How to spend 4 days in Prague, Czechia

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Central-Western part of the country and has a fascinating history. Prague has existed for over 1000 years. It was the historical capital of Bohemia, a kingdom in the Roman Empire and then a province of the Austrian Habsburg Empire. The Czech Republic, a landlocked country in central Europe, became an independent country, after the Velvet Revolution. The Velvet Revolution was a series of peaceful demonstrations against Communist rule. It was at the same time as the fall of the Berlin Wall. Czechoslovakia was divided into 2 countries – The Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993.

The river Vltava flows through Prague and the current population is approximately 1.3m. It is one of the most visited cities in Europe due to its history, diverse architecture and culture. 

Prague is “Praha” in the native language – Czech. English is widely spoken in Prague. The local currency is Czech Koruna. Euros are accepted in lots of locations in Prague, although the exchange rate differed slightly (20-26 per Euro). I recommend you have cash i.e. Czech Korunas when visiting Prague.

I travelled to Prague from Vienna by train. The journey took 4 hrs and a first class seat cost €145.95. The landscape was beautiful, as we travelled through Austria and the Czech republic. My hotel was a 15 minute walk from the main train station and another 10 minute walk from old town. 

Prague train station operates trains to and from several other European countries. These include Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Switzerland and Hungary. Prague Airport is 12km west of the city. It operates flights, to and from most European countries, the Middle East, Asia and North America.

Prague Card, also called “Cool Pass”

I purchased a card for 3 days which cost €102.00, while I was on the train travelling to Prague. I requested a digital card, which for some bizarre reason isn’t sent immediately. The terms and conditions state it will be processed within 2 hours. I hadn’t received mine in over 3.5 hrs so sent an email and received the validation code by return.

You download an app available in all app stores. Once the card is processed you are emailed a validation code which you enter into the app. The card is then valid, but only activated when you scan it entering the first location. It is then available for 24hr increments. 

I have mixed opinions as to whether this is worth purchasing. While I did attend places costing more than the amount I spent (€110), several didn’t accept it. One cashier actually scowled at me when I produced it. I did ask another person why there was negativity regarding the pass and she told me that recently some attractions have stopped accepting it. The Franz Kafka Museum didn’t accept it, but immediately told me I could have the student’s rate. I think that the main advantage in having one, is to reduce the amount of cash you need to have with you.

I have wanted to visit Prague for several years and had a trip booked previously which I had to cancel. However, I am now conflicted regarding Prague ! 

Clearly it is a very touristy city and it was crowded when I visited. However, sometimes the locals were a little aggressive. Hosts were often dismissive when I requested a table for one. I was regularly placed in the corner or at the back. I was told very aggressively that they only accepted cash. A discussion regarding tipping started as soon as I requested the bill and often before. As mentioned above, the reaction to showing the Prague Card was also mixed. I was asked if I was alone and why I was alone, on several occasions !

I did also meet some extremely welcoming people, who were very proud of their city and the place they worked.

I saw and did the following doing my 2 day (plus a few hours) trip to Prague:

Charles Bridge Museum and Boat Cruise, Admission was 440CK (€18.00), included in the Prague Card

This was the first thing I did. It was a last minute decision after the delay in getting the Prague Card and being turned away from places not accepting it. It was close to the end of the day and I wanted to see something.

Sailors dressed in the traditional white and blue outfits stand just near the Charles Bridge to attract guests. The boats are wooden and quite crowded. It was like an assembly line. I was told to get on the front boat, yet the one behind, left about 15 minutes before mine did. During that time, we were given a small ice cream and a beverage (small beer, water or lemonade).

A multi-lingual audio guide was available and it was very detailed. The cruise took about 45 minutes. It exited the dock and then proceeded under the majestic Charles Bridge but then didn’t go much further due to the small dam. It did proceed to a small canal to the right, which was beautiful, but we only travelled through it for a few minutes. It then proceeded South on the river and just circled the area. 

You can take 2 cruises with the Prague Card (see below) but if you only plan to take one, this isn’t the one I would recommend.

After we docked I went into the museum. It has lots of pictures, memorabilia and history of the river and bridge. While it was interesting it wouldn’t be on my “must do list” when visiting Prague.

Thai Massage

There are Thai massage parlours everywhere in Prague. After sitting on the train for so long, I decided to have one as I love getting a message. The first place I entered told me they only accepted cash and pointed me towards a cash machine. They had large chairs all visible from the door and it seemed very public so I decided to find one nearer my hotel.

