How Many Days Prague: Ultimate Visit & When to Go?

Prague is a beautiful city to visit practically any time of the year (more details later).  How many days to spend in Prague is the tougher question.  We will give you options for a 3, 4 and 5-day itinerary.

How Many Days Should I Spend in Prague?

Great Question.  Simple answer, it depends on what you want to see.  Robin and I spent 5 days there in 2023.  I had visited previously and spent a little less time. Either 3, 4 or a 5-day itinerary will work fine.  We will help you decide.

Unfortunately, with our 5-day itinerary, Robin and I had to battle jet lag. We found that since we traveled directly from the east coast of the United States, the six hour time difference made us less productive on the first day than we had planned.  Consequently, we were not at full visiting capacity and needed a little more downtime than normal.  Therefore, our recommendation is if you are coming directly from the US, a 3-day itinerary is going to feel more like a 2 ½-day itinerary, and probably won’t give you enough time to see all our recommended best places.  In that case, we suggest you opt for at least a four night stay.

How Many Days in Prague: By Neighborhood

Like many cities, Prague is made up of neighborhoods.  The River Vltava runs down the center of the city and forms a natural boundary for the neighborhoods.  Until about 1800, Prague was actually four distinct towns:

• Old Town, east of the River Vltava, and nestled in the bend of the river, is where most tourists spend the majority of their time. It is pedestrian friendly, and a great walking area.  It is where we recommend that you stay.  In the center of the Old Town is the Old Town Square.  It hosts the Old Town Hall with the amazing Astronomical Clock.  It is also home to the Jewish Quarter and a glitzy, expensive shopping street.
• New Town is a broad expanse which surrounds the Old Town on the east side of the river.  It is centered by Wenceslas Square.  It contains some remembrances of the Communist Era as well as the National Museum..
• Castle Quarter is a hilly area on the west side of the river.  It hosts the massive complex known as Prague Castle marked by the spires of the St. Vitus Cathedral (a must see).
• Lesser town, located at the foot of Castle Hill, has the least number of interesting places to visit.  You will probably pass through it on your way to or from the Castle Quarter, but otherwise no need to spend very much time there. 

How Many Days in Prague: Getting Around the City

Despite having four distinct neighborhoods, it is easy to get from one area of town to another as Prague has an excellent environmentally friendly Public Transit System made up of three subway lines, and a large number of trams and electric buses. The River is crossed by a number of bridges, the most famous being the Charles Bridge. On day four of our visit we learned that everyone over 65 could ride the system for free.  It would have helped if we had learned this earlier in our five day itinerary.

Hop-On Hop-Off Bus

We chose on day one of our visit to take a Hop-on Hop-off bus service around town that we boarded at the Republic Square in Old Town across from the Municipal House.  It was great way to get a good overview of the City.  The Hop-on Hop-Off service that we used, “City Sightseeing Prague”, has a blue line and a red line, as well as a river cruise.  The blue line does a good job in the center of the city, while the red line goes more around the outskirts of the city.  Both lines will take you up to Prague Castle. We booked the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus through Get Your Guide.

A Brief Overview of Czech’s Rich History:

The Czech Republic has a rich history dating back to the late 9th century when the Duchy of Bohemia was founded under Great Moravia . The Kingdom of Bohemia became an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire in 1002 . In 1526, all of the Crown lands of Bohemia were gradually integrated into the Habsburg monarchy. In the 19th century, the Czech lands became more industrialized, and in 1918 most of it became part of the First Czechoslovak Republic following the collapse of Austria-Hungary after World War I. Unfortunately, the independent existence only lasted for a few years.

Nazi and Soviet Rule

The country came under Nazi rule in the late 1930’s. The Nazis took over Czechoslovakia in two stages.  First, on September 30, 1938, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, French Premier Edouard Daladier, and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Pact. This sealed the fate of Czechoslovakia, virtually handing it over to Germany in the name of peace.  Second, on March 15, 1939, German troops marched into Czechoslovakia and took over Bohemia and established a protectorate over Slovakia.

Czechoslovakia was liberated from Nazi occupation by the Soviet Union as part of the Allied victory in World War II. The Soviet Union played a significant role in the liberation of Czechoslovakia which endeared many to the Soviets.  As many as 144,000 Soviet troops died during the liberation of Czechoslovakia.

