I recently returned from a 5 day trip to the city of Prague thanks to Home Exchange. We lucked out with a city centre apartment that had 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, along with a huge lounge and a balcony with views over the skyline and Prague Castle.
Thanks to my friend Judith, we had a packed itinerary that allowed us to explore the best of the city, and get a real overview for the city’s rich history, religious buildings and modern eateries. So without further delay, here are our top recommended things to do when you’re on a short break in Prague:
Historical Tram Tour
We kicked off our weekend with a “ho-ho” (hop on, hop off) ticket on the historical tram. The 42 tramline runs in a circle around the main sights of Prague and is a really good way to find your bearings and orient yourself in the city.
There are 14 stops around the city, and you can hop on and off as often as you like for up to 24 hours. You’ll start near the city’s stadium, taking in old monasteries and churches, the ancient castle, and several formal gardens. It’s quickly apparently how brilliantly preserved the buildings in Prague are – meaning you can visit countless Renaissance buildings and the stunning cathedral that sits in the grounds of the castle.
Tickets are around £10 and include a 205 discount on some of the city’s museums.
Astronomical Clock Tour
Prague’s Astronomical Clock or Orloj can be found in Old Town Square. It’s pretty cool to look at, but taking a guided tour lets you truly understand just HOW cool.
The clock is a medieval structure that was built more than 600 years ago. Once an hour, the apostles appear in little windows towards the top of the tower, and as our guide reminds us, this was HI TECH magic to a medieval audience. Then there are two clock faces which show the time, the sun’s position and even the astrological month – it’s pretty cool.
If you take the guided tour, you can also see the clock from the inside AND climb the clock tower, which gives amazing views over the old city centre, especially at sunset. The basic admission fee is around £12, with 50% off tickets when it’s not a weekend.
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is more like a compound than a single building. Exploring within the castle walls, you can see buildings and relics from across the castle’s 1,000 year history.
For me, the highlights were exploring St Vitus cathedral, St George’s Basilica and the Old Palace’s Vladislav Hall where people used to joust (when they weren’t busy throwing their rulers out of windows)
Admission to the castle costs around £15 and tickets are valid for two days, although you may find you can only visit specific buildings once per ticket. Adding a guided tour to your ticket is really inexpensive, costing around £8 per person.
Tower Park
Around a 30 minute walk from the old city centre, you’ll find Tower Park – home to the controversial Zizkov TV Tower, built by the communists and standing 216 metres tall.
Today, the park is home to some interesting modern sculptures and you can go up the tower to a restaurant with 360 degree views and above that, an observatory. Closer to the ground, there was a really lovely garden restaurant that made for a fantastic spot for cocktails on a sunny afternoon. Tickets to the tower cost around £12 and it’s easily accessible from the public transport network.
Walking the Old Town
For me the very best thing to do in Prague is simply to talk around the Old Town and soak up the atmosphere. There are beautiful squares lined with bars, restaurants and stores, and small streets where you can get jostled by strangers while eating your traditional chimney cake.
Prague’s Old Town is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site, and parts of the city date back to the Roman empire! I recommend starting at Charles Bridge towards the very start or end of the day, when the crowds are at their smallest. From there you can browse the streets, seeking out old churches, courtyards and lanes. Look out for Kafka’s house and the Jewish Quarter, which was preserved by the Nazi regime as a potential future museum of Jewish culture.
And of course, don’t forget to sample the local Czech beer, which is renowned as some of the best in the world!
