In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Kutná Hora is the easy trip: a 51 to 56 minute train, about 732 CZK (£25) with entries, and a timed ossuary ticket to buy first. Karlštejn is the cheapest, about £16, and the Chapel of the Holy Cross is a separate tour booked by phone. Český Krumlov is about 5 hours on the road: a tour, or a night in town. Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland is the one to book as a tour, because the train needs three legs and a hike and the Bastei is in Germany. Terezín, Karlovy Vary and Dresden are cheaper on your own. Or book a tour: Sandemans’ Kutná Hora tourad (from £58.79) books the ossuary slot and the train for you; Cayman Travel’s Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland tourad (£87.97 to £149.10) replaces three legs and a hike with one booking and includes lunch and entries (GetYourGuide).
The day trips compared
Train fares are České dráhy’s full adult second-class fares and bus fares are RegioJet’s, both for October 2026. Tour prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price for one adult, with the usual price where it is on offer.
| Trip | Getting there | Return on your own | Tour from | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kutná Hora | České dráhy train from Praha hlavní nádraží, 51 to 56 minutes | 332 CZK (£11.50) | £42.60 | The Sedlec Ossuary is timed entry and bans photography; entries are 400 CZK |
| Český Krumlov | RegioJet bus from Praha Na Knížecí, 2 hours 30 to 2 hours 45 | 418 to 598 CZK (£14.50 to £21) | £60.11 to £72.42 | Castle Tour I is 300 CZK, closed Mondays; the interiors close from November |
| Karlštejn | S7 from Praha-Smíchov, 33 minutes | 152 CZK (£5.50) | £57.94 | The basic tour is 300 CZK; the Chapels tour is 640 CZK, booked by phone, closed from 1 November |
| Terezín | Bus 413 from Praha-Letňany, 56 to 62 minutes | Train to Bohušovice nad Ohří, 250 to 290 CZK (£8.50 to £10), then 40 minutes on | £46.95 to £51.04 | One 310 CZK ticket for 4 days; guides must be booked in advance |
| Karlovy Vary | RegioJet bus from Praha Florenc, 2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 15 | 318 to 518 CZK (£11 to £18) | £50.27 | Colonnades are free; the last bus back is at 20:00 |
| Dresden | RegioJet bus from Praha Florenc, 1 hour 55 minutes | 598 to 998 CZK (£21 to £35) | £33.23 to £63.90, with the Bastei | Museums are €18 each; the Zwinger is closed Mondays and the Residenzschloss Tuesdays |
| Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland | Tour; on your own, train to Děčín (1 hour 27 minutes to 1 hour 53), a bus and a hike | Train 318 to 370 CZK (£11 to £13), before the bus and the hike | £84.35 to £149.10 | Pravčická brána is 125 CZK; the Gabrielina trail is closed |
When a tour is worth it
A tour earns its price where the connections are poor or the booking is the hard part:
- Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland. On your own it is a train to Děčín, a bus to Hřensko that runs only a few times a day, and a walk uphill, and the Bastei Bridge is in Germany. Cayman Travel’s tourad (£87.97 to £149.10, 4.7 stars from 1,632 reviews, 10 to 12 hours) includes lunch and entries. The Bohemian Switzerland guide compares six tours.
- Český Krumlov. The road takes 5 to 5½ hours there and back. Gray Line’s tourad (£60.11 to £72.42, 4.1 stars from 1,191 reviews, 10 hours) includes a castle entry ticket. The alternative is the bus and a night in town.
- Kutná Hora. A tour costs £17 to £33 more than the train and entries. Sandemans’ tourad (from £58.79, 4.6 stars from 2,518 reviews, 6 hours) pre-books the ossuary slot and includes the train, entries to both churches and a guide.
- Terezín. Get Prague Guide’s tourad (£46.95 to £51.04, 4.6 stars from 2,509 reviews, 4½ hours) saves the transfer and the booking of a guide against about £19 to £21 on your own.
Not worth a tour: Karlštejn (£50 to £58 against £16; the Uniline tour adds the Koněprusy Caves), Karlovy Vary (the bus is £11 to £18 return) and Dresden (the bus takes under two hours; the tour matters only for the Bastei).