However, Czechoslovakia was never a part of the Soviet Union.  It was occupied by Soviet forces In October 1944, after World War II and the country came under communist rule at that time. Czechoslovakia was a member of the Warsaw Pact, which was a military alliance of communist states in Central and Eastern Europe that was led by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968 to suppress the Prague Spring liberalization reforms.

Velvet Revolution

Czechoslovakia became free of Communist Rule in 1989 as part of the peaceful Velvet Revolution.  The Velvet Revolution was a non-violent transition of power in Czechoslovakia that occurred from  November 17 to November 28, 1989. The revolution was sparked by the student-led protests in Prague, which were initially intended to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a student demonstration against Nazi occupation. The protests quickly grew into a mass movement against the Communist government, which had been in power since 1948. The Velvet Revolution led to the collapse of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia and the restoration of parliamentary democracy with free elections in June 1990.

The establishment of the Czech Republic on January 1, 1993, was a result of the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia into two independent states: Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The separation was agreed upon by both parties and was based on economic and political differences between them.

How Many Days in Prague: Recommended Sights

Following are descriptions of the highly recommended and optional sights that you might wish to visit while in Prague.  We have grouped them by neighborhood and rank them by 3, 2 or 1 star which corresponds to their recommendation on the 3-day itinerary. 

Old Town – Must See or Should See Sights

• Charles Bridge *** The Charles Bridge is Prague’s landmark icon and is one of the best things to see on your visit to Prague.  It connects Old Town to the Lesser Town on the western side of the Vltava River.  It is a pedestrian only bridge and is lined with statues of Czech saints.  One of the statues of John of Nepomuk has a shiny plaque at the base.  If you touch the plaque, tradition has it that your wish will come true (see both of us wishing for our dreams to come true). 
• Old Town Square *** The Old Town Square is the main square of Old World Prague.  There is a famous Jon Hus Memorial, the impressive steeples of the Tyn Church and the fanciful astronomical clock.
•  Jewish Quarter ** The Jewish Quarter is an area near the river in the Old Town is considered one of the best collections of Jewish Sights in all of Europe.  It features various synagogues and an evocative cemetery. 

Old Town – Sights You Should at Least See

• Tyn Church * Located in the Old Town Square, the twin multi-turreted, fairy tale Gothic towers of the church are the first thing that catches your eye in the square.  Some say that the Cinderella Castle at Disney was inspired by this church. Others say that the Neuschwanstein Castle inspired his Sleeping Beauty castle, which also served as the Walt Disney Pictures logo from 1985-2006. The interior is less spectacular than St. Vitus Church in the Prague Castle. Nevertheless, please see this church at night when it is lit up in all its glory.
• Municipal House * The Municipal House is considered the “pearl of Czech Art Nouveau.”  It was considered a new way of art around 1900 because it was associated with all things modern.  The Smetana Hall inside of the Municipal House is a great place to see a concert by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. There are many restaurants in the Municipal House.  We had lunch at the Bavarian Restaurant downstairs in the basement.  However,iIt was less than overwhelming.
• Powder Tower * The Powder Tower which is attached to the Municipal House was the main gate to the old city.  It is the last remaining part of the wall that surrounded the old city.  It is worth a look but no need to pay the fee to climb to the top inside.

Truly Optional Sights – In Old Town

• Museum of Medieval Art * This museum is the former convent of St. Agnes and contains the best gothic art collection in the country.  King Wenceslas I is buried here.
• National Theater Group * The National Theater Group consists of three different theaters that specialize in classical music performances.  The National Theater itself has a stunning Neo-Renaissance interior that matches its status as the number one theater in the country.  The State Opera Theater has ballets and operas performed by non-Czech composers.  The Estates Theater, is where Mozart premiered and directed many of his most beloved works.  We were privileged to see a performance of Don Giovanni.  One of Mozart’s most famous operas, it premiered at the same theater on October 29, 1787, two hundred and thirty-six years before we saw it. 

