Prague 7 Days Plus Czech Day Trips
Prague 7 Days Plus Czech Day Trips
Seven days: one in Prague, then six single-day trips, Kutna Hora, Karlstejn Castle, Terezin, Karlovy Vary, Bohemian Switzerland, and Cesky Krumlov, roughly ordered from easiest logistics to most demanding. The last one is a compromise: Cesky Krumlov rewards an overnight, not a single squeezed day, so add an eighth if you can. Have only six days? See the 6 day version , which stops after Bohemian Switzerland. Want the city alone, no day trips? See the 7 day Prague itinerary instead.
Book these before you go:
- Check Prague rates on Booking.com
- Book the Sedlec Ossuary timed ticket
- Book a Karlstejn Castle tour
- Book a Terezin Memorial tour
- Book a Bohemian Switzerland day tour
- Check Cesky Krumlov hotel rates on Booking.com
| Day | Focus | Travel time from Prague |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague orientation | None, you’re already here |
| 2 | Kutna Hora + Sedlec Ossuary | 40 to 50 min by train |
| 3 | Karlstejn Castle | 40 min train + 30 to 40 min walk |
| 4 | Terezin | About 1 hour by bus |
| 5 | Karlovy Vary | 1h35 to 2h15 by bus |
| 6 | Bohemian Switzerland | 2.5 to 3 hours by public transport |
| 7 | Cesky Krumlov | 2h35 to 2h50 by bus, one way |
Day 1: Settle into Prague
Morning: Land, check into Old Town or Vinohrady, and buy a 24-hour DPP ticket through the Litacka app or a station machine before you do anything else. Validate it the moment you board a tram, bus, or enter the metro; an unstamped ticket is not a valid ticket, and inspectors fine it on the spot, roughly CZK 1,500 to 2,500 (current fares at dpp.cz ). There’s no direct rail or metro from Vaclav Havel Airport, so budget the trolleybus 59 or bus 100 plus a metro transfer, about 35 to 40 minutes total.
Afternoon: Walk Charles Bridge and Old Town Square, both free, and watch the Astronomical Clock’s hourly show once. This day is intentionally light on the city itself, since the full walking-tour depth lives in the Prague guide ; this itinerary exists to get you out to the day trips with a clear head.
Evening: Dinner at a Vinohrady or Zizkov pub rather than anything on Old Town Square, a half-liter runs CZK 30 to 50 there against CZK 60 to 90 in the tourist zone for a worse pour.
Day 2: Kutna Hora and the Sedlec Ossuary
Morning: Trains from Hlavni nadrazi run roughly every hour and take 40 to 50 minutes; a return ticket costs CZK 100 to 140 (verify current fare). Book the Sedlec Ossuary’s timed entry ticket through sedlec.info before you leave Prague, since it no longer sells casual walk-up entry. Adult admission is CZK 220 and includes the neighboring Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec; the separate St Barbara’s Cathedral back in town needs its own ticket. Visits inside the ossuary chapel are capped at 30 minutes, and photography is not permitted.
Afternoon: Walk or take a short local bus into the main town for St Barbara’s Cathedral, a late Gothic church that rivals anything in Prague for ambition, and lunch in the market square. Kutna Hora is small enough that half a day genuinely covers it.
Evening: Trains back to Prague run through the early evening.
Day 3: Karlstejn Castle
Morning: Trains from Hlavni nadrazi run roughly hourly, about 40 minutes, ticket around CZK 78 one-way (verify at cd.cz ). From the village or station it’s a further 2.5km, 30 to 40 minutes, uphill to the castle gate, so wear shoes for it. The grounds and exterior are free to see; the interior is guided-tour-only.
Afternoon: Book ahead: a basic Imperial Residence tour runs about CZK 250, and the Chapel of the Holy Cross tour, the one with the real draw, the Bohemian crown jewels’ former resting place, runs about CZK 550 and caps its daily visitors, selling out weeks ahead in summer. Check current tour slots directly at hrad-karlstejn.cz , or use the GetYourGuide link above if you’d rather book everything in one place. Lunch in the village below the castle.
Evening: Trains back to Prague run into the evening; there’s no reason to rush this one.
Day 4: Terezin
Morning: A bus from Florenc, Prague’s main bus terminal, takes about an hour to reach Terezin. This is a WWII ghetto and transit-camp memorial, not a casual sightseeing stop, so pace the day accordingly and skip it with young children if the history feels too heavy for them. Entry to the main memorial sites runs around CZK 310 (verify current figure at pamatnik-terezin.cz ).
Afternoon: The Small Fortress, a separate Gestapo prison a short walk from the main memorial, rounds out the visit. Give it the whole afternoon; rushing Terezin does a disservice to what it’s there to communicate.
Evening: Bus back to Florenc, then something deliberately lighter for dinner.
Day 5: Karlovy Vary
Morning: Bus is the clear choice, 1h35 to 2h15 depending on the service, against roughly 3.5 hours and a less direct route by train. There’s nothing to book in advance; walk the colonnades and sip the mineral springs from the small spouted cups sold all over town.
Afternoon: Try Becherovka, the local herbal liqueur, at source, and take in the Grandhotel Pupp, a Casino Royale filming location, even if just from outside. This is a slow, strolling day, don’t stack it against another full walking day. Details on the springs at karlovyvary.cz .
Evening: Buses run back into the evening; there’s no ticket-office clock to beat here, unlike Karlstejn or the ossuary.
Day 6: Bohemian Switzerland
Morning: Independently, this is a 2.5 to 3 hour trip each way, train to Decin then a local bus to Hrensko, which turns the day into a genuine 10 to 12 hour round trip. A guided day tour, roughly EUR 45 to 95, cuts out the transfers and is worth booking for the time alone, see the link above.
Afternoon: The destination is Pravcicka brana, Europe’s largest natural sandstone arch, inside a park still recovering from the 2022 wildfire; check current trail access before you commit the day to it. This is the hiking day in this itinerary, pack accordingly.
Evening: Guided tours return by early evening; independent travelers should build in slack for the last connecting bus from Hrensko.
Day 7: Cesky Krumlov
Morning: Buses, RegioJet and FlixBus, run 32 to 36 times a day, 2h35 to 2h50 each way, fares from about CZK 220. Take the earliest reasonable departure; this is the longest single-day trip in the whole itinerary.
Afternoon: Walk the castle grounds and the main square. Honest framing: this single-day version trades depth for a checkbox, since Cesky Krumlov is genuinely nicer once the tour buses clear out in the evening, which a day trip never gets to see.
Evening: If you can add an eighth day, stay over instead of taking the last bus back (see the Cesky Krumlov hotel link above); that’s the version of this trip that actually does the town justice.
Does Cesky Krumlov work as the last day of a 7 day trip?
Only as a compromise. The bus alone runs 2h35 to 2h50 each way, so a single day leaves a few rushed hours in a town built for lingering, and you’ll be gone before the evening light hits the castle, which is the best part of visiting Cesky Krumlov at all.
Should I cut a day trip to give Cesky Krumlov an overnight instead?
Yes, if your dates allow it. Drop Bohemian Switzerland, the most logistically demanding day trip on this list, and use the freed-up day to turn Cesky Krumlov into an overnight instead. You’ll see fewer places across the week but experience the two hardest ones, hiking and Krumlov, properly rather than rushed.