Day-by-day programme of this 9-day itinerary across Prague and Bohemia.
Day 1 โ Arrival in Prague
Landing in Prague, one of Europe's most beautiful cities, miraculously spared by the wars: a Gothic and Baroque maze of spires, bridges and lanes on the Vltava. A first impression in the Old Town.
- โ๏ธ Prague โ Aeroporto Vaclav Havel di Praga (PRG)
- ๐ Prague Astronomical Clock โ The heart of Prague is the Old Town Square (Staromestske namesti), framed by pastel facades, the black-spired Tyn Church and the Old Town Hall with its famous Astronomical Clock: every hour it comes alive with the parade of the apostles and the skeleton ringing the bell. You climb the tower for the view over the red roofs. From here you walk down to the Charles Bridge.
- ๐ Charles Bridge โ Charles Bridge, built in 1357 and 500 metres long, is Prague's symbol: thirty Baroque statues blackened by time line it, while Gothic towers guard each end. Crossing it at sunset, among buskers and portraitists, with the Castle lit up in the background, is a magical moment. You dine in the Old Town with a gulas and a Czech beer. You sleep four nights in Prague.
- ๐จ Hotel Rokoko โ Centro (Stare Mesto / Mala Strana), Praha
Day 2 โ The Castle and Mala Strana
A day on Castle Hill, the world's largest castle complex, and in the Baroque district of Mala Strana, among palaces, gardens and the view from Petrin Hill.
- ๐ Prague Castle โ Prague Castle dominates the city from Hradcany hill: more than a castle, a city within the city, home to the kings of Bohemia and today the seat of the president. Within the walls rises the majestic St Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic jewel with Mucha's stained glass, and winds the Golden Lane, the row of colourful little houses where Kafka also lived. The changing of the guard is a must. You then head down to the Mala Strana district.
- ๐ Mala Strana โ Mala Strana (the 'Lesser Town') is the Baroque district at the foot of the Castle: a tangle of cobbled lanes, noble palaces, hidden gardens and the grand green-domed St Nicholas Church. Here are the John Lennon Wall, covered in peace graffiti, and romantic corners along the Certovka canal, Prague's 'little Venice'. In the afternoon you climb Petrin Hill.
- ๐ Petrin Hill โ Petrin Hill, reached by a historic funicular, is Prague's green lung: orchards, gardens and at the top an iron lookout tower resembling a mini Eiffel Tower, from which the gaze embraces the whole city of a hundred spires. At sunset the roofs turn golden. You head down for dinner in a historic brewery. You walk back to the hotel.
Day 3 โ Jewish Prague and the Vltava
A day between the Jewish quarter of Josefov, modern Wenceslas Square and a Vltava cruise to admire Prague from the water.
- ๐ Josefov (Jewish Quarter) โ Josefov, the old Jewish quarter, is one of the most important in Europe: in a few lanes are six synagogues (including the Old-New, the oldest still in use in Europe) and the Old Jewish Cemetery, where twelve thousand tombstones jostle under the trees in a moving scene. It tells of centuries of history and the tragedy of the Shoah. From here you reach the New Town and Wenceslas Square.
- ๐ Wenceslas Square โ Wenceslas Square is not a square but a great boulevard, the heart of modern Prague and a stage of history: here the Prague Spring of 1968 and the Velvet Revolution of 1989 unfolded. At the top stands the equestrian statue of St Wenceslas before the National Museum. All around, shops, cafes and Art Nouveau. In the afternoon you head down to the river for the cruise.
- ๐ฏ Vltava River โ A Vltava cruise offers the most evocative perspective on Prague: you glide under the Charles Bridge, past the lit-up Castle, Kampa Island and the National Theatre, while the city mirrors in the water at sunset. Many cruises include dinner or an aperitif on board. A romantic finale to the city part of the trip. You return to the hotel: tomorrow a trip to Kutna Hora.
Day 4 โ Kutna Hora and the ossuary
A trip to Kutna Hora, an ancient silver town and UNESCO site: the famous Sedlec ossuary chapel, decorated with 40,000 human bones, and the Gothic cathedral of St Barbara.
- ๐ Sedlec Ossuary โ An hour from Prague, Kutna Hora was immensely rich in the Middle Ages thanks to its silver mines. Its most astonishing place is the Sedlec Ossuary: a small Gothic chapel entirely decorated with the bones of about 40,000 people, arranged into chandeliers, coats of arms and pyramids by a carver in 1870. Macabre and fascinating, unique in the world. You continue to the historic centre and the cathedral of St Barbara.
