The Koneprusy Caves

The Koneprusy caves run on three levels through the limestone of Zlaty kun hill near Beroun, and form the longest cave system in Bohemia. The guided route covers most of a kilometre and drops through decorated halls with the usual columns and curtains, plus some unusual knobbly formations known locally as Koneprusy rosettes. The oddest find here was human: in the upper level, sealed off and long forgotten, archaeologists uncovered a fifteenth century workshop where someone had been quietly forging coins. Bones of animals that fell into the open shafts, cave bear among them, came out of the same levels. The caves sit in the Bohemian Karst, a belt of limestone quarries and dry valleys between Prague and Beroun.

What you actually see

• The three levels - a route that descends through connected halls from the upper caves to the lower ones.
• The Koneprusy rosettes - knobbly mineral growths on the walls, unusual enough to carry the site's name.
• The forger's workshop - the reconstructed upper-level chamber where medieval coin dies were found.
• The Zlaty kun hill - the limestone hill above, quarried on one side, with dry karst valleys around it.

When to go

Tours run from spring to autumn, with reduced hours at the shoulders and a winter closure. Book ahead for summer weekends and school holidays, when groups fill the slots. The caves hold a steady low temperature all year, so take a jacket even in August. Weekday mornings usually mean smaller groups and a slower guide.

Honest expectations

You go in a guided group on a fixed route, at the guide's pace, and commentary may be in Czech only unless a language tour is booked. The route has several hundred steps and low sections that suit neither bad knees nor tall people. It is cold and damp inside. The surroundings are working quarry country and not scenic.

Nearby

Karlstejn castle and the Bohemian Karst valleys are close, as is the flooded Velka Amerika quarry.