10 Things you have to See Near Prague

No one can doubt that Prague is home to a wealth of places that make for a good trip. However, there are other lesser-known attractions in the surrounding area that can easily rival those of the capital and are well worth a visit.

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

If you want to feel like a member of the 19th century European aristocracy in the Czech Republic, you have to visit Karlovy Vary. It is considered one of the most beautiful towns in the country and is a must-book excursion if you have travelled to Prague.

KarlovyVary is located about 120 kilometres from the capital, in an area of lush forest not too far from the German border. Its entire historic centre is filled with impressive rococo buildings that you can't help but admire as you stroll through the streets.

However, Karlovy Vary's fame came from its thermal springs which attracted members of high society to the city, including historical figures such as Goethe and Beethoven.

The size of the city centre makes it easy to get around on foot. Although there are many places to stop, here are the main ones in brief:

• Dvorak Park: in this park you will find the first colonnades with medicinal water fountains.
• Windmill Colonnade: this building from 1881 is located on the promenade next to the river, on a large esplanade.
• Market Colonnade: 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.
• Thermal Springs Pavilion: you will recognise it as a contemporary building. Inside there is a large fountain from which water flows at a temperature of 72ºC.
• Peter and Paul Church: not all places are related to water. This orthodox church is worth a quiet visit.

How to get to Karlovy Vary

• On your own: Karlovy Vary is quite easy to get to from Prague, as there are frequent buses from the capital that make the journey in about two hours. There is also a bus from Prague airport to Karlovy Vary.
• Excursion: If you prefer an excursion to Karlovy Vary from Prague, you can choose from several types of excursions to suit your needs.

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

On your visit you will find several rooms of great interest. Above them all is the Chapel of the Holy Cross and its 60-metre-high Great Tower.

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 these 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 Prague Central Station to both towns.
• Organised tour: another option is to take one of the organised tours that depart from the Czech capital to see this castle.

Those who want to leave the city for a few hours and wander through extraordinary natural surroundings can book a tour of the national parks of Bohemian-Saxon Switzerland, only about 130 kilometres 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 archway 21 metres high and 27 metres wide.

During this route you will cross some gorges of the Kamenice River, for which, in certain sections, you will need to take one of the boats that are there for this purpose.

Most visitors to the park leave from Hrensko, 3 km from the entrance, or Mezni Louka (6 km away), another common starting point for hikers.

How to get to the Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland National Park

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

Lamps made from human bones, a large coat of arms also made from skeletal remains and niches filled with skulls are just some of the things you can see in the impressive Sedlec Chapel. If you want to see a place that creates a contradictory impression, somewhere between the beautiful and the sinister, I recommend a trip to Kutná Hora.

The Bone Chapel (the nickname Sedlec is known by for obvious reasons) is located within the church complex of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, about 15 minutes from the centre of the town.

This ossuary is considered to be the largest in the world, containing some 40,000 human bones, and is a perfect complement to the organised tours that are organised to see all of Prague's attractions by night.

Other must-see buildings include the enormous St. Barbara's Cathedral, not forgetting the beautiful statue bridge leading 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 frequent direct trains between Prague Central Station and Kutna Hora, so you can get there in about 45 minutes.
• Organised excursions: you can book organised tours to Kutna Hora, although given the proximity of the city you can also get there by public transport.

Those who think that the Nazi atrocities 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 a trip to Terezín is a good option for the type of visit in question. Although it was originally just a collection of fortresses, the Nazis turned it 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 Terezin Memorial was created so that what happened would never be forgotten. The guided tour takes you through several of the rooms. It is an essential place, but one that will be hard to forget.

How to get to Terezin

• On your own: Terezin is less than an hour's drive from Prague and there are frequent bus connections between the two places.
• Organised tour: since the visit to Terezin is guided, the most convenient way to get there 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 come here. Not surprisingly, it's a paradise for beer lovers.

The most famous place in the city is the Pilsner Urquell brewery, 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 brewery that can also be visited, the Gambrinus brewery. However, if you go on your own, you will have to organise 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 visit the best breweries in Prague.

At the end of your visit(s) you will find that the city hides some unexpected secrets. The most spectacular of these is the Great Synagogue, the third largest synagogue in the world.

How to get to Pilsen

• On your own: Pilsen is easy to reach by public transport from Prague. The distance is not very far, only about 100 kilometres, and there are both buses and trains that connect the brewery city with the capital.
• Organised tour: if you prefer to take everything with you, from the entrance tickets to booking a guided tour, the best option is to book a good organised tour.

Ceský Krumlov is a must 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 book an excursion from Prague.

The medieval centre of the town and the Latran district (located at the foot of the castle) are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The town is dominated by 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 truly impressive. In addition to its rooms, it is worth strolling through the surrounding garden and visiting the Baroque revolving theatre.

How to get to Ceský Krumlov

• On your own: you can get there by bus from Prague with the RegioJet bus company. Choose this option if you can afford to spend a few nights in the town, as it is also worth seeing the illuminated streets after dark.
• Organised tour: if you prefer to spend the night in Prague again, the best option is to book an organised tour.

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, tend to be left off the tourist routes. One of them is Ceske Budejovice.

In its day, the salt and silver trade made it one of the largest in the whole of Bohemia. Buildings such as the Central Square, the largest arcaded square in the country, and monuments such as the Black Tower and the Cathedral of St. Nicholas remain from this splendour.

How to get to Ceske Budejovice

• On your own: you can easily get from Prague(Na Knížecí station) to Ceske Budejovice by bus in about 2.5 hours, or you can combine the visit with the nearby Ceský Krumlov, spending a few nights in the area.

Those of you who were not satisfied with all there is to see in Prague's Castle district are in luck: just 50 kilometres away from the capital, you will find another building of this type that you can easily reach: Konopiště Castle.

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

Konopiště Castle was built in the Gothic style to serve as a military fortress. Over time, however, it was renovated into a Romanesque building.

How to get to Konopiště Castle

• On your own: several trains run from Praha Hlavni nadrazi station to Benešov, from where you have to walk a couple of kilometres to get to the castle. Buses also leave from the Praha Roztyly terminal (although less frequently).
• Organised excursion: there are convenient half-day excursions that leave from Prague and take you on a full tour of the castle.

Just 150 kilometres from Prague is an interesting destination that you can visit in just one day. The peculiarity is that to do so you will have to leave the Czech Republic and enter neighbouring Germany.

Although it was once one of the Baroque capitals of the continent, the ravages of World War II wiped out part of Dresden's heritage. Despite this, you can still find highlights such as the Zwinger Palace, examples of late Baroque in Europe, the Opera House and the Frauenkirche church.

Getting to Dresden

• On your own: there is a wide range of trains from Prague to this German city. Departing from the central station of the Czech capital, you'll be in Dresden in just an hour and a half.
• Organised excursion: for a day trip, it may be more convenient to book an excursion, which usually includes entrance tickets to the most popular places in Dresden.