A weekend in Prague from London: seven trips and counting

I first went to Prague for a weekend in September 2005. I've been back six times since: a lads' weekend in January 2009, a stop on a Turkey, Ukraine and Czech trip in 2015, twice in 2018, after the Greenland Icefjord Marathon in 2022 and for the Christmas markets in December 2024. It's cheap to fly to, the beer is cheaper than water (nearly), and you can walk the whole centre in a day if you don't stop for too many of those beers. Which I always do.

The weekend at a glance

How long	Friday night to Sunday night
Getting there	easyJet
Best time to go	December for the Christmas markets

The classics

I'll be honest, I've never had much of a plan for the big sights in Prague. I just wander about, and the centre is so small that you'll bump into the castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square and the clock without really trying. But if you want to do it a bit smarter than me, here's what the people who know Prague best say.

Charles Bridge is free to cross and never closes, which is handy, because from mid-morning until late evening it's rammed. Go early, before about 8am, or late at night once everyone's gone back to their hotels. The locals use the bridges either side during the day for exactly that reason.

Prague Castle isn't one building, it's a whole walled complex up on the hill. The grounds and courtyards are free and open from 6am to 10pm every day. You only pay to go inside: the Main Circuit ticket covers St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St George's Basilica and Golden Lane for 450 CZK (about £15), and it's valid for two days. Get there for 9am when the buildings open, or come back in the evening when the grounds are quiet and lit up.

The astronomical clock on Old Town Square does its show on the hour, from about 9am to 9pm, and watching is free. Don't expect fireworks though. Plenty of people stand there for ages and walk away a bit underwhelmed, so don't plan your day around it. The better bit is paying to go up the Old Town Hall tower next door for the view over the rooftops to the castle.

TOP TIP: Do Charles Bridge and Old Town Square first thing, then walk up to the castle for 9am. You'll have the big sights done before most of the tour groups have finished breakfast.

An ice pub, a river cruise and a parade

In January 2018 I tried the Icepub, a bar made entirely of ice. They hand you a coat at the door, and you'll need it. It's a fun novelty, and worth doing once. We also had dinner on a river cruise on the Vltava, which is a nice way to see the city from a different point of view, and stumbled on a parade going through the streets. No idea what it was for, but that's half the fun of wandering.

You'll notice there's no zoo in this post. I'm not a fan of zoos. Animals should be out in the wild, not in cages for us to look at. If you want to see animals, go and see them where they live.

TOP TIP: If you want cheap beer, get out of the touristy areas. Walk ten minutes from Old Town Square and the prices drop.

Day trips: Český Krumlov and Kutná Hora

If you've got more than a weekend, two places outside Prague are worth the effort.

In June 2022 I was staying with my dad at the Hideaway (more on that below), and he drove us down to South Bohemia for the day. We crammed in three stops. First Hluboká Castle, a huge white castle that looks like someone has copied Windsor and dropped it in the Czech countryside. Then the Budvar brewery in České Budějovice, home of the original Budweiser. Not the American one.

Then Český Krumlov, a little old town wrapped around a bend in the Vltava with a castle sitting over the top of it. The whole centre is Unesco-listed. We just wandered about, had lunch and a beer by the river, and walked up to the castle, where you get the best view over the town's red rooftops. Back down by the river we watched the rafts and canoes go over the weir.

TOP TIP: If you're driving, do all three in a day. Český Krumlov is a long way from Prague just for a day trip, but stay down south and it's an easy one.

Kutná Hora is the easy one from Prague, about an hour on the train, and it's where you'll find the Sedlec Ossuary, better known as the bone church. From the outside it's a normal little chapel. Inside, the chandelier, the garlands and even a coat of arms are all made from human bones. I went in September 2018 and ticked it off my bucket list: there's more on the Be Bewildered By The Bones page.

TOP TIP: At Kutná Hora, buy the combined ticket that gets you into the ossuary and the cathedral nearby.

Prague at Christmas

In December 2024 I went back for the Christmas markets. They're spread around the old town, and they were very busy and very cold. Wrap up.

My dad lives a few hours south of Prague, so he and his wife came up for the day to meet us. We ate at Výtopna, where the food and drinks are delivered to your table by a model train. A lot of fun and a cool place.

After they'd headed home we went drinking, and in an Irish pub we bumped into a massive unit: 6ft 7 Aaron Reed, from Deadpool & Wolverine. So I said hello, obviously.

TOP TIP: If you're doing Prague for the Christmas markets, book your restaurants ahead. Everyone else has the same idea.

Further afield: the Hideaway in Želiv

If you want to see more of the Czech Republic than Prague, my dad and his wife run a place called the Hideaway in Želiv, a few hours south of the city. Full disclosure, it's family, so I'm biased. It's quiet, isolated and peaceful: dog-friendly cabins in the woods by a lake. The ideal spot for a relaxing, chilled-out getaway after the noise of the city. You can book the Hideaway on Booking.com.

What I'd skip

Waiting around for the astronomical clock to strike. Have a look if you're passing on the hour, but don't plan your day around it.

Eating and drinking on Old Town Square itself. You're paying for the view, and ten minutes' walk gets you better food and cheaper beer.

The zoo, for the reasons above.

Quick answers

Is Prague worth visiting? I've been back six times since my first trip in 2005, so that should tell you something.

How many days do you need? A weekend does the main sights.

Is Prague expensive? Not if you stay out of the touristy bits. The beer is cheap, and the flights from London usually are too.

Seven trips in and I still haven't run out of reasons to go back. Sort a Friday night flight and go see what the fuss is about.

Some links in this post are affiliate links: if you buy through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More about this.