It took me awhile before I decided to venture over to Prague as I was under the impression it was just another touristy city, but I was quite wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and wish I had not waited as long to visit!
Below is my top sites for Prague! There is a bucket list photo that you can save to use on your own trip! I was able to see almost everything I wanted in 3 days and I will definitely be back to visit other cities in the Czech Republic.
- Prague Castle and Grounds
The castle and grounds are located across the river. This is definitely one of the most visited spots and serves as the official residence of the president.
Entrance to the grounds are free, but some spots require an entrance ticket. On the grounds sit the Castle, the Golden Lane, Basillica of St. George, St Vitus Cathedral, the Story of Prague Castle and the Royal Gardens. Beside the garden, all of these require an entrance ticket. There are two different tickets options. I got the smaller ticket that did not have entrance to the Story of Prague and I was ok without it. It was downpouring when I went and I did not have an umbrella so sadly I did not even do all on the grounds.
If you go during the christmas market season(end November to December 25ish) there is also a small christmas market up here. I found the prices pretty similar with the other and it was similar food and drinks stands as the other markets.
2. St Vitus Cathedral
This catedral can be seen all around Prague and it is worth a visit! While you can go inside without a ticket, you can only stand in the small entrance. The rest of the cathedral is off limits and you must have a ticket to walk around. You have to scan your ticket so do not think you can sneak through like some people in front of me did as they got in trouble!
There is also a tower you can go up for an additional fee, as well as the treasure which are included in the entrance ticket.
3. Golden Lane
The Golden Lane, aka the Alchemist Lane, is also located on the castle grounds and require an entrance ticket that you must scan. The lane gets it nickname based on the legend that alchemists came here to find out how to turn metal into gold. It is a rather small lane with a few active shops and diplays. I would say the lane is only 100m in length or so.
After you exit the lane but before you get back to the main castle ground sits a tower to the left. Make sure you check this tower out as well as it holds medivial torture instruments and a brief history of the tower and the uses. I saw several people walk past it but I found interesting!
4. Changing of the Guards
Like most changing of the guards at other palaces, this has a mini ceremony that takes place. The guards serve the president and have special uniforms and height requirements to serve. If you miss the ceremony, you can still see the guards standing at any time!
5. KGB Museum
This was actually one museum I didn’t have a chance to see but I really wanted too. It is near the castle and I must have missed it when I went and I simply did not have enough time to go back. From what I saw online, the museum is run by a man who shows you memorabilia from the soviet union secret police. The pictures online looked really insane and everyone had great reviews so I am bummed I did not get to see it. I believe it is 10 euros or a 250 czh to enter.
6. The Infant Jesus of Prague
This is located in Mala Strana, which is another cute area of Prague near the castle. It is a small doll but apparently thousands of people come to pray and worship it every year. It represents the infant of jesus christ hence the baby doll but the history is not known where it came from. It is located in a decorated shrine on the right when you walk in and there is no fee.
7. The Lennon Wall
This is also located near mala strana and the Infant Jesus of Prague. This wall has been decorated with John Lennon quotes and more. While it is another touristy spot, this wall is still worth a quick stop. I went in late December so not many people were there so I was able to grab a quick photo without waiting or having tons of people in it.
8. River Cruise
Another must is a river cruise down the Vltava river. They start at 10 euros or 250 czh for a 50 min cruise and go up from there depending on how long it is and if there is a meal. I went during the day time and while it was nice, it was also freezing out so I couldn’t sit on top like I was hoping. You do get an awesome view of the buildings so I am sure this would have been even more beautiful at night like I originally planned to do.
9. Charles Bridge
This may be the biggest tourist trap in all of Prague so watch what time you go! You will probably cross it a few times during your visit and it can get quite busy and packed. I recommend going at dusk or dawn as there are fewer people and you can get a better picture. However, I found the best photo was from the bank or the river cruise (not actually on the bridge) FYI!
There are also vendors selling paintings, jewelry, and more. Make sure you ignore the guys with the colored doves. This is a common scam where you take a picture with their bird and then they demand large amounts of money from you. I saw them all over Prague so watch out!
10. Petrin Tower
This is located on the other side of the river a short walk from the Castle. Petrin Hill overlooks the river and old town of Prague. This is said to be one of the greenest spaces in Prague but as I went near winter, all the trees were bare so not very green for me!
Located on the hill is Petrin Tower, a mini eiffel tower. It takes 299 steps to climb the tower and it was a challenge after walking all the way there from the castle! It is a fee to climb up (almost everything in prague charges a fee) but it has the most amazing view of Prague and the castle so I recommend! In addition to the tower, there is a church and a mirror maze for a fee as well. I did not go to those so I can not say how they are.
