I'm going on a trip to PRAGUE in 2024

Guide with the BEST things to do in PRAGUE in 2024, with excursions and accommodations to sleep in.

Cheap and budget accommodation to sleep in Prague

Prague city guide (Czech Republic)

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is a city ​​that seems straight out of a fairy tale. With a rich history dating back more than a thousand years, it is a destination that fascinates travelers with its medieval architecture, cobbled alleys and bohemian atmosphere.

Over the centuries, Prague has been the political, cultural and economic center of the region, which has left an indelible mark on its urban landscape.

Prague  It is known throughout the world as the “Ciudad dorada"Or the"City of the 100 towers”, This place invites to the different experience where its streets and buildings in the form of castles make it truly magical as if it were the fairy tales we know.

Ancient castles, elegant bridges and hundreds of bell towers and spiers adorn Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, a city born from a fairy tale.

The city of Prague is a perfect combination between nature and medieval architecture, its streets and places make you go back to the past to find stories of castles, knights, battles and conquests.

Su historic center is spectacular with the Old Town Square and its Astronomical Clock, although you cannot forget the Mala Strana neighborhood, with its famous castle, stroll through the Jewish quarter with its synagogues and the cemetery, or cross the Charles Bridge, one of the emblems of the city.

Best areas to stay in Prague

The city It is divided into 10 districts with the name of Prague 1, Prague 2, Prague 3, etc. However, residents use neighborhood names (Stare Mesto, Mala Strana, Vinohrady, etc.) more frequently than district numbers. So that you can enjoy your stay to the fullest, in this section we offer you a small guide with the best areas of Prague: the most tourist, the safest, from which it is easy reach any point in the city, walk on foot or eat and buy without problems, a few meters from your hotel.

Stare Mesto preserves all the medieval flavor and concentrate much of its tourist attractions like the charming Old Town Square, with the City Hall and its famous Astronomical Clock, the towers of the Clock and the Gunpowder, and so many others.

The Stare Mesto area extends from the famous Old Town Square (the astronomical clock). If you want something central but quiet in addition to many restaurants for dinner go to the surroundings of the Náměstí Republiky square, near the Powder Tower and the Municipal House.

This area is also very popular for its wide variety of fashion boutiques, restaurants, shopping centers, bars and nightclubs, all very focused on the tourist, it is about the liveliest area of ​​the city.

Located just below Prague Castle and more near the centerThis is a very good area to stay in Prague, full of bars and restaurants, and it is a place that at night is very quiet and quiet. This is where the cheaper hostels of Prague.

Mala Strana has the advantage of being very close, in a short walk, of the Stare Mesto square and all its attractions, but without its agglomerations of tourists and its bustle. Those who seek tranquility will undoubtedly prefer it.

Getting lost Malá Strana is a pleasure, and although the accommodations here are a bit more expensive than in other neighborhoods in Prague, it is worth it and can always be found good offers looking for time.

Staying in Prague This area has an obvious charm as long as you are willing to give up having some animation in the neighborhood. Due to the proximity to the Castle, in Hradcany there are few restaurants and bars. Nightlife is almost non-existent since there are no nightclubs in this area.

Are you looking for a Quiet and relaxing trip? This is your zone! Hradcany has less hotel offering than the previous areas already mentioned since It is somewhat far from the center. But this is not a problem if you don't mind moving on public transport.

The most interesting visits to the neighborhood are the six synagogues (High, Spanish, Klausen, Maisel, Pinkas and Old-New), the medieval cemetery with its impressive tombs or the Monastery of Santa Inés. The average price is a bit more expensive, because there are many modern and luxury hotels.

Being in the Old City is ideal for stay in Prague since it allows you to be next to everything there is to visit in addition to enjoying its own identity, its museums, and its old bookstores. The streets of Josefov are well stocked with restaurants, and it is a very good place to try kosher food.

It is also characteristic for its old bookstores and its interesting museums. It is ideal for those who want to stay very close to the center, but without having to endure the level of "touristification" of it.

