Seven Days Across Czechia: Castles, Caves, and Cobblestones
From Prague's Gothic Spires to Moravia's Wine Cellars
Trip Overview
This week-long route carries you from Prague's soot-darkened sandstone towers and the cool echo of medieval arcades through the silver-mining tunnels of Kutna Hora, past the winding Vltava as it coils around Cesky Krumlov's terra-cotta rooftops, and finally into the limestone caverns and sun-warmed vineyards of South Moravia. The pace is moderate, with mornings devoted to major sights and afternoons left loose for wandering a side street, sitting in a courtyard beer garden where hops and fresh bread scent the air, or following a trail into the forests that blanket Czechia's hill country. You will eat svickova with cranberry sauce at wood-paneled hospodas, sip Moravian Gruner Veltliner in underground cellars carved centuries ago, and fall asleep in towns where the only sound after dark is the knock of a night watchman's staff on cobblestone. Czechia rewards travelers who leave Prague. This itinerary ensures you do exactly that without ever feeling rushed.
Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
Mid-range. Expect roughly the cost of a moderately priced Western European trip, with meals and accommodation noticeably cheaper than Germany or Austria.
Best Seasons
Late April through mid-October for long daylight and outdoor comfort. December for Christmas markets in Prague and Brno. January through March is cold but uncrowded, and winter transforms the castle towns.
Ideal For
First-time visitors to Czechia, History and architecture enthusiasts, Couples, Solo travelers comfortable with trains, Beer and wine lovers
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
Prague's Old Town and the River at Dusk
Arrive in Prague, orient yourself through the labyrinth of the Old Town, and end the day watching the Vltava turn copper under the setting sun from Charles Bridge.
Morning
Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock
Stand in the square as the Astronomical Clock's mechanical apostles rotate on the hour, a tinny bell ringing above the murmur of the crowd. Walk the perimeter, noting the creamy Baroque facade of St. Nicholas Church and the twin Gothic spikes of the Tyn Church, blackened at the tips from centuries of coal soot. Duck into the passageways off Celetna Street where the plaster peels to reveal medieval stonework underneath.
The clock tower queue is shortest before nine in the morning or after four in the afternoon.
Lunch
Lokál Dlouhááá on Dlouha Street for proper Czech pub food served canteen-style, with tank-fresh Pilsner Urquell poured straight from copper pipes behind the bar.
Afternoon
Jewish Quarter and the Old Jewish Cemetery
Walk through Josefov, Prague's former Jewish ghetto, where twelve thousand headstones in the Old Cemetery lean against one another in layered rows, moss filling the Hebrew inscriptions. The Pinkas Synagogue walls carry the hand-painted names of nearly eighty thousand Czech and Moravian Holocaust victims, the script so small you must step close enough to smell the damp plaster. End at the ornate Spanish Synagogue, its Moorish gilt ceiling glowing amber in the afternoon light.
Buy the combined ticket online to skip the queue at the entrance on Siroka Street.
Evening
Sunset walk across Charles Bridge, then dinner in Mala Strana
Cross Charles Bridge as the light drops, when the Baroque saints cast long shadows on the flagstones and buskers play violin against the rush of water below. On the Mala Strana side, find Augustin Restaurant for duck leg roasted until the skin crackles, served with braised red cabbage and bread dumplings dense enough to soak up the pan juices.
Where to Stay Tonight
Old Town or Mala Strana (Boutique hotel or pension in a converted townhouse)
Central Prague is compact and walkable. Staying near the river puts all major sights within a fifteen-minute walk and avoids the need for public transport on your first day.
See all Czechia accommodation options →Walk Charles Bridge either before seven in the morning or after nine at night to experience it without dense crowds. The bridge is open around the clock. The illuminated castle across the river after dark is one of Czechia's most striking sights.
Day 1 Budget: Moderate overall, with the synagogue ticket as the main expense. Meals at Czech pubs keep food costs low.
