Czech Republic 6 Day Itinerary

Currency exchange booths clustered around Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square are the single most reliable way to lose money in Prague, some advertise zero commission and then bury a genuinely terrible exchange rate in the fine print, quietly taking ten to fifteen percent off what you should be getting. Skip them entirely: pay by card almost everywhere, since Czechs themselves do, and if you need cash use an ATM from a recognized bank rather than a currency counter with a flashing rate sign.

Day 1: Prague

Vaclav Havel Airport still has no direct train link into the city center despite years of construction work on a rail connection toward Masarykovo station; that project remains unfinished. The Airport Express bus is the simplest option into the main train station, and the fare doubled to 200 CZK from January 2026, so budget accordingly rather than expecting the old 100 CZK rate quoted in older guides. Public transit via bus and metro is considerably cheaper, around 30 to 40 CZK depending on ticket type, and takes roughly the same time once you factor in the bus-to-terminal walk. Grab a local SIM or eSIM on arrival for navigation, since Prague’s Old Town is a genuine maze of narrow lanes that punish anyone relying purely on memory.

Old Town Square delivers on the postcard version: the Astronomical Clock, working since the early 1400s, draws a crowd on the hour for its mechanical apostle procession, though the actual show lasts under a minute and is more interesting for the clock’s astronomical dial than the figures themselves. Tyn Church looms over the square with its twin Gothic spires, and the Old Town Hall Tower is worth the climb for the elevated view back down over the square’s rooftops. Trdelnik, the rolled pastry cooked over an open flame and dusted in sugar and cinnamon, is sold everywhere here, but it’s worth knowing this is a modern tourist-era addition to Prague street food rather than a centuries-old Czech tradition, however convincingly it’s marketed. In the evening, cross Charles Bridge before sunset when the crowds thin slightly, then head up to Prague Castle for St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George’s Basilica, and Golden Lane, the tiny row of colorful medieval houses that once housed castle workers and, briefly, Franz Kafka’s writing room. Pickpocketing is a real and specific risk on the bridge and in the square, not a generic guidebook warning, working in coordinated pairs during peak season; keep bags zipped and in front of you rather than slung behind.

Day 2: Kutná Hora

A direct train from Prague’s main station gets you to Kutna Hora in about an hour, making this the easiest and best day trip from the capital. The Sedlec Ossuary, a small chapel decorated with the bones of an estimated forty thousand people, arranged into chandeliers, garlands, and a coat of arms, is genuinely unlike anything else on this itinerary and worth booking a timed entry slot for in advance during summer, since capacity is limited. St. Barbara’s Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece funded by the town’s medieval silver mining wealth, rewards a slower visit than most day-trippers give it. The Italian Court and the underground silver mine tour round out the afternoon and explain why this small town could afford architecture on this scale in the first place; Kutna Hora was once one of the wealthiest towns in Central Europe purely on the strength of its silver deposits.

Day 3: Cesky Krumlov

This is a genuine trek, not a quick hop: figure three hours or more each way by train or bus from Prague, so treat it as an overnight rather than a rushed day trip if you can spare the time, though a determined day trip is possible if you take an early departure. The Renaissance castle complex, second largest in the country after Prague Castle, anchors the town, and its Baroque Theatre is one of only a handful in the world to preserve its original stage machinery and painted scenery from the 18th century; special guided tours run for it separately from the main castle circuit and are worth seeking out if your visit coincides with a showing. The Old Town below sits in a tight bend of the Vltava River and is compact enough to wander fully on foot in an afternoon. A short float down the river by raft or canoe through the town center is one of the more memorable low-effort activities on this whole trip, and considerably better value than a formal boat tour.

Day 4: Karlstejn Castle

Do not attempt this from Cesky Krumlov directly; the two towns sit roughly three hours apart by any public transport option, closer to two by car, so route this day from Prague instead, where Karlstejn is a short 45 minute train ride away. The castle, built by Charles IV in the 14th century originally to house the Bohemian and Holy Roman crown jewels along with royal and religious relics, still restricts access to its most significant chamber, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, to small guided groups of around a dozen people at a time, bookable weeks ahead in summer. The basic Imperial Residence tour covering the main halls runs about 250 CZK and needs no advance reservation, though booking ahead on weekends is still smart. After the castle, the walk up through the surrounding village to the hilltop viewpoint gives a good look back down at the fortress silhouette against the wooded valley, a better photo than anything available from inside the walls.

Day 5: Brno

Trains from Prague to Brno run about two and a half hours and are frequent and comfortable, making this a straightforward final excursion before looping back. Spilberk Castle, a former Habsburg prison as much as a royal fortress, has some genuinely grim history in its casemates worth a guided tour rather than a self-directed wander. The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul on Petrov Hill gives the city its skyline signature, and the Moravian Museum covers regional history in more depth than most visitors expect from the country’s second city. Brno moves at a noticeably slower, less touristed pace than Prague, and its contemporary art scene, concentrated in a handful of independent galleries, is a genuine local secret compared to anything similar in the capital.

Day 6: Departure

Use any remaining hours back in Prague for a last walk through favorite spots before heading to the airport, and build in real buffer time for the Airport Express or metro connection rather than cutting it close.

Visa Requirements

Citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and most of the EU do not need a visa for stays under 90 days within the Schengen area, of which the Czech Republic is a member. Always check current advisories before travel, since Schengen entry rules and the ETIAS pre-travel authorization system for non-EU visitors have been phased in gradually and specifics can shift.

Transportation

The Czech rail and bus network is efficient, cheap, and the correct default choice for every trip on this itinerary; book tickets through the national rail operator’s app rather than at a station counter to skip lines. Bolt and Liftago are the reliable local ride-hailing apps, both showing upfront pricing in English, and are the safer choice over hailing a random taxi on the street, where price gouging targeting tourists is still common.

Other Things to Know

Czech beer culture is not a marketing line, it’s genuinely central to daily life, and Pilsner Urquell, invented in the nearby town of Plzen in 1842, is credited as the origin of the entire pale lager style that now dominates global beer production. Seek out a small pub serving a regional brewery’s beer over a tourist-focused bar near Old Town Square, since prices there run two to three times higher for the same drink. Czech cheese and koláče, the sweet filled pastries found in every bakery, are both worth trying, but save room and appetite for a proper dinner of svíčková or goulash rather than filling up on street snacks alone.