Prague 7-Day Itinerary: Castle, Kutná Hora and Český Krumlov

How should you spend 7 days in Prague?

Give the Old Town and Josefov a full day, Prague Castle another and Malá Strana and Petřín a third. Take the train to Kutná Hora on day 4, slow down in the New Town, Vyšehrad and Vinohrady on day 5, travel to Český Krumlov on day 6 and finish in Letná and Holešovice.

A week lets Prague breathe. The Prague 3-day itinerary pairs the castle with Malá Strana and treats Kutná Hora as an either-or; this plan gives each side of the river its own day, keeps both classic day trips, and puts a light city day between them so you are never on a train two days running.

Use one base all week. The Kutná Hora trains leave from Praha hlavní nádraží, on metro line C, so somewhere near metro A, B or C with an easy ride to the main station works best; where to stay in Prague compares the areas.

This is a desk-researched suggested route, checked on 16 October 2026 against Prague City Tourism, PID, the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czech Railways, the Sedlec ossuary, Český Krumlov’s tourist office and castle, and the National Gallery. Check the best time to visit Prague for how the season changes it.

What does the 7-day Prague plan look like at a glance?

The table lists each day’s area, anchor, transport, what to book and the closure that could catch you out. Two days leave Prague: Kutná Hora by train from Praha hlavní nádraží, about an hour each way, and Český Krumlov by bus or train, about three hours each way.

Three closures decide the order. The Jewish Museum’s sites close every Saturday and on Jewish holidays (Jewish Museum in Prague), the National Gallery’s Trade Fair Palace opens Tuesday to Sunday only (National Gallery Prague), and Český Krumlov Castle’s museum and tower drop Mondays from November (Český Krumlov Castle). Avoid a Saturday for day 1 and a Monday for day 7.

Two one-off dates also matter in late 2026. Prague City Tourism says the whole castle area closes from 15:00 on 28 October 2026 for a state ceremony, and the Old Royal Palace from 23 to 29 October (castle, Old Royal Palace). The Christmas market fills Old Town Square from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027 (Prague City Tourism).

What should you book and buy before a week in Prague?

Book the Sedlec ossuary first, because tickets are sold for a specific date and time. Then buy castle tickets, which stay valid for two days, and bus or train seats for Český Krumlov. For city transport, PID’s 72-hour ticket costs 350 CZK on paper or 340 CZK in the Lítačka app.

The Sedlec ossuary lists admission at 220 CZK per adult, says tickets must be bought in advance for a specific date and time because capacity is limited, and sells them online or at its information centre at Zámecká 279 in Kutná Hora. The neighbouring Cathedral of the Assumption is also listed at 220 CZK.

Prague City Tourism lists the castle’s basic circuit, covering the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica, St Vitus Cathedral and Golden Lane, at 450 CZK, with tickets valid for two days and each building entered once (Prague City Tourism). The Old Town Hall’s basic ticket is 350 CZK and half price in the first hour after opening (Old Town Hall).

PID sells 24-hour tickets at 150 CZK on paper or 140 CZK in the app and 72-hour tickets at 350 or 340 CZK; neither covers the 200 CZK Airport Express (PID airport page). Trains to Kutná Hora are separate: Czech Railways quotes fares from 79 CZK and sells up to 90 days ahead. Compare passes with is the Prague Card worth it?

Day 1: how do you take the Old Town and Josefov slowly?

Climb the Old Town Hall tower in its first hour, when tickets are half price, then spend late morning in Josefov at the Jewish Museum’s synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery. After lunch, walk to Charles Bridge in the afternoon light and keep the evening free for the river embankments.

The Old Town Hall opens 9:00–20:00 from April to December and 10:00–19:00 from January to March, and the Astronomical Clock’s apostles appear on the hour from 8:00 to 23:00. The first-hour discount does not apply on 25 December or 1 January, or when the hall opens late for a ceremony.

In Josefov, the Pinkas, Klausen and Spanish synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery belong to the Jewish Museum in Prague, which opens 9:00–16:30 in winter from 18 October and until 18:00 or 19:00 from April to mid-October, and closes on Saturdays. The Old-New Synagogue is run separately by the Jewish community and closes about an hour before Shabbat. Consider a guided Jewish Quarter tour for context.

Keep the pace gentle on the first day: after a flight, two sets of interiors and a bridge walk are plenty. The UK Foreign Office says petty theft is a problem in Prague’s major tourist areas, so keep phones and wallets zipped away on Old Town Square and Charles Bridge.

Days 2 and 3: how do you split the castle and Malá Strana?

Give day 2 to Prague Castle and Hradčany, ideally on a weekday, because St Vitus Cathedral opens only at noon on Sundays. On day 3, use the second day of your castle ticket for anything you missed, then explore Malá Strana, its gardens and Kampa, and ride the reopened Petřín funicular.

Prague City Tourism lists the castle grounds as open 6:00–22:00 and its sights 9:00–17:00; St Vitus Cathedral opens 9:00–17:00 from Monday to Saturday and 12:00–17:00 on Sundays, with last entry 20 minutes before closing and no visits during services (castle, cathedral). PID runs vintage tram 23 alongside tram 22 up to the castle, about every 30 minutes, on regular tickets.

Because the castle ticket lasts two days, split the interiors: the cathedral and the Old Royal Palace on day 2, Golden Lane early on day 3 before the groups. Then walk down into Malá Strana, where Prague City Tourism’s own week plan points to the Waldstein Garden, St Nicholas Church, the Vrtba Garden and Kampa Island (Prague City Tourism).

The Petřín funicular reopened on 22 September 2026 after a two-year rebuild, starting from Újezd, served by trams 9, 12, 15, 20, 22 and 23. PID’s 24- and 72-hour tickets are valid on it, but its 30- and 90-minute tickets are not (PID tickets). Decide on the interiors first with is Prague Castle worth it?

