From silver to bone
Kutná Hora grew fabulously wealthy in the Middle Ages on the back of a huge silver deposit, rivalling Prague itself for a time — the currency of medieval Bohemia was minted here. That wealth built some serious Gothic architecture, most of which survives today in a town that's easy to see in a single day, and easy to get to.
The Sedlec Ossuary
The reason most visitors come is the Sedlec Ossuary, a small chapel decorated with the bones of an estimated 40,000–70,000 people, arranged into chandeliers, garlands and a coat of arms by a woodcarver in the late 19th century. It's genuinely unlike anything else near Prague, and photographs don't quite prepare you for it in person.
St Barbara's Cathedral
Back in the town centre, St Barbara's Cathedral is a Gothic showpiece funded by the silver miners it's dedicated to, with flying buttresses and interior frescoes depicting mining scenes — a rare case of a medieval cathedral literally decorated with its patrons' day jobs.
Getting there
Direct trains run regularly from Prague's Main Station, taking around an hour to Kutná Hora hlavní nádraží, with a short local connection or a walk on to the ossuary and town centre. It's straightforward enough to do independently without a guided tour, if you'd rather go at your own pace.