This blog is a continuation of
Czech Republic: A Self-Drive Day by Day Itinerary - Part 1.
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| Svihov Castle - The Water Castle |
6. Day 6 - Jun 9 - Thu
6.1 Town: Kasperske Hory
6.2 Highlights | Castle Kasperk
6.3 Accommodation:
Apartman Na Sumave
On Day 6, we set off from the lovely Cesky Krumlov, the no. 2 most visited destination after Prague, to a little known place amongst Asian tourists called Kasperske Hory.
From the base of Kasperske Hory, we set off to Castle Kasperk, Castle Rabi and Castle Velhartice.
Castle Kasperk was built in the 14th century by Charles IV to protect the gold mines and the gold routes in the area.
The castle is located at a strategic spot along the Bohemian-Bavarian border in former times. To get there, you have to park your car at the designated car park, (which is a 4 min drive from the small town of Kasperske Hory) and take a slow walk of about 1.5km (20min) through Sumava National Park.
So please wear walking shows if you are heading there.
However, when we reached there, it was already closed at 6pm.
But because it's the countryside, here's the size of our apartment for the price of 45 Euros/night:
From the base of Kasperske Hory, we proceeded to visit the other 2 castles, and also stopped by at the town of Klatovy en route to Plzen.
The core of the Castle was built in the beginning of the
13th century as a watch, a defence and a housing tower.
The castle sits on a very good location. Its task was firstly
to defend the trade route, which connected the two towns:
Sušice and Horažďovice and secondly, to defend gold
washing along the river and in the gold-bearing river Otava.
Out of the 3 castles that exist on a triangular geographical
distances, I love Castle Rabi the most.
Castle Velhartice was built by Bohemian nobleman Bohumil of Budetice at the end of 13th century.
Apartman Na Sumave
On Day 6, we set off from the lovely Cesky Krumlov, the no. 2 most visited destination after Prague, to a little known place amongst Asian tourists called Kasperske Hory.
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| Source: http://vseovinu.vachta.cz |
Kaspersky Hory is a small town in the Plzen region. It has a higher altitude of 730.m.n.m. Hence, even though it's summer, the temperature can be cool at 14 degree Celsius during the day when there is no sunlight.
From the base of Kasperske Hory, we set off to Castle Kasperk, Castle Rabi and Castle Velhartice.
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| 3 castles of about equal distance apart, forming a triangular geographical relationship. |
6.2: Castle Kasperk
The castle is located at a strategic spot along the Bohemian-Bavarian border in former times. To get there, you have to park your car at the designated car park, (which is a 4 min drive from the small town of Kasperske Hory) and take a slow walk of about 1.5km (20min) through Sumava National Park.
So please wear walking shows if you are heading there.
However, when we reached there, it was already closed at 6pm.
6.3 Accommodation: Apartman Na Sumave | Kasperske | 45 Euros/night
A search on Google map showed no reviews nor pictures on this accommodation, which goes to show how "ulu" a place we really are at. Yes, we are so far into the countryside that we get stared at by the children and adults alike.
But because it's the countryside, here's the size of our apartment for the price of 45 Euros/night:
7. Day 7 - Jun 10 - Fri
7.1 Highlights:
7.1.1 - Castle Rabi
7.1.2 - Castle Velhartice
7.2 Town: Klatovy
7.3 Restaurant: Piccolo Pizzeria
From the base of Kasperske Hory, we proceeded to visit the other 2 castles, and also stopped by at the town of Klatovy en route to Plzen.
7.1.1 - Castle Rabi
For some reason, the unique Gothic architecture of Castle Rabi reminds me of Game of Thrones. It is the largest castle ruin in Bohemia.The core of the Castle was built in the beginning of the
13th century as a watch, a defence and a housing tower.
The castle sits on a very good location. Its task was firstly
to defend the trade route, which connected the two towns:
Sušice and Horažďovice and secondly, to defend gold
washing along the river and in the gold-bearing river Otava.
Out of the 3 castles that exist on a triangular geographical
distances, I love Castle Rabi the most.
7.1.2 - Castle Velhartice
Castle Velhartice was built by Bohemian nobleman Bohumil of Budetice at the end of 13th century.
The first building that was built was called the Southern Palace.
A new kind of castle was built in the 14th century - one with 2 palaces on the opposite side connected with defence walks.
Book a guided tour to know more about the history of this castle.
7.2 Town: Klatovy
We passed by the town of Klatovy and stopped by for lunch at Piccolo Pizzeria.
7.3 Restaurant: Piccolo Pizzeria
8. Day 8 - Jun 11 - Sat
8.1 Town: Plzen
8.2 Highlights:
8.2.1 - Historical Weekend
8.2.2 - Castle Radyne / Stary Plzenec
8.3 Accommodation: Hotel Central | S$87/night
8.1 Town: Plzen
Plzen (Pilsen) is the large and bustling capital of West Bohemia. Thanks to their brewery, Pilsner Urquell and car (Skoda) industry.
We woke up to much fanfare and hype in the town square. From our hotel room, we could see events happening at the square below.
8.2 Highlights:
8.2.1 - Historical Weekend
Travel back in time with Plzen's Historical Weekend (11-12 June). Here, we saw knight's fights, theatre and music performances, traditional fair full of jugglers, magicians and handicraft shows.
For more traditional events from Plzen, check out their website: www.pilsen.eu/tourist/leisure/traditional-events/
All hail the King!
At the town square where the festivities and shows were held:
There are also many stalls selling traditional handicrafts, costumes, toys, accessories and hard wares. However, being Singaporean, the thing I like most about this atas "Pasar Malam" (flea market) is their street food still.
Have your lunch/dinner on the outdoor bench while enjoying the stage performances. (No sweat. How nice!)
The making of Trdelnik:
More on Historical Weekend
8.2.2 - Castle Radyne / Stary Plzenec
We went to Castle Radyne during the afternoon. Radyne, like its neighbour Castle Kasperk, represents the height of the 14th century trend towards the merging of castles.
There is not much to see here compared to the castles in Prague. Unless you are a castle lover, you can give this itinerary a pass and spend your time shopping in the streets of Plzen. Worth mentioning is the tower, Stary Plzenec, which provides an observation point of the towns.
8.3 Accommodation: Hotel Central
Hotel Central is in a really centralized location. The price includes breakfast buffet, which has the widest spread compared to the rest we have been to. However, for that kind of price, do no expect the room to be too big. Most B&Bs also do not provide air-con. But it is not an issue as the air is cool, or even cold even though it's summer. Wifi, as usual, is very weak even though its free. Consider it non-existent.
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| Nice view of Plzen Square from room in Hotel Central |
From day 9 onwards, we move on to Prague. Click here to find out more Prague.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about Czech Republic trip so far. Meanwhile, here is another article you might like:
Self-driving in Europe. From right-hand drive to left-hand drive. How difficult can it be?
Click here for an idiot's guide. ;)
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