It is also very well connected to public transport and the accommodation is usually cheaper. Nove Mesto is right next to Stare Mesto and it's another very good area to stay. It is very safe, has many attractions and several museums and is connected to Stare Mesto by subway.

Very close to Wenceslas Square you have very close the Dancing House of the famous American architect Frank Gehry, deconstructivist style. Referring to one of the curiosities of Prague, this controversial construction by Gehry is inspired by some dancers.

Very good accommodation options You will find around the lively Karlovo Náměstí and Wenceslas Square, the main centers of the area (those of Wenceslas Square are usually rather luxury hotels and, therefore, more expensive).

Getting to Prague by bus

The main bus station in Prague is Praha Nadrazi Florenc, located in the New Town and very close to Praha Hlavni Nadrazi. Both international and national buses arrive at this terminal.

The main company that arrives at the Praha Nádraží Florenc bus station is Eurolines, that It arrives directly from France, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Lithuania, Holland, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.

From the following address you can look at schedules and routes to get to Prague: http://www.eurolines.es/

Reach Prague by train

Prague has two international train terminals, Hlavni Nadrazi and Nadrazi Holesovice. Both stations connect with metro line 3 to facilitate transportation within the city. exist two other terminals, but they are more of national use (Smichov and Masarykovo Nadrazi).  

• The main station (Hlavni Nadrazi) is basically in the center of Prague, on Wilsonova Street, just 5 minutes from Wenceslas Square and other places of interest. It is well connected with the rest of the city thanks to the metro line C (red) and at trolley car. Although walking is a few steps from the city center, the park next door can be a bit dangerous, especially at night. Therefore, it is advisable to take the metro.     

• The Holesovice Praha station is located north of the city center, on Partyzanska street. It is the second largest station and it's only three stops in metro of Hlavni nadrazi. Express trains from western and northern Europe stop here on their way to southern Europe. This is also the destination of trains coming from the north (Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg).     

• Smichov station, as its name suggests, is located in Smichov, on Nadrazni Street, at about 15 minutes in metro From the center of the city. It is a small station with trains leaving the western part of the Czech Republic. The station is mainly used by Czech citizens when going to work.     

• Masarykovo Nadrazi Station is the oldest in Prague and is located in the city center, near Namesti Republiky and the bus terminal, on Hybernska street. Trains run from here to commuter destinations like Kolin, Kutna Hora, and Hradec Králové.

  If you need more information about lines, routes and schedules, you can find them at the following address (in English): http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlaky/spojeni/

The best what you can see and do during your stay in Prague

Prague is a city ​​full of interesting sites to see, all its architecture and monuments are worth admiring, there are places where we will enjoy the ancient designs of the city where we will learn a little history, but on the other hand we will see a modern and developed city, without a doubt The tourist attractions are centered on the historical side and although there are many, the following can be mentioned.

Other visits and activities around Prague

Astronomical clock

The figures of the 12 apostles, blessing the city every hour, they were added in more recent times, during the repair work carried out between 1865-1866. In addition to the figures of the apostles, there are 8 fixed figures to the left and right of the clock face and calendar.

Astronomical clock It was built in 1410 by watchmaker Mikulas Kadan in collaboration with Jan Ondrejuv, professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Carolina University of Prague. The impressive mechanism built over 600 years ago still working correctly.

80 years later, the legendary master Hanus rebuilt the clock and as legend says, the councilor left him blinded, in this way, he would never be able to build another instrument larger than the Orloj in Prague.

Under the watch face you can see the calendar, painted by Josef Manes in 1805. The four figures on the watch face are symbols of medieval Prague society. The sphere or clock face show the most important astronomical events: the movement of the sun, the phases of the moon, the equinoxes, the seasons, the days and the zodiac.

Jewish synagogue

The activity of the synagogue has an impressive history of more than 700 years, after being interrupted only between 1941 and 1945 due to the Nazi occupation. Now It is open to the public every day except Saturdays and Jewish holidays.

