Wedding in Jindřichův Hradec and Červená Lhota Castle visit

The author of this blog and his girlfriend, Svetlana, were invited to a Czech-Kazakh wedding which was organized in a very remote part of the Czech Republic, in Jindřichův Hradec, which is located similar to Znojno, 13.5 km from the state border with Austria. This trip occurred between Friday 16th, and Sunday 17th of June.

Journey to Jindřichův Hradec

We left Prague Friday at 2:00 PM as we also gave a lift to another friend from Vienna who was also a guest at the wedding.

On the way to Jindřichův Hradec there, we stopped as usual for fries and burgers at Mc Donald’s, which is located on the highway D1 connecting the two biggest cities in the Czech Republic – Prague and Brno [Mc Donald’s at D1 between Prague and Brno]. Therefore, when you ride here, you can not miss it. To my surprise, as I drive here a few times a year, the local fast-food franchise competition Baguette Boulevard opened a branch across the road.

We were accommodated with other guests at Penzion Keramika, where also wedding feast and wedding venue happened during the next few days. For my review of our room in Penzion Keramika, please check the room review article.

Visiting Jindřichův Hradec Castle

On the internet, several tourist information tables are on the castle premise. However, I would still recommend checking official web of Jindřichův Hradec Castle if you want to find more information.

Jindřichův Hradec tours

There are five tourist tours around the castle.

• Adam’s building (basic tour) – 50 minutes
• Gothic palace (basic tour) – 70 minutes
• Black Tower & Black Kitchen
• Exhibitions “The Černíns” and “Stuchlá’s Closets” – 20 minutes
• Selection of tours – 50 minutes

Pets and dogs are allowed only in the 1st courtyard. No other area of the castle is accessible for pets in any form.

The 1st courtyard contains the cafeteria. However, the castle is close to the city centre, and several places are available to refresh walk-around travellers.

Prices

For entry tickets, paying with cash is the only option so far.

For group visits, reservation is needed.

Opening hours

Czech-Kazakh wedding

As the wedding is a personal thing for many people, I should ask for permission, and I do not want to talk or describe events so much publicly.

But Svetlana was the maid of honour and needed to help organize many things. And I, as a good boyfriend, tried to help her as much as I could.

Eventually, the wedding was organized on Saturday, 17th June afternoon inside the Rondel, part of Castle Jindřichův Hradec.

green – ride to a wedding, purple – walking through Jindřichův Hradec Castle to Rondel and back to the parking lot, blue taking a detour and ride around the lake

[Státní hrad a zámek Jindřichův Hradec] [Rondel]

Jindřichův Hradec

I have never been to Jindřichův Hradec, and visiting its epicentre right at the first shot was exquisite. We got with the car straight to the castle as part of the wedding ceremony. However, to ordinary tourists, I would recommend parking a vehicle at náměstí Míru (Peace Square).

The wedding occurred in the Rondel, a beautiful cannon tower that was part of castle fortification and was later turned into a music or feast hall.

Interestingly there are also several things you can see around. During the weekend, at the nearby airport Jindřichův Hradec, there was happening Czech Republic aerobatic championship. We heard and saw several planes dancing in the skies as the as Jindřichův Hradec was just 1.5 kilometres from Penzion Keramika.

The other exciting place was Rýdův kopec, a nearby watchtower just 1 kilometre away.

Červená Lhota Castle

We left Penzion Keramika roughly before 11:00 AM and wanted to go straight to Prague. I set the navigation, and we drove to it in the South direction.

It was th the petrol station in Kardašova Řečice when Svetlana suggested taking a slight detour to Červená Lhota Castle. I knew about the castle as we started collecting visits through the most magnificent castles in Czechia. But I did not realize that it was so close. And as I am for all the fun stuff, I reset the navigation and set the direction to Červená Lhota Castle.

We came to the parking lot at Červená Lhota Castle in a very short time (roughly 20~30 minutes), and I paid 80 CZK for a parking lot. Then we left the car and briefly walked through the manor to Červená Lhota Castle.

It was a hot summer day, and the sky was perfectly blue. We took a few pictures in front of the red castle and walked on the bridge inside. Here we figure out that we must buy entry tickets next to the bridge entry. So I returned and asked when the next tour would occur as the current one was sold out. It was 11:50 AM, and the following tour should occur at 12:45 PM. I told the lady in the ticket office that I would think about it. But I already knew we would not wait an hour just to walk within castle walls to look at some old furniture. Instead, I asked where is the possibility of eating or where is the nearest restaurant. She told me the closest place to eat warm food is a village behind the lake.

I returned to the inner Červená Lhota Castle courtyard, where Svetlana awaited and checked the tourist information panels. We decided that waiting an hour for entry was pointless, and we would instead use the time for a walk around the castle lake.

Thus we took time and walked around the Červená Lhota Castle lake at noon. It was splendid, and the place was magical. The air was fresh from the water breeze, the sky empty with no clouds.

We walked to the start of the lake and then back to the lake dam, where my phone battery died.

Visiting Červená Lhota Castle

I would recommend checking official web of Červená Lhota Castle if you want to find more information.

Červená Lhota Castle tours

There are three tourist tours around the castle.

• Castle interiors of the first floor (basic tour) – 50 minutes
• The attic rooms – 30 minutes
• Cellars – 20 minutes

In general, all pets are forbidden to enter castle premisses — no exception in kind and form of guardianship.

Prices

For entry tickets, paying with cash and credit cards is possible.

The Castle interiors of the first floor (basic tour) is the only tour also offered in English.

For group visits, reservation is needed.

Opening hours

Trip evaluation

After the tour around Červená Lhota Castle, we returned to the car and drove back to Prague, where we took a time and, roughly before 4:00 PM, had lunch in a shopping mall close by our home. Here we evaluated the trip and talked about the wedding. Overall, we will remember the wedding well as Svetlana gained experience organizing such an event. And the trip was enhanced by a visit to Jindřichův Hradec Castle and Červená Lhota Castle – two unique castles.

[Tour map]