The 5 best day trips from Prague

12.07.2024 - 21:43 / lonelyplanet.com

Jul 2, 2024 • 5 min read

Czechia’s capital city is a fantastic sprawl of Gothic, Renaissance and baroque buildings that line both banks of the Vltava River. Millions come here every year to soak in the atmosphere and architectural splendor, but with so many people milling the streets, the flavor of the country itself can get lost.

The surrounding countryside holds some of Czechia’s most important sights, from a church made of human bones to the castle that once enshrined the Bohemian crown jewels. More importantly, leaving Prague's often-heaving streets – even for a day – allows you to learn more about Czechs, their culture and history. These are the top five excursions from Prague within a 90-minute radius of the city limits.

Travel time: 45 minutes

It might come as a surprise, but many Czechs regard Karlštejn Castle, a gleaming Disneyesque pile that rises dramatically beside the Berounka River, as their favorite – beating out even Prague’s own sprawling castle complex.

This massive walled structure traces its roots back to 1348 and the reign of Prague’s Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. The building was originally conceived as a hiding place for the Bohemian crown jewels. Entry is by guided tour, so consult the castle website in advance to check availability and book tickets.  

After you’ve toured the castle, meander through pretty Karlštejn village, packed with pubs, or take a 15km hike through the woods to Beroun before catching a train back to Prague. Restaurace Pod Dračí Skálou offers decent Czech food and Pilsner Urquell beer on tap. 

How to get to Karlštejn: The 30km drive from Prague to Karlštejn takes 40 mins along the D5 motorway (follow signs to Plzeň). Regular trains depart from Prague’s main station in the direction of Beroun; the trip takes 45 mins.

Travel time: 1 hour

Central Europe’s spookiest attraction lies an hour east of Prague at the Sedlec Ossuary – aka “Bone Church” – in the historic mining town of Kutná Hora. This macabre chapel was created by local woodcarver František Rint in the 1870s, using bones from tens of thousands of human skeletons in the town crypt to fashion chapels, crosses, chalices and monstrances.

Still, there's more than just old bones in Kutná Hora. The city grew wealthy in the 14th and 15th centuries as the center of silver mining for the kingdom of Bohemia. You can don a miner’s helmet and tour the old silver mines, then pay your respects at the gloriously Gothic Cathedral of St Barbara, the patron church of miners.

Once you’ve had your fill of bones and medieval finery, wet your whistle at Pivnice Dačický, with its wide selection of local beers.

How to get to Kutná Hora: Kutná Hora is 65km east of Prague, and the drive takes about an hour. Buses leave throughout the