Everything on a first trip, from the castle on its ridge to the clock on Old Town Square, lies within a walk of Charles Bridge, so you can book a room on either bank and keep the trams for the galleries and parks further out.
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Three days covers the centre: one for the castle and Malá Strana, one for the Old Town and Josefov, and one for the river, Vyšehrad or Holešovice. A fourth day allows a day trip by train. The Jewish Museum sites close on Saturdays, so the Josefov day belongs on another day of the week.
On foot in the centre, and by tram and metro beyond it. Inside the city one ticket covers the metro, trams, buses and ferries, sold at machines, in the Lítačka app or by contactless card. Between midnight and 4:30 the metro stops and night trams 90 to 99 run every 30 minutes.
May and September, between winter's cold and the summer peak. Summers reach around 25 °C with cool nights, and winters sit around freezing with little sunshine. Christmas markets fill Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square from late November to early January.
Czech is the language, and English works as a working language in hotels, museums, restaurants and on transport, though older Czechs speak less of it. A few words of Czech, dobrý den for hello and děkuji for thanks, go further than expected.
Payments are in the Czech koruna (CZK), and money is best changed only at bureaux de change, after reading the posted rate list, never with anyone on the street. ATMs of local banks give better terms than standalone machines. Tips are made by rounding up, naming the total when handing over the note.
Trolleybus 59 runs from the terminals to Nádraží Veleslavín in about 15 minutes, and metro line A continues to the Old Town in 10 to 12 more. The Airport Express goes to the main railway station and needs its own ticket; the 24-hour and 72-hour passes do not cover it. The official taxi is a pre-ordered ride, picked up with a PIN code in front of the arrival halls of Terminals 1 and 2.
Take tram 22 to the Pražský hrad stop, near the top entrance, and walk down through the castle and the Old Castle Steps to Pod Bruskou, by Malostranská station. Buying the circuit ticket ahead skips the ticket-office line, but not the security check every visitor passes. Time your arrival for the noon changing of the guard.
The Old Town puts the clock, the bridge and the Jewish quarter at your door, but its streets stay noisy late; Malá Strana, across the river below the castle, is calmer after dark. Vinohrady and Holešovice are residential, a tram or metro ride out, with their own parks, cafés and bars. Choose them for quiet nights, at the cost of a ride in each morning.
Walk the centre, and ride trams and the metro for the rest. Stamp a paper ticket once, the moment you board, or in the metro's entrance hall, never on the platform: there are no barriers, and plain-clothes inspectors check with a metal badge. Skip the taxis waiting at stations and sights, and order a car through an app, which records the route and the fare.
Pack shoes you have already broken in, since the centre is cobbled, and a layer for evenings, which stay cool even in summer. Keep a day for Kutná Hora: a direct train from the main station takes about an hour and runs every two hours. St Barbara's Cathedral and the Sedlec Ossuary fill the day; for the ossuary, ride one stop on from Kutná Hora main station to Kutná Hora-Sedlec.
Around Old Town Square lies the medieval core, the busiest base in the city and a noisy one at night, with the clock square crowded from morning into the late hours. Its lanes are calmest early in the day and again once the day crowds thin. Metro line A stops within a short walk of the square, and the lanes are walkable end to end.
Baroque streets climb from the left bank of the Vltava towards the castle, with Charles Bridge at the foot and the castle a short walk uphill. Lanes by the river fill through the day, but a street or two inland they go quiet, and after dark the district is calm and lit. Malostranská station, on both the metro and the tram lines, sits at its northern edge.
North of the river bend, this former industrial district has turned to galleries, beer gardens and bars, with the Trade Fair Palace and DOX for art and Stromovka park along its western edge. Days go to the galleries and the park, evenings to its bars and restaurants. Metro line C serves it at Vltavská and Nádraží Holešovice.
Thirty baroque statues line this stone pedestrian crossing between the Old Town and Malá Strana. Crowds are heavy from breakfast until late evening, and the bridge is quietest around sunrise and after 10 p.m., when the light and the empty deck suit a photograph. The towers at each end open later and give the view from above.
