A visit to Zbiroh castle including a walk around its English park: 2 km (extendable)

• The chateau (or castle) of Zbiroh, which lies on the western edge of the large and picturesque Křivoklátsko nature area, attracts many visitors. Some come to stay in the luxury hotel, others for a tour of the exhibitions in the chateau or to eat in the medieval-styled restaurant (which serves good food).
• The chateau has a long history, back to the early 13th century, and the owners included a line of the most famous Bohemian kings, including Otakar II, Charles IV and Rudolf II. The original Gothic castle was transformed into a Renaissance chateau and then given a 19th century reconstruction by the Strousberg family.
• Zbiroh has welcomed many famous guests, including the artist Alfonse Mucha who lived in a wing of the chateau for several years. There are various tours around the chateau, including one which visits the impressive hall where Mucha created his most famous work – the Slavic cycle. Combine a visit to the chateau with a walk around the chateau’s pleasant English park, where there is a vineyard planted by Rudolf II.
• It is around a 2 km walk to tour the park and gardens, all of which can be managed with a stroller. For refreshments, in summer there is a snack bar in the garden, but the chateau restaurant is worth a visit. For a long tour, including the chateau, consider either the easy route starting from Zbiroh village, which heads into the hills on the opposite side of the valley or the rocky viewpoint walk in the forests behind the chateau.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’  to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

Directions

• Zbiroh village cab reached on a regional bus line. It is a 1 km walk up the hill from there to reach the chateau. Most visitors, however, will probably drive and using the (occasionally) paid parking directly in the park area
• There are no marked trails in the park, but as it is an enclosed area it is difficult to get lost: take whichever paths appeal on a circular tour!