Five Reasons To Take A Half Day Trip From Prague To Kutna Hora
On my recent trip to Prague one thing I knew I wanted to do was visit the Bone Church, it’s something I’ve been fascinated with for years since seeing the images but I knew it would take up a good chunk of a day doing it myself. I had researched trains and routes and it was set to take about 2.5 hours on the train from the main Prague station, followed by a 20 minute or so walk (providing Google Maps aided us).
I knew it would be a long day but we were prepared to do it until we came across an advertised half day tour from Prague to Kutna Hora and we didn’t even need to think about it we knew it was a win-win. Here’s why it was such a great idea:
There was no need to navigate trains
Now I don’t mind navigating public transport in foreign countries but if there’s a choice of being picked up in an air-conditioned minivan and being chauffeur driven around as opposed to having to try and navigate trains I know which scenario I would pick. By choosing a tour we knew we could just pick it up from a central location (in the main square where the Astrological Clock was) and we knew we wouldn’t have to walk from stations.
It saved us time
Even if we didn’t have to wait for any trains and the walk was simple, just spending half an hour in the bone church would end up taking us almost seven hours in total, which is a long day. This is just because the train is 2.5 hours (although some are longer), but driving it’s only an hour outside of Prague so we managed to see even more in even less of the time.
It included a traditional Czech lunch
Factored into the cost of the trip was a three-course meal in a traditional Czech restaurant. Starters and desserts were set but there was a choice of five mains which our tour guide pre-ordered for us so the food was ready when we arrived. To start with we had some yummy onion and ham soup which got my seal of approval then for mains I opted for steak in cream sauce with dumplings, a traditional Czech dish which we saw advertised in restaurants all around, and then finishing with apple pie and cream. The whole meal was really yummy and something I doubt I’d have eaten if I hadn’t joined the tour.
The chance to explore St Margaret Cathedrale
As well as the bone church we stopped at the stunning St Margaret Cathedrale, a place I’d never heard of and we’d never have visited had we done the trip on our own. The Cathedrale looked traditionally stunning from the outside but inside it was unlike anything I’d seen before and even more impressive than St Pauls, Notre Dame and pretty much anywhere I’d been to before.
Get blown away by the bone church
The Sedlec Ossuary or Bone Church was the main reason for this trip and it’s such an incredible site. The small Roman Catholic Chapel is part of the former Sedlec Abbey and contains the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, whose bones have been used to decorate and furnish the chapel from chandeliers and artwork to the altar and chairs. The story of the bones dates back to 1279 when the King of Bohemia sent the abbot of the Sedlec Cistercian Monastery to Jerusalem and when he returned he had a jar of soil from Golgotha which was known as ‘Holy Soil’. Soon after this, people from all over wanted to be buried in Sedlec and the cemetery had to be expanded.
The bones stayed buried for centuries until 1870 when a woodcarver was appointed to put the bones in order and that’s exactly what was done. The church was built right next to the cemetery and not the dead are in the middle of the holy chapel where they wanted to be buried. It is harrowing to see but it’s also a great way to see the bones and those who died celebrated,
Do you like taking tours when you’re on holiday?
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31 responses to “Five Reasons To Take A Half Day Trip From Prague To Kutna Hora”
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All About Me
Rhian Westbury
Travels and Destinations
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Eeeee I’m so glad I’ve seen this – I’m going to Prague in January and had no idea this was even nearby! Thanks for the tip-off – I’ll definitely be trying to take a half-day trip to visit 🙂
The bone church looks both interesting yet a bit scary all at once. That steak sounds yummy!!!!
I love taking tours when on holiday and would love to visit the Bone Church if I headed to Prague
Another interesting historical site I would like to experience,Europe has history to spare.
Were you a little unsettled being around all those bones?
I’ve just sent this to a friend.. Prague is on our hit list next and she loves ALL things skull related!
Ooo the bone Church is something that I never heard about – looks interesting for sure x
My gosh … this bone church is absolutely spooktacular!!! Aside from the upcoming Halloween, this definitely fit my so-called “Walking Dead” obsession. I would love to visit someday.
I’ve heard great things about Prague but never about this place though it looks very intriguing!!
Kutna Hora looks gorgeous! I was in Prague this summer, but hadn’t heard of Kutna Hora until now!
Gutted!!! I went to Prague last December and never knew about this place. I would SO loved to have visited the bone church, it looks fascinating!
Wow, what a stunning place to visit. It looks gorgeous. I love taking trips when I am on holiday to see the local area
I tend to always explore on my own and not go on tours but am thinking now that it´s something I should consider. This looks like such an intriguing place!
What a beautiful place to go! We are currently making a bit of a wanderlust list so we can check off amazing places on our list when we visit them.I might suggest this to Sean x
I hadn’t even heard of Kutna Hora until this post! It looks stunning, would make such a lovely day trip in winter too x
THIs has been on my bucket list for so long – although I think I would have nightmares for weeks after!
C x
I’ve been to Prague & never realised this existed!! I wish I had known – an excuse to go back 😀 x
Wow. Just Wow. This sounds like an amazing sight and I never knew it existed.
Wow the bone church looks fascinating. I can imagine it might creep me out a bit but I would nevertheless still like to go and the three course lunch sounds fab too!
Prague is on my list of places to visit, as is the Bone Church so I am pleased to find tips for making the most of it. Did you go through a tour provider that you found over there or somewhere online before you went? Now I just have to manage to keep myself away from researching trips to Prague! Thanks, Rhian!
I so want to visit the Bone Church – I’d never heard of it before. That meal you had in Prague sounds yummy but I’m not sure I could have moved afterwards – all that cream!
I love the look of the bone church, amazing! My brother-in-law has not long moved to Prague so I imagine we will visit sometime soon! x
Wow! That bone church is fascinating. Well worth the trip – I am sure there is nothing else in the world quite like it!
OMG, that bone church looks amazing! We saw something similar once on holiday when I was a kid, I can’t remember where it was though.
The Bone Church is definitely the major attraction for me. I had planned to go up there from Bulgaria when I was living there, but never got the chance
The Bone Church looks both amazing yet scary to think those are actually really. Although creepy I would love to see it 😉
Ooh The Bone Church is on my list of things I want to see before I depart this life, does this count? ha x
I am a sucker for always booking tours when I go on holiday, how exciting you found this tour and spent time seeing more places and saving time
What a beautiful but creepy looking place! I’d love to visit! x
The bone church is just spooky and interesting. This place is beautiful but it gives me creeps.
The bone church is right up my street! Would love to visit there. What an interesting story!
What a stunning place to visit, Prague has been on my travel bucket list for quite some time now!