Admiring Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czech Republic

The Hluboká nad Vltavou is a very pretty castle in southern Bohemia. The town itself is situated on the Vltava River, very close to the Czech city of České Budějovice.

This castle was built from the medieval Froburg castle, perched above the Vltava river. It once belonged to the Přemyslid king Ottokar II of Bohemia. Later it passed to the Vítkovci family.

In the 14th century, Emperor Charles IV (of Charles’ Bridge fame) would often spend time residing here in one of his favorite castles – what a life.

The town thrived in the 16th and 17th centuries, but the castle was seized by French forces during the Thirty Years’ War. Later, it was acquired by the Schwarzenberg family.

I admit it, by the time we reached this castle, my kids (and maybe even the adults) were castled-out. The Czechs also have a complicated and non-tourist-friendly tour system, where the visitor must choose between a half a dozen specialized tours.

This might work in Versailles or Buckingham Palace, but for castles of this size it’s odd to have to choose between seeing the ballroom tour, the dining room tour or the kitchen tour.

My husband and I speak Czech so we would opt for the less expensive and more frequent Czech tours, while my kids mumbled and groaned (though they were forced to pick up a few words here or there). So yes, we all were rather castled out at this stage.

But we did choose the (guide-free!) walk up the tower to enjoy the views over the castle and the town below. Afterwards, we enjoyed wandering the grounds.

Umm… if I’m honest, this castle was a hit with the kids because they found an amazing amount of change that somehow fell beneath the vending machine.

In my family (blush, embarassment), this sudden (koruna) wealth tends to rub off on the impressions of the day for the younger members of the family…

Whether you find a pile of koruna or not, hope you’ll enjoy your time at the pretty Hluboká nad Vltavou.

For other castle visit ideas in the Czech Republic, see my earlier posts on Rožmberk nad Vltavou  and Frýdlant Castle.

Enjoy your Czech castle visits!