In the middle of a vast expanse of the countryside around the Czech-Austrian border, you will find one of the most weird, wild, wonderful, and unique places to visit in Czechia: Excalibur City.
It’s hardly what you would expect to see after driving through tiny picturesque towns and passing hilltop chateaus, hiking/biking trails in the national park, architecturally impressive wineries, and ancient castles. But, here we are.
You truly cannot miss Excalibur City while driving by. You will see a huge, spherical planet earth jutting up into the sky from miles away, which upon closer inspection reveals the words “The World is Yours.” Next to it is an actual airplane painted in all kinds of vibrant colors that has a bar to visit once you climb inside.
Next to the earth is a massive wooden tower looking out over some theme park rides and ropes courses, and multiple ‘castles’ surrounding it all (not the real kind, but they did a close enough job… although perhaps slightly offensive in the land of actual medieval castles 😛 ) One of the castles has a massive dragon on the roof, breathing fire. Naturally.
There are dozens of theme park rides and a ‘Merlin Land’ for children (I mean, and adults), a campground, a duty-free shopping center and outlets, wellness and spa facilities, restaurants, bars, a jukebox/music-themed hotel, and my favorite part of all of Excalibur City: the Terra Technical Time Travel Museum. More on that later.
Excalibur City History: How? Why?
Apparently, Excalibur City started with one keen businessman who set up a stand on the road between Vienna and Brno to sell tobacco and alcohol. This was clearly a much-needed niche to fill, and many people needed alcohol and cigarettes when crossing the border, because his stand did amazingly well.
As it grew, he started to add different fun things to the area. Slowly it became a sort of ‘fun zone’ to stop on a road trip. There were silly rides, casinos, more and more shops, and it kept true to its roots with duty-free tobacco and booze (some of the cheapest around).
Today Excalibur City is massive, with over 200 kids’ rides, a full Asian Bazaar market, multiple restaurants, a huge mall, hotels, campsites, more shopping, and the best museum around. There’s something for the whole family. It’s so random and funny to see, yet somehow perfect at the same time – I don’t think anyone could come here and NOT crack a smile because of it (or also because of sheer confusion).
The Terra Technica Time Travel Museum + Collections
The Terra Technica Time Travel Museum is the cherry on top of this seemingly haphazard ‘Czech Vegas’ that you probably wouldn’t imagine being here, in the middle of all the corn fields, in your wildest dreams. See, the entrepreneur who started Excalibur City has a thing for collecting… wait for it…. Jukeboxes. And I don’t mean a little thing for it; I mean a BIG thing. An obsession, if you will.
He used to work on the growing stand/city during the days and restore old jukeboxes by night. He would acquire any jukebox he possibly could. And one day, he met another man with a similar-but-different obsession: collecting and restoring old pinball machines. They both agreed that it was a huge shame to keep these pieces of history to themselves, getting dusty in an attic. So the idea for Terra Technica was BORN.
They cleared out a massive, 8500 sq m area to build the museum metropolis to house the LARGEST and MOST SIGNIFICANT jukebox collection in the whole world as well as one of the best collections of pinball machines through the ages – both types of machines is represented from the first invention until present day (starting in the 1880s for jukeboxes and self-playing instruments, and around the 1930s for the first versions of pinball).
They also have an impressive collection of old cars, from a Ford Model T to an actual bat mobile that was used in the 90’s movie. Lastly, they have dozens of video games from pong on an old box-like TV to Pac-Man to Nintendo to Super Mario to over 100 different handheld video games to old shooting games. And yes, there are dozens of games that you can play using tokens from the front.
There are different scenes using wax mannequins for each time period, from a couple in a speakeasy bar in the 20’s to a 50’s diner and a 70’s living room. The time travel museum is TRULY spectacular and lives up to its name in a way I didn’t think possible – it actually feels like you took a step back in time and I don’t think anyone could have a bad or boring time inside!
Hotels in Excalibur City
There are actually a few places to stay in Excalibur City, and I recommend spending a night here on your road trip so you can explore more and check out these epic hotels.
Jukebox Hotel – the FUN and QUIRKY Music-Themed Hotel
We stayed at the Jukebox Hotel, and I absolutely LOVED it. It truly lives up to its name (as it is across the street from Terra Technica) and is entirely music/50’s American-diner-themed. The seats are all sparkly red and silver, and there are records all over the walls.
