Bezdez Castle, Czech Republic

Bezdez Castle, also known as King of All Castles, is located on Liberec Area, Czech Republic. The original and gothic appearance of the castle makes it really special among the other castles in Czech Republic. Czech Republic is a small country on the middle Europe with around more than 1200 castles, palaces and chateaus. Therefore, Bezdez Castle as the king of castles is a must visit in Czech Republic.

Short History of Bezdez Castle

It is a castle on the hill in Liberec Region and a Cultural National Landmark. The castle is built on 1264 by Czech King Přemysl Otakar II (Otakar II of Bohemia). One year after the the king died, Bezdez became a place of imprisonment of Queen Kunhuta and his young son Václav II (Wenceslas II). At that time Wenceslas II was around 6 to 7 years.

During the next reign of Wenceslas II, the castle was completely finished. He used to hunt around Bezdez Castle and used it as a place to relax. The castle served for several purposes already, once it was a fortress and later on as a monastery. The function as monastery ended in 1785 and Pilgrimages were banned and the castle became forlorn, slowly becoming dilapidated.

The Romantic Movement, which is a movement passionately preserves the medieval buildings is one of the life-saver for Bezdez Castle. Because of that, the castle is still in its original architecture from the 13^th century.

How to go to Bezdez Castle

Prague – Bezdez

The easiest way to go to Bezdez Castle is by car. The journey that starts from Prague (the capital city) will take around one and a half hour. The distance is around 85 km. Another way is to take public transportation such as trains, buses or both of them.

Take subway or tram to Praha hlavní nádraží, the biggest and the most important train station in Czech Republic. It isn’t that difficult to travel this way, you will just have to transit and change the train for once. The fastest journey I found is for 1 h 43 m. The one way ticket is for 144 CZK or around 5.42 €.

Travel time and cost are depending on the type of train you’re taking, and also the time and day of travel. The price above is with the fastest train that transits in Bakov n. Jizerou and then to Bezdez. There is another train that transit in Mladá Boleslav hl. n. and then Bezdez, more or less with the same price.

Other way is to travel with train and then change to bus. This is way more complicated, because then you will have to change the bus several times. I suggest to take the train, it’s not so expensive and it’s faster.

Walking up to the Castle

There is a parking lot at the village under the hill, so you can park the car and walk around 1.5 km walking to the castle. Meanwhile, from the train station the distance is around 2 km. Hiking up to the hill is a must to do here, even though you are coming with car. Walking up could be a bit exhausting if you don’t get use to do that.

As you see on the photo above, the castle is in the middle of the green trees. Those trees are really amazing on summer. It protects you from the sun and such a great delight in autumn. The glowing colors of autumn will make the path even prettier.

Castle Tour

Best part of the trip, I would say, is going around the castle and learn the history at the same time. What’s really cool here is that the tour guide is included on the entrance fee to the castle. Unfortunately, the guided tour was just in Czech language. Don’t worry, there are some explanation written in English and if I remembered well, also in German. It’s available to rent it for 20 CZK (0.76 €).

Ticket Price

Here is some information about the ticket price I’ve collected (it may change):

• Adult –> 80 CZK (3.02 €)
• Kids (6 – 18 years old) –> 60 (2.27 €)CZK
• Kids under 6 years old –> Free of Charge
• Seniors over 65 years old –> Free of Charge
• Family entrance (2 adults and 3 kids) –> 220 CZK (8.31 €)
• Dogs –> 20 CZK (0.76 €)

They accept payment in cash and also card. There are some discount for students with international student card with some other conditions. What’s amazing is that you can walk your dog even to the castle area. Kids under 6 and seniors over 65 years old are free of charge. This price might change by the time. You can go check their website Bezdez Castle, but as I published this story, the language available is just in Czech.

Visiting Hours

Most of the castles in Czech Republic are closed in winter, due to lack of tourists or some restorations. Usually in winter you can’t go inside the castle. Here are the opening hours I’ve found.

• 1^st May – 14^th May Sun, Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat                   9.00 – 16.30
• 15^th May – 30^th June Tuesday to Sunday                                 9.00 – 16.30
• 1^st July – 31^st August Sun, Tue, Thu, Fri                                    9.00 – 16.30
• 1^st July – 31^st August Sat                                                                 9.00 – 17.30
• 1^st Sep – 30^th Sep Tuesday to Sunday                                       9.00 – 16.30
• 1^st Oct – 31^st Oct Sat – Sun                                                             9.00 – 15.30

View from the Castle Tower

Enjoying the view from the castle tower is one of the things I really like to do when I visit a castle. You will be able to see quarter part of Czech Republic from here, for sure in a good weather. The royal atmosphere will be stronger when you visit the castle on a costume parade, celebrations with medieval costumes and also annual theater performances.

There is also such a place (food kiosk) where you can buy fast food such as hot dog and drinks. You can sit here and have a rest after the castle trip and taking photos around. For more photos of the castle please visit our Photo Gallery. I hope the article helps you to plan your visit to Bezdez Castle, enjoy your trip 😉