Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
elevator, and chapel), and Route III (300 Kč, includes private top-
floor rooms of Franz Ferdinand and his family). All tickets are 30
percent cheaper if you join a Czech-speaking tour. While Route II
gives you the most comprehensive look into the castle, its history,
and celebrated collections, Route III—recently reopened after the
rooms were meticulously restored to match 1907 photographs—
launches you right into a turn-of-the-20th-century time capsule.
Hours and Information:
Castle open May-Aug Tue-Sun
9:00-12:30 & 13:00-17:00; April and Oct Tue-Fri 9:00-15:00,
Sat-Sun 9:00-16:00; Sept Tue-Fri 9:00-16:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-
17:00; closed Nov-March and Mon year-round. Tel. 317-721-366,
www.zamek-konopiste.cz.
e ati ng
There are three touristy restaurants under the castle, but I'd bring
picnic supplies from Prague (or buy them at the grocery store
by the Benešov train station). While the crowds wait to pay too
much for lousy food in the restaurants, you'll enjoy the peace and
thought-provoking ambience of a
picnic
in the shaded Kaiser's
Pavilion. Or eat cheaply with locals on Benešov's main square (try
U Zlaté Hvězdy
—“he Golden Star”).
tranSportation ConneCtionS
Getting to Konopiště:
Trains from Prague's Main Station drop
you in Benešov (hourly, 60 min). From the Benešov train station,
the yellow-marked trail goes directly to the castle (1.25 miles),
bypassing the enormous parking lot clogged with souvenir shops
and bus fumes.
Karlštejn Castle
One of the Czech Republic's top attractions, Karlštejn Castle
(KARL-shtayn) was built
by Charles IV in about 1350
to house the crown jewels of
the Holy Roman Empire.
While a striking, fairy-tale
castle from a distance, it's not
much inside. The highlight
of the castle's interior—the
much venerated and sump-
tuous Chapel of the Holy
