Visiting Prague for the first time.

We arrived in Prague for the first time at the end of November 2023 and spent five nights there. In this post, I will share the places we visited, our experience of three Prague Christmas Markets on opening weekend, and other helpful information to help you plan a trip to this popular city. We had unprecedented snow over the weekend, adding to Prague’s charm and beauty.

Prague receives anywhere from 6 to 8 million visitors a year, making it very busy most of the time. There are many reasons Prague is on so many people’s bucket lists. It boasts beautiful architecture, from Romanesque to the present trends. If architecture is not your jam, Prague also has a rich, long history spanning a thousand years to explore and great food.  

For us, visiting Prague was more about seeing a must-see city, with the Christmas markets definitely up the appeal. With so many visitors gracing the cobbled streets of Prague each year, you can pretty much always expect crowds, and visiting over the opening weekend of the Christmas Market weekend did not help those numbers during our visit.

At the end of this post are links to the Four videos we made during our stay in Prague, and all through the post are links to specific parts relating to the places mentioned.

Helpful Info to know before you head to Prague

Best time to visit:

We visited in Winter, and it had snowed…a lot. But when are those in the know saying about visiting?
April to May and September to October are better times to visit.

The spring and autumn see smaller crowds and higher chances of pleasant weather.

Currency:

Kč (Czech Koruna) is used throughout the Czech Republic

The average daily cost for a moderate budget will be around Kč2,589 per person.

For a week, for a couple, you would have a comfortable visit for around Kč36,242.

*Estimates are from the website “Budget Your Trip.” I use this site for all my trip budget estimates (it is not Affiliated).

For conversions, I use XE Concurrency converter.

Temps

July is Prague’s hottest month, with an average temperature of 18°C (64°F), and the coldest is January, at -1°C (30°F). June sees an average of 9 hours of sunshine. The wettest month is May, with an average of 69mm rain.

I know the snow we experienced is unusual, and looking back at our time, all the snow, along with the crowds, affected our enjoyment levels and how much we saw, we did manage to enjoy our time.

Language Basics

The official language spoken in Prague is Czech; English is spoken, but sometimes not understood well. Don’t be afraid; take your time and watch your local slang. I can be a bit sarcastic trying to be funny, and I am often met with blank stares because it gets lost in interpretation, and language barriers make it even more noticeable. I must watch how I say many things; it is a conscience, keeping a keep it simple mindset, just like in any foreign country.

HELLO = DOBRY’ DEN

GOOD-BYE = NA SHLEDANOU

YES = ANO

NO = NE

PLEASE = PROSÍM

THANK YOU = DE^vKUJI VAM

Places to Visit in Prague

As I have said, we visited during the Christmas markets, so much of what we saw was between market visits. In this section, we will look at the major tourist areas in Prague; I will share our experiences of the places we visited.

Old Town

While Prague has so much to offer, we will start in the Old Town. Prague’s Old Town is a great link to other areas you may want to visit and a wonderful place to help you get orientated.

Its history starts in the 10th century, and its centre is the Old Town Square. Within the old town’s borders, you will find many landmarks like the Charles Bridge Tower, Havel market, the National Opera, Jewish Quarter, Our Lady of the Tyne church, and many museums. All this and more can be found as you walk the cobbled streets. We enjoyed lovely meals at restaurants, often a street or two back from major sights.

Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall dates from 1338 as the seat of the Old Town administration. The oldest part is a beautiful Gothic tower with a bay chapel and a unique astronomical clock on the external wall; visitors can visit the tower and its historical interiors.

Astronomical Clock

The astronomical clock on the external wall of the Old Town Hall shows the twelve apostles appearing every hour between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. The clock was first installed in 1410 and is the third oldest Astronomical clock in the world, but according to Wikipedia, it is the oldest one still in operation. Although the hourly show may be underwhelming, if you are in Prague, I feel it is something you should tick off your list.

Free to look at, expect crowds.

Old Town Square

The Old Town Square is one of Prague’s most beautiful historical sights. It lies at the heart of the Old Town and is home to buildings from Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicist, and Neogothic architecture. A stop shop for all the styles.

Some buildings to explore are Old Townhall Square, the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, St. Nicholas Church, and Kinský Palace, a former palace that is today home to an art museum.

Jan Hus, a religious reformer, is commemorated with an imposing statue in the square’s centre. He was burned at the stake in Konstanz for his beliefs, which led to the Hussite Wars. These are just a few Ideas to help you plan.

Open 24 hours

Free to explore

Prague Castle

Prague Castle dates back to around 880 and is listed as the largest coherent castle complex in the world.

 

The following places have a fee and seasonal opening times: Old Royal Palace, The Story of Prague Castle, St. George’s Basilica, Castle Guard Exhibition, Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower, The Picture Gallery at Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. Here is a link to the official website.

Free Areas are the historical courtyards, the Neo-Gothic part of the Cathedral of St. Vitus, and the Golden Lane after closing. The changing of the guard’s parade is in the first courtyard at noon each day (including in the snow).

Basic Entry Fee: Prague Castle – Main circuit -450 CZK
includes Old Royal Palace, St. George‘s Basilica, Golden Lane, and St. Vitus Cathedral

There are cafes, restaurants, and lots to see in the free areas. We visited twice and only wandered around the courtyards, enjoying vantage points over different sections of Prague.

Visiting the castle twice meant seeing a few different areas and checking out both clips on the walking tour and on our own.

Strahov Monastery

The other main attraction on the hill is the Strahov Monastery, founded in 1140. There is the church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the popular Strahov Library, the Baroque Theological Hall, the Classical Philosophy Hall decorated with frescoes, and the Strahov Gallery.

