Another summer another chateau
Because of the restrictions and because of health concerns we didn’t travel as much as we initially planned. But the summer is here and majority of the restrictions are lifted so we can start to explore again.
I mentioned in a previous post that I like castles, fortresses and chateaux. This year the first stop was Karlova Koruna chateau.
Getting to the chateau
If you start from Prague you will probably get to Karlova Koruna in under one hour by car (75+ km). You get a chance to admire the country side. If you want to see something else than the most known landmarks probably this is a good way to do that.
There are so many castles and chateaux in Czechia that is hard to choose. This chateau found us because it was very close to a place where we spent the weekend.
In fact the chateau is in the small town Chlumec nad Cidlinou which is worth a visit as well.
Things to see with kids at the chateau
What I liked the most was the fact that they have visits tailored for kids. I do not know about other kids but mine gets easily bored. Museums can hold his interest only for a while. In average a kids tour lasts between 30-45 minutes. The information provided is mostly what a child might be interested into.
We only opted for the indoor version because I am always interested in design, furniture and facilities. But I understood that there are also some outdoor events during the year. We did explore most of the park on our own. The nature, the wood sculptures, the ducks and the peacocks make an interesting walk for the kids as well.
Take a rest and enjoy life
The owners try to make the most of the place and you can easily notice that there are some very good ideas to preserve it and restore it in some cases.
To make that happen they rented some rooms for special events. In the area there are a few options to enjoy a cafe or a meal.
We stopped at Cafe Orangerie to have some cool drinks because the weather was exceptionally hot. They have quite a good assortment of small pizza and my son loved “margarita”. He told us that is one of the best pizza ever! 🙂
What else before the end
I am not overly knowledgeable when it come to architecture but I really like this chateau. I understood that is the result of the combined efforts between Czech architect of Italian origin Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel and Prague builder František Maxmilián Kaňka
In times of social distancing the number of visitors was quite acceptable and the fact that the park is so big helps to enjoy the trip even more.
The lunch we decided to have it in town and we ate at Grand Hotel in Chlumec nad Cidlinou . It was another very good choice! The food was very good, the restaurant’s design (indoor and outdoor) was very pleasant and modern and that includes the toilets. The winning card was the outdoor kids corner! What impressed me: cleanliness
In the end our day trip was a very good experience and we all enjoyed it. If you don’t have any idea where to go I recommend it!
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Castle hunting in Slovakia: Smolenice Castle
Bitov Castle, in search of the past