A tour of Bezděz Castle

Since the Velký Bezděz hill is really dominant, you will see a castle with many places not only in the Kokořín region. However, one of the most classic views is from the access road to the village of Bezděz

In the village of Bezděz, you have a bit of the feeling that you are in a place where the parking mafia rules, because practically every place in the village is a „paid parking lot“ and there are dozens of locals who give radio instructions on where to place you. The fee is 60 CZK

In total, there are about 200 altitude meters waiting for you, which is relatively enough for Czech conditions. The road is definitely not suitable for bicycles or prams, although it looks different at the beginning – a wide path through the woods

From the first gate there is already a path full of stones, often smoothed, so it is necessary to pay quite attention to the doc

The path along the Stations of the Cross to the second gate of the castle

Above the third gate of the castle rises the defensive Devil's Tower

The path continues up along the western end of the castle, with several views of Macha Lake, to the fourth gate next to which rises the Chapel of St. Archangel Michael – one of the most valuable monuments of the 13th century. Tickets, souvenirs, etc. are sold in front of the fourth gate.

A typical first look into the interior of a narrow castle with tall palaces and the Great Tower towering over everything

The greatest experience of the castle is definitely the climb to the Great Tower from where there is a beautiful view far and wide. The local circular staircase has already attracted many photographers

Directly below us is the newly roofed Templar Palace and the overhanging fortifications in the form of the Devil's Tower

To the southwest, the hills of the Kokořín region can be seen beautifully, including the Vrátenská mountain (507 m above sea level) and the Houska castle. The panorama spoils only the towers of the Mělník power plant

The north-western view may surprise you how quite small Macha Lake looks like from Bezděz. With beautiful visibility in this direction you can see all the peaks of the Lusatian Mountains

Twenty kilometers to the north rises like a lighthouse, the mighty peak of Ralsko (696m)

Thanks to the former military area, the entire northeastern direction is filled with forests, almost to Ještěd

The only boring viewing direction is to the southeast, where the plain falls into the Jizera valley

After a tour of the Great Tower, head to the second courtyard, where there are demonstrations of historical fencing in the season

From the Second Courtyard it is possible to enter the majestic Templar Palace with many attractions