View of Karlstejn castle from a scenic viewpoint - part of this hike
This article is for all who want to escape busy Prague and spend one day in nature on a beautiful hike with many highlights from Karlstejn to Beroun.
You should be in good shape for this trip as the biggest highlight of this hike is a climb to an incredible viewpoint in Svaty Jan pod Skalou. You don’t need any equipment for this. Just expect it to be a little bit challenging.
The area around Karlstejn is one of the nicest places for hiking close to Prague. If you’ve never visited Karlstejn castle, which is the pearl of this area, it’s a must! It’s not a part of this hike, so you need to do it separately, but on this hike you’ll be walking around, so you can take plenty of pictures of the castle.
If you’ve already checked Karlstejn castle off your travel bucket list, then you can go further and explore the beautiful nature preserve around it. So, let’s do it!
NOTE: If you’re planning on visiting Karlstejn castle only, you still might want to consider Part 1 of this hike (see below). In addition to a castle tour, take a couple of minutes’ walk to a scenic viewpoint and shoot amazing pictures of the castle with nature around. It’s a hidden gem, so you shouldn’t miss it!
Here is what you’ll find in this article:
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What do you need to know before your hike?
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How do you easily get from Prague to Karlstejn?
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What hiking path should you follow from Karlstejn to experience all the highlights of this trip?
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How do you get back from Beroun to Prague once you complete the hike?
Mark off Karlstejn castle in the Travel Challenge Book once visited
What do you need to know before your hike around Karlstejn Castle?
Here you’ll find all the information you need to decide if this hike is for you or not.
Highlights
Scenic viewpoint of Karlstejn Castle (a perfect spot for taking stunning pictures of the castle - see the picture at the top of this page) - Bubovicke waterfalls (a beautiful area in the woods, but you might experience it without water) - Cave church in Svaty Jan pod Skalou (a unique catholic church hidden in a rocky valley) - Summit with a cross above the cave church (gorgeous scenic viewpoint of the village of Svaty Jan pod Skalou)
Length and difficulty
This trail from Karlstejn to Beroun is considered to be moderate with quite a lot of elevation. Especially the second part of the hike will be more challenging, and the viewpoint in Svaty Jan pod Skalou is not the last hill you’ll experience. From here to Beroun, you can expect another hill to hike.
The trail is about 18 km long and take around 6 hours from the Karlstejn railway station to the Beroun railway station. As this is a long hike, you‘ll want to leave Prague in the morning. We left Prague by train at 9 a.m. and came back to Prague by train at 5 p.m. The train ride is about 40 minutes.
Best season/time for this hike
As mentioned above, this hike is challenging, so try to avoid hot weather as it would be much more difficult. The perfect season is spring, early/late summer, or autumn. Also, you can expect more crowds during the weekend, and as mentioned above, it’s worth starting the trip early in the morning.
Equipment
You don’t need much to complete this hike. Just take comfortable hiking shoes, good clothes, lots of water, and some food. You’ll get hungry on your way! You might also want to consider hiking sticks as they’re helpful when climbing to the top of the cliff in Svaty Jan pod Skalou.
If you’re not good at following trail markings, you can download an app called Mapy.cz (for free). In this app, you can put in your start and endpoint and all the other highlights along the way, so you don’t need to worry that you’ll get lost.
Your route from the Karlstejn railway station to the Beroun railway station
How do you easily get from Prague to Karlstejn?
There are many ways to get to Karlstejn–your starting point. You can drive, you can take a train, or you can take an Uber (the most expensive option).
We recommend you take a train from the main railway station in Prague (Praha hlavní nádraží) as it’s the most environmentally friendly and the cheapest option. And also, quite fast! It takes about 40 minutes to get to the Karlstejn railway station from Prague, and it’s a nice, comfortable ride.
If you want to save some time at the railway station, you should download an app called PID Lítačka (for free) to buy your ticket. It’s super easy to use if you use public transportation in Prague and in the surrounding area, and it’s in English. You just register, add your credit card, and you can start buying tickets.
How do you buy your ticket to Karlstejn from PID Lítačka?
Once you register, open the app, click connections, and enter Praha hl.n. in the first row (this is your starting point in Prague’s main railway station–where you begin your trip). To the second row, you’ll put Karlštejn (S7). After that, you choose the date and time you want to travel and hit search. You’ll see several options for how to get to Karlstejn. We recommend you choose the fastest one that says 41 minutes. The ticket costs 70 CZK, so it’s pretty cheap.
NOTE: Don’t buy the return ticket yet, because you don’t know how long your hike will take, so you want to be flexible.
You can set up your ticket so that it activates precisely at the time you choose, or if you want to be flexible, you can set it manually in case you’re worried you’d miss your train and need to take another one. Keep your phone with you. If someone checks tickets on the train, you’ll need to show the activated ticket on your phone.
That’s it! Once you have your train ticket (or your car), your trip can begin! Keep reading if you want to know what to expect on your hike and what markings you should follow.
Area of Bubovicke waterfalls (in April without water)
What hiking path should you follow from Karlstejn to experience all the highlights of this trip?
As I mentioned above, if you want to be 100% sure you won’t get lost, you can download an app called Mapy.cz and follow the trail on your phone. If you’re an adventurous soul, you’ll be fine with trail markings as they’re very visible.
