Kutná Hora

The ancient silver mining town of Kutná Hora is one of the most historically significant towns in the Czech Republic and was the second most important town in the medieval Kingdom of Bohemia after Prague. The historical town center is part of the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Kutná Hora makes for a great day trip from Prague. It takes a little over an hour to get there, the town has an interesting history and a variety of sights, and you’ll be able to experience a place on a much smaller scale than Prague. The population of Kutná Hora is about 21,000 people.

A Brief History of Kutná Hora

Kutná Hora was settled as early as the 10th century but its development into a proper town dates back to the 13th century when silver was discovered in the area. Silver mining brought great wealth to the town. The royal mint was established in 1300 and Kutná Hora started producing the Prague groschencoins, thus becoming the second most important town in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Lots of building took place in the 14th century, including residential houses, churches, one of the country’s most significant monasteries, and the majestic Church of St. Barbara.

Several fires damaged or destroyed many of Kutná Hora’s buildings including the Sedlec Monastery during the Hussite wars in the 15th century. The town was quickly rebuilt thanks to its continuing income from silver mining. When the silver mines were depleted in the 16th century, Kutná Hora’s wealth took a sharp decline as did the growth of the town. Many of its churches were later closed down or torn down in conjunction with emperor Joseph II’s religious reform in the late 18th century. Kutná Hora’s architecture is defined by these events.

The main Kutná Hora information center is located on Palackého Square in the historic Sankturin House. Others can be found at the main train station, by the Cathedral of St. Barbara, and in Sedlec.

Information Center Kutná Hora
Sankturinovský dům
Palackého náměstí 377
destinace.kutnahora.cz

Kutná Hora sister cities: Eger, Hungary; Fidenza, Italy; Reims, France; Stamford, England

Getting to Kutná Hora from Prague

Kutná Hora is about 120 km from Prague. You can drive it in about 1.5 hours and it is easy to get to by public transport.

Prague – Kutná Hora (and Back) By Train

Arriving in Kutná Hora

Trains for Kutná Hora leave the Prague main train station (hlavní nádraží) every two hours in the morning and early afternoon, and every hour during commute time starting around 3 p.m. The trip takes about an hour and costs around 100 CZK/person one way.

The main Kutná Hora train station (Kutná Hora hl.n.) is about 4 km/2.5 miles from the city center, so it’s best to transfer to a local train after you arrive in Kutná Hora. There’s always one connecting with the arriving Prague train and you’ll have about five minutes to transfer. The ride into town takes seven minutes. When buying your train ticket in Prague, make sure you buy one for Kutná Hora město (město = town), not Kutná Hora hl.n., so you’re covered all the way into town and don’t have to buy an extra ticket on the local train.

If you miss your connection at the Kutná Hora train station, you can also take a local city bus into town. The bus stop is right in front of the station and the ride takes under 20 minutes. Get off at the bus station (autobusové nádraží).

A private 8-passenger minivan (Tourist Bus) runs between the Kutná Hora train station, Sedlec Ossuary and Church of St. Barbara in town. You can always see if one is waiting at the station when you arrive. It leaves as soon as at least three people get on.

Going to Sedlec First?

The local train passes through the Sedlec suburb, so you can get off there (it’s the 1st stop) and visit the Ossuary and the UNESCO-listed Cathedral of Our Lady on your way into town. Read our Sedlec Ossuary page for more information on how to get to and from Sedlec.

Leaving Kutná Hora

If you have a return train ticket from Kutná Hora město, you’ll catch your train from there. Again, you’ll be transferring to the Prague express train at the main train station.

Prague – Kutná Hora (and Back) By Bus

Direct buses leave the Praha-Háje bus stop (metro line C, station Háje) every hour throughout the day and the trip takes 1 hour 50 minutes. The price is around 70 CZK/person. There is a faster bus leaving the Florenc bus station in the morning that takes 1 hour 25 minutes. The nice thing about taking a bus is that you will be dropped off right in the Kutná Hora city center. You can get off at the very last stop (bus station) or the stop before that (Na Valech). The stops are four minutes apart and both are central enough. You can catch a bus going back to Prague from the same locations.

Train and Bus Schedules

You can look up Prague – Kutná Hora – Prague train and bus connections at IDOS.

Getting Around Kutná Hora

The Kutná Hora old town is on a small scale and you can easily walk to see the sights. The only time you may want to take some form of transport is to travel between the train station and town and to visit the Sedlec suburb with its famous Ossuary and UNESCO-listed Cathedral of Our Lady. Sedlec is located about 2.5 km/1.5 mi from the center and a walk from town takes close to 45 minutes.

Kutná Hora is serviced by city buses, taxis, and an 8-seater minivan called the Tourist Bus.

Getting Around by Bus

You can find bus connections between the Sedlec Ossuary and the Kutná Hora city center at IDOS Kutná Hora Public Transport. Enter the Czech names of the bus stops you need, e.g. hl.nádr. (main train station), aut.st. (bus station), Sedlec,Tabák (Sedlec Ossuary.

Taking the Taxi

You can usually find a taxi on the town square or the train station, or you can call one by phone. Below are a few Kutná Hora taxi companies:

Taxi Kutná Hora – Simona – www.taxi-kutnahora.cz
Taxislužba Kutná Hora – taxisluzbakh.sluzby.cz

Tourist Bus

A private eight-passenger minivan connects the main tourist points of Kutná Hora. It runs between the train station, Sedlec Ossuary, and Church of St. Barbara in the center. The ride costs around 35 CZK/person. The service is irregular and the van leaves when it fills up to at least three passengers.

What to See and Do in Kutná Hora