To visit the library, you have to book timed tickets, and adults are 150CZK

The Strahov Monastery Brewery is in the same complex as the Monersty; we would suggest booking in advance; we were there on a Sunday in December and had no chance of getting in.

You can walk to the castle from town in about 25 minutes or catch the number 22 tram; there are three different stops, the main entrance and Strahov Monersty, to access the highest point. If you prefer an easier walk and want to see as much as possible, start your walk from the Monersty through the castle to the bottom.

We visited here twice, the first on our walking tour the second on a clearer day and here is the footage around the Monersty.

Wenceslas Square

Once home to a horse market, Wenceslas Square’s main square in the new town is today a hive of business and shopping. At the top of the 750-metre-long square is the magnificent National Museum and the statue of King Wenceslas.

Things to do around the square: visit the Museum and Copula, take the bunker tour at Jalta Hotel, and learn about spying during the Soviet era. We did this tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. The tour takes around two hours and has a relaxed feel, with plenty of time to explore the displays. Close by, you will find Lucerna Arcade, which has a famous upside-down horse statue from the ceiling.

Check out the Bunker tour Footage here.

Charles Bridge

Construction started in 1335 on this medieval stone arched bridge over the Vltava River, part of the ancient Royal Route. It is the oldest bridge over the Vltava River in Prague. At either end are towers, the Old Town Bridge and the Lesser Town Tower.

As you walk across the 516-metre bridge, there are 30 stages to check out, and St John of Nepomuk is possibly the most famous statue on the bridge. John was a priest who was beaten and thrown off the bridge because he kept the queen’s confidence and revealed the contents of her confession to the king. Walking on the bridge earlier in the day was definitely the way to go.

Charles Bridge is open 24 hours

Free to walk across

Entry to the tower varies, and the cost

basic | reduced | family: CZK 190 | CZK 130 | CZK 380
Combi-ticket – Old Town Bridge Tower + Lesser Town Bridge Tower: CZK 280 | CZK 190 | CZK 560

Check the website for up-to-date info

Josefov – the Jewish Quarter

One of the oldest Jewish ghettos dating to the 13th century, this region has had a varied history. The sad thing is today, we often reflect on the negative history, especially the 1940 and how the Nazis impacted these beautiful people. You will find the Jewish area between the Old Town Square and the Vltava River; there are a few different places to visit in this area.

There are six synagogues, including the Spanish Synagogue, Maisel Synagogue and the Old-New Synagogue; the Jewish Ceremonial Hall; and the Old Jewish Cemetery. We visited The Pinkas Synagogue, the Klasen and the Old Jewish Cemetery. Visiting these three sights was easy, and we did it in a couple of hours.

In the Pinkas Synagogue, there is a room with drawings done by children while they were in Terizin; this room was another level of revelation and brought some of the pain and horror these precious children had endured. We would strongly recommend this stop.

The Jewish Museum’s sites are open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM during summer and from 9 AM to 4:30 PM during winter, except Saturdays and Jewish holidays.

The Multi-Sight entry ticket 480CZK

Check out the Jewish Museum website for current information, and if you want to see our Jewish Quarter experience, check out this clip here.

Christmas Markets

As I said, we were in Prague for the opening weekend of the Christmas Markets. We visited three main markets and a small food Market on the Lesser Town side of the Charles Bridge.

The three markets we visited were Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square, and Peace Square. Each Market had its own feel, and if we had to say which was our favourite, we would say Peace Square, a smaller local market that we caught a tram to find.

We have a video sharing our Prague Christmas Market experience; see how we enjoyed the opening weekend in the snow.

Free Walking Tours

We are big advocates for free or tip-based walking tours. These tours are generally 90 minutes to 2 hours long and help you get familiar with a part of a city. We did two walking tours in Prague, one taking in the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter and the second the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. These tours are not only a wonderful way to get associated with a city, but then you see things you might have missed on your own.

In this video, we share our walking tour experiences.

Where we stayed in Prague

We stayed at *Residence Bologna. This hotel was a short walk from all the places we wanted to visit, and we enjoyed it. One of the great things about being a short walk from all the popular areas is you have plenty of options to satisfy your hunger. There was a restaurant on the premises and a few options a few doors down the same street.

Our room tariff came with breakfast, and there was a great selection to help fuel your day.

Our room was warm and spacious, with a large bathroom, tea and coffee-making facilities, and plenty of storage. It was a great base from which to explore this amazing city.

For our 5-night stay, we paid $892.00 (AUD)

Here is a walkthrough video to help you decide if the Residence Bologna is right for you.

Some lessons learned and personal takeaways

Prague is beautiful; I can see why many people rave about it. I am glad we have finally visited, but I think overcrowding has a negative and overwhelming effect, reducing the magic of the beauty.

Prague is busy, and tourist attractions can be extremely busy. To avoid missing out, always check if you can book at a place you know will be busy, especially if it is a must-visit. Another way to ensure entry is to get to the sight early in the day, as soon as it opens for the day.

Visiting markets and tourist sights in Prague was hectic for us. I was so glad we did the walking tours and got orientated to the city before the weekend, but trying to fit the busy, packed, and snowy markets in, as well as other sights, made for a busy and sometimes frustrating few days. I am not sure how much the heavy snowfall affected our overall sightseeing, but it did slow us down, as the trodden snow turned to ice under the large crowds. If you want to visit the markets and sightseeing like us, maybe budget extra days.

As I said, we did two walking tours, and these were great. We often take free walking tours in a city. They may only be a whistle-stop tour, but you always see more than you would on your own, and often some sights you would have missed on your own.

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This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Prague.