- ๐ St Barbara's Church โ St Barbara's Cathedral, dedicated to the patron of miners, is one of Europe's Gothic masterpieces: its three tent-like roofs and flying buttresses look like a crown of stone. From the luminous interior and the panoramic terrace you overlook the town and the valley. A walk through the medieval centre rounds off the trip. In the late afternoon you return to Prague for your last night in the city.
Day 5 โ Karlovy Vary, the spa town
Westward to Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), Bohemia's most elegant spa town, set in a wooded valley among Art Nouveau colonnades and steaming springs.
- โ๏ธ Prague โ Karlovy Vary โ Karlovy Vary (centro termale)
- ๐ Mill Colonnade โ Karlovy Vary is a succession of elegant pastel palaces and monumental colonnades sheltering the thermal springs: the finest is the Mill Colonnade, with 124 columns. Strolling, you taste - from the typical spouted cups - the warm brackish water gushing at 70 degrees, and enjoy oplatky (spa wafers) or a shot of Becherovka, the town's herbal liqueur. Going up to the Diana tower you enjoy the view. You sleep here.
- ๐จ Hotel LD Morava โ Centro termale, Karlovy Vary
Day 6 โ Pilsen and Cesky Krumlov
Southward: a stop in Pilsen, where Pils beer was born, then arrival in Cesky Krumlov, a medieval gem clasped in a bend of the Vltava, a UNESCO site.
- ๐ฏ Pilsner Urquell Brewery โ In Pilsen (Plzen) in 1842 the Pilsner was born, the pale bottom-fermented beer that conquered the world. The Pilsner Urquell brewery tour is a journey through the historic brewhouses and the immense underground cellars carved into the rock, where you taste the unfiltered beer straight from the wooden barrels. Unmissable for beer lovers. You then continue south, to Cesky Krumlov.
- ๐ Cesky Krumlov Castle โ You arrive in Cesky Krumlov, one of Central Europe's most beautiful towns, enclosed in a double bend of the Vltava. It is dominated by the Castle, the second largest in the Czech Republic after Prague's: a complex of courtyards, a brightly painted tower, Baroque gardens and a rare intact 18th-century theatre. From the tower and the Cloak Bridge the view over the red roofs is like a fairytale. You sleep two nights in Cesky Krumlov.
- ๐จ Hotel Grand Cesky Krumlov โ Centro storico, Cesky Krumlov
Day 7 โ The Cesky Krumlov fairytale
A full day in the town: the cobbled lanes of the UNESCO old town, the craft workshops and a raft or canoe descent on the Vltava that wraps around the centre.
- ๐ Cesky Krumlov Old Town โ Cesky Krumlov's old town is an intact medieval labyrinth: cobbled lanes rising and falling, frescoed Renaissance houses, Svornosti Square with the plague column, St Vitus church and workshops of craftsmen, puppets and amber. You wander aimlessly, with the Vltava reappearing at every turn. In the afternoon, the adventure on the water.
- ๐ฏ Vltava at Cesky Krumlov โ The most fun way to experience Cesky Krumlov is from the water: you rent a canoe or a raft and let yourself drift along the Vltava that hugs the town, passing under the bridges and in front of the castle, among a few small rapids and many views. It is a relaxing, scenic experience, much loved by Czechs. On return, a medieval dinner in a tavern. Tomorrow you head back towards Prague via Ceske Budejovice.
Day 8 โ Budweis and back to Prague
Heading back towards Prague, a stop in Ceske Budejovice (Budweis), home of the eponymous beer, with one of the largest square plazas in Europe.
- ๐ Premysl Otakar II Square โ Ceske Budejovice (Budweis in German) is a pretty town of southern Bohemia, home of Budweiser Budvar beer. Its heart is Premysl Otakar II Square, one of the largest square plazas in Europe (133 metres per side), surrounded by arcades and Baroque palaces, with the elaborate Samson Fountain at its centre. A stop with lunch and a beer before setting off again towards Prague.
- โ๏ธ Ceske Budejovice โ Prague โ Centro, Praha
- ๐จ Wenceslas Square Hotel โ Centro (Stare Mesto), Praha
Day 9 โ Departure from Prague
Return flight from Prague airport. End of the journey among Gothic spires, spas and beer.
- โ๏ธ Prague โ Aeroporto di Milano Malpensa (MXP)
