National Heritage Institute

 Regional Heritage Administration Prague

Visiting Terms and Conditions

Karlštejn Castle

Article 1 – ACCESSIBILITY OF THE CASTLE

The area of the castle is defined as the whole site including all buildings, courtyards, paths, roads, park, gardens and other parts of the castle (furthermore as “area”). Visitors must respect Visiting Terms and Conditions and orders of employees of the castle.

The area is divided into 3 parts respecting their accessibility:

• Parts of the area accessible during the opening hours free of charge
• Parts of the area accessible only with a valid ticket (guided tours)
• Parts of the area not accessible to general public                                                                                                                

Article 2 – ORGANISATION OF VISITS

1. Ticket office is opened 5 minutes before the opening hours of the castle.
2. Beginning of tours and more information about tours are provided at the ticket office and at www.hrad-karlstejn.cz.
3. Tours are available only with a guide.
4. Time gaps between tours are set by the management of the castle. Capacity of a single tour is limited by conditions of the castle and security of visitors.
5. The lowest number of visitors for one tour is 5 including persons with entrance free of charge. A group of less than 5 people must wait until the start of the nearest tour which is to take place without any consideration of the number of visitors. Exceptions can be made by the management of the castle. The last tour of the day is guided without any consideration of the number of visitors.
6. Tours can be reserved by both individuals and groups. The date and time of the tour in this case must be set through a letter, an e-mail, a phone call or via an online reservation system with the castle management. An individual or a group must arrive to the ticket office 15 minutes before the scheduled beginning of the tour. Otherwise the tour may be cancelled by the castle management. Reserved tour may include other visitors up to the limit of persons per tour at will of the management of the castle.

        Article 3 – ADMISSION FEE

1. The admission fee to the parts of the area accessible only with a ticket must be paid in advance. The fee and discounts are set by the management of the National Heritage Institute (Regional Heritage Administration Prague). All prices are provided at the ticket office of the castle.
2. After paying the admission fee visitor will be given a ticket (in case of larger groups the leader of the group will be given a ticket for the entire group) where the time of the beginning of the guided tour is printed.
3. A ticket becomes invalid in case visitor does not reach the castle in time of the beginning of their tour.
4. Purchased tickets cannot be exchanged nor reclaimed.
5. Visitors must show their tickets at the beginning of the tour, keep them throughout the whole tour and show them at request.

                           Article 4 – VISIT OF THE CASTLE

1. During the tour visitors are to pay special attention to uneven floors, roads, paths as well as to all lowered passages and all other dangers caused by conditions of the castle. Visitors must take care while moving in slippers. Visitors must take care of both their safety, safety of their children and all other persons under their competence. In case of windy weather, rain or winter visitors are to pay attention to possibility of falling branches, snow and ice.
2. The castle management can decide to close the castle in case of dangerous weather conditions or technical issues.
3. Children up to the age of 15 must be accompanied by a person 18 years old or older who is responsible for the behaviour of the child during the tour which must respect the Visiting Terms and Conditions.
4. Visitors may move in the interiors only in marked sections and paths.
5. To convey the guide’s speech is allowed only after previous agreement with the guide and only in case that the tour cannot be provided in given foreign language or that no brochure or audio guide in given language is available. However, it is strictly forbidden to disturb guide’s speech and thus other visitors with conveying which was not previously consulted with the guide. It is necessary to be considerate to others.

