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Morning light over the Vltava bridges in Prague, seen from Letná
The cruise boat Grand Bohemia moored at Dvořákovo nábřeží on the Vltava
The Art Nouveau facade and mosaic of the Municipal House on náměstí Republiky
Exhibits in the Museum of Communism in Prague
The memorial to the Operation Anthropoid paratroopers in the crypt on Resslova street

Things to do in Prague: 19 experiences

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Photo: Flukes69, CC BY-SA 4.0

Vltava, Rašínovo nábřeží and Čech Bridge piers

Cruise the Vltava on a historic paddle steamer

Check dates and prices

Photo: Aktron, CC BY 4.0

Municipal House, náměstí Republiky

Tour the Art Nouveau rooms of the Municipal House

Tours in Prague

Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0

Museum of Communism, V Celnici 4

Learn how the regime worked at the Museum of Communism

Check dates and prices

Photo: Shitvia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a

Go down to the Operation Anthropoid crypt

Check dates and prices

Photo: Honza Groh, CC BY 3.0

Prague's big four, the castle, Charles Bridge at dawn, the Astronomical Clock and the Jewish Town, are on the Czechia page together with the beer halls, Vyšehrad and the Petřín funicular. This page adds what fills the rest of a visit: the river by steamer, the Baroque library at Strahov, the Art Nouveau rooms of the Municipal House, and two stops that explain the 20th century, the Anthropoid crypt and the Museum of Communism.

The historic centre is small and walkable, split by the Vltava into the Old and New Towns on the right bank and Malá Strana and the castle on the left. Then leave it: drink a beer above the river at Letná on a summer evening, shop the Saturday market at Náplavka, and look at the whole city from the TV tower in Žižkov.

19 things to do in Prague

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The cruise boat Grand Bohemia moored at Dvořákovo nábřeží on the Vltava

Cruise the Vltava on a historic paddle steamer

Vltava, Rašínovo nábřeží and Čech Bridge piers

1 hourGo alone or with a tour

See the castle, Charles Bridge and the embankments from the water, on a steamer company that has sailed the Vltava since the 1860s.

Check dates and pricesOne-hour sightseeing cruise on the Vltava
Been there?
Painted ceiling and bookcases in a hall of the Strahov Library

See the Baroque halls of the Strahov Library

Strahov Monastery, Hradčany

40 minutes, 90 with the galleryNo booking needed

Two painted Baroque library halls, a cabinet of curiosities and old globes, at the top of the castle hill.

Tours in Prague
Been there?
The Art Nouveau facade and mosaic of the Municipal House on náměstí Republiky

Tour the Art Nouveau rooms of the Municipal House

Municipal House, náměstí Republiky

About 1 hourBook ahead

Prague's great Art Nouveau building, where Czechoslovak independence was declared in 1918, with a hall decorated by Alfons Mucha.

Tours in Prague
Been there?
The memorial to the Operation Anthropoid paratroopers in the crypt on Resslova street

Go down to the Operation Anthropoid crypt

Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a

About 1 hourFree

The crypt where the paratroopers who killed Reinhard Heydrich made their last stand in June 1942, now a free memorial.

Check dates and pricesSecond World War walk with the Anthropoid crypt
Been there?
Exhibits in the Museum of Communism in Prague

Learn how the regime worked at the Museum of Communism

Museum of Communism, V Celnici 4

1 to 2 hoursGo alone or with a tour

Forty-one years of communist Czechoslovakia, from the 1948 coup to November 1989, told through propaganda, police files and everyday objects.

Check dates and pricesMuseum of Communism entry ticket
Been there?
The Žižkov Television Tower rising above the roofs of Prague

Look over Prague from the Žižkov TV Tower

Žižkov Television Tower, Mahlerovy sady

1 hourGo alone or with a tour

A 360° view from 93 metres up the city's tallest structure, with David Černý's giant babies crawling up the outside.

Check dates and pricesEntry to the TV tower observatory
Been there?
The Náplavka riverside quay on Rašínovo nábřeží in winter

Eat your way along the Náplavka Saturday market

Náplavka, Rašínovo nábřeží

1 to 2 hoursFree

More than 90 stalls of Czech farm food on the Vltava quay, with breakfast and live music every Saturday morning.

Been there?
The Letná chateau, Letenský zámeček, whose beer garden overlooks the Vltava

Drink a beer above the river in the Letná beer garden

Letná Park, Letenské sady 341

An eveningNo booking needed

Benches under old trees in Letná Park, a beer in hand and the bridges of the Vltava laid out below you.

Been there?
The National Theatre on the Vltava embankment seen from Střelecký island

Watch a Czech opera at the National Theatre

National Theatre, Národní 2

An eveningBook ahead

Dvořák or Smetana sung in Czech in the gilded house the nation paid for, with English surtitles on most opera nights.

Tours in Prague
Been there?
Charles Bridge in the early morning, almost empty

Watch the sunrise from Charles Bridge

Prague

1 hour with the bridge towerFree

At dawn Charles Bridge is almost empty and the first light reaches Prague Castle and St Vitus above Malá Strana.

Tours in Prague
Been there?
Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral lit up at blue hour, reflected in the Vltava

Tour Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral

Prague

3 to 4 hoursBook ahead

The largest coherent castle complex in the world, by Guinness, with St Vitus, the Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane on one ticket.