New Town 

• Wenceslas Square *** Wenceslas Square is the centerpiece of Prague’s New Town and has become the city center for all of Prague.  It contains the National Museum and the landmark statue of St. Wenceslas at the very top pf the square.  Actually, it is not a square at all, but an elongated street of high-fashion stores and fine old facades.  Wenceslas Square was where the Velvet Revolution, the overthrow of Communism, occurred in 1989. 
• National Museum * The National Museum has great meaning to the Czech people as it was built in the 19^th century as a protest to the continual rule of Austria’s Habsburg Empire.
• Mucha Museum * The Mucha Museum contains an easy-to-appreciate collection of Art Nouveau works by Czech artist Alfonse Mucha.  Mucha is not that well respected outside of his home country.  However, he earned international fame for his theater posters that he made in Paris at the turn of the century.  He returned home and created a series of huge paintings that depict the history of the Slavic people.  It is worth a visit. I visited on my first trip to Prague and was totally blown-away by the scale of the paintings.
• Museum of Communism * This small museum depicts the dream, the reality and the nightmare of communism which ruled Czechoslovakia from 1933 until 1989.
• Dancing House * Nicknamed Fred and Ginger by American Architecture buffs, this building is the work of famed architect Frank Gehry.  We had hoped to dine at its fine restaurant on the top floor, the Celeste, but it was closed.

Other Interesting Sights Around Town

• David Cherny * David Cherny is a controversial Czech sculptor known for his provocative creations in public areas around Prague. Two of his works we found were “Man Hanging Out” and “Saint Wenceslas”. The first was a rod jutting out from the building’s roof, depicting Sigmund Freud. You will find this on Husova Street. Saint Wenceslas is a man sitting on an upside down dead horse found in Wenceslas Square. In March of this year, he opened his own museum, called Musoleum featuring many of his works.

Prague Castle Complex

• St. Vitus Cathedral *** St. Vitus Cathedral, the Czech National Church, is a must visit on any trip to Prague. It is the centerpiece to the Prague Castle Complex and can be very crowded.  This is where Kings were crowned and many of the royalty have their tombs.  It is also where the crown jewels are kept.  The church construction started in 1344, but was not completed until 1929 resulting in a new and old section of the church.  A stained glass window, designed by famous Czech artist Alfonse Mucha is pictured below.
• Prague Castle ** Surrounding the St. Vitus Cathedral is the massive complex known as the Prague Castle.  If you decide to see the Cathedral you will pass through the Castle.  The other buildings within the Castle complex are less interesting than the Cathedral, which explains the two rather than three stars.  The old Royal Palace containing the 200 foot long Vladislav Hall is worth a visit. 
• Strahov Monastery and Library * Further up the hill is the Strahov Monastery and Library. 
• Strahov Stadium * If you are interested in seeing some of the remains of the Communist era, then the Strahov Stadium further up the hill, past the Monastery and Library, is worth a visit.  We saw it as part of our Hop-on Hop-off bus tour, but we didn’t hop-off.  The giant stadium, which once had capacity for two hundred thousand spectators, is a concrete structure reminiscent of the bland style of Soviet architecture.

 Lesser Town

• Petri Hill * Petri Hill in Lesser Town contains a funicular that will take you up to the top of the hill for a great view of Prague.  There is also a replica of the Eiffel Tower on the hill.
• Lennon Wall * The Lennon wall, named after John Lennon, is a section of Lesser Town between Lesser Town Square and the Charles Bridge.  It is covered with Graffiti and once upon a time had a great piece of art work featuring the famous Beatle.  He is gone, but the wall is interesting, especially for street art fans.  To see more about the wall and other street art, please go to our Graffiti Post.
• Vltava River Cruise * Surprisingly near the John Lennon Wall, we found a one-hour river cruise that was spectacular.  There are plenty of river cruises to choose leaving from both sides of the river.  We found this one on the west side of the river as we were leaving the Lennon Wall.  It was very enjoyable as it was a beautiful sunny day and a great way to see the beautiful city.

Although John Lennon is no longer on the wall, he is still remembered. Please look for other Prague and other cities street art in our Love Graffiti Art Post.

How Many Days in Prague? – Recommended 3, 4 and 5-day Itineraries

Following is a table of what we recommend to see during your 3, 4 or 5 day itinerary.  You definitely should see or visit the “Must See” or “Must Visit” sights in each itinerary.  However, the “Must Visit” or “Should Visit” include an entry fee. Also, the “Should Visit” and “Should See” and “Optional” sights are based on your personal preferences.  For examples, history buffs or art buffs might want to swap certain sights to see more of the museums or other remains of previous times.