Malostranské náměstí is dominated by this green-domed church, counted among the key High Baroque buildings in the city. Frescoes and painted marble fill the nave under the dome. The church of the same name on Old Town Square, across the river, is a separate building.
Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunić set a curving glass tower against a straight one on a riverside corner, and the pair are read as a dancing couple. Offices fill most of the building. A rooftop bar and terrace are open to the public for the view along the embankment towards the castle.
Rock outcrops, woods and meadows fill this gorge on the western edge of the city, a nature reserve in Vokovice made for a half-day walk. Trails follow the stream along the valley floor. The paths are uneven and rocky in places, so wear proper walking shoes.
Layers of polished steel turn one against another to break up and rebuild the face of Franz Kafka in this kinetic sculpture by David Černý. It stands on Piazza Quadrio, beside the Quadrio shopping centre above Národní třída metro station, so it fits into a walk from Wenceslas Square to the river.
Small painted houses line this lane inside the castle walls, built into the fortifications and now fitted out as exhibition rooms. By day it is the most crowded corner of the castle and part of a ticketed circuit. Come after the houses close in the late afternoon, when the lane is quiet and open without a ticket.
Near the Old Town end of Charles Bridge, the former Jesuit college now holds the National Library, and two of its spaces open to visitors: the baroque library hall and the Astronomical Tower. Both are seen only on a guided tour. Tours run at listed times through the day, so book a slot ahead.
A garden wall on Velkopřevorské náměstí in Malá Strana has carried Beatles lyrics and Lennon graffiti since his death, and it is repainted often. Visitors add their own lines and drawings. A look takes a few minutes and costs nothing, and Kampa is around the corner, so the two make one stop.
Two towers stand at the Malá Strana end of Charles Bridge, and the taller one opens a gallery with a view straight along the bridge to the Old Town. This side is quieter than the Old Town end, so it makes an easy first viewpoint of the day. The gallery is reached by stairs, a short climb from the bridge deck.
A short walk from the castle in Hradčany, this baroque pilgrimage complex is built around a replica of the Santa Casa, the Holy House of Nazareth, with a replica of the crypt beneath the church. Cloisters and chapels ring the courtyard. Allow about an hour, and pair it with Strahov Monastery, a few minutes further up the hill.
Art Nouveau from the mosaic over the entrance to the light fittings, this concert and civic building stands next to the Powder Tower. The main foyer and some public areas can be entered without a ticket, while the halls upstairs are seen on a guided tour or at a concert, both booked ahead. The foyer is quieter on weekday mornings and in the later afternoon, between the main tours.
Thousands of tilted headstones crowd this walled burial ground in Josefov, where graves were stacked in many layers for lack of space. Entry is on the Jewish Museum's combined ticket, which also covers the Spanish Synagogue, and the synagogues of the quarter stand within a few minutes' walk of its walls.
On Old Town Square, the much rebuilt Gothic town hall carries the Astronomical Clock on its south wall, and its tower can be climbed by stairs or taken by lift. The gallery at the top looks over the square, the red rooftops and the surrounding spires. Entry is ticketed, and the clock below performs every hour from 8 AM to 11 PM.
From the gallery of this steel tower on the summit of Petřín, the view runs right round the city, over the river, the Old Town and the castle. The top is 299 steps up, with a lift as the other way. On foot, the hill itself is a steady climb from Újezd.
Blackened Gothic stone marks the old gate where the coronation route entered the Old Town, beside the Municipal House on náměstí Republiky. A narrow stair climbs to an open-air gallery that runs right round the tower, over the Old Town and the New Town. From its foot, a walk west leads to Old Town Square.
Mounted on the Old Town Hall, the medieval clock tracks the sun, moon and zodiac on painted dials, and its apostles parade on the hour. The show lasts under a minute, so watch from the edge of the square. The hall tower gives a closer look at the mechanism.
Go for the cathedral, not only the skyline view: inside St Vitus, an Art Nouveau window by Alfons Mucha sits among the Gothic stone, and the same ticket opens a vaulted royal hall and Golden Lane.
