The Central Bohemian Region surrounds Prague on every side, so everything in it is a day trip from the capital. It is where Prague people go for castles, rivers and woods, and where visitors find the country's richest medieval town after Prague itself.
Kutná Hora, the silver town with the Sedlec Ossuary and St Barbara's, has its own page. Karlštejn Castle, the easiest half-day trip from Prague, is on the Czechia page. This page adds Lidice, the village destroyed in 1942, and helps you choose and combine the trips.
Walk the site of Lidice, the village erased in 1942
Lidice Memorial, Tokajická 152, Lidice
2 to 3 hoursGo alone or with a tour
The grassy valley where a village stood until June 1942, with 82 bronze children facing it and a museum that names every victim.
What it is
On 10 June 1942, in reprisal for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, German forces shot the men and boys of Lidice, deported the women and children, burned the village and levelled it; about 340 of its people were murdered. The memorial landscape keeps the foundations of the church, the school and the Horák farm, the Grave of the Men and a rose garden. Marie Uchytilová's monument of 82 bronze children, 42 girls and 40 boys, looks across the valley.
How to do it
Lidice is about 12 km northwest of Prague. Take metro A to Nádraží Veleslavín and bus 300 or 322 to the Lidice stop, five minutes from the museum; the fare is 24 CZK. The memorial opens daily from 9:00 to 17:00, and the museum costs 150 CZK for adults and 70 CZK for children.
Good to know
See it on the same trip as the Anthropoid crypt in Prague: the two places tell one story.
Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.
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Plan your trip
Which trip for what
For a whole UNESCO town with a bone chapel, a cathedral and a silver mine, Kutná Hora. For a Gothic castle above a river valley in half a day, Karlštejn. For the Second World War, Lidice, which pairs with the Operation Anthropoid crypt in Prague. Terezín, often sold as a Central Bohemian trip, lies just over the border in the Ústí Region and has its own entry on the Czechia page.
Getting around
Every place on this page is reachable by public transport from Prague. Trains go to Kutná Hora roughly every hour from the main station and to Karlštejn in about 40 minutes, and Lidice is a suburban bus ride from metro A at Nádraží Veleslavín. A car helps only for combining two places in one day, for example Karlštejn with the villages of the Berounka valley.
How many days
In must30's view, base yourself in Prague and give Central Bohemia one or two days: Kutná Hora takes a full day, Karlštejn half a day and Lidice a morning or an afternoon. Sleep in Kutná Hora only if you want its mine, its night tour and its museums without rushing.
When to go
Castles and museums here keep shorter hours in winter and some routes close outright, so spring to autumn is the easy season. Many museums close on Mondays; Lidice opens every day. Book Sedlec ahead in summer and at weekends, when its timed slots go first.
Questions travellers ask
What are the best day trips from Prague into Central Bohemia?
Kutná Hora for the Sedlec Ossuary, St Barbara's and a medieval silver mine; Karlštejn for the Gothic castle of Charles IV; and Lidice for the memorial to the village destroyed in 1942. All three are reachable by train or bus from Prague.
Can you combine Kutná Hora and Karlštejn in one day?
Not comfortably. They lie on opposite sides of Prague, Kutná Hora to the east and Karlštejn to the southwest, and each is a full or half day on its own. Do them on separate days, or join a guided tour if you only have one.
How do you get to Lidice from Prague?
Take metro line A to Nádraží Veleslavín and then bus 300 or 322 to the Lidice stop, or metro line B to Zličín and bus 324. The museum is five minutes' walk from the stop, and the memorial opens daily from 9:00 to 17:00.
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