This post was originally published on A Globe Well Travelled in 2015. The content has been revised and updated with fresh information.
I have a strange obsession with dark tourism.
My original plan for the day had been a trip to Český Krumlov — that dreamy, fairy tale town in southern Bohemia. But after discovering that hardly anyone bothers with the overpriced journey during winter, I decided to abandon the idea. The charming atmosphere of the cobbled streets wouldn’t quite hit the same without the usual bustle of visitors, and I pictured myself wandering through the town alone like a sad ghost in an empty snow globe.
Instead, I found myself packed into a train carriage bound for Kutná Hora — a destination I hadn’t even heard of until arriving in Prague just a few days earlier. Word had spread through the hostel crowd about a “bone chapel” on the edge of the city, and intrigued by the idea that my thirst for all things eerie and morbid might be satisfied, I signed myself up for a day trip to this small Czech town.
Quick summary:
The Sedlec Ossuary in Kutná Hora is one of Europe’s most fascinating and bizarre dark tourism sites. In this post, I share what it’s like to visit the Bone Chapel, along with practical tips on how to get there on a day trip from Prague, what to expect, and how to book tickets or join a tour.
Recommended tour:
🚌 Kutná Hora Bone Chapel Day Tour — Includes return transfers from Prague and entry to the ossuary and other top sites with a local guide.
What is the Sedlec Ossuary (Bone Chapel)?
The Sedlec Ossuary, also known as the Bone Chapel, is one of the most unusual and underrated attractions in Europe. Located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in the Sedlec suburb of Kutná Hora, the chapel is decorated with the bones of over 40,000 people.
The remains were arranged into elaborate formations — from skull pyramids to chandeliers — by a half-blind woodcarver named František Rint in the 1870s. While originally meant as a way to respectfully store the overflow of bodies from the cemetery during the Black Death and Hussite Wars, it has since become one of the most bizarre (and oddly beautiful) examples of macabre art.
My visit to the Bone Chapel
I’ll admit, I had set myself up to expect something out of a gothic horror film — a haunted cathedral slowly appearing through the mist as wolves howled in the distance. Instead, we were greeted by a small, unassuming chapel with a simple exterior. A few crooked headstones lined the walkway to the entrance, each one sinking unevenly into the ground, as though slowly giving up the fight against gravity.
As our group shuffled through the doorway, I silently hoped that the inside would offer a little more shock value. I wasn’t disappointed. Descending into the crypt, I was immediately hit with that unique blend of awe and discomfort that only comes from standing beside human remains arranged in disturbingly artistic ways.
In one corner, towering mounds of skulls loomed with hollow eyes, watching silently as I passed. A chandelier of leg bones and pelvises hung from the ceiling, swinging slightly in the draft. Along the walls were garlands of vertebrae, strings of jaws, and even the family crest of the chapel’s former patrons — all crafted entirely from bone.
At one point, my hand accidentally brushed against a smooth cranium — the polished scalp of a long-forgotten plague victim that had likely been touched by thousands of curious fingers before mine. A chill ran through me, and I felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction. This was exactly the kind of creepy-but-compelling experience I’d come looking for. Dark tourism might be a strange obsession, but it definitely gets my adrenaline pumping.
How to get to Kutná Hora from Prague
Getting to Kutná Hora is surprisingly easy, and there are two main options: independent travel by train or joining a guided day tour.
Kutná Hora guided day trip
🚌 I personally took a Kutna Hora day tour from Prague, which included round-trip transport, a local guide, and entry to the Bone Chapel. It made the experience stress-free and let me focus on soaking up the weirdness without worrying about logistics.
Trains to Kutná Hora
If you prefer to go it alone, you can catch a direct train from Prague’s main train station (Praha hlavní nádraží) you can search for train tickets to Kutná Hora main station (Kutná Hora hlavní nádraží).
The journey takes just over an hour. From the station, it’s about a 20–25 minute walk to the Sedlec Ossuary. Trains run fairly frequently throughout the day, making this a very doable half-day or full-day trip.
Kutna Hora tickets and opening hours
Tickets to the Bone Chapel can be purchased either on arrival or online in advance. The main ticket office is located at the Sedlec Information Centre, just across the road from the chapel entrance. General admission costs around 160 CZK for adults and 110 CZK for students and seniors. Combination tickets are also available if you want to visit other sites in the area, like the Cathedral of the Assumption or the Church of St. Barbara.
The Bone Chapel is open daily, but hours vary by season. From April to September, it’s typically open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. In the colder months from October to March, hours are usually reduced to 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The chapel is closed on December 24–26 and January 1. Be sure to check the official Sedlec website for up-to-date times before you go.
Entry tickets for Sedlec Ossuary can be purchased on arrival at the Sedlec Information Center.
Tips for visiting the Kutná Hora bone chapel:
When to go: While the chapel is small and only takes about 15–30 minutes to explore, it can feel crowded, especially when tour groups arrive. Visiting earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon might give you a bit more space to appreciate the atmosphere.
Photography: Photography is allowed inside the chapel, but flash is strictly prohibited — and honestly, you’ll want to be respectful when capturing something this sacred and strange.
Souvenirs: There’s a small souvenir shop nearby where you can buy macabre mementos like postcards, magnets, and miniature bone chandeliers (yes, really).
Other nearby attractions: It’s also worth setting aside extra time to see the nearby Cathedral of the Assumption, which is just a short walk away and included in some combination tickets.
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