Day Trips from Prague
 

Hi everyone - my wife and I will be in Prague for three nights in about a week and a half and we're exploring the idea of using one of those days to take a day trip somewhere...no more than an hour train ride. We were considering Tabor, Kutna Hora, or Konipiste Castle. We would love to do Cesky Krumlov, but it seems that's a bit far for a day trip.

We're in our mid 30s and would really just like to explore a "cute" idyllic town with some decent food and shopping. My questions are:

-In our shoes, would you use one of your 3 days in Prague to do this? Or should we just use all 3 days to explore Prague itself?
-Which of the 3 destinations listed above would you recommend for a day trip?
-Any other locations we should consider?

Thank you, and we are also open to any unique suggestions on things to do in Prague as well!

- Three nights is not much for Prague. I would rather explore an area in the outskirts - Troja castle and garden/zoo/botanical garden is one idea, Pruhonice with beautiful park and cute old town another.

- Kutna Hora is quite touristy but of course beautiful and interesting. Konopiste castle would be a castle, not a cute, idyllic town. Tabor is a nice town. So you see, each has its charm and basically you cannot go wrong.

- Melnik is a nice town with vineyards and Lobkovicz castle, only 35 minutes by bus away.

Three nights in Prague would only really give you two full days. The city itself would occupy that time, really. But all depends on your interests, I suppose. If it were me, I'd focus on Prague itself. If you had another full day (4 nights, 3 days) then maybe a day trip would be considered.

After 2 trips to Prague, I have yet to make it to Cesky Krumlov! YMMV

I would stay in Prague. We spent nearly an entire day at/in the castle complex and enjoyed the walk to/from our hotel in Old Town, stopping at sights along the way.

I, too would stay in Prague for that short time. With a little research, you'll find there is more to enjoy than you think.

If you are simply itching for a day trip, organized tours to Český Krumlov are available. But really, spend your time in Prague.

I used to live in Prague and I'll pile on and say stay in Prague - explore some of the various neighborhoods for small town vibes within the city, mala strana for medieval small town, zizkov for hip small town, hike petrin hill for a countryside/forest feel, vysehrad for beautiful views and a pretty church/graveyard, etc. But just the main sites alone can take up three days.

If you realllllly want to do a day trip, I'd still consider Cesky Krumlov - I did it as a day trip, and it has a little bit of everything you want: extremely picturesque medieval town with a castle and a river. You'll love it! Look into taking a bus there, which can actually be more direct in the Czech Republic than trains.

I would stay in Prague, too! Three nights gives you only 2 full days. And the autumn is a gorgeous time of year to be in Prague. We have visited twice, and the first time was in October as well.

Here is a suggestion for an off the beaten track thing you can do. Take a walk up the hill, alongside the Vltava River, to Vysehrad. This area is where Prague was born. There are fortified remains (a wall), and inside is the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, and the Vysehrad Cemetery which contains the remains of some famous Czechs. The cemetery is very pretty. And the adjoining old neighborhood is interesting to walk around. The beauty of Vysehrad is that it is not overrun with tourists. I think many tourists don't know about this area. Vysehrad is located on a hill overlooking the Vlatav River, so you have beautiful views, too. Especially in the autumn.

Another fun thing to do in autumn is to walk up to open windows of bars, cafes and restaurants and order yourself hot mulled wine. This is one of my most wonderful memories of Prague in October.

Just noticed that fleur de lis recommends Vysehrad, too! Our daughter took us to Vysehrad when she studied in Prague for a semester. Her classes were held here. Otherwise, I don't think I would have known about this lovely area.

We did a day tour to Theriesenstadt and so glad we took that opportunity. So moving, especially the hidden synagogue that our tour guide brought us too. We didn't have time to get to Cesky Krumlov unfortunately.

Another Yes vote for Český Krumlov. It's just too beautiful a place to pass up. Check out bus schedules as well as trains. I actually took a high speed train round trip from Prague to České Budějovice, and then the bus to and from Český Krumlov. That worked great. Train schedules to and from Český Krumlov are fairly infrequent.

Even though I loved Cesky Krumlov (I stayed there, didn't do a day trip), I agree with those saying you really don't have time for a day trip. Your time in Prague is already short, and there is a lot to see there. If you do decide to go to Cesky Krumlov, definitely take the bus.