Hello,
I am trying to work both of these into my itinerary and they don't appear to be very far apart. Is it reasonable to try and visit both on the same day? And if so, would it be better to rent a car for the day, or is it possible to take a train to both destinations?
Thanks in advance.
I have been to both places many times and will be there again in around 4 weeks time.
You can get trains to both places quite easily but Karlstejn route is just off the main line and trains that go to and from Plzen seldom stop at Karlstejn.
http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusymhdvse/spojeni/
have a look at this website to try and work out timings.
quite possible to do both in a day with your own transport and there was one tour company that did both places as a day trip from Prague, I have tried to look for it but can't find any thing but will look again when I have more time.
Thank you so much!
been having a good look online but can't find anything bit this Private tour which is very expensive.
https://www.trekkmarket.com/en/activity/79707/day-trip-to-plzen-karlstejn-castle
Marcus Bradshaw comes on here quite often and he is a tour guide in Prague he may know of a company that does these tours.
As I have said I have been to both places many times,I was in the Plzen Brewery at the end of March but just for a couple of beers as I had to pass there on my way back to the train station.
If you can arrange it get to Karlstejn for the early tours in the morning, you are best to book a tour. it takes about 20 minutes to walk from the train station up to the castle and it is a stiff climb.sometimes there is a horse and cart at the bottom and they charge for taking you up but they will wait until they have a near full load before moving and I have heard of waits of 40 minutes.Been a long time since I did a tour of the castle as I usually just pop into the castle courtyard for a quick look before continuing a walk I do in the area.
You should be able to get a train the short distance from Karlstejn to Beroun (10 minutes on train)and get the train to Plzen from there BUT do check on that website.Should take about an hour from Beroun to Plzen but I really can't remember if trains do stop there, the express trains don't.
Once in Plzen it is an easy 5 minute walk to the Brewery and they have English speaking tours at 2.00 or 2.30 so check their website. trains back to Prague roughly every hour (about90-100 minutes travel time) so all possible for you if you plan it right and get the connections you need.
good luck and let us know how you get on.
I am back in Prague on the 26th of June for 11 days and should be in Plzen though not in the brewery unless it is for a beer late on in the day and I will be doing a walk from Karlstejn over the hills to Beroun.
Lots of good information, thanks again! The tour you found is somewhat expensive, but also worth considering.
I hope you enjoy your trip in June. I'm not traveling until October, so there's still time to make plans and do more research.
I will try and check the excursion companies when I am over though I won't be in the centre much, if I find anything I will let you know.I might be back in late October though looks like I will probably be in Croatia.