2
The Castle Ridge and Petrin's Orchards
Climb to Prague Castle, descend through the gardens of Mala Strana, and end with panoramic views from Petrin Hill where the city spreads out below in a carpet of orange tile and green copper domes.
Morning
Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral
Enter the castle complex through the Hradcany gate, where the changing of the guard brings a sharp snap of boots on granite. Inside St. Vitus Cathedral, Mucha's stained-glass window splashes violet and emerald light across the nave floor. Walk through the Old Royal Palace to feel the chill of its Vladislav Hall, a vaulted riding hall so vast your footsteps echo for a full second. Finish in Golden Lane, a row of cramped pastel cottages built into the castle fortification wall, where Franz Kafka once wrote in the damp, low-ceilinged room at number twenty-two.
Book the Circuit B ticket online for the essential interiors. Arrive when the castle opens to enter St. Vitus before tour groups fill the nave.
Lunch
Villa Richter on the castle's southern slope, with terraced vineyard seating where you look down over the clay-red roofs of Mala Strana while eating grilled trout and drinking the estate's own St. Wenceslas wine.
Afternoon
Petrin Hill gardens and the observation tower
Ride the funicular or walk up through the orchard paths on Petrin Hill, where in spring the air smells of apple blossom and in autumn of wet leaves and damp earth. At the top, the miniature Eiffel Tower replica gives a full circle panorama. On a clear day you can see the Snezka ridgeline of the Krkonose mountains far to the northeast. The Strahov Monastery library nearby holds two halls of Baroque bookshelves painted with ceiling frescoes so ornate the librarians enforce a no-flash rule to protect them.
Evening
Dinner and nightlife in Zizkov or Vinohrady
Take the tram east to Zizkov, Prague's old working-class quarter now lined with independent bars. Eat at Dish Fine Burger Bistro or try the tasting menu at Eska, a fermentation-focused restaurant where pickled root vegetables and sourdough rolls arrive warm from a wood oven. Walk to the Zizkov Television Tower afterward to see its crawling baby sculptures lit up against the sky.
Where to Stay Tonight
Old Town or Vinohrady (Same hotel as Day 1)
Two full days in Prague is the minimum to absorb the major sights without rushing. Keeping the same base avoids wasting time on check-in logistics.
See all Czechia accommodation options →The castle courtyards cost nothing. You pay only for interior attractions. Tight budget? Walk the grounds. Peer into St. Vitus through the open doorway. Explore Golden Lane from outside the ticket barrier. Evening brings free access.
Day 2 Budget: Moderate. The castle ticket eats your budget. Offset this. Picnic on Petrin Hill instead of restaurant dining.
3
Silver Bones in Kutna Hora
Kutna Hora (day trip from Prague)
Take the morning train east. Destination: Kutna Hora, medieval silver-mining city. Descend into Sedlec Ossuary. See the chandelier of human bones. Walk a town that once rivaled Prague in wealth.
Morning
Sedlec Ossuary (Bone Church)
The train from Prague's main station reaches Kutna Hora-Sedlec in about an hour. From the platform, walk a short distance to the Ossuary beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints. Step down into the crypt. Let your eyes adjust to the dimness. A chandelier assembled from every bone in the human body hangs from the vaulted ceiling. Garlands of skulls drape the archways. A Schwarzenberg coat of arms rendered entirely in femurs and vertebrae covers one wall. The air feels cool and mineral, like old limestone. Roughly forty thousand skeletons were arranged here after a plague and Hussite wars filled the cemetery beyond capacity.
Buy the combined ticket online in advance. It covers the Ossuary, Cathedral of the Assumption, and St. Barbara's Cathedral. Saves time. Saves money off individual prices.
Lunch
Restaurace Dacicky on Rakova Street. Kutna Hora's center. Vaulted stone cellar. Hearty Czech dishes. Named after Renaissance chronicler Mikulas Dacicky.
