Best day trips from Prague by train and bus

Prague is compact, and after three days many visitors want to see more of Bohemia. The country around it is full of castles, old mining towns and spa towns, most of them reachable by train or bus in an hour or two. The short answer: Kutná Hora is the best day trip for a first visit, Karlštejn is the closest castle, Český Krumlov is the most beautiful town but far, and Terezín is the most important place of remembrance.

Day trips from Prague at a glance

Times are typical direct connections. Czech timetables change every December; check the times on the operator's website or in the national timetable search IDOS before you go.

Kutná Hora: silver town and the Bone Church

How to get there: trains run from Praha hlavní nádraží to Kutná Hora in about an hour, some direct, some with a change in Kolín. The main station, Kutná Hora hl. n., is in the district of Sedlec, a short walk from the ossuary; a local train goes on to Kutná Hora město, closer to the old town. Buy your ticket to Kutná Hora město to cover both.

What to see: the Sedlec Ossuary, a small chapel decorated with the bones of tens of thousands of people, including a chandelier and a coat of arms made of bones. Next to it, the Cathedral of the Assumption in Sedlec. In the old town, the Gothic St. Barbara's Church with its tent-like roofs, the Italian Court, where the Prague groschen was minted, and the Czech Museum of Silver with a walk through a medieval mine. The historic town and its churches are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How long: a full day, with the ossuary in the morning and the old town in the afternoon.

Best for: first-time visitors, history and architecture, anyone curious about the macabre.

Karlštejn Castle: the crown jewels' castle

How to get there: suburban trains on the S7 line run from the main station or Smíchov to Karlštejn in about 40 minutes. From the station, the walk through the village up to the castle takes about 30 minutes, uphill at the end.

What to see: Karlštejn was built by Emperor Charles IV in the 14th century to keep the imperial crown jewels and relics. Inside, visits are by guided tour only; the shorter route shows the imperial palace, and a separate tour, available for part of the year, leads to the Chapel of the Holy Cross with its walls of semi-precious stones and panel paintings. Tours can be booked on the castle's website.

How long: half a day, easy to combine with a walk in the Bohemian Karst around the village.

Best for: castle lovers, families, a short trip on a sunny day.

Český Krumlov: the town on the river bend

How to get there: direct buses of RegioJet and FlixBus run from Prague to Český Krumlov in about two and a half to three hours. By train, you change in České Budějovice, and it usually takes longer. Book the bus a few days ahead in summer.

What to see: a small Renaissance town wrapped in a loop of the Vltava, crowned by the castle, the second largest castle complex in the country, with its painted tower, a baroque theatre and the castle garden. Below it, lanes of old houses, the Egon Schiele Art Centre and riverside terraces. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How long: as a day trip, five or six hours in town and five to six hours on the bus. With the time, one night there is much better – the town is quiet in the evening when the day visitors have left.

Best for: photographers, romantic old towns, travellers going on to Austria. If you only have one day, a guided tour by minibus is the more comfortable option; Český Krumlov tours from Prague^* can be compared on Viator.

Terezín: the memorial

How to get there: buses leave from Nádraží Holešovice in the north of Prague and take about an hour to Terezín.

What to see: Terezín (Theresienstadt) was a fortress town of the 18th century that the Nazis turned into a ghetto and transit camp; tens of thousands of people died there or were deported to the extermination camps. The Terezín Memorial includes the Ghetto Museum in the former school, the Small Fortress, which was a Gestapo prison, the Magdeburg barracks and the crematorium.

How long: at least half a day; a full day for all parts of the memorial.

Best for: everyone who wants to understand the history of the Holocaust in Bohemia. A guided tour adds a lot of context; tours with a guide are offered by the memorial itself.

Karlovy Vary: the spa town

How to get there: direct buses run from Prague to Karlovy Vary in about two hours, faster than the train.

What to see: the colonnades with the hot springs, from which visitors drink with special cups, the Mill Colonnade, the grand hotels of the 19th century and the funicular to the Diana Tower viewpoint. Karlovy Vary is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Spa Towns of Europe" and hosts an international film festival every summer.

How long: a full day.

Best for: architecture, a slow day, spa culture.

Train, bus or guided tour?

For Kutná Hora and Karlštejn, the train is easy and cheap, and you need no tour. For Český Krumlov, Karlovy Vary and Terezín, the bus is the best public option; RegioJet and FlixBus sell tickets online, and bus connections^* can be compared on Omio. A guided tour is worth it for Český Krumlov if you want it as a day trip, and for Terezín for the historical context. For tickets to Prague's own sights^*, see Tiqets.

How many day trips fit into a Prague trip?

With three days, Prague alone is enough: the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter, the castle and Malá Strana, Vyšehrad. From four days, add Kutná Hora or Karlštejn; from five days, both, or one night in Český Krumlov. Our article how many days in Prague explains the split, and our 5-day Prague plan already contains Kutná Hora and Karlštejn.

How YesTrip helps you plan

YesTrip has a ready-made plan for Prague, including a five-day version with Kutná Hora and Karlštejn and the train connections as notes. With one tap you copy it into the app, swap a trip for Český Krumlov and add your hotel. The app shows the weather for your travel days, and with the offline package you have the map without a connection, also outside the city. YesTrip is free.

Prague trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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