Articles/Executive Routes
Prague in One Well Paced Day
A single day route through Prague that starts on the castle side, crosses the Charles Bridge at the right hour, and ends among the beer halls of the New Town.
Prague is small. The old town, the Jewish Quarter, the castle, and the Lesser Town are all inside a half kilometer radius on either side of the Vltava river. A visitor who plans it well can see the essential city in a day. A visitor who plans it badly can lose that day queuing at St Vitus Cathedral behind a coach group from Nuremberg.
The trick with Prague is direction. Start at the castle in the morning, walk down through the Lesser Town, cross the bridge before noon, and spend the afternoon and evening on the old town side. Never cross the bridge in the wrong direction.
Morning at Prague Castle
Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle complex in the world and it has been a working seat of government for over a thousand years. Take tram 22 up to Prazsky Hrad or walk up from Malostranska metro. Be at the gate by 09:00.
Inside the walls, the essential visit is St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, the Basilica of St George, and Golden Lane. The combined ticket is worth it. Two and a half hours inside the complex is enough for a well paced first visit. St Vitus is the star. Enter through the side entrance if the main door queue is long.
Down through the Lesser Town
From the castle, walk down Nerudova Street. It is a steep and beautiful descent through baroque houses, each marked with a symbol above the door instead of a number, a system that predates modern street numbering. At the bottom is Malostranske namesti, the main square of the Lesser Town, and the striking green dome of St Nicholas Church.
Have lunch here. Prices are lower than on the old town side and the atmosphere is quieter. U Cerneho Vola is a working class beer hall next to the church, unchanged in decades, and it is one of the best simple lunches in the city.
The Charles Bridge, before the afternoon crowd
Cross the Charles Bridge between 13:00 and 14:00. Any earlier and you are queuing with the walk down from the castle. Any later and the afternoon coach groups turn the bridge into a slow moving procession. Take your photograph, touch the plaque of St John of Nepomuk for luck, and walk on.
The best view of the bridge is not from the middle. It is from either end, looking along it. From the Old Town side, climb the bridge tower for a small fee. It is one of the least crowded viewpoints in central Prague.
Afternoon on the old town side
Walk into the Old Town Square through Karlova street. The square is anchored by the Astronomical Clock, which chimes every hour and is one of the great mediocre attractions in Europe: the clock itself is magnificent, the hourly show is very short. Watch it once, then walk on.
The Old Jewish Quarter, called Josefov, is a five minute walk north. The joint ticket includes six sites: the Old New Synagogue, the Spanish Synagogue, the Old Jewish Cemetery, and three smaller sites. Two hours is enough. Do not miss the Pinkas Synagogue, whose walls are inscribed with the names of 78000 Bohemian and Moravian Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Reflective, quiet, essential.
Evening: beer halls and the river
Prague is a beer city. The correct evening in the old town starts at U Fleku, U Zlatého Tygra, or Lokal Dlouha. U Fleku is touristy but the beer they brew has been made there since 1499 and is worth trying. U Zlatého Tygra is the working writers' bar where Bohumil Hrabal drank, and it is still a proper Czech pub where a beer arrives whether you ordered another or not.
Finish the night with a walk along the Vltava back toward the Charles Bridge. The bridge at night is another city entirely from the bridge at noon. Stone saints in shadow, the castle lit above the river, and almost no one in the way of the view.
Frequently asked
Questions we get about this trip
Is one day really enough for Prague?+
For the essentials, yes. For a fuller experience add a second day for Vysehrad, Zizkov, and one of the smaller neighborhoods east of the old town.
Do I need Czech koruna?+
Yes. Prague uses the Czech koruna, not the euro. Cards are widely accepted but small pubs and street food are still cash friendly.
How do I get from the airport?+
Airport Express bus to the main train station, 100 koruna, about 35 minutes. Taxis are around 800 koruna. The bus is usually the better choice.
