How to Spend a Weekend in Prague

Prague isn’t usually a destination that comes to mind when thinking of Europe breaks. But, with its pastel-coloured buildings, cobbled streets, and unique art, a weekend in Prague is an absolutely perfect city break!

Although Prague is full of incredible and interesting sights, it’s not a big city. So they’re all nearby which means you can see a lot of them over a weekend in Prague! With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to share what you could do over a weekend in Prague. This should help give an idea of the best way to spend your time here!

How to Spend a Weekend in Prague

Spending a weekend in Prague gives you enough time to explore and not feel rushed. All you have to do is plan using a map! It helps your trip if you’re able to get between attractions easily as that gives you more time to explore. Here’s a Prague itinerary that I made for myself that you too can follow, and a few tips on planning your own. 

Day One – Explore Old Town & Nove

Admire the Dancing House

The Dancing House, also known as “Fred and Ginger”, is a twirling glass and concrete building with a unique style that stands out among all the buildings in the area. It was designed to reflect a woman and man (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the renowned dancing duo). Beyond just the unique exterior, you can go inside to the rooftop cafe on the 7th floor. To get into the cafe or onto the rooftop, you need to order something from the cafe. I wouldn’t go in expecting the best coffee, it’s all bout the panoramic views that the glass bar offers!

Be Mesmerised by the Head of Franz Kafka

On our last day in Prague, I knew I couldn’t leave without visiting the infamous Head of Franz Kafka. The statue was created by Czech artist, David Cerny and is said to reveal Franz Kafka’s tortured personality and self-doubt that plagues him his whole life. He was one of the most influential Jewish writers of the 20th century and this statute is in memory of him. The 45-tonne head is made up of 42 independently driven stainless steel layers. The statue is randomly in front of the Quadrio shopping centre and we honestly stood in front of statue watching then plates rotate in different directions. It is SO mesmerising!

Free Walking Tour

One of the best ways, in my opinion, to get to know a city is through a walking tour. Having a local guide helps deepen your understanding of Prague’s history and beautiful architecture. I tend to do free walking tours (and leave a tip after).

Free Walking Tour Prague’s* Old Town tour is the one we chose to do! The Old town tours start at 10:30 am or 2 pm daily from the Powder Gate in Old Town.  The tour begins with an exploration of the Powder gate and Old town, including the astronomical clock, Kinsky Palace, and the Tyn Church, which is rumoured to be the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle. Your guide later will lead you around the Jewish Quarter of Prague, which has a fascinating history.

Walk across Charles Bridge

Have you visited Prague if you don’t walk across the Charles Bridge? I think not! Charles Bridge is a pedestrian-only medieval bridge that crosses the Vltava River connecting Old Town with Lesser Town. It’s one of the most popular bridges in Europe and also one of the most beautiful! The bridge is flanked by two Gothic bridge towers on either end and dotted with beautiful unique sculptures and statues.

As it’s one of Prague’s main attractions, it can get very crowded very quickly and then there are vendors all trying to sell one thing or the other! I would highly recommend visiting early in the morning or later at night to beat the crowds. If you want to get a great, non-crowded picture, you have to get here at sunrise! the things we do for content!

Enjoy an Indulgent Trdelnik

Trdelník, one of Prague’s most famous food, is actually not Czech! It actually originates from Transylvania in Romania, but is widely found in Prague. It’s prepared by wrapping some dough around a stick and then heating the dough over a flame until the pastry becomes golden brown. Then it is rolled in cinnamon sugar, brush with butter, and then filled with cream or ice-cream. It is sold pretty much throughout the city. Check out my Instagram post on more ideas on what to eat in Prague!

Watch the Sunset at Letna Beer Garden

Even if you don’t like beer, you should still head up hear for the views over Old Town and the Vltava river! After taking a stroll through the park, end your day by grabbing a seat at one of the various shaded picnic tables and join both locals and tourists to watch as the sun sets over Prague!

---

READ MORE | A TRAVEL GUIDE TO PRAGUE – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

---

Day Two – Explore Prague Castle, Mala Strana & Petrin Tower

Climb up the Astronomical Tower

The Astronomical Clock is located on the south side of the old Town Hall Tower an dates back to the 15th century. It’s a very intricately constructed clock with 12 medallions with the zodiac signs. But if you’re wanting to tell the time, might not be as easy as you think!