UNESCO World Heritage Sights

Prague is home to 14 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The UNESCO Sites that are mentioned above are the following:

1. Historic Centre of Prague: This site comprises the Old Town, the Lesser Town, and the New Town, which were built between the 11th and 18th centuries.  The site includes many magnificent monuments such as Prague (or Hradcany) Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge, and numerous churches and palaces.
2. Prague Castle: This castle is one of the largest in the world and has been the seat of Czech rulers since the 9th century. It includes St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George’s Basilica, and the Golden Lane.
3. St. Vitus Cathedral: This Gothic cathedral is located within Prague Castle and is the largest and most important church in the country.
4. Charles Bridge: This bridge spans the Vltava River and connects Old Town with Lesser Town. It was built in the 14th century and is adorned with 30 baroque statues.
5. Old Town Square: This square is located in the heart of Prague’s Old Town and features many historic buildings such as the Old Town Hall with its famous astronomical clock. 
6. Jewish Quarter: This quarter contains six synagogues, including the Old-New Synagogue, which is one of Europe’s oldest active synagogues.
7. New Town: This town was founded by Charles IV in 1348 and features many important buildings such as Wenceslas Square, which is one of Prague’s main commercial centers.
8. Strahov Monastery: This monastery was founded in 1140 and features a library with over 200,000 volumes.
9. Powder Tower: This tower was built in the 15th century as part of Prague’s fortifications.

Prague’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites Not Mentioned Above

1. Prague’s Water Management System: This system includes a network of canals, dams, locks, and waterworks that were built between the 14th and 19th centuries to supply water to Prague’s fountains, mills, breweries, and other industries.
2. Vysehrad: This castle was founded in the 10th century and features a Romanesque rotunda, Gothic church, and Baroque fortifications.
3. Loreta: This Baroque pilgrimage site was built in the 17th century and features a church, cloister, and treasury.
4. St. Nicholas Church: This Baroque church was built in the early 18th century and features frescoes by Jan Lukas Kracker.
5. Clementinum: This complex was founded in 1232 and features a Baroque library hall with frescoes by Jan Hiebl.

How Many Days in Prague: Where to Stay

We highly recommend staying in the Old Town as it is easy to walk to almost everything on the east side of the Vltava River.  We like to stay at the Hilton Old Town, however there is a Marriott just across the street.  There is also a second Hilton, located in the New Town, and there are a number of nice local hotels also in New Town off of Wenceslas Square. If you decide to stay at either of the Hiltons, or at the Marriott and you plan to use points, you might as well stay 5 nights, as the fifth night will be free. 

For those who are looking for more upscale lodging, there is a Four Seasons near the river.  There is also a Mandarin Oriental Hotel, actually on the West Side of the River, which could be one reason to spend some time in Lesser Town.

How Many Days in Prague: When to Go?

I made two trips to Prague, one in late September, early October and the other in late November, early December at the start of the Christmas Season.  Both were great times to visit, but for very different reasons.

My first trip was the Christmas trip in 2016.  Most Central European Cities have very popular Christmas Markets at this time of year and Prague is no different.  The Christmas scene in the Old Town Square is magnificent.  It is a wonderful experience, but the one difference from our second trip was that it was cold.

Robin and I made a second visit in 2023, seven years and a lifetime later.  We had survived the Covid Pandemic of the 2020-22 years and were looking forward to being in Prague in better weather.  And we got it, sunny every day, high 70’s, low 80’s.  This made taking a cruise on the Vltava River really enjoyable.  The crowds were a little bit lighter than at the height of the summer and certainly less than for the Christmas Market.  It was truly a wonderful time to visit the city. 

Guided Tours

We always have a debate about whether or not we should take a guided tour.  We decided to do two guided tours during our five-day visit in 2023.  First, on day three, we met a tour guide at the foot of the hill leading up to the Prague Castle.  We spent two and a half hours with the guide and got a really good understanding of the Castle and more importantly of St. Vitus Cathedral.  The guide took us up on the Tram to enter the Castle at the main gate across from the Powder Bridge.  She was an excellent tour guide and gave us a fantastic historical background about the castle.

Our second tour was on day four when we did a walking street tour featuring the street art and insight into the Velvet Revolution. We learned a lot about the city’s underground street culture and the Vietnamese community.   The tour took us via bus, tram and subway to many places on the outskirts of the city where street art flourished. 

To see more about street art in Prague, please visit our Graffiti/Street Art Post.

The tour ended in the Holesovice neighborhood where we found a wonderful alternate style lounge.   We ended the tour in the Holesolvice Neighborhood where we had planned dinner.

We found both tours on Get Your Guide which we highly recommend.  Visit Get Your Guide here for this and other great tours. 

