Five days in the country that got through the twentieth century with its old towns intact: three in Prague, where a thousand years of architecture stands shoulder to shoulder and nothing was bombed flat, then south to Český Krumlov, a Renaissance town wrapped in a double loop of the Vltava. See the full itinerary.
From the same hand-researched library as our Czechia itinerary. Last reviewed 2026-08-08.
Prague
Prague is what a European capital looks like when nobody knocks it down. Romanesque cellars sit under Gothic churches under Baroque facades under Art Nouveau apartment blocks, all within a walk, and the castle on the hill has been continuously occupied since the ninth century. It is also a city that changed its own government by filling a square, twice in living memory.
1
Charles Bridge
The 1357 stone bridge lined with Baroque saints, laid at a time chosen by court astrologers. Cross it at 6am or after 10pm, in daylight it is a slow-moving river of people.
Prague
2
Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral
The largest ancient castle complex in the world by area, and the Gothic cathedral at its heart holding the Bohemian crown jewels and Mucha's stained glass. The grounds are free to walk; the interiors need a circuit ticket.
Prague
3
Astronomical Clock
The 1410 clock on the Old Town Hall, the oldest still operating anywhere. The apostles parade hourly from 9:00 to 23:00; the tower above it gives the square's best view and almost nobody queues for it.
Prague
4
Vyšehrad
The other castle, on a cliff south of the center, a fortress, a neo-Gothic basilica, and the cemetery where Dvořák and Smetana are buried. Locals come here on Sundays; visitors mostly do not.
Prague
Český Krumlov
A Renaissance river town that fell out of history and was therefore never modernized, the Schwarzenbergs ran out of money, the Communists neglected it, and UNESCO listed the result in 1992. The Vltava loops around the old town so tightly that the center is almost an island, with a painted castle on the ridge above it.
5
Český Krumlov Castle
The second-largest castle complex in the country, layered from a thirteenth-century Gothic core into Renaissance and Baroque wings. Interiors are guided-tour-only and closed November to March; the courtyards and gardens stay open.
Český Krumlov
6
Castle Tower
The round painted tower over the town, a tight climb to the view that puts the whole river loop, the red roofs, and the forested hills in one frame. Open year-round.
Český Krumlov
7
Cloak Bridge
The improbable multi-storey covered bridge on stacked arches linking the castle to its theatre and gardens across a ravine. Walking it costs nothing on the garden route.
Český Krumlov
Museums, parks, and neighborhoods are on the full Czechia itinerary, sequenced into a realistic day-by-day plan with transport between cities.
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