Afternoon
St. Barbara's Cathedral and the Italian Court
Walk the promenade. Baroque saint statues line it high above the Vrchlice valley. Head to St. Barbara's Cathedral, patron saint of miners. The triple-tent roof and flying buttresses rival anything in Prague. Inside, frescoes show medieval miners at work: pick axes, ore carts, candle-lit tunnels painted in earth tones. Then visit the Italian Court. Former royal mint. Prague groschen coins were stamped here. See the tiny minting workshop. The hammer still rests on the anvil. Looks like the last shift just ended.
Evening
Return to Prague for dinner
Take the late afternoon train back to Prague. Eat at Kantyna near Wenceslas Square. Butcher-restaurant hybrid. Point at cuts of aged beef behind glass. They grill them in front of you. Smoke and rendered fat scent the tiled room. Or grab trdlo from Old Town vendors. Chimney cake rolled in cinnamon and walnut. Warm, doughy snack for the walk home.
Where to Stay Tonight
Prague (Same hotel as previous nights)
Kutna Hora makes an easy day trip. Return to Prague. Catch an early train south to Cesky Krumlov next morning.
See all Czechia accommodation options →Skip the tourist trdlo shops on Karlova Street. Chimney cakes filled with ice cream and Nutella. Not authentic. The real version is plain, warm, coated in walnut and sugar. Bakeries on side streets sell it. Fraction of the price.
Day 3 Budget: Low. Train fare plus site entry is modest. Kutna Hora's restaurants charge noticeably less than Prague.
4
The Vltava Bends at Cesky Krumlov
Travel south by train or bus. Destination: Cesky Krumlov, UNESCO-listed town. The river loops around Renaissance houses. A castle tower tops them, painted to imitate stone.
Morning
Travel from Prague to Cesky Krumlov and explore the castle
The direct bus from Prague's Na Knizeci terminal reaches Cesky Krumlov in under three hours. Drops you at the old town's edge. Cross the Lazebnicky Bridge. Climb to the castle, Czechia's second largest after Prague. The bear moat still houses brown bears. Thick fur visible as they pace the stone enclosure below the first courtyard. Climb the round painted tower. View down onto the town: ochre, rust, and cream facades hugging the oxbow of the jade-green Vltava. Chimneys trail wood smoke in cooler months.
RegioJet and FlixBus both run Prague to Cesky Krumlov. Book a day or two ahead. Secure the best seats.
Lunch
Na Louzi on Kajovska Street. Wood-paneled pub. Locals eat here. Plate-sized schnitzels with potato salad dressed in mustard vinaigrette. Kitchen audible through the hatch.
Afternoon
Wander the old town and the castle gardens
Cesky Krumlov rewards aimless walking. Follow narrow lanes between Renaissance sgraffito houses. Wet laundry sometimes hangs from upper windows. Cats sleep on warm windowsills. Cross to the castle gardens through the Cloak Bridge, a three-story covered corridor with painted walls. The Baroque garden stretches on a plateau behind the castle theater. Clipped hedges line it. Views over the rooftops to the forested hills of the Sumava foothills. The castle's revolving auditorium theater performs in summer. Open-air stage rotates to change sets against the backdrop of the castle and night sky.
Visiting June through September? Check the revolving theater schedule. Book performance tickets early. They sell out weeks ahead.
Evening
Riverside dinner and a quiet evening
Eat at Cikanska Jizba near the river. Wood fire heats the stone dining room. Menu runs to wild game stews and dumplings with forest mushroom sauce. After dinner, walk along the Vltava. Castle lights reflect off the water. The town empties of day-trippers. Only the weir's sound remains. Occasional clink of glasses from riverside terraces.
Where to Stay Tonight
Cesky Krumlov old town (Pension or small hotel in a converted burgher house)
Stay inside the old town. Experience Cesky Krumlov after day-trip crowds leave. The transformation is striking. Crowded tourist site becomes remarkably quiet medieval village.
See all Czechia accommodation options →Rent a canoe or inner tube from Vltava outfitters. Float the short stretch looping around the old town. Water is calm. View up at the castle from river level is spectacular. Whole circuit takes under an hour.