How Many Days in Prague:  Where to eat?

By Robin Williams

Following are four restaurants where we had dinner in Prague.  The first one, The Eatery, was by far our favorite and highly recommended.  Although it is a bit of a ride from the Old Town, Tram #6 will get you there on the other side of the Vltara River.

If you wish to see some of our other highly recommended restaurants, please see our post “Bib Gourmand Vs Michelin Star Restaurants” post.

Top Restaurant in Prague

The Eatery – Lucky for us, we don’t live in Prague. Because, if we did, we would find ourselves on a first name basis with the chefs at The Eatery.  We have almost always had good luck with searching in cities new to us for Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants.  The Eatery is an excellent example. (See our Restaurant post for more detail.) Everything, from our greeting, to service and, most importantly, the food and wine was top shelf.  The Eatery is located in the Holesovice neighborhood, where we fortunately had dinner reservations as it was quite popular. 

We were lucky to sit at the chefs table where the magic happens.  We started with pumpkin soup and foie gras.  Cos’ pumpkin soup with ginger was extraordinary and my foie gras simply melted in your mouth as it should.  Accompanied with dreamy peach puree dots and edible flowers, the presentation was gorgeous as you can see above.  It was supposed to come with a waffle, but being gluten intolerant, I gave that up.  It wasn’t missed. 

The waiter suggested a Czech pinot noir style red whose price was crazy reasonable at $30 US.  It was what you might expect in Oregon, and we were smitten.  Cos ate braised oxtail stuffed in red and yellow peppers. I ordered a delicious pressed rabbit terrine served with potatoes.  We thought they were perfect portions as it left just enough room for dessert.  I ordered the rice pudding with dried apricot and apricot sherbet as a finish.  The perfect ending to an extraordinary meal.  It’s had to believe we had such a feast for the US equivalent of $97 plus tip, usually around 10-15%. In fact, others have expected that The Eatery would soon receive their Michelin star.  We think it will happen.

A Great Gluten-Free Restaurant in Prague

Alriso Risotteria Italiana – It’s always a challenge to find good traditional local food with a gluten-free menu. Or even better, a gluten free restaurant.  We were fortunate to find Alriso Risotteria Italiana in the Old Town of Prague.  We had seen other posts for restaurants with some items offering gluten free. But Alriso is an entirely gluten free restaurant!  Imagine our surprise to start with the traditional bread in paper served with olive oil, which we initially said we couldn’t have.  The server reminded us that it, too, was gluten free.  It is that bread course you truly miss while making your decision about dinner.  Frankly, the bread was just OK, but better than no bread for sure.  We had trouble deciding which traditional Italian dish we missed more, and decided on Lasagne and Spaghetti alla Bolognese.  

However, before our main meal, we split an Avocado salad with Gorgonzola, strawberries, pear, walnuts and watermelon. It was a festive salad meant for sharing.  We opted for an excellent Montepulciano D’Abruzzo for 867 CJK.  The staff was happy to decant the bottle for us which made a big difference.  Of course with such delicious main courses, we had to order dessert:  variations of the Italian Ice Creams and Vanilla ice cream in Hot Chocolate with Almond Crust.  Somehow some of that chocolate sauce ended on the ice cream and the ice cream was added to the almond crust!  The entire meal was a very reasonable US equivalent of $162 including tip.  Frankly even if you are not gluten intolerant, you would love this place.

Also, if interested in Gluten-Free Fast Food Restaurants please see our 33 Gluten-Free Restaurants Post.

Other Interesting Restaurants in Prague

Kampa 1574 – A cute little place near the John Lennon Wall we found on the island of Kampa was a real hidden gem find.  The restaurant is called Restaurant Kampa 1574 and is next to a waterwheel, pictured right.  Not great on gluten-free choices, but I had the duck leg and Cos had the pork knuckle, two classic Czech dishes. 

Bistro El Toro Negr – Another place we had dinner the first night we arrived was Bistro El Toro Negr.  It is located directly across from the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square at 5:00 pm.  The crowd was so big, we couldn’t really see the clock and its magic.  This was the perfect tourist spot.  We split a prime rib-eye steak and grilled vegetables with two gin and tonics each.  Cost $133.  Compared to the other places we eat, clearly, a tourist trap. You paid for the location across from the Astronomical Clock, which you couldn’t really see anyhow as the crowd of people filled the square right before the top of the hour.