Day 4: how do you do Kutná Hora by train?

Take one of the hourly fast trains from Praha hlavní nádraží to Kutná Hora hlavní nádraží and change to the local train for Kutná Hora město; Czech Railways puts the whole trip at 1 hour 6 minutes. Visit the Sedlec ossuary on your timed slot, then continue into the old town.

Czech Railways says a fast train leaves Praha hlavní nádraží every hour, recommends changing at Kutná Hora hlavní nádraží to the local train that connects with each fast train, and notes that Kutná Hora město is near the historic centre. Prices vary by train and sales, and buying early is cheaper.

Book a morning slot at the ossuary and add the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady, both sold by the Sedlec information centre. Then head into the old town for St Barbara’s Church and the streets around it; church hours change by season and for services, so check them on the day.

Treat the ossuary with respect: it is a place of human remains, not a backdrop, and visits are capped by slot. Our best day trips from Prague guide compares Kutná Hora with other options, and guided trips with transport are in the final section.

Day 5: why make the New Town, Vyšehrad and Vinohrady a slow day?

Because it falls between two long day trips. Walk Wenceslas Square and the New Town in the morning, ride to Vyšehrad for the fortress walls and the Casemates and Gorlice tour, then drift through Vinohrady’s parks and cafés. Every stop is close to a metro or tram, so you can stop early.

Prague City Tourism’s seven-day plan links Wenceslas Square, the National Museum, the National Theatre, the Náplavka embankment, the Dancing House and Vyšehrad in one New Town and riverside day (Prague City Tourism). Take it in pieces, with a long lunch, rather than as a march.

At Vyšehrad, the Casemates to Gorlice tour lasts 45 to 60 minutes, takes up to 30 people and costs 330 CZK, or 295 CZK online, including the history exhibition in the Powder Magazine (Vyšehrad). The cemetery and its Slavín tomb are the resting place of many leading Czechs, and customer services close at 16:00 on 24 and 31 December (Vyšehrad).

Finish in Vinohrady, where the same city plan suggests St Ludmila’s Church, Grébovka and the view from Riegrovy sady (Prague City Tourism). Metro line A runs back to the centre from Náměstí Míru and Jiřího z Poděbrad (PID metro), so an early night before day 6 is easy.

Day 6: should Český Krumlov be a day trip or an overnight stay?

It works as a long day trip: the town’s tourist office puts the bus at about three hours each way, and most trains change at České Budějovice. Stay overnight if you want evenings without day-trippers. From November the castle museum and tower open Tuesday to Sunday only, and guided castle interiors stop after October.

The Český Krumlov tourist office says buses run from Prague several times a day, direct or with a change in České Budějovice, covering about 180 km in around three hours, and stop at the bus station or Špičák, 13 and 15 minutes’ walk from Svornosti Square. The railway station is 1.7 km north of the centre, about 35 minutes on foot.

Seat61 describes one direct Czech Railways train a day taking about two and a half hours, plus connections roughly every two hours via České Budějovice taking about three, but its sample times are undated, so check the current timetable. Either way, leave early and confirm your last return before you set off.

Český Krumlov Castle opens its museum and tower daily 9:00–16:30 in September and October, then Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–15:30 from 1 November to 20 December. Tour Route I through the interiors runs Tuesday to Sunday until 31 October, and the castle garden opens 7:00–17:00 in October. Read is a Český Krumlov day trip worth it? before committing.

Day 7: how do you finish in Letná and Holešovice?

Walk up to Letná park for the view over the river, then spend late morning in the National Gallery’s Trade Fair Palace, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Keep the afternoon for Holešovice’s cafés or a last Old Town stroll, and leave plenty of time for the airport bus.

The Trade Fair Palace on Dukelských hrdinů, a Functionalist landmark and the National Gallery’s seat since 1976, holds its collections from 1796 onwards. The nearest stops are Vltavská on metro C and Veletržní palác on trams 6 and 17. Prague City Tourism pairs it with Letná park, Stromovka and the DOX centre (Prague City Tourism).

For the airport, PID’s line 59 connects with metro A at Nádraží Veleslavín, about 35 minutes in total, line 100 with metro B at Zličín, and the Airport Express runs from Hlavní nádraží for 200 CZK (PID airport page). Flights outside the Schengen area, including to the UK, use Terminal 1.

If your flight is late, swap days 5 and 7 and spend the final morning in Vinohrady, closer to metro line A. The UK Foreign Office warns about pickpockets on busy airport routes and about taxis that overcharge, so check the rates shown on the car and avoid unmarked cars.

What are the best swaps for weather, crowds and tours?

In heat, start the castle and Petřín early and keep museums for the afternoon; in cold or rain, lean on the Jewish Museum, the Trade Fair Palace and the castle interiors. Around Christmas, visit the markets on weekday mornings. A guided tour helps most for Český Krumlov if you would rather not manage buses.

Over 1991–2020 the Klementinum in the Old Town averaged 6.8 days of 30 °C or more in July and January highs of just 3.9 °C (ČHMÚ monthly data), so July and January weeks need opposite plans. The best time to visit Prague has the full climate table, and Prague in the rain lists covered options.

In the evenings, the FCDO warns of high nightclub consumption charges, counterfeit notes from street money changers and fake plain-clothes police asking to see your cash; change money at a bank or exchange office and read bar and restaurant scams abroad. Budget for the 50 CZK nightly accommodation fee for each adult (Prague 7).

Tours with transport suit Český Krumlov, where they remove the bus planning, and Kutná Hora if you want a guide at the ossuary. Check that a tour states its time on site and whether entry tickets are included, and compare platforms in GetYourGuide vs Viator vs Klook.