Křivoklát Castle Day Trip from Prague: Complete Guide 2026

Křivoklát is one of the oldest royal castles in Bohemia, and it sits about an hour's drive west of Prague in the wooded valley of the Berounka River. If you want a castle beyond Karlštejn, Křivoklát offers a Gothic chapel, a library of some 52,000 volumes, a prison with a grim history and a tower above the forest.

This guide covers what you will see inside, the opening days for autumn and winter 2026 as published by the castle, the three tour routes and their prices, the language question (commentary is mainly in Czech), and how a Křivoklát Castle day trip fits together with Karlštejn in one private car.

Opening days, tour routes and prices below come from the castle's official website and were checked on 2 October 2026; travel times come from our trip planner. The 2027 season had not been published at that time, so please check current opening hours before your visit.

Why visit Křivoklát Castle

Křivoklát was founded in the 12th century as a castle of the Bohemian princes and kings. Under Přemysl Otakar II it grew into a large royal castle; the future emperor Charles IV stayed here as a child and returned as an adult. Wenceslas IV rebuilt it substantially, and Vladislaus II of the Jagiellonian dynasty enlarged it again. During the Hussite wars the Bohemian crown jewels were kept here.

After several fires the castle lost importance and became a feared prison: the castle names the Bishop Jan Augusta of the Unity of the Brethren and the alchemist Edward Kelley, who served Emperor Rudolf II, among its prisoners. In the 19th century the Fürstenberg family restored the castle; they owned it until 1929, when the last owner sold it, together with the estate, to the Czechoslovak state. Today it is a national cultural monument managed by the Czech National Heritage Institute.

The region around the castle, the Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area, is a landscape of forested hills cut by the canyon-like valley of the Berounka.

What you will see inside: the three tour routes

The castle offers three guided routes; each longer one includes the shorter one.

• Gothic Palaces (short tour) – 60 minutes, up to 40 people. The oldest core of the castle: second courtyard, silversmithery, August's prison, prison and dungeon, chapel, the Knight's Hall (with its Habsburg theme and the section devoted to Philippine Welser), the Great Knight's Hall and the stable. Adult admission 260 CZK.
• Castle Palaces (long, basic tour) – 80 minutes, up to 40 people. The short tour plus the Royal Hall, the library, the picture gallery and the Fürstenberg Museum. Adult admission 300 CZK.
• Castle grand tour – 100 minutes, up to 30 people. Everything above plus the ramparts and the Large Round Tower (Velká válcová věž). Adult admission 360 CZK. For the rest of 2026 this route runs only in October; from 1 November to 31 December it is closed.

Reduced tickets (seniors 65+, youth 18–24) cost 210 / 240 / 290 CZK, children 6–17 pay 80 / 90 / 110 CZK, and children up to 5 go free. Payment cards and cash are accepted. Prices are as listed on the castle's admission page on 2 October 2026.

Among its highlights the castle also lists the library of around 52,000 volumes and the Huderka Tower with a black kitchen and lookout gallery. What you see depends on the route, so choose the route first and then plan your time.

Tour language: what to expect as an English speaker

The castle describes its tours as commentary in Czech and selected foreign languages; the English version of the admission page labels them “Czech guide tour”. According to the visitor rules, foreign-language commentary is provided, where available, by the guide, by a printed text or by audio devices, and interpreting by a visitor's own guide is allowed only by prior arrangement. We did not find a regular English-language tour for individual visitors listed on the official website.

In practice: expect commentary mainly in Czech, and ask at the ticket office whether an English text or audio guide is available for your route. If English commentary matters to you, it is worth contacting the castle before your visit (e-mail and phone are on its website).

One more rule from the castle that matters for small parties: guided tours run with a minimum of five visitors (including those with free entry). If fewer people turn up, the group waits for the next tour, which then runs regardless of numbers; the last tour of the day always runs. For two to four people this can mean a short wait, so allow some slack in your schedule.

Opening days, autumn and winter 2026

Křivoklát's opening days change a lot after the summer. The following is what the castle administration published for the two main routes; the closing time is the start of the last tour, not the time the gates close.

• 1–31 October 2026: Tuesday to Sunday. Gothic Palaces 10:00–16:00, Castle Palaces 10:00–15:00, grand tour 11:00–14:30. Closed on Mondays.
• 1 November – 20 December 2026: Saturdays and Sundays only (plus Tuesday 17 November). Gothic Palaces 10:00–15:00, Castle Palaces 10:00–14:00. Grand tour closed.
• 21–26 December 2026: closed (the castle lists opening days only for 1 November–20 December and 27–31 December).
• 27–31 December 2026: open every day. Gothic Palaces 10:00–15:00, Castle Palaces 10:00–14:00.
• 2027: not yet published as of 2 October 2026. Check current opening hours before you travel.

Outside these hours the castle opens only for pre-booked groups of at least 15 paying visitors (by e-mail, at least three days ahead, on working days). Individual visitors do not need a reservation. Online sales cover only selected tickets for the day; the full choice is at the ticket office, and a tour with no visitors may be moved or cancelled.

Combining Křivoklát with Karlštejn in one day

Both castles lie west of Prague and are run by the National Heritage Institute, so they are easy to combine. Our Karlštejn Castle and Velká Amerika quarry day trip is the usual starting point; Křivoklát can be added as an extra stop in our trip planner.

Adding Křivoklát to the Karlštejn day means about an hour of extra driving (a 71 km detour) and around 90 minutes at the castle, enough for the 60- or 80-minute tour and a walk round the courtyards, so roughly two and a half hours more in total. The full day of Karlštejn, Velká Amerika and Křivoklát comes to roughly seven and a half hours from your Prague hotel and back; without the quarry it is a little over six hours. Křivoklát on its own is a trip of about three and a half hours.

Two things to check before you choose a date. First, the planner calculates distances and time; it does not know opening days. Second, from November to 20 December Křivoklát is open only on Saturdays and Sundays, while Karlštejn is open Friday to Sunday in November and 1–20 December, is closed 21–25 December, and opens daily 26–31 December. In that period both castles are open together mainly at weekends (plus Tuesday 17 November 2026). Karlštejn's Chapel of the Holy Cross (the separate exclusive route) is closed from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027.

Practical notes

• Parking: the castle's car park is about 250 m above the castle. The last stretch is on foot.
• Accessibility: according to the castle, only the first courtyard is accessible, and with assistance. The tour routes include stairs.
• Dogs: allowed on a leash in the grounds, not inside the interiors.
• Food: the castle states that refreshments are available on site.
• Nearby: the castle's website lists Karlštejn, Točník, Žebrák, Krakovec and the Hamous Farm in Zbečno as other sights in the area; any of them can be added as a stop in the planner.

How a private day trip works

You travel in a private car with an English-speaking driver, up to eight people, picked up at your Prague address. You choose the stops and how long you stay; the planner shows the route and total time before you book. No group to wait for and no fixed schedule, which helps at a castle where the tour you want may start half an hour after you arrive.

If you enjoy castles west of Prague, you can also pair the spa town of Karlovy Vary with Loket Castle on our Karlovy Vary and Loket Castle day trip.

See the Karlovy Vary & Loket day trip

Start from the Karlštejn tour and add Křivoklát, or build a Křivoklát-only trip in the trip planner. If you are unsure about the route or date, write to us and we will check it against the castle's opening days.