Day 4 Budget: Low to moderate. Cesky Krumlov accommodation costs less than Prague. Meals at local pubs offer some of Czechia's best value.
5
Sumava Forests and the Lipno Treetop Walk
Sumava region (based in Cesky Krumlov)
Spend a day in the Sumava foothills south of Cesky Krumlov. Walk through ancient spruce forests. Climb a treetop canopy walkway above the Lipno reservoir.
Morning
Lipno Treetop Walkway
Drive south. Or catch the local bus. Lipno nad Vltavou sits forty minutes from Cesky Krumlov. The Treetop Walkway spirals upward through a wooden tower rising above the spruce canopy. Pine resin thickens as you climb. At the summit, a dry toboggan slide spirals you back down. Pause first. Take in the panorama. The Lipno reservoir stretches like a blue shard into Austria. The dark-green Sumava ridgeline rises where wolves and lynx have returned. The air tastes clean and cold even in summer. Faint sweetness from the resin lingers.
Lunch
A lakeside restaurant in Lipno village. Grilled trout from the reservoir arrives with herb butter and boiled potatoes. Eat on the deck overlooking the water.
Afternoon
Hiking in Sumava National Park
Head to Sumava. Borova Lada or Kvilda work well. A two-to-three-hour loop hike winds through old-growth spruce and beech forest. Trails are well-marked with colored blazes painted on trees. The forest floor is carpeted with bilberry bushes, moss, and fallen trunks colonized by bracket fungi. In clearings, boardwalks carry you across peat bogs. Wet sphagnum squelches underfoot. Black woodpeckers call. These are the only sounds. Sumava is one of the last large contiguous forests in Central Europe. Walking here feels like stepping out of the twenty-first century entirely.
Evening
Final evening in Cesky Krumlov
Return to Cesky Krumlov. Dinner at Hospoda Na Louzi again. Or try Krcma v Satlavske. It is a medieval-style tavern in a former prison. Meat roasts on a spit over an open flame. Stone walls are lit by candles. Pack afterward. Morning transfer to Moravia awaits.
Where to Stay Tonight
Cesky Krumlov (Same pension as Day 4)
A second night in Cesky Krumlov pays off. No wasted daylight on check-out logistics. Time for an unhurried Sumava excursion.
See all Czechia accommodation options →Visit Sumava in late summer or early autumn. The bilberry bushes along the trails produce ripe fruit. Eat as you walk. Locals fill buckets using special combs. The berries stain your fingers purple. Sharp and sweet at once.
Day 5 Budget: Low. Nature activities in Czechia are almost entirely free. Transport to Lipno and Sumava from Cesky Krumlov is inexpensive by bus.
6
Moravia's Underground and Above-Ground Pleasures
Brno and Moravian Karst
Cross Czechia to Brno, the Moravian capital. Detour through the Moravian Karst cave system. Settle into a city that runs on wine, not beer.
Morning
Travel to Brno via train and visit the Moravian Karst caves
Take the early train from Cesky Krumlov to Brno. Change in Ceske Budejovice. The full journey is about four hours through rolling farmland and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. From Brno, a local bus reaches the Moravian Karst in thirty minutes. Enter the Punkva Caves. Descend past stalactites that drip mineral water onto your outstretched hand. Cold and faintly metallic. The tour ends with a boat ride on the underground Punkva River. The cavern ceiling is close enough to touch. The water is black and well still until the boatman's pole breaks it. Emerge at the bottom of the Macocha Abyss. It is a sinkhole one hundred thirty-eight meters deep. Ride the cable car back up. Look down into the chasm where swallows nest on exposed limestone ledges.
Book the Punkva Caves combined walking and boat tour online in advance. This matters May through September. Tours are timed. Popular slots fill days ahead.
Lunch
Pack a lunch. Or grab a quick meal at one of the forest buffets near Skalní Mlyn, the cave system's visitor center. The goulash comes thick with paprika. Bread is sliced from round loaves.
