5 Days in Czechia: The First-Timer Itinerary
Five days is the sweet spot for Prague plus a proper, unrushed Cesky Krumlov overnight: two Prague days, a Kutna Hora bone-church day trip, and a full castle morning in the fairytale south before heading home. Want to keep pushing into Moravia instead? Our 7-day Czechia itinerary adds Brno and a wine day trip; the shorter 4-day version drops the second Cesky Krumlov morning; or read the Czechia travel guide for the country-level picture.
Book these before you go: the Sedlec Ossuary timed ticket (mandatory, sells out 2-3 weeks ahead in season), a Cesky Krumlov hotel for the overnight (check rates on Booking.com ), and your Cesky Krumlov castle route tickets for the morning of day 5, since the Baroque Castle Theatre route especially can sell out on summer weekends.
Day 1: Old Town, Charles Bridge, and a first Czech beer
Start at Old Town Square for the Astronomical Clock’s hourly show, then step into St. Nicholas Church before the crowds build. Cross the free, pedestrian-only Charles Bridge into Mala Strana and wander Wallenstein Garden if the light’s good. Dinner is a hospoda serving svickova or vepro-knedlo-zelo; a half-litre of world-class Pilsner Urquell runs CZK 60-90 in the tourist core, genuinely less than bottled water, and even less a few streets over.
Day 2: Prague Castle and the Jewish Quarter
Get to Prague Castle early, while the skyline view is still quiet, for St. Vitus Cathedral and the paid interior circuits (roughly CZK 250-450); grounds and courtyards are free without a ticket. In the afternoon, cross to Josefov, the Jewish Quarter, where a combined ticket (roughly CZK 600) covers the synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery.
Day 3: Kutna Hora and the Sedlec Ossuary
Trains to Kutna Hora hlavni nadrazi take 41-50 minutes, roughly CZK 100-140 each way. The Sedlec Ossuary now requires that timed advance ticket (the combined Sedlec Area pass runs about CZK 220); walk-up entry is gone. St. Barbara’s Cathedral, a separate Gothic building in town, runs about CZK 180 standalone or CZK 360 combined with both Sedlec sites. Return to Prague by early evening.
Day 4: South to Cesky Krumlov
Cesky Krumlov is the payoff for this whole itinerary. Take the direct coach south, roughly 2h25-2h40, rather than the train, which forces a transfer at Ceske Budejovice and stretches to 3.5 hours. Spend the afternoon wandering the cobbled lanes below the castle; the courtyard, gardens, and the bear moat are free to enter. Settle in for the night and let the day-trippers clear out before dinner.
Day 5: Cesky Krumlov castle, then home
Spend the morning on the paid castle routes: Route I through the Renaissance and Baroque staterooms (~CZK 300), Route II through the 19th-century apartments (~CZK 260), or the Castle Tower (~CZK 280) for the view over the river bend. The Baroque Castle Theatre, one of Europe’s best-preserved with original 18th-century stage machinery, runs about CZK 400 and is worth the extra if it’s still your interest by this point. Head back toward Prague in the afternoon for your onward flight or train.
| Day | Focus | Travel time from Prague | Rough daily cost (CZK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Town, Charles Bridge, Mala Strana | 0 (in Prague) | 1,500-2,500 |
| 2 | Prague Castle, St. Vitus, Jewish Quarter | 0 (in Prague) | 1,800-3,000 |
| 3 | Kutna Hora, Sedlec Ossuary, St. Barbara’s | ~45 min by train | 1,200-1,800 |
| 4 | Travel to Cesky Krumlov, town and castle grounds | ~2.5 hrs by bus | 1,800-2,800 |
| 5 | Cesky Krumlov castle routes, return to Prague | ~2.5 hrs by bus | 1,500-2,200 |
Which Cesky Krumlov castle route is actually worth booking?
Route I, the Renaissance and Baroque staterooms, gives the best sense of the castle’s history for the roughly CZK 300 price, and the Castle Tower adds the view over the river bend everyone’s photos are actually of. Skip Route II unless 19th-century portrait galleries specifically interest you; it duplicates a lot of what Route I already covers.
Is 5 days enough to call this a Czechia trip, or just a Prague trip?
Five days gets you a real taste of the country beyond Prague, since Cesky Krumlov’s UNESCO old town and castle stand entirely on their own, but it stops short of Moravia. Genuinely covering Bohemia and Moravia both takes closer to 7-10 days; treat this as the honest, unrushed version of the shorter trip rather than a compressed attempt at the longer one.
Buy your Cesky Krumlov castle route tickets online the moment you book the hotel; the ticket office in town sells out of the popular routes by midday in July and August.