Menu Close

15 castles and palaces in the Czech Republic you don't want to miss

Advertisement

There are so many cool castles in the Czech Republic. We've visited a bunch of them, and last summer we had planned to visit even more. Here are the castles we've seen, and some of the ones on our bucket list.

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Share
Share

Castles and palaces in the Czech Republic

Want to experience castles and palaces in the Czech Republic? There are lots. You'll find everything from ruined castles with dragon legends atop mountain ridges to exclusive Renaissance castles where everything glitters and shines. We recommend 10 castles and palaces in the Czech Republic that we have visited ourselves, and another five that we are curious about. Incidentally, we "saw" some of these when we visited Park Boheminium (Czech Republic in miniature) in the western Czech Republic in 2019.

Map of castles and palaces in the Czech Republic

Here is an overview of where these castles in the Czech Republic are located. Click on the numbers and you get all kinds of information like how to get there and 10 pictures of each castle e.g..

1. Prague Castle - the largest historic castle in the world

First of all, of course, we have to mention Prague Castle! This is a fortified castle in the capital of the Czech Republic, home to the kings of Bohemia, the German-Roman emperors and the presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this is the largest historic castle in the world, and includes an area with several different buildings.

2. Konopiště - the mysterious forest castle

The forest castle of Konopiště is impressively grand, yet it is almost difficult to find where it is hidden in the forest. The castle is surrounded by a rose garden and a large park with mysterious statues. You can also meet animals like deer and peacocks, and you can take a guided tour inside the castle.

3.  Ploskovice - caves with paintings and sculptures

The site at Ploskovice was already used by knights in the 12th century, and the castle you can see today looks as it did in the 19th century, when the abdicated Austrian king lived here. Under the south side of the castle are caves, with paintings, sculptures and fountains. If you want to see the inside of the castle, you can join a guided tour.

4. Biblice for those who want to enjoy food and spa

Liblice Castle is far from the most impressive castle in the Czech Republic, but it's a nice little castle you can visit for a great experience. Here you can stay in a nice castle room, have dinner in the castle restaurant and then treat yourself to a few relaxing hours at the castle spa.

5. Loket - the castle where a friendly dragon lives

The small Czech town of Loket is almost entirely surrounded by the river Ohře. Made up of winding streets, charming houses and narrow alleys, the town is dominated by the large castle that sits at the top. This is one of the oldest stone castles in the Czech Republic and is said to have been founded in 870. At the bottom of the castle is a dragon, and luckily it's a friendly one.

6. Becov nad Taplou - a gold treasure was found here in the 1980s

Becov Castle was founded in the 14th century, but as recently as 1985 a dramatic discovery was made in the castle. Under A great treasure was found on the floor, the St Maurus Reliquary, which is covered in gilded plates, statues, pearls and precious stones. If you want, you can take a guided tour, including tapestries and an entire church room.

7. Kynžvart Castle - collections of armour and mummies

The Kynžvart Castle is a beautiful castle that houses collections of cool antique items from around the world. How about Japanese armour, mummies from Egypt or a long dried snake skin that was once a Christmas present? The castle also has a cosy restaurant where we munched on garlic soup, fish and apple cake.

8. Castle in Kroměříž - a Unesco World Heritage Site

Kroměříž Castle, or Kroměříž Palace, is a magnificent Baroque castle in the northern part of the city centre. The castle was formerly the residence of the Archbishops of Olomouc. The first residence was established in 1497, and the castle was rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries. You can take guided tours or visit the magnificent castle gardens.

9. Mikulov - where swedes drank wine during the 30 years war

Mikulov is a charming little town with a nice square, cosy little cafés and an impressive castle. The castle was home to the Swedes during the 30-year war in 1645 when they tried to take Brno. Things didn't go well for the Swedes and one of the reasons, according to history, is the castle's huge wine barrel, which the Swedes liked.

10. Chateau Lednice - an unrivalled summer residence

It was at the end of the 13th century that the Liechtenstein family became the owners of a Gothic fortress in Lednice. The castle you can see today dates from 1846-1858, when Prince Alois II of Liechtenstein built a summer residence here, with sumptuous rooms for banquets for the European aristocracy. There is also a beautiful palace garden and a large greenhouse.

11. Karlstein Castle

Karlstein Castle is one of the most visited castles in the Czech Republic. Dating from 1348, the castle is built in the Gothic style and is located relatively close to Prague.

  • VAR? Karlstein, 20 miles south-west of Prague
Karlstein Castle in the Czech Republic, photo: Pixabay

12. Hluboká nad Vltavou

Hluboká nad Vlatavou Castle is a historic and impressive castle in the south-west of the Czech Republic. Dating back to the 15th century, we are really curious about this castle.

  • VAR? Hluboká nad Vltavou, 3 miles north of Cesky Krumlov, in the south-west of the Czech Republic.
Borgar och slott i Tjeckien
Hluboká nad Vltavou Castle, photo: Pixabay

13. Litomyšl Castle

Litomyšl Castle is a monumental Renaissance castle built between 1568 and 1581, with a baroque theatre and an amphitheatre in the castle park, and was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1999.

  • VAR? Litomyšl, Pardubice, 16 miles east of Prague
Borgar och slott i Tjeckien
Litomyšl Castle, photo: Pixabay

14. Kunětická Hora Castle 

Kunětická Hora castle is majestically located on Kunětice mountain, a few kilometres from the town of Pardubice. The castle played an important role in the so-called 'Hussite War' in the 15th century and is today open as a museum.

  • VAR? Kunětická Hora, 12 miles east of Prague
Borgar och slott i Tjeckien
Kunětická Hora Castle, photo: Pixabay

15. Buchlov and Buchlovice Castles

Buchov Castle and Buchlovice Castle are located near each other in the south-east of the Czech Republic; the first is more of a castle, while the second is built as a replica of an Italian Baroque building.

  • VAR? Name. Svobody 13, Buchlovice (South-Eastern Czech Republic)
Borgar och slott i Tjeckien
Buchlovice Castle, photo: Pixabay

More castles in the Czech Republic

In fact, there are many more castles and palaces in the Czech Republic. If you like old impressive buildings, you can find plenty of them in the Czech Republic. Do you have more tips for castles and palaces in the Czech Republic?

All our top tips for the Czech Republic. Click on the image!

Subscribe to our newsletter