Beyond Prague

Direct trains run from Prague-Smíchov station towards Beroun, about 40 minutes, followed by a signed village lane and a 20-30 minute uphill walk to the gate - the approach through the vineyards is half the pleasure. Check cd.cz for current fares.

Charles IV built this fortress in the fourteenth century to house the crown jewels of the Empire, and it remains the most fairytale-shaped thing in Bohemia. Visits are by guided tour only: the basic tour of the imperial residence is 300 CZK for adults, with departures roughly every ten minutes so you rarely need to book ahead for it. The celebrated Chapel of the Holy Cross tour is 640 CZK and genuinely requires reserving. Opening days narrow outside the main season - from autumn the castle can close Mondays and by November runs weekends only - so check hrad-karlstejn.cz for your month before you set out.

By bus, not train: line 413 runs hourly from Letňany metro station (line C), about 50 minutes and roughly 100 CZK each way. Ordinary tickets bought at the metro station work.

The eighteenth-century fortress town the Nazis turned into a ghetto and propaganda showpiece - the "model settlement" the Red Cross was shown in 1944. The combined ticket to the Small Fortress and ghetto museum is 310 CZK and valid for four days, though most people give it three to five hours. This is a place for quiet attention rather than sightseeing; go in the morning and let it take the time it takes.

Trains from the main station take around an hour and a half; check cd.cz for times and fares.

The city that brewed the first pale lager in 1842 and gave the style its name. The Pilsner Urquell brewery tour runs daily, lasts about 100 minutes, costs 430 CZK and ends in the cellars with a pour of unfiltered beer drawn straight from a wooden barrel - a different creature from the bottled version. Book at prazdrojvisit.cz, and leave time for the astonishing squared cathedral and the pre-war pub-lined square.

Direct RegioJet coaches from Na Knížecí terminal take about two and a half hours each way; book at regiojet.cz for the cheap seats.

The complete Renaissance town inside a horseshoe of the Vltava, with a painted castle tower and a baroque theatre - a UNESCO site and justly famous. The honest caveat is the arithmetic: at five hours of travel for the round trip, a day trip means ten to eleven hours door to door. It is doable, and the castle route is 300 CZK, but Krumlov rewards an overnight far more than it rewards a sprint. If a day trip is all you have, go in shoulder season when the coach crowds thin.

Train towards Děčín from the main station, roughly two hours, then a local connection towards the park; leave Prague by 8:00 at the latest.

The sandstone gorge country on the German border, best known for the Pravčická brána, Europe's largest natural sandstone arch, and the ferry ride through the Edmund Gorge beneath it. It is a genuine full day - ten to twelve hours door to door - with a fair amount of local-bus coordination, so it suits a second or third visit to Prague rather than a first. Entry to the arch is around 100 CZK; confirm current fees before you go, as park pricing changes.