10 Things you have to See Near Prague

No one doubts that Prague has many dream plans. However, in its surroundings there are other less popular attractions that can perfectly rival those of the capital and which are worth a visit.

Near Prague you can visit a spectacular spa town, visit a crypt that mixes the beautiful and the sinister, visit several castles or even cross the border to see the German city of Dresden. All these excursions, plus some others, can easily be done on your own or, many of them, also with organized tours.

If you want to feel as if you were a member of the European aristocracy of the 19th century in the Czech Republic, you have to visit Karlovy Vary. This city is considered one of the most beautiful in the country and is an excursion you must book if you have traveled to Prague. You have several options:

• Excursion to Karlovy Vary, from $98.
• Excursion to Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne, from $125.

Karlovy Vary is located about 120 kilometers from the capital, in an area of lush forest not too far from the German border. Its entire historic center is full of impressive rococo-style buildings that you can not help but admire while strolling through its streets.

However, the fame of Karlovy Vary came from its hot springs that attracted members of high society, including historical figures such as Goethe or Beethoven. The size of the city center makes it easy to get around on foot. Although there are many places to stop, here I leave you the main ones in a very summarized way:

• Dvorak Park: in this park you will find the first colonnades with medicinal water fountains.
• Colonnade of the Mill: this building from 1881 is located on the promenade along the river, in a large esplanade.
• Colonnade of the Market: erected in wood in 1883, this structure is located on the main pedestrian street. During the summer it hosts various concerts, as do other areas of the city.
• Pavilion of the Thermal Springs: you will recognize it as a contemporary building. Inside there is a large fountain with water flowing at 72º C.
• Peter and Paul Church: not all places are related to water. This orthodox church deserves a quiet visit.

How to get to Karlovy Vary

• On your own: it is quite easy to get to Karlovy Vary from Prague, as there are frequent buses from the capital that make the trip in about two hours. There is also a bus that connects the airport of Prague with this locality.
• Excursion: if you prefer an excursion to Karlovy Vary from Prague you will be able to choose between several types of excursions according to your convenience.

Very close to Prague, just 30 kilometers away, is a small town with a castle that makes it one of the best excursions that can be done from Prague. Given its proximity, I recommend you to spend a few hours to visit it.

If you book an excursion to Karlstejn Castle, you can admire several rooms of great interest. Above all, the chapel of the Holy Cross and its 60-meter high Great Tower stand out.

In the 14th century, Emperor Charles IV ordered the construction of a building in which to safely store the royal treasure and crown jewels. The result was Karlstejn Castle, which served this purpose for two centuries until those riches were moved elsewhere. Since then, the castle has been used as the residence of several kings.

How to get to Karlstejn Castle

• On your own: the village of Karlstejn is very well connected to the capital. Trains run every 30 minutes from the central station in Prague, linking the two towns.
• Organized tour: another option is to hire one of the organized tours that depart from the Czech capital to see this castle.

Those who want to leave Prague for a few hours and wander through extraordinary natural surroundings can book a tour of the national parks of Saxon Bohemian Switzerland, only about 130 kilometers from Prague, right next to the German border.

The most popular route (because of its obvious interest) hides some of the most spectacular rock formations in all of Europe, such as the Pravcice Gate, a natural stone arch 21 meters high and 27 meters wide.

During this route, some gorges of the Kamenice River are crossed, for which, in certain sections, it is necessary to take one of the boats that are there for this purpose. Most visitors to the park leave from Hrensko, 3 kilometers from the entrance, or Mezni Louka, 6 kilometers away, another common starting point for hikers.

How to get to the Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland National Park

• On your own: really, if you are only going to spend one day it is not worth going on your own, as you will need to combine a couple of transports. But if you can spend a night there, the best is to get to Decin (which has an interesting castle and other attractions) and from there transfer to Hrensko very early in the morning (there are buses every few days).
• Organized tour: this is the best option if you only want to do one route and return to Prague.

Lamps made of human bones, a large shield also made of skeletal remains or niches full of skulls are part of what you can see in the impressive chapel of Sedlec. If you want to know a place that causes a contradictory impression, between the beautiful and the sinister, I recommend you to book an excursion to Kutná Hora.

The chapel of the bones, nickname by which Sedlec is known for obvious reasons, is located within the complex of the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, about 15 minutes from the center of town. This ossuary is considered the largest in the world, with about 40,000 human bones and perfectly complements the organized tours that are organized to see all the attractions that Prague has at night.

Among other buildings that should be visited is the huge Cathedral of Santa Barbara, without forgetting the beautiful bridge with statues that leads to the temple, the Jesuit College and other charms that you will find strolling through the cobbled streets of the area.

How to get to Kutná Hora

• On your own: there are direct trains with a high frequency between Prague Central Station and Kutna Hora, so you can get there in about 45 minutes.
• Organized excursion: you can book organized tours to Kutna Hora.

