6 Days Based in Prague, Plus Side Trips
Six days, one city day and five gateway trips. This extends the 5 day version of this itinerary with Cesky Krumlov as a single, long day. It’s the most honest way to fit it into six days, but it’s a compromise; the 7 day version gives it the overnight it’s actually built for.
Book these before you go
- A timed Sedlec Ossuary entry slot , CZK 220 adult, for Day 2
- Karlstejn Castle guided tour tickets for Day 3
- A direct Cesky Krumlov bus ticket on the earliest RegioJet or FlixBus departure for Day 6
- Old Town or Mala Strana hotel for all six nights
Day 1
Reach Old Town Square before 9am, cross Charles Bridge slowly, then spend the afternoon at Prague Castle, free for the grounds and courtyards, paid from around CZK 450 for St Vitus Cathedral’s interior. Close in Mala Strana, where a 0.5 litre beer runs CZK 40 to 60 in a neighborhood pub.
Day 2
Train to Kutna Hora, 41 to 50 minutes, CZK 100 to 140 one way. Start at the Sedlec Ossuary, its chapel built from an estimated 40,000 human bones, on your pre-booked timed slot, then St Barbara’s Cathedral in the old town, a combined ticket around CZK 360.
Day 3
Train to Karlstejn, 40 minutes, then the 2.5km, 30 to 40 minute uphill walk to the castle gate. The guided-tour-only interior runs roughly CZK 180 to 330 depending on circuit; check current tour times on hrad-karlstejn.cz . Book ahead for weekends and summer.
Day 4
Bus from Florenc to Terezin, about an hour. The WWII ghetto and transit-camp memorial, plus the separate Small Fortress Gestapo prison, costs around CZK 310 combined; pamatnik-terezin.cz has current hours. Give it the full day; this is heavy material.
Day 5
Direct bus to Karlovy Vary, 1 hour 35 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. Colonnaded walkways, mineral hot springs from public taps, Becherovka, and the Grandhotel Pupp; karlovyvary.cz covers current colonnade hours. Treat this as a deliberately slow day after Terezin.
Day 6
Earliest direct bus to Cesky Krumlov, 2 hours 25 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes on RegioJet or FlixBus; the train needs a transfer at Ceske Budejovice and runs closer to 3 to 3.5 hours, so take the bus. That leaves roughly 4 to 5 hours on the ground for the castle complex and the old town’s main loop before the last bus back. It’s workable, but rushed; if your dates have any flexibility, add a seventh day and stay the night instead, since the town is genuinely nicer once the tour buses leave in the evening.
| Day | Focus | Travel time from Prague |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague core: Old Town, Charles Bridge, Castle | none, city-based |
| 2 | Kutna Hora and the Sedlec Ossuary | 41-50 min train each way |
| 3 | Karlstejn Castle | 40 min train + 30-40 min walk each way |
| 4 | Terezin Memorial | about 1h bus each way |
| 5 | Karlovy Vary | 1h35-2h15 bus each way |
| 6 | Cesky Krumlov (single long day) | 2h25-2h50 bus each way |
Does Cesky Krumlov work as a day trip from Prague?
Barely, and only with an early departure. Roughly 5 hours round trip on the bus leaves 4 to 5 hours on the ground, enough for the castle and the main old-town loop but no slack for a slow lunch or a second sight. It’s the compromise version; the overnight in the 7 day itinerary is the better version of this same day.
What should I cut if Day 6 feels too rushed?
Skip the castle interior tour and stick to the old town’s main square, the Latran street loop, and a walk up to the castle courtyard for the view, which is free. That trims roughly 90 minutes of guided-tour time without losing the trip’s main visual payoff.
Getting around
Cover Days 1 through 5 with a mix of a 72 hour DPP pass and single tickets for the remaining days, plus separate intercity bus tickets for Days 2 through 6. Validate every paper transit ticket on board; unstamped tickets aren’t valid even if purchased, and on-the-spot fines run roughly CZK 1,500 to 2,500.
Six days fits all five shorter gateway trips plus a rushed run at Cesky Krumlov, but book the earliest bus out on Day 6 if you want any real time in the town itself.