50.09° N · 14.42° E
Czechia's capital on the Vltava: castle and Gothic cathedral, Charles Bridge, the square with the astronomical clock and century-old beer halls, all on foot or by tram.
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Coming up
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Royal complex and cathedral · 3 h · tour 450 CZK · courtyards free from 6:00 to 22:00
Walk · 30 min · free · best before 8:00
Tower and halls · 1 h · from 350 CZK · the clock, free, on the hour
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Getaways from Prague
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
April to June and September to October, with good temperatures and fewer groups than in summer. December brings the Christmas markets. In July and August it is hot and the centre fills up; in January and February it freezes, but the museums open all the same.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Prague has its own airport, Václav Havel (PRG), with direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona all year round and, depending on the season, from other Spanish cities. It is about 17 km from the centre: trolleybus 59 drops you at metro A in a quarter of an hour and the Airport Express goes direct to the main station. You need no car, either in the city or for the classic excursions.
Prague is seen without a car, and it is better that way: much of the centre is pedestrianised, parking is expensive and public transport reaches everywhere. Three metro lines, trams that climb to the castle and a ticket valid for everything, except the Petřín funicular, which has its own fare.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Prague works with children if you alternate a monument with something that moves. The astronomical clock, the boat beneath Charles Bridge and Petřín Hill, with its funicular, mirror maze and tower with a lift, make up for the morning at the castle. Almost everything has a family ticket.
Prague is a good city for teenagers: they get around alone by tram, history has stories (the clock, the Golem, the defenestration) and there are viewpoints to climb. The Jewish quarter explains the twentieth century to them better than a book.
Prague offers what a group is looking for: a centre you can walk end to end, cheap beer and places with history to sit down in. The free tour organises the first day; the rest is choosing which brewery, what time to climb Petřín and whether to cross Charles Bridge at dawn or at night.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A design hostel in Vinohrady, with dormitories, capsule beds, private rooms and apartments. Tram to the centre at the door.
Why we like it: A minimalist design hotel opened in 2002 on Rybná Street, five minutes from Old Town Square, with floor-to-ceiling rooms and a garden.
Why we like it: A five-star hotel in a 1904 Art Nouveau building next to the Municipal House, with 86 rooms, a spa and a period café. In the same family for three generations.
Why we like it: Three-star hotel with 45 rooms above the U Medvídků brewery restaurant, in the Old Town, with buffet breakfast included and a beer-themed room.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the schnitzel with potato salad, the fried cheese or the griddled sausages, with a glass of tank beer.
What to order: a mid-morning breakfast or a coffee with home-made cake in the afternoon.
What to order: the house 13° dark beer with a Bohemian dish from the menu.
What to order: a 0.45 l Pilsner Urquell; if the night goes on, the next one arrives by itself
What to order: a draught Budvar with a Czech dish, and to finish a small glass of the house beer
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
50.14° N · 14.20° E
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49.94° N · 14.19° E
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50.35° N · 14.47° E
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49.78° N · 14.66° E
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Tips
Before eight it is almost empty; at midday you cannot move.
The Town Hall tower and the Petřín tower cost half in the first hour after opening.
The Jewish Museum is closed every Saturday and on Jewish holidays.
If the card machine offers to charge you in euros, choose koruna.
At the machines at the stops or in the app; paper tickets are validated on entry.
The exchange offices in the centre with "0% commission" signs: the rate is poor. Pay by card or take out koruna from a bank cash machine.
Prague is a city for walking: the Old Town, the Jewish quarter, Charles Bridge, Malá Strana and the castle make a single stroll of about three hours without stopping, and two days with stops. The hardest part is choosing the hour: the same places that are packed at midday are empty at dawn. With three or four nights you see the city without rushing and have a day left for an excursion.
Flights from Spain land at Terminal 2 of Václav Havel Airport, about 17 km from the centre. The quickest option is trolleybus 59 to Nádraží Veleslavín, about 15 minutes, and then metro line A to Malostranská, Staroměstská or Můstek. Buy your ticket before boarding, at the machine at the stop (it takes cards) or in the PID Lítačka app; a 90-minute ticket is more than enough. The Airport Express goes straight to the main station, useful if you are staying near it; it leaves from Terminal 1 and has its own ticket. By taxi, use the official rank in front of the terminal.
Day one: Old Town and Jewish quarter. Start early in Old Town Square, with the Church of Our Lady before Týn and the astronomical clock, which brings out the apostles every hour. Climb the Town Hall tower in the first hour, when the ticket costs half. Then the Jewish quarter of Josefov: five synagogues and the Old Cemetery on a single ticket. Closed on Saturday.
Day two: Charles Bridge and the castle. Cross Charles Bridge before eight, climb through Malá Strana and enter the castle when it opens: St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St George's and Golden Lane. Come down past Strahov Monastery and the Petřín gardens, and finish with a boat ride along the Čertovka under the bridge.
Day three: what Praguers do. Vyšehrad, the other fortress, with views over the river and no queues; the walk along the embankment to the Dancing House; Wenceslas Square and the Art Nouveau Municipal House. Or head out on an excursion.
The classics, all by train or bus:
In the Old Town (Staré Město) you have everything on foot, but it is the most expensive and noisiest area. Malá Strana, below the castle, is quieter. Vinohrady, to the east, is residential, with cafés and parks, a few minutes away by tram or metro: good value for money. Avoid parking in the centre: if you come by car, leave it in a park-and-ride by a metro station.
The castle tour costs 450 CZK per adult, entry to the Jewish quarter 600 CZK and the Town Hall tower 350 CZK. A meal in a pub-restaurant comes to around 300–450 CZK with a drink. Transport is cheap: a 90-minute ticket covers the trip from the airport and there are 24- and 72-hour passes.
Questions
Three days for the city without rushing; four if you want an excursion to Kutná Hora or Karlovy Vary.
Trolleybus 59 to Nádraží Veleslavín and then metro A, about 35 minutes in all, or the Airport Express to the main station.
The currency is the Czech koruna. Almost everything is paid for by card; choose to pay in koruna.
Saturday and on Jewish holidays.
It is not compulsory, but there is a security check and queues in summer: arrive at opening time.
Yes. Kutná Hora by train is the easiest; Český Krumlov needs a night.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/czechia/prague
