About This Site

Where the guides come from and why they are written this way

James Horak

I have been living in Prague since 2018 and spending weekends visiting castles, fortresses, and historical sites across Bohemia and Moravia ever since. I am not an academic historian or a professional travel writer — I am someone who finds these places genuinely interesting and wanted to write about them honestly.

The Czech Republic has more castles per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Europe, and most of them are underrepresented in English-language travel writing. The major sites get covered; the smaller ones, the regional fortresses, the romantic ruins — these are harder to find good information about.

Why I Started Writing

I kept finding that the available information about Czech castles was either too thin (a paragraph in a general travel guide) or too academic (specialist publications not aimed at casual visitors). I wanted something in between: enough historical context to make the visit meaningful, combined with practical information that actually helps you plan the trip.

That is what this site tries to be.

How the Guides Are Written

Every place on this site is somewhere I have visited personally, usually more than once. I try to go at different times of year and in different conditions — summer crowds, autumn quiet, winter closures — to give a realistic picture of what the experience is like rather than an idealised version.

I do not accept sponsorships, press trips, or free entry in exchange for coverage. The observations here are my own, and the practical information is based on my own visits rather than press releases.

I also try to be honest about the limitations of each site. Some famous castles are genuinely impressive; others are more interesting on paper than in person. Some are worth the journey from Prague; others are better combined with something else nearby. I try to say which is which.

Castles I Have Visited

  • Karlstejn
  • Cesky Krumlov
  • Lednice
  • Konopisite
  • Krivoklat
  • Hluboka
  • Bouzov
  • Pernstejn
  • Sternberk
  • Valtice

What This Site Is Not

This is not a comprehensive database of every castle in the Czech Republic. There are over 2,000 of them, and many are ruins accessible only to specialists or enthusiasts willing to hike through forests. I write about the places that are open to visitors and that I have actually been to.

It is also not a booking platform or an affiliate site. There are no referral links or commissions. When I link to an official website or a transport service, it is because the link is useful, not because I am paid to include it.

If you have questions about specific sites, corrections to anything I have written, or suggestions for places I should visit, the contact page is the right place to reach me.