Typical day trips for tourists staying in Prague are usually to the beautiful medieval town of Český Krumlov or the spa town, Karlovy Vary. Both of these beautiful places are unfortunately quite far from Prague, and when traveling with kids, I would recommend them as two-day trips only.
So what else is there to see around Prague that won’t exhaust you before you even get there? What can be fun for the kids and interesting enough for you to see and explore at the same time? What will make for a special and memorable day, without any tourist traps? Here are my top 5 picks!
An important note – most of the restaurants I picked are real gems and popular with locals, so please call and reserve a table in advance.
1. The fantastic medieval castle adventure at KŘIVOKLÁT
Hidden amongst the hills and forests of the lovely Czech landscape is a classic Czech medieval castle. And because it’s hidden, you won’t actually see it until you get super close.
What’s in it for the kids?
- Ride a Czech train
- Hide and seek in the forest
- Eat hot dogs in the courtyard of the Castle
- Admire the big Castle itself, of course!
What’s in it for you?
- Get out of the city
- See the beautiful Czech landscape
- Experience a small Czech town
- Learn about a medieval castle, just like in the history books
- Take a break in the Old Railroad Pub along the way
Let’s go
Take an Uber (for around 1 000 CZK / €) or taxi (for around 1 200 CZK / €) to Nižbor Old Railroad Pub. It’s a 50-minute ride. Have beer or lunch there. Take a train from there to Křivoklát (runs every hour at least and the ride takes 25 minutes). Walk up to the Castle and explore the surrounding forests (follow the yellow and blue tourist signs). If you get hungry, there is a nice restaurant in the courtyard of the Castle. To get back, take a train to Beroun and then another train from Beroun to Prague (or Uber/taxi again).
2. Visit the past with a hands on experience at BOTANICUS
Go back in time to a medieval town, become a rope-maker, chandler or coiner and afterwards – after all the hard work – rest in the peaceful gardens and eat pancakes.
What’s in it for the kids?
- Learn how medieval people lived and worked
- Make coins, paper, ropes, candles, soaps and more
- Manage a budget of local medieval town coins
- Have delicious pancakes and koláče (delicious Czech cake!)
What’s in it for you?
- Experience the countryside
- Watch your happy kids make crafts
- Shop for original Czech Botanicus cosmetics
- Rest in some beautiful gardens
Let’s go
Take an Uber or taxi (it shouldn’t cost more than 1 000 CZK / €) to the town of Ostrá, to the Craft Center Botanicus. See how Larrisa described her day in Botanicus. Just be aware, the only place you can get coffee is in the Botanicus store, which is outside the Craft Center (I guess there was no coffee in Czechia in medieval times ;)).
3. Play Kings and Queens in PRŮHONICE CASTLE
Right outside of Prague there is a castle surrounded by botanical gardens. On weekends, local families flee here to relax, walk around and have lunch. So come on a weekday to enjoy this place without the crowds. You can discover it on my Travelove self-guided tour!
What’s in it for the kids?
- See a real Castle and run around in the gardens
- Look for botanical signs in the garden
- Eat pizza and play in a kids play corner
- Bring swimsuits and dive into a water slide heaven!
What’s in it for you?
- See the suburbs of Prague
- Enjoy a peaceful walk in the castle gardens
- Have lunch in a kid-friendly restaurant
- Take your kids to a water park afterwards
Let’s go
Take an Uber or taxi (it shouldn’t cost more than 600 CZK / €) to the Průhonice Castle entrance. Get tickets to the gardens (or Castle as well if you feel like it) and walk around. You can also purchase a little activity booklet for the kids for 50 CZK (it’s only in Czech but the search activity is easy to understand even without the text). After the walk, have lunch at Grosseto, Sokolovna, Coloseum or Babiččina zahrada. And then maybe you can treat your kids to some water fun in Aquapalace Čestlice.
4. Uphill for Czech the cakes, “koláče”, and beer at ÚNĚTICE BREWERY
Follow in the footsteps of ancient people along the beautiful Silent Valley, all the way to a family-run brewery with a powerful history. And don’t forget to taste the amazing “koláče” (pronounced /colache/) before you head back to the city.
What’s in it for the kids?
- Ride on a Czech train
- Look for the remains of ancient cultures
- Play with water in the creek
- Taste the best koláče (typical Czech cakes) ever
What’s in it for you?
- See a typical Czech village
- Enjoy a beautiful walk
- Visit a Czech brewery and drink Czech beer
- Taste home-made food in a café run by a local family
Let’s go
Take a train from the train station, Praha-Libeň, to Roztoky u Prahy (it’s just a 15-minute ride). Hike from Roztoky to Únětice over a beautiful valley – it’s super easy, just follow the only blue tourist sign from the Roztoky train station. A path along a creek will take you in the footsteps of ancient merchants, who came from the Byzantine Empire with exotic goods and gems.
You’ll reach the Únětice Brewery after 6 km (3.7 miles). The brewery has its own restaurant where you can drink beer and eat lunch. If you want to see the inside of the brewery, here are the different brewery tour options. Before going back to Prague, stop for dessert (or a snack, or a whole lunch) in the family-run cafe, U Lasíků. Their home-made koláče (typical Czech cakes) will win you over! After that you can use Uber or a taxi to get back to the city (for around 500 CZK).
5. Into the wild in TRÓJA
This is technically not outside of the city but will definitely feel like it! Take a boat, walk through a park to a great playground and restaurant right in the middle of it, continue on to a castle and then the Zoo! You can purchase my self-guided tour with this day trip to guide you through everything!
What’s in it for the kids?
- See animals from all over the world
- Take a boat ride
- Play in a playground with trains
What’s in it for you?
- Float out of Prague on the river
- See the Troja Castle
- Relax in the largest of Prague’s parks, Stromovka
- Enjoy a meal in the outdoors
Let’s go
From April to October you can take a boat from the city center to Troja (Zoo). The other options are Uber or taxi (for around 350 CZK/€14) or a bus from the metro station Nádraží Holešovice (red C line). Here you can visit the Zoo and the Troja Castle (go see the gardens for sure). Then you take the pedestrian bridge across the Vltava River and spend the rest of the day in Stromovka, the biggest park in Prague. In the middle of this park you’ll find Vozovna Restaurant with a really nice playground. To get back to the city center walk across Stromovka to the tram stop, Výstaviště and catch a tram or taxi from there.
