Weekends
A weekend in Prague, planned properly
Prague works very well as a three-day city — provided you have settled two things in advance: what time you get up, and where you sleep.
When to fly
Peak season in Prague runs May to August, plus December for the Christmas markets. The shoulder months are March, April, September and October, and March–April is usually the best value: cold, but beautiful and uncrowded.
In winter both flight and hotel prices in Prague fall substantially. That is this destination’s classic trade: weather in exchange for price, and for a city you can actually move around in.
The booking window we aim at is five to nine weeks ahead, and the cheaper days are usually Tuesday and Saturday.
Where to sleep, and the non-obvious answer
The premium areas are Malá Strana, Staré Město (the old town) and Hradčany around the castle. The budget end is Žižkov and Nusle.
The practical recommendation sits in the middle: Vinohrady. It is quiet and residential, about fifteen minutes by metro from the centre, and far less touristy than Staré Město. For a weekend where you will spend the day in the centre anyway, sleeping outside the crush is an upgrade rather than a compromise.
Day one: get to Charles Bridge first
Charles Bridge at midday is tens of thousands of people. The same bridge at dawn is a different object entirely. If there is one thing in Prague worth setting an alarm for, it is this.
On a related note: the Trdelník sold on every corner in the centre is not a traditional Czech pastry. It is tasty, and it is a tourist product — worth knowing before you plan a breakfast around it.
Money and transport
The currency is the Czech koruna, roughly 25 to the euro, and cards are accepted almost everywhere. Change money at a local bank ATM — not at the airport and not at the exchange booths in the centre, whose rates are poor.
Transport is three metro lines plus trams, a 24-hour ticket is 120 CZK, and Bolt is cheap. From the airport: bus 119 to the metro, about 35 minutes.
Three days in Prague: March–April or winter for price, Vinohrady to sleep, and Charles Bridge early. Change money at a bank ATM, not at the airport.
Where to go from here
- Airport to city: what is actually waiting for you in six cities
- How to choose a neighbourhood in a city you have never visited
- Search flights
- Plan a trip
The facts in this article come from our own destination knowledge. They are not a measured price: prices on this site always carry the date they were measured.
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