Those who think that the atrocities committed by the Nazis cannot be forgotten as an antidote for the future (or simply to pay homage to the victims) have the country's largest concentration camp, Terezín, close to Prague.

Booking the excursion to Terezín is a good choice for the type of visit in question. Although it was originally just a group of fortresses, the Nazis turned the place into a concentration camp where it is estimated that up to 35,000 people were murdered.

In 1947, two years after the camp was liberated, the Terezín Memorial was created so that what happened would never be forgotten. The guided tour goes through several of its rooms. It is an essential place, but it will not be easy to forget.

How to get to Terezín

• On your own: Terezín is less than an hour away from Prague and there are buses that connect both places very frequently.
• Organized tour: since the visit is guided, the most convenient way is to choose one of the excursions from Prague that includes everything you need.

Just the name of this city, Pilsen, will make beer lovers want to go there. No wonder, since it is a paradise to learn the secrets of this drink.

The best known place in the city is the Pilsner Urquell factory, which can be visited (always with a guide) both in the morning and in the afternoon. This visit ends, of course, with a tasting of several of the beers produced there.

There is another factory that can also be visited, that of Gambrinus. However, if you go on your own, you will have to organize your time well in order to see both of them. In case you still feel like it, when you return to the Czech capital, you can always book a beer tour of Prague.

How to get to Pilsen

• On your own: it is not complicated to reach Pilsen by public transport from Prague. The distance is not very long, only about 100 kilometers, and there are both buses and trains linking the beer city with the capital.
• Organized tour: if you prefer to take everything prepared, from the tickets to the reservation of the guided tour, the best option is to hire a good organized tour.

Ceský Krumlov is an essential visit if you want to feel like you are in the Middle Ages. This small town is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the whole country and I recommend you to book an excursion from Prague.

The medieval center of the town, as well as the Latran district, located at the foot of the castle, are part of the list of World Heritage Sites of Unesco. Overlooking the town is an imposing 13th century castle, one of the largest in the Czech Republic.

Ceský Krumlov Castle was the residence of several kings and its interior, which can be visited, is really impressive. In addition to its rooms, it is worth strolling through the garden that surrounds it and approach the revolving theater of Baroque style that is there.

How to get to Ceský Krumlov

• On your own: from Prague you can get there by bus with the RegioJet company. Choose this option if you can afford to spend a night in the town, as it is also worth contemplating its illuminated streets after sunset.
• Organized excursion: if you prefer to spend the night in Prague, the best option is to hire an organized excursion.

Those who were not satisfied with everything there is to see in the Prague Castle district are in luck. Near the capital, just 50 kilometers away, you will find another building of this type that you can reach without any problems: Konopiště Castle.

As soon as you arrive in the area you will be impressed by the magic of its landscape. The castle, located on top of a hill and surrounded by a moat, is located in the middle of a forest and near a beautiful lake.

Konopiště Castle was built in Gothic style to serve as a military fortress. However, over time, various alterations were made to turn it into a romantic building.

How to get to Konopiště castle

• On your own: from Praha Hlavni nadrazi station there are several trains to Benešov, from where you will have to walk a couple of kilometers to get to the castle. Buses also depart (although less frequently) from the Praha Roztyly terminal.
• Organized excursion: there are convenient midday excursions that depart from Prague and take a complete tour of the castle.

Another highlight to include in the list, once you have finished with the list of everything to see and do in Prague is to visit Dresden. Just 150 kilometers from Prague is an interesting destination that you can visit in just one day. The particularity is that for this you will have to leave the Czech Republic and enter the neighboring Germany.

Although in its time it was one of the capitals of the Baroque in the continent, the ravages of World War II ended with part of the heritage of Dresden.

Despite that, you can still find highlights such as the Zwinger Palace, examples of late Baroque in Europe, the Opera House and the Frauenkirche church.

How to get to Dresden

• On your own: the offer of trains from Prague to this German city is very wide. Departing from the central station of the Czech capital, in just an hour and a half you will be in Dresden.
• Organized excursion: to spend the day it may be more convenient to hire an excursion that usually includes tickets to the most popular places in Dresden.

Visiting Prague's Jewish quarter, its castle, touring and discovering the nooks and crannies of the Charles Bridge and seeing cities like Karlovy Vary or Pilsen are activities not to be missed if you travel to the Czech Republic. However, there are also some places that, for one reason or another, are often left out of the tourist routes. One of them is Ceske Budejovice.

In its time, the salt and silver trade made it one of the largest in Bohemia. From that splendor remain buildings such as the Central Square, the largest arcaded square in the country and monuments such as the Black Tower or the Cathedral of St. Nicholas.

How to get to Ceske Budejovice

• On your own: you can go without problems from Prague(Na Knížecí station) to Ceske Budejovice by bus in about 2 hours and a half, or you can combine the visit with the nearby Ceský Krumlov, spending a night in the area.