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On a wooded slope above the Vltava in Troja, the zoo fills half a day and pairs with the chateau next door. It is reached on foot through Stromovka and across the river, or by bus. For directions, its address is U Trojského zámku 120/3, in Troja beside the chateau.
On the riverbank at the edge of Josefov, this neo-Renaissance hall is home to the Czech Philharmonic, with a concert hall and a gallery for exhibitions under one roof. A café sits inside the building, and concert seats are best booked ahead from the published programme.
Moorish in style, the interior of this Josefov synagogue is covered in gilded geometric patterns up into the dome. It belongs to the Jewish Museum circuit and is entered on the combined ticket that also covers the Old Jewish Cemetery. Just outside stands the bronze Kafka statue, a small figure riding on the shoulders of an empty suit.
Across the road from the zoo in Troja, this red-and-white baroque palace stands in a formal French-style garden of terraces, stairs and clipped beds. Painted halls fill the interior. The house and its garden take about an hour and a half, enough to pair with a morning at the zoo.
Terraces stacked up the slope below Petřín make this a baroque hillside garden, with statues on the stairs and a view across the Malá Strana rooftops to the castle. It is small, so it fits easily into a Malá Strana walk between the Church of St Nicholas and Kampa.
Laid out beside the Wallenstein Palace, which now houses the Czech Senate, this formal baroque garden sits in Malá Strana a short walk from Malostranská station. Gravel paths, fountains and a vast open loggia make a calm break from the busier streets on the way down from the castle.
Rising out of the Žižkov rooftops, the concrete television tower carries an observation deck and a restaurant high above the city, with the castle in view across the centre. Go near sunset, and stay for a drink in the restaurant. Trams stop at Lipanská, a short walk from the base in Mahlerovy sady.
Beyond the castle to the west, in Břevnov, this Benedictine monastery keeps a tradition of a thousand years, with a baroque church, gardens and its own brewery. Interiors are seen on guided tours, with tickets and times at the information centre, which also sells monastery products and small refreshments.
In a converted factory in Holešovice, this contemporary art centre runs changing exhibitions on current themes, and a wooden airship called Gulliver rests on its roof. Shows change through the year, so check what is on before making the trip. A visit takes one to two hours, which leaves time for the Trade Fair Palace on the same day.
Also called Grébovka, this terraced park drops down a slope at the southern end of Vinohrady, past a small vineyard and a grotto, with shaded paths and a children's playground. It makes an easy hour on foot. Pair it with Riegrovy sady on the same day, since both sit inside the same residential district.
In the brick halls of a former slaughterhouse by the river, a working food market still trades, with vegetable stalls and grocers among shops and bars. It makes a practical stop for vegetables and picnic supplies before a walk across the district to Stromovka.
Six synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery survive in Josefov, where layered graves stand crowded under the trees and the Pinkas walls carry the names of Czech victims of the Holocaust. One ticket covers the sites, which are closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays. Two hours is a realistic minimum, and the cemetery is often the slowest stop.
Cut off from Malá Strana by the narrow Čertovka channel, Kampa is a riverside island of lawns and old trees under the Malá Strana end of Charles Bridge. A small bridge crosses the channel, and stairs drop down from the big bridge itself. David Černý's bronze baby sculptures crawl across the park by the museum.
A plateau of plane trees above the river, Letná opens on a terrace where a giant metronome turns above the city. The paved plinth beneath it is a skating spot, and a beer garden at the eastern end opens through summer evenings. Bridges and the Old Town roofs line up below, a view at its fullest at sunset.
Within the castle walls but outside the state circuit, this palace shows a private family collection returned after 1989. Canaletto views of London, a Bruegel harvest scene and manuscript scores annotated by Beethoven and Mozart hang in its rooms. An audio guide narrated by the family comes with the ticket. A balcony café looks over the Malá Strana roofs, and entry is separate from Prague Castle tickets.
Almost a hundred original works by Alphonse Mucha fill this small museum in a baroque palace off Na Příkopě, from the Paris theatre posters to paintings and drawings. Nowhere else in the city shows only his originals. It opens daily from 10 AM to 6 PM; allow an hour and a quarter.