Afternoon
Explore Brno's city center
Return to Brno. Walk from the main train station up to Zelny Trh, the cabbage market square. Vegetable sellers still operate from wooden stalls. The Parnas fountain's grotto sculptures gleam wet. Climb Petrov hill to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Its bells famously ring noon at eleven. This ruse from the Thirty Years War tricked Swedish besiegers into breaking camp an hour early. The view from the cathedral terrace takes in Spilberk Castle on the opposite hill. The city's mix of Art Nouveau facades and socialist-era concrete spreads below. An honest patchwork. Brno does not try to disguise it.
Evening
Wine bar evening in Brno
Brno is the way into Czechia's wine country. Local wine bars pour Moravian whites you will rarely find outside the region. Try Bar Ktery Neexistuje on Dvorakova Street. The Bar That Does Not Exist. Natural wines and charcuterie in a candlelit cellar. Or find a vinny sklep near Zelny Trh. Order a carafe of Palava. This local aromatic grape was bred from Gewurztraminer and Muller-Thurgau. Eat at Koishi. Japanese-Czech fusion. The tasting menu incorporates fermented Moravian vegetables alongside sashimi.
Where to Stay Tonight
Brno city center near Zelny Trh or Masarykova Street (Design hotel or apartment rental)
Brno's compact center puts wine bars, cathedral, and train station all within walking distance. Accommodation here runs significantly cheaper than Prague for comparable quality.
See all Czechia accommodation options →Visit the Brno Ossuary beneath the Church of St. James. Discovered only in 2001 during construction work. It holds the remains of over fifty thousand people. The second-largest ossuary in Europe after the Paris Catacombs. The cramped brick chambers and stacked skulls are unsettling. The Sedlec Ossuary feels art-directed by comparison. This does not.
Day 6 Budget: Moderate. The cave tour is the main expense. Brno's food and drink prices are notably friendlier than Prague.
7
Mikulov, Moravian Wine, and Departure
Mikulov and South Moravia (return to Brno or Prague for departure)
Drive or bus south to Mikulov. This wine town sits on the Austrian border. Taste your way through hillside cellars. Return to Brno or Prague for departure.
Morning
Mikulov castle and the Holy Hill
Catch the early bus from Brno to Mikulov, about an hour south through vineyard-striped hills where rows of grapevines line up in parallels so precise they look combed. Mikulov's whitewashed Baroque castle sits on a limestone bluff above the town. Inside, the castle wine cellar holds one of the largest historical wine barrels in Central Europe, a dark oak monster bound with iron hoops, the air around it sharp with tannin. Walk up Svaty Kopecek (Holy Hill) behind the castle through the Stations of the Cross to the chapel at the top, where the view south extends into Austria and the Palava Hills limestone cliffs glow pale gold in morning sun.
Lunch
Eat in one of Mikulov's courtyard restaurants off the main square. Try Tanzberg wine bar and restaurant for local duck confit with red cabbage and a glass of their estate Riesling, poured cold and tasting of limestone and green apple.
Afternoon
Wine cellar hopping along the Moravian Wine Trail
South of Mikulov, the villages of Pavlov, Dolni Vestonice, and Valtice each hide rows of vinne sklepy, wine cellars dug into hillsides and marked only by their painted doors. Some are family operations where the winemaker pours from unlabeled bottles and charges by the carafe. The wines are almost impossible to find outside Czechia: Palava, Frankovka rosé, and late-harvest Veltliner with enough residual sugar to coat your tongue like honey. Walk between cellars on the vineyard paths, where the chalky soil crunches underfoot and the late afternoon light turns the vine leaves translucent.
On weekdays outside harvest season, some cellars open only by appointment. Ask your Brno accommodation to call ahead, or visit on a Saturday when most are reliably open.
