Prague had been on my bucket list for a long time before I visited in June 2023, and it did not disappoint! The old town can certainly be crowded with tourists, but there’s so much history and interesting architecture to explore, and it’s easy to get out into neighborhoods that feel less touristy as well. I arrived in the evening and spent three nights, so had two full days to explore, but I think you could fit quite a lot into just a weekend in Prague (although would recommend stretching it to three nights if you can).
Day 1 – Old Town Prague
8am – If you like to see (or take photos of) classic spots before the crowds get too crazy, head to the Old Town Square first thing. The famous astronomical clock puts on a show at the top of every hour, and there are several other beautiful and interesting buildings lining the square.
9am – Try a traditional Czech breakfast at the historic Cafe Slavia.
10am – Head to Wenceslas Square and – I’m gonna do a strong rec on this one – use the Rick Steves Audio Europe app to take his self guided Prague City Walk. It’s free, there’s also a map and transcript of the audio, and it takes you to a ton of great destinations while filling you in on some crucial history of the city and of the Czech Republic. If you really truly don’t want to embrace your inner Boomer, find your own way along Wenceslas Square, to the Municipal House and Powder Tower gate, and then back to the Old Town Square.
Grab lunch near the square – pick a cafe for good people watching.
2pm – Visit the historic Jewish Quarter; a 30 euro pass gets you access to several synagogues – many with museums included – and the historic cemetery. Be sure not to miss the elaborate interior of the Spanish Synagogue, and enjoy the Art Nouveau architecture of the neighborhood as you walk between destinations.
6pm – There are plenty of happy hour and dinner spots in the Old Town, but if you want to see a different side of the city it could be interesting to check out the Smíchov and Anděl neighborhoods on the other side of the river, roughly between the Jirásek and Palackého bridges. On your way there you could also stop by the famous “Dancing House” building on the Old Town side of the river.
Day 2 – Across the river
8am – Today’s early start for views/photos with less crowds is at the Charles Bridge. Enjoy the statues and views as you cross the bridge from the Old Town side, get that iconic photo looking through the gate at the far side of the bridge, and check out canal and little alleyways just on the other side. There are plenty of cafes in this “Malá Strana” area, although if the weather is good you might want to grab a coffee to go and keep hustling up the hill to reach another good early photo spot.
9am – The Prague Castle is really a whole castle complex, and it’s free to walk through the grounds! After walking up the hill on Thunovská or Nerudova street, enter the castle complex through the gate to your right. You can keep walking basically east, past the cathedral and a 12th-century church. When you come out the other end of the complex, take another right and look for the entrance to the gardens/terrace along the south side of the castle walls. This area may not open until 10 – check opening times before you go – but has some of the best views out over the city, so you may want to try to get there when it opens to avoid crowds. Then, you can head back into the castle complex and visit the interiors of some of the buildings if you like. (You do need to buy a ticket to go inside most buildings, as well as to visit the “Golden Lane.”
12pm – From the castle you can head back down the way you came up, or make it a loop by continuing east until you hit a busy street you follow for a block until you turn back west(ish) on Valdštejnská street. Visit the free Waldstein Gardens complex (peacocks!) and then make your way back into the center of Malá Strana to find some lunch.
2pm – Next destination is Letna Park; you can walk there along the river from Malá Strana or probably take a bus or tram to the top side of the park, but I’d recommend crossing back over the river on the Mánesův bridge, walking along the Old Town side of the river, and then crossing back on the Čechův bridge that takes you straight to stairs up into the park. Head to the walkway below the Pražský metronom, where there’s a small “beer garden” (well, a place that sells beer, and some tables and chairs) with a great view of the city.
5pm – Walk up through the top of the park into the Praha 7 neighborhood, where you can explore some more “local” streets with plenty of beautiful architecture, and lots of great places to eat and drink. Try the area around Korunovační street, or further east past Dukelských Hrdinů.
Essentials for a Weekend in Prague
Where to stay in Prague: Staying in the Old Town is probably the most common, but I stayed at an Airbnb in Praha 7 across the river and really enjoyed the opportunity to feel like I was in more of a typical neighborhood and just see everyone going about their day to day life. I like to walk so I didn’t think it was a bad walk to the Old Town via the Štefánikův bridge, but I also took the tram to and from the train station and took a bus west past the top of Letna Park to the castle area.
Getting around Prague: The Old Town and most popular sights across the river are walkable, if you like to walk, but the tram and bus system is also really easy to use. I don’t remember paying cash – I believe there’s either an app, or you can tap on and off with a credit card.
Great photo spots in Prague: For views of the city, I loved the gardens/terrace along the south side of the castle walls – although note that this is definitely a popular spot, so if you want photos without other people posing with the view, try to go early. Crossing the Charles Bridge right before you get to Malá Strana there’s a classic shot through the gate archway, and I really liked the building/canal/river views along that side of the river as well. The Old Town Square of course has the Astronomical Clock but also a lot of other picturesque buildings, and I really found the architecture allover – definitely including the Jewish Quarter – to be really interesting.
Looking for weekend itineraries for other European cities? Check out all my 48 Hour Itineraries, or you might enjoy guides to a Weekend in Florence or a Weekend in London.