Each room is named after a different artist like The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Madonna, and more… and of course, there’s a jukebox in each room (that plays via CD, aux, or Bluetooth). The rooms are spacious and comfy and have all you need for an affordable price.
Savannah Hotel – the Fancier Spa Hotel
If you’re after a more refined, relaxing, pampering stopover in Excalibur City, check out the 4-star Savannah Hotel. It’s got a spa on-site with wellness activities, lovely decor, a breakfast buffet, and a restaurant.
Merlin’s Camp
This is the campsite in Excalibur City that’s almost like a theme park by itself. Thematically it goes with the Merlin theme park across the street, and there are mobile home-like units to stay in.
Shopping in Excalibur City Czech Republic
Excalibur City was founded on the premise of Shopping, and it has expanded upon it exponentially today with many shops.
You can find a dollar store, which is like the supermarket with all the main groceries you may need. There’s still a duty-free shop or as it’s called here just a ‘free shop,’ which is inside the Excalibur City Shopping Center.
Across the road, you will find the Freeport Shopping Outlet, which has all kinds of big brands in a big, clean, naturally lit mall, such as Puma, Guess, Nike, and more.
Across from the main entrance, there is a massive ‘Asian market‘ with tons of stands selling interesting clothes and trinkets not entirely unlike an actual massive market in Asia.
There are actually over a dozen different kinds of shops all over Excalibur City – from pet shops and jewelry to a fabric/sewing shop and veggie market. See what you can find during your visit!
Casinos in Excalibur City
As to be expected, there are quite a few casinos in Excalibur City as people love to come to border towns to get cheap goods and gamble. They are scattered around the area – look for Palasino, Casino Admiral, Casino Admiral Colosseum, and Blaues Casino Admiral just outside the town.
Wellness in Excalibur City
As Excalibur City looks to be a lovely haven for a stopover where you can enjoy yourself, there are also tons of different wellness services here.
There are spas, massage parlors, nail salons, hair salons/barbers, and even multiple veterinarians and pet bath houses! Check the full list here.
Restaurants in Excalibur City Czech
There are food stands, bars, and more all over Excalibur City, but here are some of the most notable places to eat. Make sure to ask for the special local ‘Excali-beer’ to try, too!
Phonix Restaurant
This restaurant may look like it’s hidden in the corner of the shopping center, but it is SO worth a stop! The menu has everything from Czech to Asian and a few things in between, and it’s ALL really good! Our group ordered all kinds of different dishes and we were all impressed. Phonix is a must for dinner in Excalibur City!
Restaurant Hotel Savannah
This hotel restaurant is supposed to be fabulous, and many recommend the steak.
Pizzeria Lenuzzi
Pizzeria Lenuzzi is a super cute Italian restaurant in Excalibur City, inside the outlet mall. It is known for its affordable prices, nice atmosphere, and pizzas.
Fast Food
There are also some fast food placed inside the Freeport Outlets such as KFC, Burger King, Starbucks, and more. There’s also usually lots of food to grab when the theme parks are open.
Other Restaurants
There are a few other restaurants open in Excalibur City at different times. If it’s open, make sure to check out the Castle Restaurant where you are served food in medieval period costumes, or the Heurigenstadl for Austrian and German food/beer.
I hope you enjoy your visit to Excalibur City if you end up there – it’s surely one of the most interesting and unique places I have been in Europe! Leave a comment below if you have any questions.
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Passionate, full-time travel blogger with over 230k on social media and 150kMPV blog. Extraordinary photographer with two DSLR's + a drone with a love for capturing candid moments, epic drone shots, and magical compositions. I'm a natural-born content creator originally from California, but I've been on the road for 9 years living, working, traveling, blogging, and photographing my way around the world. I recommend the most amazingly adventurous and unique + boutique travel experiences/stays and helpful products to my audience and write comprehensive guides on my website that have helped millions of travelers so far. I love to inspire people to plan their dream trips, and many readers have given feedback as such. The reach on my platforms continues to soar, especially when combining cutting-edge social content with optimized articles on my high-authority website.