If you are already in the center of Prague, it would be a shame to miss one of the best parts of the Jewish Quarter which is the Old-New Synagogue, as it is the oldest synagogue in Europe and one of the first gothic buildings in Prague (built around 1270).

You will stay without a doubt be impressed by the Holy Ark of the eastern wall, where the scrolls of the sacred Torah are kept and by the acronym in biblical Hebrew covering the walls.

Old or new? The name comes from the fact that when the synagogue was built (around 1260 AD) one of these places of worship already existed, so it had to be the new synagogue. Unfortunately, the old synagogue was destroyed, and as the years went by, it became the oldest synagogue.

Gold Alley

Do you want to see a street where the houses are so small that they fit the dwarves more than the people? Do you want to know what the smallest street in Prague looks like? Then you should not miss the Golden Alley, in the Prague Castle complex. The street is lined with small houses built in the mannerist style at the end of the XNUMXth century.

Their habitants: for several decades many houses were destroyed, so after 1657 there are only 14 houses left. The Callejón del Oro housed both rich and poor, artists, employees, lackeys, etc.

One of the famous inhabitants of this street was the famous writer Franz Kafka, who lived in house # 22, who was killed by the Gestapo in the war because he predicted the end of Nazism

The Gold Alley owes its name to the story of alchemists who lived on the street during the reign of Rodolfo II, who tried not only to do the philosopher's stone or the elixir of youth, but also of transforming metals into gold.

Gunpowder Tower

The Powder Tower is a gothic tower located in the Old Town of Prague and during the Middle Ages it was one of the gates of the city. In the XNUMXth century it was used as a powder depot and since then it took its current denomination.

The Powder Tower it was for centuries the starting point of the Camino Real, The route that the Bohemian kings followed in the coronation ceremony that, crossing the Old Town, the Charles Bridge and Malá Strana, culminated in the Prague Castle.

Uploading the 186 steps of your spiral staircase you access the gallery, located at 44 meters high, from which there is good views of the city. The Powder Tower is used as an exhibition hall related to the history of the city in general and the tower in particular.

In the last ten years, being floor is adorned with statues of kings of the Bohemia: from Celetná Street you can see Jorge de Podebrady and Vladislav II, and on the other side, from the Republic Square, Premysl Otakar II and Charles IV. Shields and emblems of the regions they ruled were carved alongside the kings.

Black theater

The black theater of Prague is a kind of theatrical performance that takes place on a black stage in the dark, with different special types of lighting that give rise to games of light and shadows. To do this they use large black curtains, a dark colored stage, flashlights and phosphorescent suits, in addition to colored lights and ambient music.

A detail that travelers who do not speak other languages ​​will especially like is that Black theater plays are silent, charging background music a great prominence. The Black Theater is the Prague's most popular show.

When choosing the work, Aspects of Alice is probably the best known work of the Black Theater from Prague It tells the story of Alicia's childhood to adolescence after leaving Wonderland. It is represented in Ta Fantastika.

May See all the schedule of the presentations in: http://www.pragueexperience.com/theatre/theatre.asp

Remaining visits for Prague

There are so many things to see in Prague and so many activities to do, that listing all would be almost impossible. You lose through its streets and enjoy every corner you find because there are few magical places in the world like this enchanted city of Prague.

Excursions around Prague

Cesky Krumlov

Czech Republic - Around Prague - Cesky Krumlov @Wise Lee / Shutterstock

Located at 170 kilometers from Prague, is one of the few villages that still retains its own medieval character. Cesky Krumlov It is located in the charming landscape of South Bohemia, at a bend in the Vltava River. The city It is known as the pearl of Bohemia. Its historic center was included in 1992 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The city is dominated by two buildings of great cultural value: the castle and the gothic church of San Vito. The castle is half medieval fortress, half castle and is magnificently located on a cliff from which the entire city overlooks, being the second largest in the Czech Republic (after Prague Castle).