Article 5 – PROTECTION AND SAFETY OF CULTURAL SIGHTS

1. Visitors are to follow orders of employees of the castle. If commands given in order to protect safety of other visitors, to protect the site and collections are not followed, visitor will be expelled from the area without a refund of their ticket and must leave the castle. Apart from that, visitor can face legal prosecution according to the law.
2. In order to protect the castle, visitors and collections chosen interiors and exteriors are surveyed by CCTV system with recording.
3. Persons suspected to be inebriated or to have taken drugs are not allowed to enter the castle area.
4. Entrance to the castle area is denied to visitors with polluted, insufficient or inadequate clothing.
5. Smoking and making fire are forbidden in all interiors of the castle. In case of fire or any extraordinariness are visitors to followed orders of employees of the castle. Smoking in the exteriors may be regulated by the Visiting Terms and Conditions.
6. No bladed weapons, firearms or explosives (including replicas) are allowed to be taken into the interiors of the castle.
7. Spacious luggage, umbrellas, unsuitable head covers, handbags and animals must not be taken into the interiors of the castle.
8. All visitors present in the interiors of the castle when any damage to the site or collections is detected are bound to absolve necessary safety actions, wait for the arrival of the Police of the Czech Republic and follow their orders (including personal scanning).
9. Damaging the castle site, it’s collections, gardens and other property of the castle is strictly forbidden. Especial restriction is issued for:
   • touching walls, displayed objects, writing and engraving into the walls and painting onto them or damaging them in any manner;

• leaving the marked sections during tours, leaving the guide and the guided group;
• disturbing other visitors and the guide’s speech with noise (especially with music, talks, using cell phones and other portable devices, making loud noises and other similar activities) or not being considerate to the others in any manner; visitor may be expelled from the castle area without refund if they do not follow the latter;
• eating, drinking, chewing in the interiors of the castle; entering the interiors with an ice cream, drinks, food, etc.;
• throwing anything into the fountains and water wells, picking flowers, collecting fruit, breaking tree branches, walking on lawns and outside the marked sections and paths, camping in the area of the castle, displaying posters, promoting any type of goods, services or activities and disturb common peace and order in any manner; 
• driving any single-track or double-track vehicles (except wheelchairs for handicapped and pushchairs); bikes in the area can be left only in specially marked sections;
• parking motor vehicles outside the marked areas and public parking slots;
• to touch electric distribution boxes, signalisation equipment, fire extinguishers and any other technical equipment.

1. Free movement of dogs and other animals in the area is not permitted as well as their entrance to the interiors of the castle.
2. Taking photographs, filming and taking any other type of documentation whilst using flash, tripods, selfie sticks or other lighting and auxiliary instruments in the interiors or other marked places is forbidden. Any photographs, videos and any other type of documentation must not be used for commercial purposes without authorisation of the National Heritage Institute, Regional Heritage Administration Prague. However, the Regional Heritage Administration Prague sets an exception for scientific, documentary, promoting and other purposes in case of a written request.
3. Flying of pilotless aircraft (drones, multicopters etc.) and aircraft replicas is without previous authorisation of the castle management forbidden.
4. Geocatching and activities directly connected with it including organising experience games and games in nature can be permitted only with a previous authorisation of the castle management.

Article 6 – SPECIFIC TERMS

1. Taking photographs and filming as mentioned in article 5 bullet 11 is available only during the whole first guided tour and on the fifth floor of the Great Tower during the third guided tour.
2. Reservations for the first guided tour is compulsory for groups larger than 10 persons. Individual reservations for the first guided tour are not possible. Reservation for the second guided tour including the Chapel of the Holy Cross is compulsory for all visitors. Reservations for the third guided tour are not possible.

Article 7 – FINAL TERMS

1. All wishes, compliments and prompts can be sent to karlstejn@npu.cz. Visitor may express their compliments, prompts or inquires orally, in writing or by telephone to the National Heritage Institute, Regional Heritage Administration Prague.
2. Violating the Visiting Terms and Conditions and causing any damage to the site will be solved by the National Heritage Institute and the castle management according to the law. The castle management is responsible for all damages caused to the visitors according to the law. The National Heritage Institute is not responsible for damages caused by not following the Visiting Terms and Conditions.
3. An exception from the Visiting Terms and Conditions may be granted in especial cases by the castle management.
4. The Visiting Terms and Conditions come in effect on the 1^st March 2019 and replace the previous ones.

Castle Management: Ing. Lukáš Kunst, Karlstejn Castle Manager 

National Heritage Institute:  Mgr. at Mgr. Petr Spejchal, Regional Heritage Administration Prague