I ended up having a 90 minute massage which cost 1,400CK (€60). I have had massages all over the world and like a deep pressure massage. However, this took it to a whole other level. It was like being beaten up and I was in agony. When I asked the masseuse to use less pressure she regularly ignored me. My back was actually very sore and tender to touch for days later. 

Therefore be cautious if you want to get a massage. I suggest you ask for a recommendation at your hotel or from other tourists. It was quite amusing in hindsight as I was more uncomfortable after the massage and struggled to sleep that night.

Prague Castle, Admission was 250CK (€10.50), included in the Prague Card

I got up early and walked to Prague Castle on my first morning. It was great to walk across the bridge when it was relatively quite. The Castle is an imposing building overlooking the Charles Bridge and is about a 15 minute walk from there (mainly uphill). The Castle and area is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

I purchased an audio guide which cost 350CK (€14.00), which isn’t included in the Prague Card. You had to leave a cash deposit of 500CK and you were allocated 3 hours to have the guide. While this may sound a little convoluted the guide was excellent. I don’t think I would have learnt or enjoyed the visit, as much, without it.

You can walk around part of the grounds without paying admission. Turnstiles are at the building entrances, tickets are required and you can only enter each place once. I discovered this as I got confused as to whether I had been in one place when entering it from a different door. My pass wouldn’t allow me to enter. A helpful attendant looked at my ticket and let me in under the barrier. 

I visited the following and my thoughts are outlined below:

The Vladislav Hall

This room is considered the most important hall in the country. It is 62m by 16m by 13m. It has been used for banquets, coronations and receptions. It’s even large enough to have featured historical tournaments between the Knights on horses.

The history seen within its wall is just tremendous. This is where the audio guide was essential to learn all about it.

Vitus Cathedral

I have been to Churches and Cathedrals all around the World and this is one of the most impressive I have been in. Its Gothic architecture is amazing, the interior is huge, the stained glass windows stunning and the silver statues just majestic.

St. George’s Basilica

This is the oldest building on the site and, like the exterior of the Cathedral, is extremely striking. It was erected in 921 and is in Romanesque style architecture. The interior is quite bare and austere. It was destroyed during a fire in 1541 and various restoration works have been carried out over the years. The side chapels are beautiful and the mausoleum contains relics of many Saints.

Golden Street

This 16th century small street on the grounds was a revelation ! A small row of brightly coloured houses have been renovated. Some are museums, or shops and several are themed on the occupations of the previous tenants. Important trades people supporting the Palace, lived here over the years. These include blacksmiths, seamstresses and goldsmiths. The writer Franz Kafka, lived in number 22 for a year in 1916.

It was raining the day I toured the castle area. I was glad I went early. I arrived just after 9.00am (the grounds are open from 6.00am). There were no queues to enter the Vitus Cathedral just after 9.00am. As the morning progressed, the queuing started and there were longs ones at 10.30am. 

I really enjoyed my visit and spent about 2.5 hours walking around. As it is on a height overlooking the city, the views of the river, rooftops, etc are beautiful, even on a cloudy, wet day !

Lobkowicz Palace, Admission was 290CK (€12.00), included in the Prague Card

The Lobkowicz Palace, built in the 16th Century, is the only privately owned palace in the Prague Castle area. An audio guide was included in the ticket price. There are 2 floors in the palace. 34 items are on view with the details on the audio guide. You are given a very helpful pamphlet showing where each item is. 13 are marked red and considered the critical ones to see.

As you walk around the guide gives you an interesting overview of the history of the Lobkowicz family. You learn about the events which occurred there, the impact WW2 and Communism had on the family. There is a particularly interesting section on how the restitution efforts to recover their artwork unfolded.

There is a small balcony off one of the main rooms which has a lovely panoramic view of the city. Large umbrellas were available to use.

I enjoyed my visit and learnt a lot of history from the audio guide. You need 70-80 minutes to see everything and to follow the guide.

Schwarzenberg Palace (National Gallery Prague), Admission was 250CK (€10.50), included in the Prague Card

This is situated right beside the castle so it is worth visiting on the same day. There wasn’t an audio guide but everything had signs and you are given a pamphlet in multiple languages, including English. 

This was one of my favourite places to visit. It had some amazing paintings and sculptures over the 3 floors. My favourite was one of “Joseph with the Baby Jesus” as I don’t think I have seen Joseph portrayed like this before. It has works from lots of periods including Renaissance and Baroque. 