11. Lenta Park
Another green park in Prague, this is located on the other side of the castle then Petrin Hill. It was also brown and cold when I went so I didn’t do much walking around, I actually headed back into town pretty quickly for some gluhwein. Apparently in the summer, this is a very popular spot and it boasts about its beer gardens!
12. Old Jewish Ghetto (Josefoz)
This was another area I wanted to explore but could not. I planned to go Saturday, not realizing that everything is closed on Saturdays. You can walk around some of the area but the cemetery and buildings were closed so make sure you plan accordingly! There are synagogues, the cemetery, along with a rich history so plan a bit of time here.
13. Old Town Square
By far one of the most touristy area of Prague, as most old towns are, this was by far my favorite spot. While in the square, you are surrounded by beautiful architecture from the 10th century, restaurants, vendors, the astronomical clock, and the most amazing view of the church. The main Christmas market is here and you will no doubt be drawn to spending some time here.
14. Astronomical Clock
This mechanical clock was built in the 15th century and is considered one of the best preserved mechanical clocks in the world. This is one of the reasons that so many people come here to visit, making it a famous landmark for Prague.
Every hour, there is a show. No matter when you visit, there will be a crowd. The “show” as many blogs post about you needing to see was nothing special in my opinion. I was so excited since everyone says to go to the show but afterwards you realize how silly it is. It is better to watch everyone else’s reaction than the show!
15. Museum of Communism
This was by far one of the more interesting museums I have been to. Located shortly outside of old town, this museum explains the history of communism within Prague and the Czech Republic. There are lots of informational signs, paintings, and posters. I didn’t know as much about this and it was definitely interesting learning about it. Theres is a lot to read but it is not boring and slow so make sure you check it out.
16. Find Sigmeud Freud
Hidden (or not so hidden) in old town is a Sigmeud Freud statue but this is not a normal statue. This is a 7 foot tall statue hanging in the air by a pole. Apparently this statue has even been thought to be a real person attempting sucicide but thankfully it is just a statue. You can either try to find it yourself, or you can google the location in your maps!
17. Drink a Pivo (Beer)
So apparently Czech has claimed they have the best beer in the world and everyone boost how there beer is cheaper than water. Well of course it is, it is basically water! Most of the beer is light beer and I saw most were only 3-5% alcohol. Personally, I come from an area that has nothing but craft breweries with all beers around 6-9% so I like to think I am a bit of a snob when it comes to beer. I was not a fan of any I tried but apparently this is something you have to try. I guess I don’t mind spend 1-2 dollars on a beer than taste the same as a bud light for a day or two. I can come home to my good craft beer later!
18. Eat a Trdelnik
Ok so this is something you must try! While the beer sucked, this did not! These are super popular and you will see so many places selling these different ways. Some are filled with custard, nutella, fresh fruit, ice cream, or just plain. I came in winter so I didn’t want the ice cream, so I tried the one with strawberry and nutella. It was beyond amazing! I did get one filled with eggnog cream but it was not as good. Plus they are also only a few dollars so you will no doubt be buying a few!
19. Christmas Markets (End of November – December)
Prague is magical at christmas time, as is most of Europe to be fair. There are multiple Christmas markets throughout the city and each has a little something else to offer. There is one that has screaming witches (They didn’t actually scream, or I didn’t hear them screaming atleast), crafts, food and more. I I believe I went to everyone one, even if only for a little bit. The christmas market in the old town is the biggest and holds the tree lighting ceremony so that is the main popular one. Be warned, it is beyond packed during the lighting ceremony so go early to find a good spot.
20. Dancing House
A quick stop, the dancing house is a popular building in Prague. This is two curved buildings leaning against each other, giving the appearance they are dancing. It is worth a stop as there are some other nice buildings to walk around near this area as well.
These are just my top 20 things to do in Prague as there is so much more to do. Some honourable mentions include Wenceslas square (host a christmas market), the National Theatre, Wallenenstein Garden (Closed for the winter so I couldn’t visit), and the Powder Tower. If you are a big beer fan, they have a beer museum and beer spa. Personally I didn’t want to spend that much for those as they are not cheap, but they seemed popular and worth a mention as well.
It is a great place to visit for a short weekend or even a whole week as you will be able to find something to do! I hope you enjoyed this post and you find it useful! Let me know if you’ve been or if there is anything I missed. Tschuss!
AJ goes abroad 