shine behind him, unable for people to see his face. It was meant to create a psychological illusion that the king is so powerful – you can’t even see his face.
Fun Fact: Křivoklát Castle has been used in various movies, including the popular, “The Brothers Grimm”, starring Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.
That day, the hall was still set up with film lights and props as it was preparing for another film to take place.
Gothic Chapel – This chapel is beautiful and we were very curious about the carved wooden rats on the rail of each pew.
I’m not sure of the meaning behind them, maybe a metaphor to do with stripping away your titles and becoming humble in a room of worship? I don’t know.
Fürstenberg Library – There are over 52,000 books in this library.
We also saw the portrait gallery and the cutest room set up for tea!
A Prison
One notable historic figure is Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. Born by the name of Wenceslas he was under house arrest here as a child for a year before being sent away to live with his uncle, King Charles IV in France.
Bishop of the Unity of Brethren, Jan Augusta was a prisoner for 16 years. It was punishment for his uprising against the Habsburgs. On the tour, we saw replicas of the different devices used to torture those who were imprisoned inside the castle. This also includes Augusta’s cell.
And in 1591, the controversial alchemist Edward Kelly became a prisoner at the orders of Emperor Rudolf II. Kelly was imprisoned in one of the towers called Huderka.
The Little Village of Křivoklát
With a look straight from a fairytale, the town is surrounded by dense forests and the castle dominates as it takes center stage.
It is one of the many Protected Landscape Areas in the Czech Republic and with one visit, you will see why this beautiful area of Central Bohemia should be protected and remain untouched.
Nestled in the Berounka River Valley, Křivoklát is a quiet oasis compared to Prague. There are hotels and restaurants if you are interested in staying in town overnight (which unfortunately we did not do.)
We ate lunch at a restaurant on the castle grounds called Hradní krčma Křivoklát. The decor was awesome and it was very cool to dine inside part of the castle. The food was delicious too!
And I can’t end this post without pointing out all of the amazing views you will see from the castle ramparts and towers. We’ve seen a lot of gorgeous views on our Czech Republic trip.
We definitely recommend taking a break from Prague and seeing this lovely town and castle. It’s a very pleasant outing!
What crazy stories have you heard about a castle? Comment below and share this post!
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Pssst….Hey You!
Thanks for sticking around to the end! Here are a few more photos I want to share with you before you go.
Bonus Photos:
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