There was a lot of thought put into the design of these exhibitions. The layout is very intuitive, to ensure you don’t miss anything. Some of the paintings were displayed in grids and some on hanging structures.

There were Curators everywhere, sometimes checking tickets but also appeared to be watching people. I accidentally put my foot over a line to read a sign. A lady ran across the room and made quite a scene. While I have good eyesight I needed to be closer to read it. Before I left the room, a man did the same thing, so this particular Curator was kept busy !  

I certainly recommend a visit to this Palace and do allow yourself at least 90 minutes.

Loreta Praha, Admission was 290CK (€12.00), included in the Prague Card

This was a short walk (6 mins) from the Castle. Countess Katerina Benigna of Lebkowicz had this built to copy the holy house (Santa Casa), the site where the archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary. It contains over 300 very distinctive religious relics. These include “The Prague Sun”, a monstrance containing 6,000 diamonds. It really is amazing.

The rooms surround a courtyard. In the middle there is a 3D model of the Santa Casa. In each of the hallways surrounding the courtyard, there are wooded confessional boxes which were a reminder that this is a pilgrimage site in Prague. 

You need to spend at least an hour to see everything. The famous bells did ring when I visited and they are very distinctive.

National Museum, Admission was 250CK (€10.50), included in the Prague Card

I decided to go and see Wenceslas Square early on my last day. Unfortunately the area is a little underwhelming as it contains a lot of fast food restaurants and global shops. There was a visible police presence when I arrived at about 8.30am. It took me a while to find a place for breakfast. I then discovered that The National Museum, situated right at the top, didn’t open until 10.00am. 

I went to the building a few minutes before opening time and there were already 2 long queues formed. One was for people with reservations (who got priority) and the other to purchase tickets. It was raining heavily, and I was glad that the queue moved quickly and I moved inside. I could see some ticket machines in the distance but I was reluctant to lose my place in the queue. I asked an official who passed if I could use them, with my Prague Card. To my surprise, she pointed me towards a ticket window tucked away to the side. I walked straight up and got a ticket. I really don’t know why everyone else was queuing at the long queue, as this was selling tickets for cash also.

I spent 3 hours in this Museum and am sure I missed a few things. The interior of the building itself is amazing with high ceilings and sweeping staircases. There are lots of exhibitions (a) History of the area from the 1300’s (b) Hall of Minerals, 68 cabinets filled with coloured rocks and gemstones (c ) An overview of meteorites (d) The Winter Kings Card Room (playing cards had 4 suites of 9, leaves, bells, hearts and acorns (e) The History of Communism from 1948-1953. The history of Communism was really interesting. I wanted to learn about this period during my trip.

This is a great museum for all age groups. There were children everywhere and in several rooms, there were bricks and interactive tools for them to use. It really is one of the most interesting National Galleries I have visited. 

Jewish Synagogue, Admission was 150CK (€6.25), included in the Prague Card

This beautiful pink and blue Synagogue is tucked between several buildings, a 12 min walk from Wenceslas square. The Gentleman issuing tickets was one of the friendliest people working at a place I visited. He explained how to tour it. You go inside first and then out onto the street into another section.

The interior is beautiful, extremely colourful. There are displays on the upper floors with great signs explaining the Post War Education of Worker Programmes. There are black and white photos of the Prague Jewish community. You learn all about their lives before, during and after the war. The Jews that returned after the war were ostracised by the communist regime also. It was extremely moving reading some of the material. 

The other area gave details on the various restoration projects over the years and the role of the Jewish community currently in Prague. I would highly recommend a visit to this Synagogue.

Saint Henry’s Tower, Admission was 190CK (€7.90), included in the Prague Card

They wouldn’t accept my Prague Card at the Charles Tower bridge so I decided to try Henry’s instead. This was on my route from my hotel to Old Town. You get the lift to the 9th floor and arrive in the viewing area. You can open the wooden shutters to look out, which I thought was unusual. The views of the city from here are fantastic. 

You then walk to the 6th floor where they had an exhibition showing how it was built and evolved over time. Construction started in 1780. 

The 4th floor exhibited 3D models of all the towers in Prague. The 3rd floor had some artwork but all the signs were in Czech.

There are 2 restaurants and a whiskey bar on the other floors. Henry’s Tower is certainly worth a 30 minute visit.

