Prague, a little gem of Eastern Europe, is a city of absolute change of scenery. Forget the car: explore on foot or by boat this city where it is so good to stroll. Perfect capital for a city trip or a long stay, visiting Prague will not leave you indifferent! Here are all our practical tips to help you prepare for your stay.
Why visit Prague?
Capital of the Czech Republic, Prague is a thousand-year-old city, peaceful, in which many princes of blood and nobles wanted to build palaces. Today there are 70, of which the famous Royal Castle. They bear witness to the city's golden age, long subject to the Habsburgs. Charles Bridge is also another symbol of this Austrian domination.. All these different monuments can be visited, and you will learn many details about Czech history and spirit.
Steeples are also part of the image of Prague. If you want to count the exact number, look at the city from the top of a roof: the spectacle is a real delight. It is also an ideal path during a walk. Many classical music concerts take place in these churches of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau, Cubist styles… in particular in the magnificent Saint Nicolas Cathedral.
Is Prague the city of romantics?
Prague is crossed by the Vltava. Relatively wide, it is dotted with small islands that you absolutely must discover by renting a boat or by contemplating it from one of the bridges that span the river. You will thus see Zofin Island (named after Archduchess Sophie, mother-in-law of Sissi the Empress), or children's island, which lists various playgrounds: shaded, calm, it allows you to rest before plunging back into the boiling heart of the city, ideal for going out to eat or have a drink. With the Charles Bridge and the pearls of the Vltava, lovers will only be able to enjoy their stay in Prague!
Zofin Island in Prague
Prague culture and heritage
To visit Prague is to discover many museums. If you are an art lover then take a stroll through the cubism museum, located in a house that was the first to adopt this style.
However, the most beautiful works of art are probably in the streets, in the facades and in the architectural details: the House of the Black Madonna, the Dancing House, the many bell towers… Take advantage of your shopping sessions to discover how art is king in the capital of the Czech Republic.
When to visit Prague?
Like the whole of the Czech Republic, the capital enjoys a fairly marked continental climate which offers the possibility of visit Prague under different heavenly auspices throughout the year. The summer can present very hot temperatures, the thermometer sometimes rising up to 35 ° C at the height of the summer season. The period is also characterized by frequent thunderstorms, giving rise to heavy rainfall which pleasantly refresh the atmosphere. For those allergic to rain, spring is the perfect season because it displays more than 7 hours of sunshine per day with a much lower frequency of downpours than during the summer.
Summer in Prague
The most blue flower among us will choose instead winter to visit Prague. If temperatures sometimes drop below 0 ° C, the weather is generally quite dry and sunny. The snowpack that covers it regularly gives it a special charm, perfect for romantic walks along the Vlatva. In autumn, the weather cools quickly following the hot summer period, but precipitation is scarce and the dark Gothic character of the city goes particularly well with the season of the fall of the leaves.
What budget should you plan for during your stay?
In addition to its accessibility and its geographical location, in the heart of continental Europe, Prague also benefits from global prices around 20% cheaper than in France.. This attractive cost of living is particularly evident in restaurants. You can eat decently for less than 10 euros at noon in the hospodas, while exploring the small outlying streets of the capital, while a hearty three-course dinner will cost between 15 and 20 euros. When it comes to partying, beer and alcohol in general are very cheap.. You can taste a good pint of local beer for 1,5 euros! If you stay in an AirBnB, which the capital is full of, you can further reduce your budget by shopping at the supermarket, whose prices are 25% cheaper than in France.
Accommodation is also very accessible. Many youth hostels are scattered around the capital and the price per night varies between 25 and 60 euros. 1-star hotels are the most popular accommodation and are therefore comparatively more expensive, with prices hovering around 80 euros. The more we move upmarket, the more interesting the prices are. Thus, a 5 star hotel will cost around 180 euros per night! Finally, know that leisure and everyday consumer products such as clothes or cigarettes are inexpensive, a good opportunity to do your shopping at a lower cost!
How to go to Prague from France?
For those who choose to visit Prague for a weekend during a city-trip, the plane is the best way to travel. From Paris, you will reach the Czech capital in 1h30 and that in optimal conditions of comfort. Especially since Prague is a real hub for low-cost companies. By planning ahead, you can take advantage of exceptional rates, up to 50 euros only for a return trip! Note, however, that the average price is more around 150 euros.
Prague view
The train is a much more expensive and above all less practical solution. From Paris, you will have to change in Germany and often wait long hours at the station. To be reserved for rail enthusiasts therefore! Small budgets will prefer to turn to the bus. Companies like Flixbus or Eurolines offer regular trips between Paris and Prague, for prices around a hundred euros. Be careful, the trip still takes 10 hours. We can also consider the trip by car, solo or with others. Carpooling is ideal for limiting expenses and the more adventurous will choose hitchhiking. With a little luck and by leaving early, the trip can be done during the day!
How to get around on site?
The Czech capital benefits from a very wide public transport offer and diverse. And luckily, because the dishonesty of local taxis is legendary. So give preference to the tram, metro and bus. Their use is also simplified by a single ticket which gives you access to all these means of transport for the same price, or about the equivalent of one euro for one trip. You can buy these tickets only at tobacconists, kiosks and the metro. So always have a few tickets ahead of you!
To visit Prague inexpensively, we recommend that you bring a transport pass. This allows you to have unlimited access to all travel services for 72 hours, and all for a price of 30 euros. The pass even includes private transportation from the airport to your place of residence! Those who are planning many cultural visits will rather choose the Prague Card which in addition to the unlimited access to transport offers numerous discounts and free access to more than 60 points of cultural or historical interest. It will cost you 62 euros for two days and up to 83 euros for four days.
What to eat and drink in Prague?
