A land of castles
For centuries western Bohemia was borderland — and borders are guarded by castles. Within an hour's drive of Marienbad stand more than a dozen, proudly preserved or picturesquely ruined. We picked the seven finest: the first three offer classic guided tours, the remaining four are freely accessible ruins for romantics and walkers.
1. Loket — a Gothic gem above the Ohře
By car: 40 minutes | Time on site: 2–4 hours
If Bohemia held a contest for its most photogenic castle, Loket would make the final. The Gothic fortress stands on a rock embraced by a tight bend of the Ohře, with a perfectly preserved little town crouching below. Goethe celebrated his birthday here; today the castle draws visitors with its exhibitions and, in summer, open-air concerts in the riverside amphitheatre.
2. Bečov nad Teplou — the castle with a treasure
By car: 30 minutes (or by train through the Teplá valley) | Time on site: 2–3 hours
Two castles in one: a medieval fortress and a baroque chateau layered above the town. The star is the Reliquary of St Maurus from the early 13th century — Romanesque goldsmith work whose dramatic journey through history ended beneath the floor of the castle chapel, where detectives unearthed it in 1985. After the crown jewels, the country's most precious movable monument.
3. Kynžvart — Chancellor Metternich's chateau
By car: 15 minutes | Time on site: 1.5–3 hours
Closest of the seven lies the neoclassical chateau of the man who redrew the map of Europe after Napoleon's fall. Chancellor Metternich assembled here a famous cabinet of curiosities — from Egyptian mummies to Napoleon's personal effects — and a daguerreotype collection inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World register. The vast English park is perfect for walks with a stroller or a dog.
4. Gutštejn — the most romantic ruin
By car: 35 minutes + a short walk | Time on site: 1.5–3 hours
Above the quiet valley of the Hadovka stream, the massive square tower of Gutštejn rises from the woods. No admission fee, no opening hours — just silence, stonework and views. Loveliest on foot from Okrouhlé Hradiště, or as a longer circuit from the little spa town of Konstantinovy Lázně.
5. Přimda — Bohemia's oldest stone castle
By car: 45 minutes + a hill climb | Time on site: 1.5–2.5 hours
The Romanesque donjon from around 1121 is considered the oldest stone castle on Bohemian soil. Its ruined tower watches over a striking hill above the town of the same name, on the old trade path to Bavaria; a short, brisk climb rewards you with views deep into the Bohemian Forest and across the border.
6. Krasíkov (Švamberk) — the castle above the fields
By car: 35 minutes + a climb | Time on site: 1–2 hours
The ancestral seat of the lords of Švamberk crowns the free-standing Ovčí vrch hill, rising straight out of open fields — which is exactly why it offers one of the finest panoramas in western Bohemia. The castle chapel and parts of the fortifications survive; total tranquillity completes the scene, as tourist crowds have never found their way here.
7. Andělská Hora — a view fit for angels
By car: 50 minutes + a short steep climb | Time on site: 1–1.5 hours
A Gothic ruin on a steep rocky cone just beyond Karlovy Vary. The climb takes a quarter of an hour, but the view belongs to the unforgettable category: from the Ore Mountains across the Doupov Hills to the Slavkov Forest. An ideal stop on the way back from Karlovy Vary, beautiful even in winter.
Before you go
Loket, Bečov and Kynžvart run classic guided tours — booking ahead is wise in season. Gutštejn, Krasíkov and Andělská Hora are freely accessible year-round; the Přimda site keeps visiting hours and is usually closed off-season. Bring sturdy shoes everywhere. Find all seven castles and more with the "Castles & monasteries" filter in our day-trips catalogue.
Cover photo: Pakos, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
