This fifteen-day loop is for travelers who want the whole of Czechia in one go: the capital, the sandstone country of the north, the Moravian cities and a southern finish in Český Krumlov. It mixes city days with real hiking days, so pack proper shoes and expect a steady but unhurried pace, with only one long transfer. You will rely on regional and long-distance trains for most legs, local buses to reach trailheads and small towns, and Prague’s trams and metro at the start.
Days 1-3: Prague’s Jewish Quarter, Libraries and Kutná Hora
This time in
Prague, go deeper than the postcard. The
Old Jewish Cemetery and Jewish Museum in Prague take a full morning: one combined ticket (roughly 500 to 600 CZK, about US$22 to 26) covers the synagogues and the cemetery, where around 12,000 gravestones lean against each other because burials were stacked in layers on a tiny plot. Book an afternoon slot at the
Klementinum and Baroque Library Hall, a guided visit that ends on the Astronomical Tower with a …
read more 👉This fifteen-day loop is for travelers who want the whole of Czechia in one go: the capital, the sandstone country of the north, the Moravian cities and a southern finish in Český Krumlov. It mixes city days with real hiking days, so pack proper shoes and expect a steady but unhurried pace, with only one long transfer. You will rely on regional and long-distance trains for most legs, local buses to reach trailheads and small towns, and Prague’s trams and metro at the start.
Days 1-3: Prague’s Jewish Quarter, Libraries and Kutná Hora
This time in Prague, go deeper than the postcard. The Old Jewish Cemetery and Jewish Museum in Prague take a full morning: one combined ticket (roughly 500 to 600 CZK, about US$22 to 26) covers the synagogues and the cemetery, where around 12,000 gravestones lean against each other because burials were stacked in layers on a tiny plot. Book an afternoon slot at the Klementinum and Baroque Library Hall, a guided visit that ends on the Astronomical Tower with a view over the Old Town roofs. Save the Prague Castle Complex for a late walk when the tour groups have gone and the courtyards are open and free to cross. On day two, head north to Holešovice for the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, crowned by a giant wooden airship on the roof. Day three is a train hop of about an hour to Kutná Hora, where the Kutná Hora Bone Church in Sedlec holds the remains of tens of thousands of people arranged into a chandelier and a coat of arms. Walk on to St. Barbara’s Cathedral, paid for with silver from the mines beneath the town.
Days 4-5: Bohemian Switzerland from Děčín
The train from Prague to Děčín follows the Elbe for about 1.5 hours, and the town is a cheaper base than the tiny villages inside the park. Take the bus toward Hřensko for Bohemian Switzerland National Park and hike up to Pravčická brána, the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe. The climb from the road takes 45 minutes to an hour, and you can link it to longer ridge paths through the pine and rock. Use the second day for the cliff trails above the Kamenice river or a quieter loop near Jetřichovice.
Days 6-7: Cesky Raj (Bohemian Paradise)
Move east to Turnov or Jičín, 2.5 to 3 hours by train with a change, for Cesky Raj (Bohemian Paradise). The sandstone here forms narrow towers and corridors rather than gorges: Hruboskalsko’s viewpoints and the Prachov Rocks near Jičín both make excellent full-day hikes, with red- and blue-marked trails connecting villages so you can walk one way and catch a bus back.
Day 8: Adrspach-Teplice Rocks
A morning of trains via Stará Paka and Trutnov brings you to Adršpach station, which sits practically at the gate of the Adrspach-Teplice Rocks. The main circuit takes 2 to 3 hours through slots barely wider than your shoulders, past a lake and the Gothic Gate. Sleep in the village, because tomorrow is the long day.
Days 9-10: Olomouc and Kroměříž
Getting from the rocks to Olomouc takes 4 to 5 hours with changes, the one big transfer on this route, so leave early. The reward is a university city with a UNESCO-listed Holy Trinity Column, an astronomical clock rebuilt with socialist-realist workers in place of saints, and pungent Olomouc tvarůžky cheese in every pub. On day ten, take the train (about an hour) to Kroměříž for the Kroměříž chateau and gardens: the archbishop’s palace holds Titian’s “Flaying of Marsyas,” and the formal Flower Garden with its colonnade is worth the walk across town.
Days 11-12: Brno Below and Above Ground
Brno is 1.5 hours from Olomouc. Go underground first: the Brno Underground Labyrinth under Zelný trh is a network of old cellars used for storing wine and goods, beneath a market square that still sells vegetables every morning. Book Villa Tugendhat weeks ahead if you can, since Mies van der Rohe’s 1930 house with its glowing onyx wall sells out fast. Evenings are for the student bars around Jakubské náměstí, where prices sit well below Prague’s.
Days 13-15: Telč and Krumlov Castle
A two-hour bus drops you in Telč, where one long square of pastel Renaissance gables and arcades is all you need for an evening and a morning. Continue via České Budějovice (3 to 3.5 hours in total) to Český Krumlov and the Krumlov Castle and Baroque Theatre, then ride the bus back to Prague (about 3 hours) on day fifteen after a morning in the castle gardens.
If a friend asked me for one detour on this loop, I would send them to the ruined towers of Trosky Castle in Český ráj late in the afternoon, because the two volcanic stumps with walls perched on top are the best viewpoint in the whole region and the crowds are gone by then.v2.webp){kind=logo}
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