The classic Prague day trip by private driver is Kutná Hora, the medieval silver town about 82 km (51 mi) east of the city, and it is the Elly8.net signature package from Prague: 6 hours with the same chauffeur and vehicle, from US$470 in a business sedan to US$940 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle and all-in. Karlštejn Castle, Konopiště, Terezín and Bohemian Switzerland are the other trips that fit well into a day by car.
Rides in Prague are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. This guide is for travellers from the United States and Canada who want to see the Bohemian countryside without renting a car: what each trip involves, how long the driving is, and how to plan the day.
What is the best day trip from Prague by private driver?
Kutná Hora is the strongest all-round choice: two UNESCO-listed churches and a historic centre about 70 minutes away, with sights spread far enough apart that a waiting car helps. Karlštejn Castle suits a half day, Konopiště pairs history with a park, Terezín is the essential memorial visit, and Bohemian Switzerland is a full day of walking and views.
The rule our desk uses for a good day trip is that no more than about a third of the day should be spent in the car. Every trip below is within about two hours of the Old Town on a clear road on our routing, and most are within an hour.
Prague day trips at a glance
Distances and drive times below are routed estimates from the Old Town on a clear road, calculated with the public OSRM routing service. Weekday rush hours and summer weekends add time.
| Day trip | Routed distance (one way) | Clear-road drive | How it is priced | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kutná Hora | about 82 km / 51 mi | about 1 h 10 min | 6-hour Kutná Hora package | Gothic churches, silver-town history |
| Karlštejn Castle | about 31 km / 19 mi | about 40 min | Hourly, 3-hour minimum | A half day, a fortress on a hill |
| Konopiště Castle | about 50 km / 31 mi | about 50 min | Hourly or full-day chauffeur | Franz Ferdinand's home, the park |
| Terezín Memorial | about 62 km / 38 mi | about 50 min | Hourly or full-day chauffeur | The history of the ghetto and the fortress |
| Bohemian Switzerland (Hřensko) | about 126 km / 79 mi | about 1 h 45 min | Full-day chauffeur | Sandstone gorges and the Pravčická Gate |
| Český Krumlov | about 175 km / 109 mi | about 2 h 10 min | Full-day chauffeur or one-way transfer | Better with an overnight stay |
Kutná Hora: the signature day trip
Kutná Hora grew rich on silver from the end of the 13th century and became a royal city in the 14th. UNESCO lists its historical town centre together with the Church of St Barbara and the Church of Our Lady at Sedlec, which stands about 1.5 km north-east of the historic centre. That distance is exactly why a car helps: the sights are close enough for a single day and far enough apart to make walking between them with children or older travellers a chore.
A typical plan:
- Leave Prague at about 9:00. The drive is about 82 km (51 mi), roughly 1 hour 10 minutes on a clear road.
- Sedlec first. Start at the Sedlec end of town before the coach groups arrive.
- The historic centre. The chauffeur drops you near the centre for St Barbara's and a walk through the old town, and waits while you have lunch.
- Back in Prague by mid-afternoon, in time to rest before dinner.
The Kutná Hora package covers 6 hours: from US$470 in a business sedan, US$610 in a business SUV, US$720 in a First Class SUV and US$775 in a First Class Sedan to US$940 in an Executive Sprinter. The town's official site has current local news and visitor information.
Karlštejn Castle: a half day
Karlštejn is the closest of the big castles, about 31 km (19 mi) south-west of the Old Town, around 40 minutes on our routing. Two practical facts from the castle's visitor information shape the visit:
- The only car park is in the village, on the left bank of the Berounka River, about 2 km from the castle. Everyone walks up from there; the chauffeur drops you as close as the rules allow and waits in the village.
- It is a medieval fortress, with steps and narrow doorways and no elevator. Tour 2 involves 459 steps. Visitors with reduced mobility should contact the castle in advance; the castle offers arrangements, including a car park near the main gate for marked vehicles of people with disabilities.
Karlštejn fits the hourly booking: Prague car service by the hour costs US$85 an hour in a business sedan, US$110 in a business SUV and US$170 in an Executive Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum. Four or five hours covers the drive, the walk up, a guided tour and lunch in the village. Five hours in a business sedan comes to US$425.
Konopiště: Franz Ferdinand's favourite home
Konopiště Castle, near Benešov, is about 50 km (31 mi) south-east of the Old Town, around 50 minutes on our routing. It began as a late 13th-century Gothic castle, and its last owner was Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, who was assassinated with his wife Sophia in Sarajevo in 1914, according to the castle's own site. The interiors, and the grounds around the castle, make a calmer and less crowded day than Karlštejn.
Book it by the hour for a half day, or as a full-day chauffeur from US$630 in a business sedan if you want to combine it with lunch in the countryside and a slower return.
Terezín: the memorial
Terezín, about 62 km (38 mi) north-west of Prague and around 50 minutes on our routing, was the site of the Terezín ghetto and of the police prison in the Small Fortress during the Second World War. The Terezín Memorial looks after the sites, and its visitor information covers opening hours, admission, tours and a visitor code of conduct.
One important current change: the Memorial announced that the Ghetto Museum will close from 2 November 2026 for an extensive renovation and the preparation of a new permanent exhibition. During the renovation, a temporary exhibition on the history of the ghetto between 1941 and 1945 is shown at the Museum of Art in the former Magdeburg Barracks, where the ticket office has also moved. Check the Memorial's site for the visitor route before you go.
This is a sombre day, and many guests prefer a quiet car and a chauffeur who waits rather than a group tour. Book it by the hour, or as a full-day chauffeur if you want time for both the town and the Small Fortress.