Franz Kafka Museum, Admission was 300CK (€12.50), not included in the Prague Card. Given student price of 220CK (€9.00)

When I decided to visit Prague, visiting the Franz Kafka Museum was one of my priorities. It is in a small building by a courtyard with cafes and bars. It is on the same side of the river as the Castle is.

You purchase a ticket at the museum shop, across from the museum. When I asked if the Prague Card was accepted, the gentlemen apologised and immediately offered the student price. This was the only time I was offered a discount when the card wasn’t accepted. 

This is a fantastic, well laid out, informative museum. I walked out thinking I learnt a lot about his life, his work (has lots of copies of his books), his family and his various girlfriends. It was quite crowded and my only criticism was it was hard to read some of the signs on the display cabinets due to the lights. The walls are all painted black and it is quite dark. Lights are projected over the display cabinets. There were some TV screens with scenes and audio footage of Prague in the late 1800’s. One was extremely interesting showing the route the young Franz walked to school, accompanied by his “nanny”.

You need at least an hour to visit this Museum and it should be on your “must do list” if you are interested in the short but interesting life of Franz Kafka. He died at 40 years of age of tuberculosis, in 1924. 

Prague Boat Cruise, Admission was 450CK (€18.75), included in the Prague Card

I concluded my sightseeing with a trip on the river Vltava. You have a choice of 3 types of cruises with the Prague Card, in addition to the Charles Bridge one. I went at 5pm, collected my ticket from the office and walked to pier 16.

The cruise was for 55 minutes and went a lot further than the Charles Bridge one. While it rained lightly I stayed on the top deck to watch the sights. You could purchase a beverage and snacks. The boat was large enough for you to walk around and take photos from different views.

If you only go on one cruise, I suggest this one. The next time I go to Prague, I would like to take a nighttime cruise though.

Food and Drink

While I ate well in Prague, as I love my food, it was harder for me to try local specialties as it is a very meat based diet. I am vegetarian. The local main courses all seemed to be based on fried cheese, which sounded like a heart attack waiting to happen !

Lots of the restaurants have signs outside showing colourful pictures of the dishes. Several appeared to be the same boards. 

I enjoyed the following:

I had the “Wellness Breakfast” on my first morning, near the Castle. It consisted of Greek yogurt, granola, fruit and honey. I loved the way it was served in small dishes. Juice, coffee and a tiny croissant were included, costing 400CK (€16).

I had a Czech salad with a portion of fries near the castle for lunch. A Czech salad has yellow peppers, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and feta cheese. It was delicious, extremely fresh and cost 300CK (€12.50)

I wanted to go to a traditional restaurant so had lunch at Tiskarna, close to Henry’s Tower, on the 2nd day. I had a salad served with a fried egg which cost 265CK (€11), a small bottle of water cost 39CK (€1.65) and an espresso cost 59CK (€2.50).

Tax is charged at different rates for food versus alcoholic beverages. This confused me initially, as I thought one was a service charge. A very helpful waiter at Tiskarna explained it to me. Charges are inclusive of 21% for alcoholic beverages and 10% for food and non-alcoholic beverages. 

A suggested tip was regularly shown on the receipts for 12.5%. As mentioned earlier, on more than one occasion I was told only cash was accepted before I was greeted (well that was the Greeting to be fair !). Once I was asked to pay cash when paying and the server went into lots of detail about bank costs. 

Final Thoughts !

2 days and a few hours is not enough to see everything in Prague. I will return but this is one of the few places I have visited, where I would prefer to go with some friends as opposed to on my own. I saw a lot in the few days and I was tired after packing so much in.

You also need several hours to walk around and see the very busy Charles Bridge. It is very crowded with jewellery vendors and portrait artists. The Prague Astronomical Clock is worth seeing and hearing it chime on the hour. I am not sure you need to stand with the large crowd that assemble there on the hour though ! They cheered as the various displays changed. I watched a little bit away and then took some photos when it was quiet. 

While I felt very safe walking around on my own, it got a little tiring being refused entry to cafes and restaurants. It was off-putting being asked “only one” on several occasions. Some hosts and waiters were aggressive when telling me they only accepted cash or pleading for tips. It really is a very touristy city and I wonder what it would be like at a quieter time of the year. I will just have to go and find out !

I got the train to Bratislava, Slovakia, next in my 3 city (Vienna, Prague, Bratislava) train journey through parts of 7 countries (Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Liechtenstein) !!!