Set on the island's riverbank, this gallery shows the collection of Jan and Meda Mládek, built around abstract painting and Central European modern art. Short-term exhibitions of Central European modern artists run alongside the permanent rooms. Allow an hour or two, and leave time for the riverside park outside.
Below Palackého most on the New Town bank, a stone embankment runs along the Vltava with moored boats and views up to Vyšehrad and across to the castle. Saturday mornings bring a farmers market of flowers, bread, cheese and Moravian wine. Other mornings the quay is nearly empty, and sunset is the time for the river light.
Reopened after a long restoration, the neo-Renaissance building at the head of Wenceslas Square is as much the attraction as the collections of minerals, fossils and Czech natural history inside. A tunnel links it to the modern annexe. The dome walkway gives a view down the square, and the marble stairhall leads up to it.
Still in use for worship, this brick-gabled Gothic synagogue in Josefov is counted among the oldest in Europe. Its hours differ from the other Jewish Museum sites, and visits pause during services, so check the day's times before setting out. Allow half an hour to three quarters of an hour inside.
At the Old Town end of Charles Bridge, the gate tower carries Gothic sculpture across its face. Stairs lead to a gallery over the bridge, the river and Malá Strana, with the castle on the hill beyond. Climb it before crossing the bridge.
Pastel houses, a Gothic church with twin spires and a monument to Jan Hus frame the square at the heart of the medieval core. Café terraces spread across the cobbles in summer, and the square is nearly empty early in the morning. For a meal, the lanes a street or two back are quieter than the terraces on the square.
Orchards and rose gardens climb the hill above Malá Strana, topped by a lattice lookout tower. A funicular runs from Újezd and a steep walking path takes about twenty minutes. The tower stairs are narrow and busy at sunset, when the view over the river reaches the castle.
On the slope between Vinohrady and Žižkov, this hillside park looks west across the centre to the castle from its upper lawns. Summer brings picnics on the grass and a beer garden near the top. Paths are steep in places, and the park stays quiet compared with the riverside viewpoints.
Gothic vaults, the Art Nouveau window by Alfons Mucha and the jewelled chapel of Saint Wenceslas make this the centrepiece of the castle grounds. Entry is through the castle security check, and a circuit ticket is needed for anything beyond the entrance bay. The cathedral stands in the third courtyard, at the centre of the castle complex.
Premonstratensian canons still keep this hilltop monastery above the castle, and its two baroque libraries, the Theological and the Philosophical, open to visitors. Both halls are viewed from the doorway, so book a guided slot ahead to step inside. A brewery and a terrace next door look across the roofs towards the castle.
Once a royal hunting ground, this large park of ponds, meadows and old trees lies on the western edge of Holešovice beside the Výstaviště exhibition grounds. Paths fill with runners and walkers through the day. Crossing it on foot, then over the river, leads on to Troja and the zoo.
Built in the 1920s as a huge functionalist exhibition hall, this Holešovice block now holds the National Gallery's modern and contemporary art, both Czech and international. The collection fills several floors, more than one visit can take in. Pick two or three floors and allow half a day.
A short tram ride or a walk from the centre, Vinohrady is a residential district of Art Nouveau apartment blocks and corner cafés. Its streets stay quiet, which suits a longer stay. Riegrovy sady and Havlíčkovy sady are its two parks, and the pubs of neighbouring Žižkov lie just to the north for an evening out.
South of the centre on a bluff over the Vltava, the old fortress holds a neo-Gothic basilica and the cemetery where Dvořák, Smetana and Mucha are buried. Ramparts and lawns stay quiet while the Old Town fills. Metro to Vyšehrad station arrives at the top of the rock, which saves the climb from the river.
A long, sloping boulevard, the square runs from the National Museum down to the edge of the Old Town, and the crowds of the 1989 Velvet Revolution filled it end to end. Chain shops, exchange booths and late bars line the street level, and the square calls for care after midnight. Look up above the shopfronts for the Art Nouveau façades.
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A Gothic castle built to guard the crown jewels towers over a single street of cafés and stalls in the Berounka valley.
Where the Vltava ends in the Elbe, a château and a Gothic church stand on a sandstone bluff above vineyards.
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