Kutná Hora
Czech Republic
The silver town that once rivalled Prague, with a chapel decorated in human bones three kilometres from the cathedral everyone confuses it with
Photo by Adrian Villa on Unsplash
Photos by Nik Demidko, Raquel Moss and Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Czech Republic
April to June, September to October — the ossuary queue is at its longest in high summer, when the coaches from Prague arrive by mid-morning
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 75mm in Jul
Where it is
49.95°N, 15.27°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Do the ossuary first and early, before the coach tours, then go on to the old town
- Know which cathedral is which: the bones are at Sedlec, St Barbara’s is in town
- Walk the terrace from St Barbara’s past the Jesuit college for the view over the valley
- Go down the medieval silver mine if you are fine in a narrow tunnel
- Most people come for the day from Prague and that is enough; stay the night only if you want the old town after the coaches leave or are going on east
Kutná Hora travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Czech Republic
Good valueCzech koruna, not the euro. Cards are taken at the sights and in most restaurants; paying in euros where it is offered gets a poor rate. There is no reason to change money here — draw korunas from a bank machine.
ATMs & cards
Use ČSOB, Komerční banka or Česká spořitelna machines in the old town. Avoid Euronet, and always decline the machine’s offer to convert.
Avoid these
- Euronet
- any machine offering a "0% commission" exchange
Use these instead
- ČSOB
- Komerční banka
- Česká spořitelna
Decline the conversion. The old town has the bank machines; Sedlec has very few.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Czech Republic
Very safeVery safe. The thing people get wrong is geography: the ossuary and the main railway station are in Sedlec, and St Barbara’s and the old town are three kilometres away. Allow for the gap, or you see half the town and miss your train.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (5 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- the ossuary at the height of the day — a small room that fills with tour groups, and a long queue outside in summer
- the medieval mine — narrow and low, and not for anyone uneasy in a tight space
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Czech Republic visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Czech Republic
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
- Tick-borne encephalitis if you plan to walk in forests between spring and autumn
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodCzech cooking at prices below Prague’s — svíčková, goulash, roast duck. The restaurants by St Barbara’s cost more for the view; a hospoda in the old town costs less for the same beer.
Travel tipsGetting around
Workable- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- LiftagoWorks here
Liftago the local one, and drivers prefer it
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Prague — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Czech Republic, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
Czech
- HelloDobrý denDOH-bree den
- PleaseProsímPRO-seem
- Thank youDěkujiDYEH-koo-yi
- Yes / NoAno / NeAH-no / neh
4 more phrases
- Excuse mePromiňtePRO-min-teh
- How much is it?Kolik to stojí?KO-lik to STO-yee
- The bill, pleaseÚčet, prosímOO-chet
- Cheers!Na zdraví!na ZDRA-vee
Religion
No majority faith
Among the least religious countries in Europe. Churches are visited as architecture, and nobody will assume otherwise.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Say dobrý den on entering a shop and na shledanou on leaving
- Let the beer settle — a proper Czech pour has a thick head and is not short measure
- Wait to be seated, and expect to share a table when it is busy
- Carry small notes; some pubs still dislike large ones
Don't
- Do not clink glasses across other people’s arms, and make eye contact when you toast
- Do not start drinking before everyone has toasted
- Do not be loud on public transport; the register is quiet
- Do not confuse Czech with Russian, or bring up the Soviet period casually
Where to stay in Kutná Hora
No Holistay rentals in Kutná Hora yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Kutná Hora on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Prague PRG
1h 45mfrom the airport· 74 km as the crow flies
Bus into Prague, then the train from the main station, about 1h 45.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
