Eight days through the finest UNESCO towns of Bohemia and Moravia: Prague's Astronomical Clock, the bone church of Kutná Hora, Telč's Renaissance square, the fairy-tale castle bend of Český Krumlov and Pilsner Urquell in Plzeň.
The Czech Republic packs an extraordinary density of UNESCO World Heritage Sites into a small area. This eight-day loop starts and finishes in Prague, driving south through the silver-mining medieval town of Kutná Hora, west into Moravia to Telč's perfect Renaissance square, then to Český Krumlov — the finest small castle town in Central Europe — before returning via the home of Pilsner Urquell in Plzeň.
| Day | Stop | Distance from previous |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Prague (arrive) | — |
| 3 | Kutná Hora | 85 km / 1 hour |
| 4 | Telč | 165 km / 2 hours |
| 5–6 | Český Krumlov | 85 km / 1.5 hours |
| 7 | Plzeň | 175 km / 2 hours |
| 8 | Prague (return) | 90 km / 1 hour |
No leg exceeds two hours, making this a relaxed itinerary even without early starts.
Two days in Prague is not enough to see everything, but it is enough to understand why this is one of the most visited cities in Europe — and to know that you will return.
The medieval Old Town is the natural starting point. Old Town Square is anchored by the Astronomical Clock, a mechanical marvel completed in 1410 that plays a theatrical show on the hour. The twin Gothic spires of the Church of Our Lady before Týn dominate the east side of the square; inside, the tomb of the astronomer Tycho Brahe is easy to miss but worth seeking out.
Cross Charles Bridge before 8am if possible. Built by Charles IV between 1357 and 1402, the bridge is lined with 30 Baroque statues added in the 17th and 18th centuries. After 9am in summer it becomes extremely crowded.
Prague Castle is the other essential. The largest medieval castle complex in the world by area, it contains St. Vitus Cathedral, the Romanesque-Baroque Royal Palace, the artisans' houses of the Golden Lane and multiple museums. Book timed entry online and arrive when it opens.
In the evening, walk down through Malá Strana (the Little Quarter) below the castle — quieter than the Old Town, with excellent wine bars on Nerudova Street.
Drive 85 km east of Prague to one of the most compelling medieval towns in Central Europe. Kutná Hora was the second-richest town in Bohemia in the 14th century, its wealth built on silver mines that funded the Bohemian royal treasury. When the mines failed in the 16th century, the town was largely frozen in time.
Start at the Sedlec Ossuary, a Roman Catholic chapel whose interior is decorated with the bones of around 40,000 people arranged in elaborate patterns: a chandelier, garlands and coats of arms. The effect is both macabre and genuinely moving. The chapel opens at 8am; arrive early to beat the coach parties.
From Cambridge's Gothic spires to Ely's cathedral rising above the flat Fens, this journey through Cambridgeshire takes in Bronze Age causeways, a Norman cathedral with a theatrical three-arched West Front, and Stamford, England's finest stone town.
St. Barbara's Cathedral is at the opposite end of town, reached by a long esplanade past former mining offices. The Gothic nave, with its distinctive tent-shaped ribbed vaults, was under construction from 1388 to 1905. Both the Ossuary and the Cathedral are UNESCO World Heritage Sites; a combined ticket covers both.
Drive 165 km south-west into Moravia to one of the least-visited UNESCO towns in Central Europe. Telč's main square is one of the most beautiful in Europe: a long medieval marketplace entirely enclosed by Renaissance and Baroque arcades, each house with a distinctive painted gabled façade. The square has been almost unchanged since the 17th century.
The Baroque château at the northern end was rebuilt from a Gothic castle by Zacharias of Hradec after 1550, following his return from Italy. The Italian influence is clear in the arcaded courtyard and the ornate Golden Hall with its painted ceilings. Château tours run in Czech and German with English audio guides.
Telč is a very small town. Stay overnight: in the evening, after the day visitors have left, the square becomes very quiet and very beautiful.
Drive 85 km south-west to the most remarkable small town in Bohemia. Český Krumlov's castle stands on a steep rocky promontory encircled by a tight horseshoe bend of the Vltava river. The old town on the inner loop of the river is a perfectly preserved ensemble of medieval and Baroque buildings, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
The castle complex is the second largest in the Czech Republic after Prague Castle. The baroque theatre in the Upper Castle is one of the most intact 18th-century court theatres in the world — original stage machinery, painted backdrops and costumes are still in place. Book the theatre tour online; it sells out in summer.
Two nights gives time to take the short castle walk at dusk (the panorama across the river bend is the best view in Bohemia), to tour the castle interiors, to walk the baroque garden, and to paddle the Vltava through the castle bend on a rented kayak.
Drive 175 km north-west to the industrial city that gave the world its most widely produced beer style. On 5 October 1842, brewer Josef Groll produced the first batch of golden, bottom-fermented lager in Plzeň — so different from the dark top-fermented beers of the time that it became the dominant style produced worldwide.
The Pilsner Urquell Brewery has offered public tours since the 1990s. The underground cellar version takes you into 9 km of tunnels below the brewery and ends with unfiltered, unpasteurised tank beer from the lagering vessels — a very different drink from the exported version.
Republic Square is a few minutes from the brewery. St. Bartholomew's Cathedral at its centre has the tallest church tower in Bohemia at 102 metres; on a clear day the climb gives views across the Plzeň basin to the Šumava forest.
The D5 motorway runs directly from Plzeň to Prague — 90 minutes with no toll beyond the Czech road vignette already purchased for the journey.
Prague's Václav Havel Airport is well connected to most European cities, with direct flights from London, Paris, Amsterdam and beyond. The airport is 20 km from the city centre; a taxi or rideshare takes 30–40 minutes.
A Czech road vignette is required for motorways. Purchase online at edalnice.cz or at border crossings and petrol stations. A 10-day vignette costs around €13; an annual vignette around €60. Czech Republic drives on the right. The alcohol limit is 0.0% — strictly zero tolerance.
Parking in Český Krumlov: the old town is car-free. Park at the Chvalšinská lot and walk in (around 10 minutes).
May and June are ideal: mild temperatures, long days and no summer peak crowds. July and August are the busiest months in Prague and Český Krumlov. September and October bring beautiful autumn colours. Castle interiors in Český Krumlov, Telč and Kutná Hora close from November to March.
From the fan-vaulted cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral to the ancient woodland of the Forest of Dean, medieval Tewkesbury and Edward II's castle at Berkeley, this compact six-night loop explores one of England's most varied and under-visited counties.
The full route — stops, maps, and driving times — is on Routebook by Kington.
Eight days through the finest UNESCO towns of Bohemia and Moravia: two days in Prague, then south via the bone church of Kutná Hora and the Renaissance square of Telč to the fairy-tale castle town of Český Krumlov, returning north via the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzeň.
