Czech Republic itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Pick the route by how many nights you have, not by how many places you can name. Every extra stop costs half a day in transfers.

Costs below are 2026 estimates for one person per day, mid-range: hostel or budget hotel, public transport, one paid sight, two restaurant meals. Prague runs higher than the rest of the country.

Give Prague four nights. That covers the Castle and Malá Strana, Old Town and Josefov, and one half-day out of the city. Kutná Hora fits as a day trip: St Barbara's Cathedral and the Sedlec Ossuary, back in Prague for dinner.

Then take the bus or train south to Český Krumlov for two nights. Sleeping inside the river loop is the point; day-trippers leave by late afternoon and the town empties. One night in České Budějovice adds the Budvar brewery and a big square, and it is the transfer point if you continue to Austria.

If you are flying home from Prague, return there for the last night. If you are heading onward, shuttle vans run from Krumlov to Linz, Salzburg and Vienna (check schedules and prices).

This is the route for travellers ending in Austria. Prague four nights, then Český Krumlov two. Telč, with its arcaded square, works as a stop on the Krumlov–Brno leg by bus or car rather than a separate overnight.

Brno gets two nights: Villa Tugendhat, the underground ossuary and the bar district. Then Mikulov for two nights in the wine country, with Lednice–Valtice reachable by bike. Vienna is about 1.5 h from Mikulov by train or bus (check).

Book Villa Tugendhat before you leave home; timed entry sells out weeks ahead in summer (check).

Two weeks lets you add the north. Start with Prague four nights, then two nights near Bohemian Switzerland for the sandstone gorges and arches, about 2 h from Prague. Come back through Kutná Hora for one night rather than a day trip, so you see the town after the buses leave.

Then south to Český Krumlov for two, Brno for three, and Olomouc for two. Olomouc has the Holy Trinity Column and baroque squares with a fraction of Prague's crowds. From Olomouc, trains continue to Kraków via Ostrava (check).

This route is all train and bus. A car only helps if you want to stop at villages between the main towns.

With three weeks, keep the 14-day spine and add the west and the east. Karlovy Vary for one night covers the spa colonnades and hot springs, and it sits on the route toward Germany. Pilsen for one night covers the Pilsner Urquell brewery tour and a compact centre.

In Moravia, give Lednice–Valtice two nights for the palaces and wine cellars by bike, and add Ostrava for one night on the way to Poland. Ostrava is industrial and different from the rest of the list, which is exactly why it is worth a stop.

Three weeks also lets you slow down: two nights in Prague at the end for anything you missed, rather than rushing the last day before your flight.

Trains and long-distance buses cover every route here. Buy tickets on the day for regional trains; book Prague–Brno and cross-border services a few days ahead in summer. Seat reservations are cheap and worth it on Friday and Sunday afternoons.

Most castles and châteaux outside Prague are guided-tour only and open April–October; buy timed tickets online in summer (check). Villa Tugendhat needs booking weeks ahead (check).

Check public holidays before fixing dates: sights and restaurants close, and trains fill. Christmas, Easter and 1 May and 8 May are the main ones (check).

For money, cards work almost everywhere in cities; keep some cash for small towns and market stalls. Tipping is a rounding-up habit rather than a fixed percentage.