Karlštejn is a small market town in the Central Bohemian Region, named after the famous castle located there. The castle is obviously the most important landmark in the town, but there are also other places worth seeing in Karlštejn.
Getting There
There are relatively frequent commuter trains from the main station in Prague (Praha hl. n.) to Karlštejn. The route is served by the line S7, which connects Prague with the town of Beroun. The journey takes about 40 minutes.
After you arrive in Karlštejn, everything is within walking distance. Getting to the castle on foot requires an uphill walk. However, if your fitness level is average or better, it shouldn't pose a problem.
If you plan to visit the castle, it is recommended to check the opening times before your trip.
Places of Interest
Karlštejn Castle is the main reason why tourists come there. To read about the castle in more detail please click here.
The Clock Museum (Dům hodin) boasts a nice collection of about 1000 clocks from all over the world. Most of them are European clocks, but there are also artefacts from China, Japan and America. The museum is very easy to find, it is on the main street in the town and the house number is 138.
The Museum of Nativity Scenes (Muzeum Betlémů) is located in the house no. 11. Visitors can see a collection of old Czech nativity scenes (a.k.a. cribs). Most of them are made of wood, but there are also some rare artefacts made of wax or even sugar. The most important artefact is the Royal Crib of Karlštejn (Karlštejnský královský betlém). It takes up an area of 80 m² (861 sq ft). The opening times can be found here. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the museum's homepage is available only in the Czech language.
Wax Museum Karlštejn is located in the house no. 173, very close to the castle. It is one of three branches of the same museum. The other branches are in Prague and Český Krumlov.