The trips
Kutná Hora
České dráhy train, 51 to 56 minutes, 332 CZK return · entries 400 CZK · tour from £42.60
A silver-mining town with two sights on different tickets: the Sedlec Ossuary, a church decorated with human bones, and St Barbara’s Cathedral, a Perpendicular Gothic church on the UNESCO list. The ossuary sells tickets for a date and time and bans photography. The Kutná Hora guide has the order of the day, the bag rules and three tours.
St Barbara’s Cathedral, Kutná Hora. Photo: Txllxt TxllxT, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Český Krumlov
RegioJet bus, 2 hours 30 to 2 hours 45 each way, 209 to 279 CZK · Tour I 300 CZK · tour £60.11 to £72.42
A castle town on the Vltava, with castle interiors on Tour Route I (Tuesday to Sunday, to 31 October 2026), a Baroque theatre (400 CZK, reservation required) and a free town to walk. The Český Krumlov guide compares the bus and the train, and the tours with the overnight option.
Český Krumlov Castle above the Vltava. Photo: Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Karlštejn
S7 from Praha-Smíchov, 33 minutes, 76 CZK each way · basic tour 300 CZK · Chapels tour 640 CZK
A castle of Charles IV about 40 km south-west of Prague, reached by a 15-minute walk uphill from the station. S7 trains are diverted or limited between Praha hlavní nádraží and Praha-Smíchov until 19 October 2026. The Karlštejn guide has the chapels booking and the opening table to January.
Terezín
Bus 413 from Praha-Letňany, 56 to 62 minutes · one ticket 310 CZK for 4 days · tour from £46.95
The Terezín Memorial: the Small Fortress, the Prague Gestapo’s prison from 1940 to 1945, and the sites of the Terezín ghetto. Guided tours are included in the ticket but must be booked in advance, and the crematorium is closed on Saturdays. The Terezín guide has the hours, the booking line and the one tour.
Karlovy Vary
RegioJet bus, 2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, 159 to 259 CZK each way · cable car 165 CZK return
A spa town of colonnades and hot springs, one of them a geyser rising up to 12 metres. The colonnades and the Diana tower are free, and the last bus back is at 20:00. The Karlovy Vary guide has the colonnades, the Becherovka visitor centre and the Loket tour.
Dresden
RegioJet bus, 1 hour 55 minutes, 299 to 499 CZK each way · museums €18 · Frauenkirche free
The Zwinger, the Residenzschloss and the Frauenkirche, in Germany. A Monday trip loses the Zwinger’s Old Masters and a Tuesday trip loses the Residenzschloss and Historic Green Vault, so go Wednesday to Sunday. The Dresden guide has the ticket prices and the one tour, which adds the Bastei Bridge.
The dome of the Frauenkirche, Dresden. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland
Tour £84.35 to £149.10 · Pravčická brána 125 CZK · Wild Gorge boat 200 CZK
Sandstone rock country on the German border, with the Pravčická brána arch, boat rides through the Hřensko gorges and, in Saxony, the Bastei Bridge. The Gabrielina trail is closed until further notice. The Bohemian Switzerland guide has six tours and the park’s prices.
Pravčická brána, Bohemian Switzerland. Photo: Zrzek007, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Other trips
These have no page of their own.
Plzeň
České dráhy train, 1 hour 21 minutes to 1 hour 23 minutes, 145 to 169 CZK each way · brewery tour 430 CZK
The Pilsner Urquell brewery tour takes 100 minutes in Czech, German and English, with the bottling hall, the Ingredients Exhibit, the brewhouses, 9 km of cellars at about 5°C and a 0.3-litre tasting of unfiltered beer for adults. It runs all year except 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January (prazdrojvisit.cz). The brewery’s own ticket is sold on GetYourGuidead at about the same price (£15.34, 4.7 stars from 2,975 reviews). On your own the day is about £25. Prague beer tours covers the tastings in Prague itself.
Konopiště
České dráhy train to Benešov u Prahy, 41 to 62 minutes, 117 CZK each way · tours 300 CZK or 460 CZK
A castle with tours of the south wing, the north wing and the hunting route at 300 CZK, and the private apartments of the Franz Ferdinand family at 460 CZK. The apartments and the hunting route need a reservation. In October it is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 15:00, and in November on Saturdays and Sundays only (zamek-konopiste.cz).