Visiting Prague thoroughly requires immersing yourself in the local gastronomy which, if not the finest, is always invigorating and warm. It is very influenced by the cuisines of neighboring countries. Thus, Hungarian Goulash has become a local specialty. This meat stew, often accompanied by potato dumplings called Knödels, is very invigorating in cold weather. The Smažený řízek, or Wienerschnitzel, is of Austrian origin. This breaded cutlet was originally made from pork but it is also found in a chicken version.
Cabbage and pork are staples of Czech cuisine. Impossible to visit Prague without tasting it! They are found especially in vepřo-knedlo-zelo, served with potatoes. Attention, hearty dish! Beef is also found in typical dishes. We think in particular of the svíčková. Accompanied by a creamy sauce and mixed vegetables, it is our favorite dish, especially when the cook spices it up with a delicious cranberry sauce. Czechs are also very fond of pastries: Sacherdort and Štrůdl of Germanic origins, but also and above all what they consider to be the best profiteroles in the world, the famous Vetrnik, with their hand-made whipped cream!
Where to sleep, in which neighborhood to stay?
For those who come to visit Prague for its monuments, the Staré Město district is the most interesting place to stay. The central square, the clock tower or the Jewish quarter give it a certain charm, but it is also the most touristic of the city's districts and therefore the noisiest. When it comes to accommodation, you can find everything here, from youth hostels for backpackers to luxury 5-star hotels. The New Town district is a good compromise between proximity to important monuments and comfort of life. Close to the center, lively with its many cafes and restaurants but quite quiet, the area is ideal for couples or families with mid-range accommodation.
The Mesto district
Poor travelers will prefer the arty and colorful atmosphere of the Holešovice district. Former industrial zone, the area is in full revival thanks to the establishment in 2008 of the local contemporary art center, the DOX. Trendy bars, electric clubs and a friendly atmosphere, this district has everything to appeal to young people. Finally, those who seek calm above all else will turn to the moderate hotel offer of the Malá Strana district. Presented as the village in the city of the capital, it is a little out of the way, but benefits from its proximity to the castle and the many green corners it shelters.
What are the monuments and museums to discover?
Prague's long and rich history has given the city many monuments. The list is so long that we will only give you the main ones here! Prague Castle was the seat of political and religious power from the XNUMXth century until the Velvet Revolution. A must for tourists, it also offers a good point of view from which to observe the surroundings. Another panoramic monument, the Powder Tower marks the beginning of the Royal Way which crosses the city. It is from here that the majority of guided tours leave, especially towards Wenceslas Square or Charles Bridge, two other places to visit absolutely.
Charles Bridge
Religious monuments bear witness to the great religious diversity of the city of Prague. Among them, the most important are the Cathedral of Saint-Guy and Notre-Dame-devant-Le-Tyn, magnificent Gothic buildings, the Old-New Synagogue, the oldest still in operation in Europe as well as Strahov Monastery and its exceptional library. As for museums, there is something for everyone. Jewish Museum for the history of the ghetto, Museum of Communism to dive into the history of the 20th century or the National Museum and its many naturalist collections.
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What are the walks and activities to do?
If you want to immerse yourself in the spirit of the city, we advise you to visit Prague by walking. We recommend in particular to start from the Old Town Square where you can admire the famous Astronomical Clock which has regulated the pace of the inhabitants since the XNUMXth century. You can then push to the Clementium which houses a superb library, then walk past the Municipal House where classical musicians often perform. If it did not suffer from its international reputation, the Charles Bridge would undoubtedly be one of the most romantic walks in the capital. But the eternal flood of tourists largely erodes its bucolic charm. If the weather turns bad, take the opportunity to cross it and then follow the windings of the Vlatva. With a little rain or fog, the base tourist hides and the charm of the bridge finally appears!
Walk on the Vlatva
If you visit Prague at the end of the year, we absolutely recommend that you stroll through the Christmas markets that invade the capital. The ones in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square are the most famous, but we recommend more human-sized markets like those in Republic Square or Tyvolo. Prague is also poetic greenery with the many parks that dot the city and express all their beauty under a small layer of cold snow. Or culture with the musical shows visible at the Rodolfinum and the Estates Theater but also and above all the opera, a true secular religion in Czech culture.
What to bring back as souvenirs from Prague?
The charm of Prague also lies in its small shops, still very often artisanal. Take advantage of a few hours of freedom to do your shopping. We help you answer the question " What to bring back from Prague? »
Crystal
It is absolutely necessary to bring back from Prague an object in Bohemian crystal, the great specialty of the region. With great finesse, each object is in reality a work of art, which should be bought a little away from Prague: in the capital, the prices are indeed often exorbitant.
A musical instrument
Prague is a city where music holds a special place. Also, if you are a musician, but the instruments seem too expensive in France, take advantage of your stay to buy a musical instrument in one of the many stores.
A handcrafted toy
Toys in Prague are made of painted or natural wood. All in authenticity, they are generally the joy of children, but also of parents, who thus find a way to go back to their childhood.
A hat
The ready-to-wear offer in Prague is not exceptional. However, if you like clothes, and especially accessories, buy a hat, which the capital of the Czech Republic has made a specialty of.
Wenceslas Square
Wenceslas Square is often compared to the Champs-Elysées: you can shop there at your leisure, and why not indulge in a purchase or two? It is in any case on this place that you will find the best memories of your stay!
Useful information
To prepare your stay as well as possible, here is some practical information!
- Formalities: A simple identity card is enough to visit Prague. But beware, this must still be valid 3 months after your stay. For the passport, this period is 6 months!
- Health : Just be up to date with your vaccinations.
- Cash : The currency is the Czech Koruna (CZK).
City trip or long stay in Prague? You choose !
Are you going to visit Prague soon? Tell us about your preparations in the comments!