Evening
Return to Brno or Prague for departure
Take the late afternoon bus back to Brno. If departing from Prague, the direct train from Brno takes about two and a half hours and arrives at Praha hlavni nadrazi. For a final meal in Brno, stop at Spalicek on Zelny Trh for Moravian sparrow (roast pork belly with caraway) and a last half-liter of Starobrno lager, the city's own brewery label. If time allows in Prague, revisit Lokal for one more tank Pilsner before heading to the airport.
Where to Stay Tonight
Near Brno train station or Prague airport area, depending on departure plans (Transit hotel or final night at a city-center hotel)
Positioning near transport links on your final evening avoids an early-morning scramble, and both Brno and Prague have reliable airport and station connections.
See all Czechia accommodation options →If your flight leaves from Prague the next morning, take the evening Pendolino train from Brno rather than the bus. It is faster, the seats recline fully, and the route passes through the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands at dusk when the forested hills turn purple and the track feels like it is threading through a landscape painting.
Day 7 Budget: Low to moderate; Mikulov is one of the most affordable parts of Czechia for food and wine, and the regional bus system keeps transport costs minimal.
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Czech Railways (Ceske Drahy) and RegioJet trains connect Prague to Brno and most major towns; RegioJet and FlixBus cover routes like Prague to Cesky Krumlov where rail is indirect. Within Prague, the metro, tram, and bus system runs on a single transferable ticket. Outside cities, local bus networks reach smaller destinations like the Moravian Karst and Mikulov reliably. Renting a car makes the Sumava and South Moravia wine country more flexible but is not necessary. Taxis are affordable outside Prague. Use the Bolt or Liftago apps to avoid overcharging at tourist spots. Train tickets booked a few days ahead online are significantly cheaper than walk-up fares.
Book Ahead
Punkva Caves boat tour in the Moravian Karst, Prague Castle Circuit B ticket, Cesky Krumlov revolving theater performances in summer, and any RegioJet train or bus on Friday or Sunday travel days.
Packing Essentials
Sturdy walking shoes with grip for cobblestone streets and forest trails, a waterproof jacket year-round (Czechia's weather shifts fast, even in summer), layers for cool cave interiors and highland mornings, a small daypack for day trips, a universal power adapter (Type E plug), and a reusable water bottle since tap water is safe and excellent throughout the country.
Total Budget
A week in Czechia at a moderate pace with mid-range accommodation and meals runs considerably less than an equivalent trip in Western Europe. Total spend for seven days including transport, accommodation, food, and activities is comparable to four or five days in Paris or London at the same comfort level.
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Stay in hostels or private rooms through local booking platforms rather than hotels. Eat at hospodas (pub canteens) for lunch specials that include soup and a main course at a fraction of restaurant prices. Replace the Sumava day with free hiking in the Bohemian Switzerland sandstone formations north of Prague. Take slow regional trains instead of RegioJet express services. Buy groceries at Billa or Albert supermarkets for picnic lunches in Czechia's abundant parks and castle gardens.
Luxury Upgrade
Book the Augustine Hotel in Prague, a converted Augustinian monastery with a private brewery. Hire a private guide for Prague Castle's restricted areas and the cathedral crypt. In Cesky Krumlov, stay at Hotel Ruze, a former Jesuit college on the riverbank. Replace the bus to the Moravian Karst with a chauffeured car through the wine country with a private sommelier. End in Mikulov at Chateau Nikolsburg with a multi-course tasting dinner paired to estate wines in the castle cellar.
Family-Friendly
Add the Prague Zoo in Troja, one of the highest-rated in Europe, with its Indonesian jungle pavilion and valley enclosures. In Cesky Krumlov, the graphite mine tour lets children ride a mine cart underground. Replace the longer Sumava hike with the shorter Lipno Treetop Walkway and toboggan slide, which children adore. In Brno, the Vida science center offers hands-on exhibits. Keep evening meals early at family-welcoming hospodas where children's portions are standard and high chairs are common.
Book Activities for Your Trip
Tours, tickets, and experiences in Czechia
Didn't see anything interesting yet?
Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in Czechia.
See All Czechia Tours on Viator