The clock shows the ‘Procession of the Apostles’ from 9:00 am and on the hour until 11:00 pm. In my opinion, the “show” isn’t worth rushing for so if you;re in the square at the hour, then sure watch it but have no expectations. If you’re not, I wouldn’t rush to catch it.

Beyond admiring the clock tower from outside, you can actually climb the 60m tall tower and enjoy beautiful views of Old town including Church of Our Lady before Týn and beyond! It costs 60 Kč to climb for adults

Lennon Wall

Whether you’re a fan of John Lennon or not, the Lennon Wall is a must see on a weekend in Prague! The colourful wall is packed full of street art, inspirational and political messages.

I wouldn’t encourage defacing public property but apparently, a lot of tourists add their own messages or art to the wall, alongside thousands of messages from visitors from all over the world! As you can imagine it’s always changing but it’s a great place for some photos!

Explore Prague Castle

A weekend in Prague wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Prague Castle. This is definitely one of the main highlights of any visit to Prague! If you want to visit the whole castle, it could easily take over 3 hours, as it is not a single structure but a collection of buildings. Including the Royal Palace, St. Georges’ Basilica, St. Vitus Cathedral, museums and more!

The nearest tram stop to the castle is Pražský hard. There tend to be long lines at the security checkpoint so the earlier you get here, the better, unless you buy a skip the line ticket. Also considering how big the castle s, it’s worth knowing which buildings you want to visit and priorities them first to avoid queues.

Be sure St Vitus Cathedral, a fascinating and frankly beautiful piece of history. Another must see is the Old Royal Palace; one of the oldest structures on the grounds dating back to 1135. If you can, catch the changing of the guard at noon.

Enjoy the views at Petrin & Petrin Hill

After exploring all that Prague Castle has to offer, make your way over to the Petrin Hill Lookout (Prague’s version of the Eiffel Tower)! Petrin tower has some of the most stunning views of Prague and almost all of Bohemia on a clear day! It was built in 1891 as part of the Jubilee Exhibition and designed to be a loose copy of the Eiffel Tower.

Petrin tower is on Petrin Hill, an open park with a beautiful rose gardens, lush greenery, and benches that are perfect for people watching. To get up the hill and to Petrin tower, you can hike up or take the funicular from Újezd tram stop. I would suggest getting the funicular up and hiking down to enjoy the beautiful views! To get up the lookout tower, you pay a small entrance fee of 150 kc to climb the 299 steps to the top. There’s a lift also for elderly people. The views are worth the slug up the stairs, especially at sunset.

Enjoy Delicious Gelato

Prague summers can be super hot with temperatures easily hitting 30C/85F! Especially if you’ve been walking around from sight to sight, you’ll start to feel the heat very quickly. How do you cool down? Ice-cream! Here are some great places to go for ice-cream/gelato in Prague!

Angelato is one of the best places, usually with a line out front. They offer sorbets (for lactose intolerant people) and Gelato. They even also have gluten-free cones! Covering all the bases. They have a huge variety of flavours and even seasonal ones. The mango was a real winner! Up next is Creme de la Creme on the busy Karlova street. Although its in a touristy location, they have lots of bold and daring flavours as well as fan favourites. They even offer vegan ice-cream, VEGAN ICE-CREAM! If you’re feeling brave, they have a bottomless cup for 200kc of basically unlimited ice-cream.

Naplavka Riverbank

Náplavka is what the part of riverbank under the Jiráskův bridge is called. It has lots of bars, restaurants and areas to chill. The recently renovated riverbank in the city has become very popular among locals. It’s the perfect place for a walk along the river, ride a bike or just have a drink and take a break from sightseeing.

Watch the Sunset on a Paddle Boat

Paddle boats on the Vltava rive, sign me up! It is such a charming and fun thing to hire a small boat or paddle boat and row/paddle along the Vltava river. It’s a great and unique way to see Prague and see Charles bridge from another angle. Even in winter you could enjoy this but obviously wrap up well! Perfect for when you want to take a break from walking.

You can hire them from Slovanský Ostrov, right by the bridge close to the National Theatre. The one I got cost 120kc for 1 hour and it could take four people.

---

READ MORE | 10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING PRAGUE

---

Conclusion on How to Spend a Weekend in Prague

Two full days in Prague offer just enough time to see and do the top things in the city. I hope this guide on how to spend a weekend in Prague, helps you plan your next city break to this wonderful city. If you have any more suggestions in things to do or see, please do share them in the comments below.

Don’t forget to save for later and share using the pins below!

Until Next time xx

Ahoj