Let’s divide this trip into four parts as you might end up doing just a certain part of this hike due to its length and difficulty.
PART 1: From the Karlstejn railway station to the scenic viewpoint of Karlstejn castle
Length: 2.2 km (about 45 minutes)
Once you get off the train at the railway station in Karlstejn, you’ll take a left and follow the yellow markings. You’ll take a right once you crossed a bridge over the Berounka river and retake a left pretty soon, passing a small church. You’ll walk on a street full of little stands with souvenirs, coffee shops, and many restaurants on your way to the castle.
Pay attention to the way, as you’ll need to turn once you see a small intersection on the hill called Karlštejn - pod hradem. The road will be turning to the left, and many people will continue this way as this is the path to Karlstejn castle, but you’ll follow the yellow sign and turn to the right. Don’t worry, you’re right, even if it doesn’t look like that.
The path goes between tiny houses to the woods, and you’ll walk up a steep hill until you arrive at a cross and a small shed (great for a little breakfast) where you can take a break.
You’re here! Turn around, and you’ll see the beauty of Karlstejn castle. If you want to take a great picture, don’t hesitate to walk to the field closer to the woods on the other side of the shed, as this is where photographers shoot those stunning pictures of the castle. This is the hidden gem I mentioned above!
PART 2: From the scenic viewpoint of Karlstejn castle to Bubovicke waterfalls
Length: 4.6 km (about 90 minutes)
Once you’ve taken enough pictures of the castle and enjoyed the beauty, you continue the same way back to the intersection, turn right and follow red markings (and other tourists) to the gate of Karlstejn castle.
When you arrive at the gate, you won’t go through, as you won’t be visiting the castle on this trip. Instead, you’ll turn right, keep following the red markings, and walk down from the hill to the road. Walk on the road for a bit until you see another path on your left going to the woods. This is the one you want to follow.
Soon you’ll arrive at another intersection called Dub sedmi bratří. This is a good spot to take a break with a picnic table and places to sit around. Then you’ll continue to the left and follow red markings until you arrive at the last intersection before the Bubovicke waterfalls, called Kubrychtova bouda. Here you’ll turn right again and soon you’ll see Bubovicke waterfalls.
You might find them without water, but the area and nature are still beautiful. Later on, there aren’t many places to have a break, so you can find a fallen tree here and sit for a bit before you continue to Svaty Jan pod Skalou.
NOTE: If you feel like you don’t want to complete the whole hike, you can go back to Karlstejn and take a train back to Prague or you can keep walking to Svaty Jan pod Skalou where you can take a bus back to Prague. It’ll take you about 80 minutes (3.8 km) walk to get to Svaty Jan pod Skalou, but the bus connection might not be as good as the train connection in Karlstejn. You should check it out ahead of time.
PART 3: From Bubovicke waterfalls to Svaty Jan pod Skalou (scenic viewpoint)
Length: 4.8 km (about 2 hours)
This is the hardest part of the hike, so get some snacks before you go! You’ll continue following the red markings from Bubovicke waterfalls all the way to Svaty Jan pod Skalou. On the way, you’ll cross two intersections. One is called Boubová, crossing an asphalt road, and the other one is called Propadlé vody – rozcestí. From both, you will follow the red markings.
It’s easy to recognize you arrived in Svaty Jan pod Skalou as you’ll be walking next to a wall. Behind this wall is the famous church. You won’t be visiting the church right away, so keep walking until you see a little intersection where you’ll turn right and start walking uphill. At the end of this path you’ll experience the most impressive view from the top of the cliff. Take a deep breath as it’s hard to get there, but it’s worth it!
View from the cliff above Svaty Jan pod Skalou
PART 4: From Svaty Jan pod Skalou (scenic viewpoint) to Beroun
Length: 6 km (about 2 hours)
Once you enjoyed the view from the cliff, you’ll walk the same way back to the intersection where you turn right to follow the path to the church and the small village of Svaty Jan pod Skalou.
NOTE: If you have enough time, you can take a break here and visit the church. You can also finish the hike here if you’re tired and take a bus back to Prague. Just make sure ahead that there is a good bus connection.
When you’re ready to leave the small village of Svaty Jan pod Skalou, you’ll get on your way to the railway station in Beroun - the last part of your trip.
At the intersection in front of the church, you’ll turn right and follow the red markings. Pay attention to the way, as shortly after you pass the cemetery, you’ll turn left onto a small path leading to the woods.
Don’t get upset. It’ll be uphill for a while. Once you reach the intersection called Dub na Herinkách, you can take a break in a little shed and get some food. You made it, as from here you’ll mostly go downhill to Beroun. Keep following the red markings all the way to the Beroun railway station, where your hike ends.
Now it’s time to get your train ticket and enjoy the comfortable ride back to Prague.
How do you get back from Beroun to Prague once you complete the hike?
You can go and buy a ticket at the counter at the railway station, but because you’re a pro at using PID Lítačka, you can easily buy a ticket through the app. Just open the app, click on connections, choose Beroun in the first row, Praha hl.n. in the second, pick your time, and hit search. The fastest train should take you to Prague within 45 minutes and for 80 CZK.
If you’ve completed the hike, share your experience in the comments or contact us directly! If you’re in the planning phase and have questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Also, don’t be concerned about the length or the difficulty of this hike. It’s worth everything, and you’ll be proud of yourself once you accomplish it!