Check dates and pricesGuided castle visit with the main circuit ticket
Been there?
The Prague Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall tower

Hear the Astronomical Clock strike in Old Town Square

Prague

1 hour with the towerGo alone or with a tour

Every hour the twelve apostles appear above the dials of a medieval clock, then the tower looks straight down on the square and Týn.

Check dates and pricesOld Town Hall tower ticket above the clock
Been there?
Drinkers in one of the vaulted halls of U Fleků

Drink the dark lager at U Fleků brewpub

Prague

1 to 2 hoursNo booking needed

A house dark lager brewed on the premises and sold nowhere else, in panelled halls that have been a pub since 1499.

Tours in Prague
Been there?
The Rudolfinum concert hall on the Vltava embankment in Prague

Hear the Czech Philharmonic at the Rudolfinum

Prague

An eveningBook ahead

Hear the Czech Philharmonic play Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček and Martinů at home, in the neo-Renaissance Rudolfinum on the Vltava.

Been there?
The Slavín tomb in Vyšehrad Cemetery

Walk the ramparts of Vyšehrad fortress and cemetery

Prague

2 hoursFree

The fortified hill where Czech legends place Prague's origins, with river views to the castle and the graves of Dvořák, Smetana and Mucha.

Tours in Prague
Been there?
A dance floor inside the Karlovy lázně nightclub in Prague

Dance across the floors of Karlovy lázně

Prague

A late nightNo booking needed

Five floors of a former bathhouse by Charles Bridge, each with its own music, from pop hits and oldies to salsa and reggaeton.

Been there?
The top of the Petřín Lookout Tower in Prague

Ride the Petřín funicular to the lookout tower

Prague

2 hours with the gardensNo booking needed

Ride the rebuilt funicular up Petřín hill, then climb 299 steps of a loose one-fifth copy of the Eiffel Tower.

Tours in Prague
Been there?
Svíčková with bread dumplings, lemon and cranberries

Eat svíčková with tank beer at Lokál Dlouhááá

Prague

1 to 1.5 hoursBook ahead

Unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell from 12 tanks and svíčková, beef in a creamy root-vegetable sauce with dumplings, in one very long beer hall.

Tours in Prague
Been there?
The National Museum at the top of Wenceslas Square

Visit the National Museum at the top of Wenceslas Square

Prague

2 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

A neo-Renaissance dome closing the top of Wenceslas Square, a restored staircase and pantheon, and from the steps the whole length of the square.

Tours in Prague
Been there?

Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Prague yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Václav Havel Airport lies west of the centre. City bus 119 runs from the terminals to Nádraží Veleslavín on metro line A, and the Airport Express bus goes to the main railway station on its own fare. International trains from Berlin, Dresden, Vienna and Budapest arrive at Praha hlavní nádraží, on metro line C a short walk from Wenceslas Square; most long-distance buses stop at Florenc.

  • Getting around

    The centre is best on foot, and the cobbles and hills of Malá Strana and the castle make comfortable shoes worth more than a map. Three metro lines and a dense tram network share one ticket system; the metro is fastest across town, trams are better for the castle and the river. Validate a paper ticket when you board or use the PID Lítačka app. For a taxi, book one through an app rather than taking one waiting in the Old Town.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, three full days cover the castle, the Old Town and Malá Strana with time for Strahov, the Municipal House, a cruise and an evening at the opera or in a beer garden. Add a day for each trip out: Kutná Hora and Karlštejn are easy day trips, Český Krumlov is better with a night.

  • When to go

    May, June and September give the best walking weather with fewer crowds than July and August. The steamers on Rašínovo nábřeží sail from April to September, and the Náplavka market runs on Saturdays from February to December. Advent brings Christmas markets to Old Town and Wenceslas squares; winter days are short and cold, so plan indoor afternoons.

  • Where to base yourself

    The Old Town and Malá Strana put you next to the sights but are the busiest and dearest areas. The New Town around Karlovo náměstí is central and better connected. Vinohrady and Žižkov, east of the centre on metro line A, are residential, full of cafés and pubs, and cheaper; Holešovice, below Letná, is the quieter choice north of the river bend.

Questions travellers ask

How many days do you need in Prague?

Three days cover the main sights at a sensible pace: one for the castle, Strahov and Malá Strana, one for the Old Town, the Jewish Town and the Municipal House, and one for the river, Vyšehrad and an evening out. Four or five days leave room for Kutná Hora, Karlštejn or Terezín.

Can you go inside the Strahov Library halls?

Not on the regular ticket: since the route was changed to protect the books, visitors look into the Theological and Philosophical halls from their doorways. To step inside, book the monastery's own guided tour in advance by email; in English it runs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Do the Prague river cruises run in winter?

Some do. The Prague Steamboat Company's pier on Rašínovo nábřeží closes from November to March, but the boats from Dvořákovo nábřeží by Čech Bridge, including the Grand Cruise and the lunch and dinner cruises, run all year.

Is the Operation Anthropoid crypt free?

Yes. The National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror, in the crypt of the cathedral on Resslova street, is free and open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. It is closed on Mondays.

How do you get from Prague airport to the centre?

The cheapest way is city bus 119 to Nádraží Veleslavín and metro line A into the centre, on a standard public transport ticket. The Airport Express bus runs to the main railway station on a separate fare. Book a taxi through an app rather than taking one off the street.

Other places to go

Things to do in Czechia

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