Best day trips from Prague ranked by distance, time and effort

Prague sits in the middle of Bohemia, and some of the best places in the Czech Republic are within two hours of the city. The table below compares ten classic day trips by distance, driving time and the length of the whole day, including the drive. Below it you find what each place is about and who it suits best.

Day trips at a glance

Destination	Distance	Drive each way	Whole day
Karlštejn	35 km	about 45 min	4 to 5 hours
Konopiště	50 km	about 50 min	4 to 5 hours
Terezín	65 km	about 1 hour	5 to 6 hours
Kutná Hora	80 km	about 1 h 10 min	5 to 6 hours
Plzeň	95 km	about 1 h 10 min	6 to 7 hours
Karlovy Vary	130 km	about 1 h 50 min	8 to 9 hours
Bohemian Switzerland	130 km	about 1 h 50 min	8 to 9 hours
Dresden	150 km	about 2 hours	9 to 10 hours
Český Krumlov	170 km	about 2 h 30 min	9 to 10 hours
Vienna	335 km	about 3 h 45 min	12 to 14 hours

Driving times are typical for a private car and depend on traffic. You can also see all ten places on our map of day trips from Prague.

Half-day trips

Karlštejn

A Gothic castle founded by Charles IV in 1348 to keep the royal treasures, standing above a village in the forested valley of the Berounka river. Cars stop in the village and the last part is an uphill walk. The famous Chapel of the Holy Cross can only be seen on a separate tour with limited places, so it must be booked early. Karlštejn is the easiest trip from Prague and works well with children. See our private trip to Karlštejn Castle.

Konopiště

The chateau of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 triggered the First World War. The interiors show how the heir to the throne lived, with one of the largest collections of hunting trophies in Europe, and the park and rose garden are lovely in summer. Konopiště combines easily with Karlštejn in one day.

Short full days

Terezín

A fortress town built in the 1780s and named after Empress Maria Theresa. During the Second World War the Nazis turned it into a ghetto and transit camp: about 140,000 people passed through it, and more than 30,000 died there. The Terezín Memorial includes the ghetto museum and the Small Fortress, which served as a Gestapo prison. It is a serious visit and not suitable for young children. See our private trip to Terezín.

Kutná Hora

A royal silver-mining town that once rivalled Prague in wealth, listed by UNESCO. The highlights are the cathedral of St Barbara, the Italian Court where coins were minted, and the Sedlec Ossuary, a chapel decorated with human bones. It is the most popular day trip from Prague, and it fits comfortably into five or six hours. See our private day trip to Kutná Hora.

Plzeň

The home of Pilsner lager, first brewed here in 1842. The brewery tour ends in the historic cellars with unfiltered beer from the barrel. The city also has the Great Synagogue, one of the largest in Europe, and St Bartholomew's Cathedral with the tallest church tower in the country. See our private trip to Plzeň.

Full days

Karlovy Vary

The grandest of the Bohemian spa towns, part of the UNESCO listing of the Great Spa Towns of Europe. Visitors walk along the colonnades, taste the warm mineral springs from special spa cups and try Becherovka, the local herbal liqueur. The walks are mostly flat, which makes Karlovy Vary a good choice for older travellers. See our private day trip to Karlovy Vary.

Bohemian Switzerland

A national park of sandstone rocks, gorges and forests near the German border. The Pravčická brána arch is the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe, and in the season boats take visitors through the gorges of the Kamenice river. Some trails were closed for long periods after the forest fire of 2022, so we check which routes are open before we plan the day. See our private trip to Bohemian Switzerland.

Dresden

The capital of Saxony, across the border in Germany. The rebuilt Frauenkirche, the Zwinger palace with the Old Masters Picture Gallery and Raphael's Sistine Madonna, and the Semperoper opera house make it a rich day of art and architecture. Carry your passport (EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may use a national ID card). See our private day trip to Dresden.

Český Krumlov

A Renaissance town on a tight bend of the Vltava, listed by UNESCO, with the second largest castle complex in the country after Prague Castle. It is often called the most beautiful small town in Central Europe, and it is busy in the middle of the day in summer. The drive is long, so many guests stay one night and see the town in the calm of the evening. See our private day trip to Český Krumlov.

Better as a transfer: Vienna

Vienna is too far for a comfortable day trip for most people. We usually suggest a one-way transfer with sightseeing stops on the way, for example in Český Krumlov or the Moravian wine country, and a few days in Vienna itself. See Vienna from Prague.

How to choose the right trip

• For history: Kutná Hora, Terezín and Karlštejn.
• For a fairy-tale town: Český Krumlov.
• For nature and walking: Bohemian Switzerland.
• For beer lovers: Plzeň.
• For older travellers or an easy day: Karlovy Vary, Konopiště or Karlštejn by car.
• For families: Karlštejn, Konopiště and, for active children, Bohemian Switzerland.

Train, bus or private car?

Most of these places can be reached by train or bus, and for a single traveller on a budget that works well. A private car saves time on connections, takes you from your hotel door to the sights, lets you combine two places in one day and waits while you visit. For families and groups, it is often the simplest choice. We arrange private drivers, minibuses and coaches with or without a guide.

A note on the seasons

Many Czech castles and chateaux close their interiors in winter or open only at weekends. The towns, the spa colonnades and the Terezín Memorial can be visited all year. If you travel between November and March, we check the opening days before we suggest a trip.