Carlsbad

Carlsbad is a spa town which is one of the best excursions from Prague, which is a couple of hours away by car, very close to the German border. It is a place with a very characteristic Rococo architecture, nestled in the middle of a forested environment of great beauty.

Carlsbad It is the jewel of Western Bohemia, world-famous spa town by the numerous sources of mineral waters that exist throughout the city.

In addition to its sources, Karlovy Vary is also famous for its international Film Festival, the production of Moser crystal items, herbal liqueur Becherovka and its stuffed wafers.

Kutna Hora

Known as “The Treasure of the Country”, Kutná Hora is one of the most important historical cities in the Bohemian region. This old city of miners founded in the thirteenth century, gave its wealth in silver to the Czech Crown.

If you want to know one of the most chilling places that you have ever stepped on, you have to visit Kutna Hora, the famous chapel made of bones which attracts a large number of visitors every year.

La visit to Kutna Hora It can be a very good excursion to do while in Prague. It is a very different city to the capital and extremely interesting.

Terezín Concentration Camp

The Terezín Concentration Camp is sadly known as the tragic symbol of the people who perished during the Nazi occupation.

The mission of the Terezín Memorial is remind victims of political and racial persecution which occurred during the Nazi occupation in the Czech lands during World War II.

Visiting Terezín is not recommended for those who only look for a beautiful postcard, the theme has to be striking and you have to know what is said there: history of the holocaust

Our advice

all these excursions from Prague that we have proposed to you are possible perform in one daybut it can also be interesting go to sleep one night outside the capital and enjoy another type of environment.

The best time to visit Prague

If you are going to go in summer, you have to keep in mind that you are going to find the crowded city of tourism, but you have the advantage that is when there are more hours of sunshine. In addition, the heat is not precisely excessive, and it is very pleasant to walk among its streets.

Prague - Overview of the city @David Maska / Shutterstock

Prague is a city that falls in love at the time you go, so here are some recommendations:

El Summer usually has an average temperature of 20 degrees, as you can see it is not that much, so it is a fact to keep in mind if you are going to travel this time. The good thing about summer is that it is when you will find more hours of sunshine.

If you go in winter, pay special attention to the cold, since you will be many days at zero degrees. This time has the advantage that there is much less tourism, and that you can see the snowy city and its completely frozen river, a sight worth seeing.

Maybe the best time to go is spring or fall, there are still enough hours of sun, many days are still mild, and tourism is not excessive as in summer. Of course, the bad thing is that it rains a lot and the use of the umbrella becomes quite necessary.

As you can read, Each season has its advantages and disadvantages, so it is you who have to decide which one suits you best.

The Christmas markets of Prague

The markets They start every year four Saturdays before December 24, which is Christmas Eve, and last until the beginning of January. They are open every day of the week and yet they are always busy despite the cold and rain.

Prague - Christmas market @Jiri Foltyn / Shutterstock

Christmas is a very special time in Prague and Christmas markets go hand in hand with him. The Christmas markets of Prague, which have a long tradition, bring people together to share the Christmas spirit, it is worth a visit.

And because? This is the special Christmas atmosphere that one finds there. Markets offer not only a great opportunity to buy some unique gifts, but also live the experience of traditions that are still alive. They bring the true meaning of Christmas to life.

The most popular markets are in the old town square and the Wenceslas Square, where Christmas items are sold at 70 to 80 stands. The smallest are found in Namesti Republiky, Trziste Havelske and Namesti Miru. All of them are easily accessible by metro.

Own Traditional markets consist of wooden chalets They cover the market places and are very well decorated. There you will find traditional Christmas decorations, Christmas items and handmade gifts, along with fresh food and drinks. As usual open from 9am to 7pm.

The markets they sell typical Christmas items, such as Bohemian crystal, wooden toys, scented candles, handmade jewelry, ceramic cups, hats, scarves, traditional puppets and Christmas tree ornaments.