Křivoklát
Tours 260, 300 or 360 CZK, listed as Czech guide tours
A castle west of Prague. In October the short tour runs Tuesday to Sunday; in November and December it is weekends only, and the grand tour is closed from 1 November to 31 December (hrad-krivoklat.cz).
Mělník
Lobkowicz chateau 230 CZK · closed Mondays
A chateau and wine town (lobkowicz-melnik.cz).
Bohemian Paradise and Hluboká
Hiking tour £113.91 to £151.88 · Hluboká with Český Krumlov £41.75 to £63.90
The Bohemian Paradise hike with a castle lunch and breweryad (5.0 stars from 254 reviews, 8½ hours) is the one hiking tour with the reviews. Hluboká Castle is a stop on the Český Krumlov and Hluboká tourad listed in the Český Krumlov guide.
Vienna is about 4½ hours each way by train, so it is a night away, not a day trip.
Before you choose a day
| Where | Closed or limited |
|---|---|
| Český Krumlov Castle | Tour I closed Mondays and runs to 31 October 2026; museum and tower to 20 December |
| Karlštejn | Chapels tour closed 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027; November and December Friday to Sunday only; closed 21 to 25 December |
| Konopiště | Tuesday to Sunday in October; Saturday and Sunday in November |
| Křivoklát | Grand tour closed 1 November to 31 December; weekends only in November and December |
| Mělník Chateau | Closed Mondays |
| Terezín | Crematorium and columbarium closed Saturdays; whole memorial closed 24 to 26 December and 1 January |
| Sedlec Ossuary | Closed 24 December; 9:00 to 16:00 from November to February; St Barbara’s opens at 11:00 on Sunday 11 October 2026 |
| Dresden | Zwinger Old Masters closed Mondays; Residenzschloss and Green Vault closed Tuesdays; Frauenkirche dome shuts at 16:00 from November to February |
| Pravčická brána | Friday to Sunday only, November to March |
| Wild Gorge boat | April to October |
| Pilsner Urquell brewery | Closed 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January |
The Dresden and Bohemian Switzerland tours cross the German border, so carry your passport. For the month, see best time to visit Prague. Prague public transport has the PID fares for the metro to Letňany, Smíchov and Florenc, and where to stay in Prague has the areas for the nights between trips. What to book before you go to Prague has the city tickets, the Prague Visitor Pass guide says when a pass pays back, 3 days in Prague shows where a day trip fits, and Prague in one day is the plan if you have no day to spare.
Common questions
What is the easiest day trip from Prague?
Kutná Hora and Karlštejn. Kutná Hora is a České dráhy train of 51 to 56 minutes, about 732 CZK (£25) with entries, and you must buy the timed Sedlec Ossuary ticket first. Karlštejn is a 33-minute train from Praha-Smíchov, 152 CZK return, with a 300 CZK castle tour.
Which day trips from Prague need a tour?
Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland, because the train route has three legs and a hike and the Bastei Bridge is in Germany. Český Krumlov is the other: a tour (from £60.11) removes the timetable but not the 5 hours on the road, so stay a night if you can. Kutná Hora, Karlštejn, Karlovy Vary and Dresden are cheaper on your own.
Which day trips from Prague can I do by train?
Kutná Hora (51 to 56 minutes), Karlštejn (33 minutes from Praha-Smíchov), Plzeň (1 hour 21 minutes), Dresden (2 hours 15 minutes by EuroCity) and, with a change, Terezín via Bohušovice nad Ohří and Bohemian Switzerland via Děčín. Karlovy Vary and Český Krumlov are quicker by bus.
Which day trips from Prague are closed on Mondays?
Český Krumlov Castle's Tour Route I and the Karlštejn castle tours, which run Tuesday to Sunday, the Zwinger's Old Masters gallery in Dresden, and the Lobkowicz chateau in Mělník. The Residenzschloss and Green Vault in Dresden close on Tuesdays, and the Terezín crematorium on Saturdays.