Bohemian Switzerland: a full day outdoors
For travellers who want landscape rather than castles, Bohemian Switzerland National Park, on the border with Saxony, is a day of sandstone gorges, viewpoints and forest walks. Hřensko, the gateway village, is about 126 km (79 mi) from the Old Town, around 1 hour 45 minutes on our routing. The regional tourism site lists the Pravčická Gate, the Elbe Canyon and the gorges among its top places, and posts current notices about closures and reopenings of trails and viewpoints, which are worth checking the week before you go.
This is a full-day chauffeur booking, from US$630 in a business sedan, US$810 in a business SUV and US$1,255 in an Executive Sprinter. Bring walking shoes; the chauffeur drops you at a trailhead and collects you at the end point of your walk if it is different.
Karlovy Vary and Český Krumlov: long days
Karlovy Vary, the spa town in the west, is about 128 km (79 mi) from the Old Town, roughly an hour and forty minutes each way. It makes a long, relaxed full day of colonnades, lunch and a spa visit; the Prague car service page covers it.
Český Krumlov is the trip we most often advise against doing as a return day. At about 175 km (109 mi) each way, around 2 hours 10 minutes on a clear road, the return day is mostly driving, and the town is best in the early morning and evening. Stay a night, or book a one-way transfer and continue to Vienna or Salzburg. Our Prague to Český Krumlov guide compares the car, the bus and the train.
How the prices work
All prices are per vehicle, fixed and all-in: chauffeur, vehicle, taxes and standard gratuity. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost.
| Booking type | Business Sedan | Business SUV | First Class SUV | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kutná Hora day trip (6 hours) | US$470 | US$610 | US$720 | US$775 | US$940 |
| Full-day chauffeur | US$630 | US$810 | US$960 | US$1,035 | US$1,255 |
| Private city highlights tour | US$340 | US$440 | US$520 | US$560 | US$680 |
| By the hour, 3-hour minimum | US$85/h | US$110/h | US$130/h | US$140/h | US$170/h |
Choosing the vehicle. A Business Sedan or First Class Sedan seats three; a Business SUV or First Class SUV seats six; an Executive Sprinter seats twelve. For eight people on the Kutná Hora package, one Sprinter at US$940 is about US$118 each, for comparison only; the price is charged per vehicle.
When a coach tour or the train is the better choice
A private driver is not the cheapest way to see Bohemia for a solo traveller. Group coach tours cost far less per seat, and public transport is an option for travellers happy to plan their own connections and walk from a station or bus stop at each end. For one or two people with flexible plans, those are good choices.
The car wins when the group is three or more, when there are children or older travellers, when you want to see two places in one day or on your own timetable, and when the day ends somewhere other than Prague, such as the airport for an evening flight. Our chauffeur vs car rental guide covers the self-drive option, including Czech motorway tolls and parking.
Planning tips for North American travellers
- Keep arrival day free. After an overnight flight, take the airport transfer and save the day trip for later; our Prague Airport by private car guide covers the first journey.
- Check opening days and book tours at Karlštejn, Konopiště and Terezín before you fix the date; heritage sites change hours through the season.
- Child seats are available on request. Give the children's ages when you book.
- Dress for the site. Castles mean steps and cobbles; Terezín asks visitors to follow its code of conduct; Bohemian Switzerland means trail shoes.
- Coming from Vienna or Berlin? See our Vienna day trips guide and our guide to Berlin to Prague by train or private driver, which covers a stop in Saxon Switzerland on the way in.
- Compare the fixed products. Every package we publish, in Prague and the other 140 cities, is on the packages page.
How to book a Prague day trip
- Choose the product: the Kutná Hora package, an hourly booking or a full-day chauffeur from the Prague price panel, or any other route in the web booker.
- Pick the vehicle for your group and add your hotel and pickup time.
- Reserve now and pay by card in US dollars. Confirmation and the chauffeur's details arrive by email.
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% at 72 hours or less; 50% at 48 hours or less; 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, refunded to the original card.
For a day in the city itself, see private city tours and hourly chauffeur service; for a wedding or group outing, see group transportation. Elly8.net books the car only; our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net handles flights and hotels. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Kutná Hora day trip from Prague with a private driver?
The 6-hour Kutná Hora package costs from US$470 in a business sedan, US$610 in a business SUV and US$775 in a First Class Sedan to US$940 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle. It includes the chauffeur, taxes and standard gratuity; tolls and parking are billed at cost.
Can the car drive up to Karlštejn Castle?
No, in most cases. The castle's only public car park is in the village, on the left bank of the Berounka River, about 2 km from the castle, and visitors walk up. The castle offers arrangements for visitors with reduced mobility; contact it in advance.
Is the Terezín Ghetto Museum open?
The Terezín Memorial announced that the Ghetto Museum will close from 2 November 2026 for renovation. A temporary exhibition on the history of the ghetto is shown at the Museum of Art in the former Magdeburg Barracks, which also houses the ticket office during the works.
Can I visit two places in one day?
Yes, when they are close enough. Karlštejn and a Prague afternoon, or Kutná Hora and a stop on the way back, work well on a full-day booking. Combining far-apart sights, such as Kutná Hora and Karlovy Vary, means too much time in the car.
Is Český Krumlov a good day trip from Prague?
It is possible but long: about 175 km (109 mi) each way, around 2 hours 10 minutes on a clear road. We recommend an overnight stay or a one-way transfer that continues to Vienna or Salzburg, so the drive becomes part of the journey.
What happens if we want to stay longer than planned?
Message the 24/7 desk during the day, as early as you know, so the partner can plan. Extra time beyond the package or booking is billed at cost at the published hourly rate, from US$85 an hour in a business sedan, as long as the chauffeur's schedule allows it.
