Bohemian Switzerland, Kutná Hora and Karlštejn tickets: day trips and buying advice

Guided tours leave from Prague's main station or New Town, run six to nine hours and include a Pravčická brána walk, a stop in Kutná Hora and often Karlštejn Castle. The schedule is tight.

By regional train and bus you are more flexible and cheaper, but need to know the timetables – reaching the Pravčická brána means a train, a ferry across the Vltava and an uphill walk.

The Pravčická brána is famous for its dramatic rock formations and the Pravčická brána Bridge; the national park itself is free to enter and the view from the bridge is open to everyone.

Kutná Hora is known for the Albrechtsburg castle and the porcelain manufactory; Karlštejn is the quiet counterpoint with its baroque palace and pheasant lodge in the forest, worth an extra hour.

Start early: from late morning both the Pravčická brána viewpoints and Kutná Hora's old town fill up. Realistically all three destinations in one day need eight to nine hours.

The porcelain manufactory includes a craftsmen's demonstration. There is no obligation to buy; if you want to skip a long pitch, choose a tour that explicitly keeps the visit short.