However, markets should not be visited just for shopping. You can also see the traditional foods being cooked, especially cakes, and In the Old Town Square you can see sheep, goats and a donkey. There is a great representation of the Bethlehem, a wooden stable represents María, José, el Niño Jesús and los Reyes Magos.

Lo most impressive of all is the Christmas tree, brought from the mountains of Krkonose, in the north of the Czech Republic. Erected in the old town square, the tree is shrouded in a glow of lights, up to 100.000, which are activated every night around 17: 00. Located in a dark Gothic environment, it is a spectacular sight.

Where to eat cheaply in Prague

Si vas a Prague you'll be glad to know that you can eat and drink for a very cheap price. Of course, you have to know how to find those places, generally you should think about going to areas where there are not a large number of tourists and which, on the contrary, are preferred by locals. Although in reality, despite being in the center, you can find affordable prices. Prague definitely has it all. Czechs like soups and tend to be very carnivorous, eating mainly pork and to a lesser extent beef, since it is more expensive, and chicken. If you are thinking about fish, this is not the best place, although you can get it, even if it is not so cheap. We are going to recommend some good places to discover, to cheap eating in Prague:  

• KolkovnaHere, they serve traditional Czech cuisine and have good beer and atmosphere. In josevof     

• Lehka Hlava / Clear Head, if you are vegan this is your place in Prague, the letter will not disappoint you. In Borsov 2/280     

• Lal QilaAs always, Indian food is an option, since it is tasty and usually cheap. Italska 30 | Prague 2     

• U Tri RuziCzech restaurant, although it looks more like a brewery there is also good food, especially soups and meats. In Husova 10     

• Palanda, the menu has French and Czech dishes. The hamburger is especially recommended. In Zlatnicka 11     

• U Kroka, another place to taste the local food. With many vegetables and meats, among which the duck and the rabbit stand out. In Vratislavova 12     

• Restaurace Na Zlaté křižovatce, Czech food, here the goulash is very good. It is central although a little hidden. In Za Poricskou branou 382/16     

• Bohemia Bagel Lazenska, Lazenska 19, is a chain of restaurants with several locations. The menu is designed for breakfast and lunch, but for dinner it is not available. At night they close. They have healthy, vegetarian food and snacks with everything, among other things. In Lazenska 19     

• Gasoline, Czech and international restaurant. A little far from the center but it can be a good option for a dinner at a somewhat more special place for a more than reasonable price. In Stitneho 35 | Zizkov     

• Atmosphere, Czech and international food. Located in a basement, it is a place that has everything. You find coffee, beer and good food dishes to accompany. In Smetanovo nabrezi 14.   

Shopping in Prague

Let's make clear that Prague will never be up to par with London o New York  when it comes to shopping even though the center of Prague is full of new shopping centers and stores of large international chains. But there are still some local stores that are worth searching for perform shopping. The most shops are located in the center of Prague, on Wenceslas Square, and on Národní třída, Vinohradská and Pařížská streets around the Old Town Square. Bear in mind that there are several large markets where you can buy practically everything and much cheaper. Stores usually open around of the 9: 00 hours and close to the 18: 00 hours. Tourist shops are also open on weekends. The Czech Republic is world famous worldwide for its glass and porcelain production. Very nice gifts of this type can be made at quite reasonable prices. Other suggestions to buy are: Czech handicrafts, pottery and antiques. Prague has dozens of old book stores that can store exceptional copies. Many of the second-hand stores have very good offers of brooches, mirrors, etc ... Here you have some tips:  

• Glass glass items, wooden toys and jewelry are usually quite popular options.     

• Wooden or plaster puppets and puppets are handcrafted and can be a good option for a good memory (puppet manufacturing dates back to the XNUMXth century).     

• If you prefer drinks, try Becherovka, an herbal liqueur known for having medicinal properties (it is good for digestion). Plum brandy (slivovice) is also available, as is brandy distilled from other fruits.

  Even if you are not thinking about buying Bohemian crystal, we recommend that visit the moser store(located in Na Prikope 12, New Town), which has sold glassware for more than a century.

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