Czechia in 5 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)

Czechia in 5 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)

Five days keeps the 4-day route intact and gives Cesky Krumlov the daylight hours it needs before the bus back to Prague, priced in koruna throughout. Prefer to stay Prague-based and add Karlstejn or Terezin instead of Krumlov’s overnight? See our Prague day trips series . Want Brno and Moravia too? The 7-day version keeps this exact route going.

Book these before you go

Day 1: Prague, the Free Old Town Wins

Land at Vaclav Havel Airport, buy a stamped DPP ticket for the trolleybus 59 or bus 100 plus a metro transfer (about CZK 40 total; there is no direct train or metro into the city), and settle into Stare Mesto or Mala Strana. Czechia uses the koruna, not the euro, despite being an EU and Schengen member, so skip the “0% commission” exchange booths on Old Town Square and use a bank ATM instead (decline any offer to charge you in dollars or euros). Spend the free evening on Old Town Square for the Astronomical Clock’s hourly show, then walk Charles Bridge before the morning tour groups arrive. Both cost nothing; the full Prague budget guide covers the rest of the city’s free wins. Book tomorrow’s Kutna Hora train tonight on cd.cz or through RegioJet, since advance fares run cheaper than a walk-up ticket.

Day 2: Prague Castle, Where the Budget Actually Goes

Prague Castle’s grounds, courtyards and gardens cost nothing and open daily, roughly 6am to 10pm, with the Changing of the Guard at noon. Paying only gets you inside: a timed Circuit ticket covering St Vitus Cathedral’s interior, the Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane runs roughly CZK 350 to 450 (prices are reported inconsistently for 2026, so check hrad.cz before you book). Skip it if the budget is tight; the free half is most of the visit, and our Prague Castle budget breakdown covers which circuit to pick if you do pay. The Jewish Quarter’s combined synagogue ticket runs CZK 600 and earns its price only if the history specifically pulls you, otherwise save the money for Kutna Hora tomorrow. Cross back over the river for dinner in Mala Strana, cheaper than the tables right at the castle gate.

Day 3: Kutna Hora, the Sedlec Ossuary’s Timed Ticket

Trains from Hlavni nadrazi run roughly hourly, take about 50 minutes, and cost CZK 100 to 140 one way. Buy the ticket to Kutna Hora mesto, not Kutna Hora hl.n., the stop that lands you in the historic town rather than a further local-train ride away. The Sedlec Ossuary, decorated with an estimated tens of thousands of human bones, now requires a timed ticket booked ahead through sedlec.info : CZK 220 adult, CZK 150 reduced, CZK 80 child, covering the nearby cathedral too. Slots sell out 2 to 3 weeks ahead in season, so book before you leave Prague, not on arrival. Add St Barbara’s Cathedral for a combined ticket around CZK 360, or CZK 180 on its own. Be back in Prague by early evening for a last hospoda dinner, where a half litre of Czech lager still runs less than a bottle of water at the same counter.

Day 4: Cesky Krumlov, the One Overnight Worth Booking

Prague to Cesky Krumlov has no fast direct train (the one direct service still takes about 2h30, and a transfer at Ceske Budejovice pushes anything else to 3 to 3.5 hours), so take the bus instead. RegioJet and FlixBus run direct from Na Knizeci, not Florenc, the fastest around 2h25, for roughly CZK 220 to 430 one way depending on how far ahead you book. Leave Prague by late morning, check into a budget guesthouse, and spend the afternoon on the castle’s courtyard, gardens and bear moat, all free to wander; check ckrumlov.info for current opening hours before you go. The paid interior is sold by route, CZK 260 to 400 depending which one, and the Baroque Castle Theatre, one of Europe’s best preserved with its original 18th-century stage machinery, costs the most at CZK 400. Stay for dinner by the river once the day-tour buses have cleared out; this is the one stop on the whole trip worth the extra guesthouse night.

Day 5: Cesky Krumlov by Daylight, Then Back to Prague

Give the morning to the town before the tour buses arrive: the castle grounds again, free, then the color-washed facades and the river bend that make Cesky Krumlov’s UNESCO-listed core worth the overnight rather than a rushed there-and-back day. The historic centre’s UNESCO listing covers the whole old town, not just the castle. Head to the bus stop by early afternoon; RegioJet and FlixBus run back to Prague roughly every hour or two, the same CZK 220 to 430 fare as the trip down, landing at Na Knizeci in the early evening, enough daylight left for one last Prague meal or a final walk across Charles Bridge.

Day Focus Travel time Cost (CZK)
1 Prague arrival, free Old Town Base, no travel 300-600 (food and transit; sights free)
2 Prague Castle, optional Circuit Base, no travel 350-1,000 (more if you add the Circuit or Jewish Quarter)
3 Kutna Hora, Sedlec Ossuary About 50 min train each way 420-700 (train, ossuary ticket, food)
4 Cesky Krumlov, arrive and stay About 2h25-2h40 bus 700-1,200 (bus, guesthouse night, food)
5 Cesky Krumlov by day, bus back to Prague About 2h25-2h40 bus 350-700 (return bus, food; castle grounds free)

Figures above cover sights, transport and food, not the two Prague nights and one Krumlov night; those add their own rate on top. Czechia’s official tourism site, visitczechia.com , has the country-wide events calendar if your dates are flexible.

Is Cesky Krumlov Worth a Day Trip Instead of an Overnight?

No. Buses and the single direct train both run 2.5 to 3 hours each way, so a there-and-back day trip leaves only a few rushed hours in a town built for a slower pace. Splitting it across Day 4 and Day 5, as this itinerary does, buys a full unhurried evening and morning there for the cost of one guesthouse room, not one extra bus fare.

Is 5 Days Enough to Reach Brno and Moravia?

Not quite. Five days fits Prague, Kutna Hora and a proper Cesky Krumlov overnight comfortably, but Brno sits a further leg away with no fast direct connection from Krumlov, so it needs at least a sixth day on top of this route. The 7-day version covers exactly that push into Moravia.

Bring small CZK notes throughout: rural ticket machines, village shops and the ossuary gift counter don’t always take cards.