Central Bohemia
Central Bohemia is a region in the Czech Republic. Officially, is consist of two regions, Central Bohemia Region and capital city Prague. Central Bohemia is a great option for those who want to experience different Czech Republic beyond crowded Prague but do not have too much time.
Cities and towns
- Prague — world city and capital of the Czech Republic, great starting point for one-day trips in Central Bohemia
- Kutná Hora (pop. 20,000) — historical town in UNESCO with famous St. Barbara cathedral, old silver mines and the Chapel of All Saints, which is decorated with thousands of human bones.
- Mělník (pop. 19,000) - one of the prettiest towns in Central Bohemia lies on confluence of the two longest Czech rivers Moldau and Elbe. Baroque chateau, old and large Gothic church and local vineyards are worth a visit
- Kladno - big industrial city (pop. 70,000) is is near Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area and just 30 kilometres northwest of Prague.
- Kolín (pop. 31,000) - historic town lying on the Elbe river with a big Gothic church
- Mladá Boleslav (pop. 44,000) - city with history of car factories, Laurin and Klement in past and Škoda auto factory today
- Poděbrady (pop. 14,000) - historical spa town
- Slaný (pop. 16,000) pretty historic town - Gothic church, gate etc.
- Beroun (pop. 19,000) - located in beautiful hilly landscape near Křivoklátsko, with remains of gothic fortification with two city gates.
- Příbram (pop. 33,000) - big city with rich mining history. In contrast with industrial past, on the hill above the town is Svatá Hora (Holy Mountain) baroque complex and sanctuary, also a good starting point for hiking in Brdy
- Kralupy nad Vltavou
Other destinations
- Karlštejn— hiking trip to the famous castle as well as an off the beaten track monastery
- Kokořínsko lying between Central and North Bohemia, this Landscape Protected Area offers some pretty sandstone rock formations, few castles and Máchovo Jezero lake.
- Lidice Memorial- memorial of village completely destroyed during the Nazi occupation, as revenge for assassination of Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich in 1942.
- Koněpruské Caves - 6 kilometers from Beroun largest cave system in Bohemia
- Průhonice Park - 250 hectares of natural park with rare flowers and chateau is along with Prague historic centre in UNESCO. It is located right on the edge of Prague.
- Český Šternberk Castle
- Konopiště Chateau - chateau where archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination started World War I.
- Vojna Memorial community working camp near Příbram
- Křivoklátsko - Protected Landscape Area and UNESCO biosphere reserve with unique species of plants in forests of Berounka River valley. Křivoklát Castle is there.
- Budeč - ruins of Slavic hill fort and oldest still standing building in the Czech Republic - Church of Saint Peter and Paul from 895(!), near Kladno
- Brdy Mountains - a piece of wilderness in Central Bohemia located south of Prague with deep forests. It used to be proving ground closed for visitors, but in 2016 will be military activity ended and mountains will become Protected Landscape Area.
- Hořovice chateau
- Svatá Hora u Příbrami - Marian Pilgrimage site of European significance
- Sázava Monastery founded in 1032.
- Zruč nad Sázavou — the main sights of the town include a castle and the church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross
- 1 Blaník. A natural reservation including a mountain of Blaník. A legend says that an army of Czech knights led by St. Wenceslas sleeps inside the mountain ready to awaken when the Motherland is in great danger.
Understand
Central Bohemia played major role in creation of Czech state. Oldest building in Czech Republic, Church of Saint Peter and Paul is located here. Large Karlštejn Castle and Kutná Hora with silver mines and Gothic cathedral and baroque monastery are reminders of ages, when Bohema was one of the most wealthy and powerful parts of Europe.
Landscape is mostly flat due to rivers Elbe and Moldau, which confluence here. It is one of the most fertile parts of the Czech Republic. Mountains can be found in south part of Central Bohemia, with maximal elevation of 864 meters.
Get in
You can reach most of the places in Central Bohemia under one hour from Prague. Visit some sights in Central Bohemia can be an ideal one-day trip from Prague.
By car
- Prague-Kladno 30 minutes
- Prague-Beroun 30 min.
- Prague-Příbram 46 min.
- Prague-Mělník 38 min.
- Prague-Benešov 46 min.
- Prague-Kutná Hora 1h7min.
- Praha-Mladá Boleslav 46 min.
By bus or train
Some connection are not direct. For more accurate information look at IDOS
- Prague-Kladno 30 min. by bus
- Prague-Beroun 25 min. by bus, 35-50 min. by train
- Prague-Příbram 50-60 min. by bus
- Prague-Mělník 40 min. by bus
- Prague-Benešov 30-50 min. by bus, 60 min. by train
- Prague-Kutná Hora 1h40min. by bus, 1h by train
- Prague-Mladá Boleslav 40 min. by bus, 1h3min. by train
Get around
It depends where, but bus as well as train is generally a good option. If you want to drive car, realize that some Central Bohemian local roads can be in bad condition. Traveling by foot could be recommended for some beautiful landscapes of Křivoklátsko, Kokořínsko and Brdy.
See
You can find lot of castles, chateaux, historic towns and other sights in Central Bohemia
Castles and ruins
- Karlštejn
- Křivoklát
- Český Šternberk
- Jenštejn
- Kokořín
- Okoř
- Žebrák
Chateaux
- Veltrusy
- Průhonice
- Konopiště
- Hořovice
- Dobříš
- Mníšek pod Brdy
- Mělník
- Poděbrady
- Mnichovo Hradiště
- Lány
Nazi and communist history
Itineraries
Few tips for one-day trips from Prague. There is, of course, lot of options based on your preferences and interests.
Southeast of Prague
- Prague-Průhonice Park-Sázava-Český Šternberk Castle-Konopiště Chateau-Prague (2h30min. of total time driving)
Around Beroun
Kutná Hora
- Prague-Kutná Hora (UNESCO)-Prague (2h15 min.)
North of Prague
Do
Eat
Drink
Stay safe
Go next
Your next stop can be almost anywhere in the Czech Republic, because of Central Bohemia's position in the middle of the country.