Things to Do in Prague

First, Prague Castle + St Vitus Cathedral (Castle Circuit B Kč250 / $11). World's largest ancient castle complex (70,000 m², 9th century origin) + Gothic cathedral 96.5m spires + stained glass. Old Royal Palace, Golden Lane, St George's Basilica all within one wall. Daily noon changing-of-the-guard. Tram 22 is direct but is also Prague's #1 pickpocket route — front pockets only. Second, Charles Bridge (free, 24/7). Started 1357 by Charles IV, 516m, 30 Baroque saint statues lining a pedestrian bridge. Midday is impossible with tour groups + caricaturists + pickpockets — go at sunrise (6-7 AM) for an empty bridge + the iconic photo. Old Town Bridge Tower (Kč190 / $8) for the canonical castle-from-the-bridge shot. Third, Old Town Square + Astronomical Clock (square free; clock tower Kč300 / $13). 1410 — world's oldest still-operating astronomical clock — hourly chime at 9 AM-9 PM features a 45-second procession of 12 apostles. Honestly underwhelming, lower expectations. The square itself is the point: Týn Church spires + Old Town Hall + St Nicholas. Fourth, Jewish Quarter (Josefov), combined ticket Kč550 / $24. 1270 Old-New Synagogue (Europe's oldest still-functioning) + Old Jewish Cemetery 12,000 tombstones (stacked 12 layers deep) + Pinkas Synagogue (80,000 Czech Holocaust victims' names on walls). Closed Saturdays — plan accordingly. Fifth, Český Krumlov day tour ($80-120) or 1-night stay (recommended). 3 hours south, UNESCO from 1992, complete 14th-17th-century Renaissance town with the Vltava wrapping it. Day tours waste 5 hours on travel; staying overnight gets you the empty post-tour-bus town. 3 days hits 1-3, 5 days adds 4-5 + Petřín + Wenceslas Square + Lennon Wall, 7 days adds Karlovy Vary (spa) + Kutná Hora (bone church).

Charles Bridge itself is free 24/7 (only the tower is paid Kč190 / $8) — sunrise/sunset/midnight all free + the most-Instagrammable view. Old Town Square free, hourly Astronomical Clock chime free. Prague Castle outer grounds + changing-of-the-guard at noon free (only interior buildings paid). Petřín Hill walking trails + the medieval Hunger Wall (1362 Charles IV public-works monument) free — only the tower itself is Kč180 / $8. Vyšehrad Fortress + cemetery (Dvořák + Smetana graves) free with one of the city's best sunset views over the Vltava. Letná Park metronome (where Stalin's statue once stood) free. John Lennon Wall in Mala Strana free, 24/7. Náplavka riverside walk + Friday farmers market + summer outdoor bars free. Wenceslas Square walk + 1989 Velvet Revolution site free. The Old Town Hall Square café rooftops give the night view for the cost of a Kč250 / $11 coffee. Strahov Monastery exterior free (interior Kč60 / $3) — 10-min walk from Castle and one of the best free panoramas in town. Žižkov TV Tower exterior with David Černý's crawling-babies sculpture is free. Letenské sady park + riverside cycling/running free. Christmas markets (first weekend of December - early January, Old Town Square + Wenceslas Square) free to enter — only the trdelník + mulled wine cost.

May-June + September-October are #1 — 15-22°C / 59-72°F, 14-16 hours of daylight, hotels reasonable, crowds 30% lighter than peak summer. Prague Spring International Music Festival (May, one month of classical) is iconic. September has Prague Autumn (classical) + wine harvest festivals. July-August: 25-30°C / 77-86°F heat + peak crowds make Old Town and Charles Bridge unwalkable + hotels 30-50% pricier. Daylight 16 hours and outdoor beer gardens are the upside. December first weekend - early January Christmas markets are magical but -5 to 5°C / 23-41°F bitter cold + 4 PM sunset + you can't survive without trdelník + glühwein (markets are Central Europe's best, though). January-March off-season: hotels half-price (boutique from $40), but Vltava winds + 8 hours of daylight make photos washed out. April + November: 50% rainy and unpredictable — coat + umbrella mandatory. For Asia-based travelers, factor: Lunar New Year crashes flight prices (late Jan-Feb $1,200-1,800), early autumn (mid-Sept to early Oct) is also a flight-price spike. Year-end (Dec 25-Jan 2): Christmas + New Year peak, $1,800-2,500. Best value: April + November (off-season tail end, flights $900-1,300, hotels at trough prices).

#1 is Charles Bridge at night. Post-sunset the bridge + 30 statues + Vltava + Prague Castle all illuminate simultaneously — Central Europe's signature night skyline. Insane crowds by day, but after 9 PM the bridge thins and you get the photo + the atmosphere. Sunrise 6-7 AM is also iconic: empty bridge + river fog. Second, Petřín Hill (327m). Funicular (€2, included in 24-hour transit pass) takes 5 minutes; from the mini-Eiffel Petřín Tower (64m, $8) you get the 360° Prague panorama. Top sunset spot. Third, Letná Park metronome above Strossmayer Square — cliff park overlooking Vltava + Old Town + Charles Bridge in one frame. Free, open until midnight. Fourth, Old Town Hall Tower (Kč300 / $13, open until 10 PM). Dead center of Old Town Square, 70m tower with 360° including Týn spires + Prague Castle. Open till 10 PM so full night-view possible. Fifth, Vyšehrad Fortress on the southern cliff — Vltava + Charles Bridge + Castle all sunset-framed. Empty on weekdays, locals' date spot, free. Sixth, evening Vltava cruise ($25-60, 1 hour, dinner cruises $80+). Pre-book at evd.cz. The route passes under Charles Bridge — that's the moment. Seventh, Strahov Monastery viewpoint (10-min walk from Castle, free). Full city + castle spires + river in one frame, fewer tourists — #1 secret spot. Pohořelec tram stop direct.

Prague averages 50% rain in April + October-November, gray skies December-March, so a strong indoor plan matters. First, do Prague Castle full interior tour 4-5 hours — St Vitus Cathedral (stained-glass light), Old Royal Palace, Golden Lane, St George's Basilica all under-one-wall walking. Circuit B Kč250 / $11 covers all four. Second, National Museum (Národní muzeum) at the top of Wenceslas Square. Reopened 2018 after 7-year renovation — Czech natural history + history + culture full set (Kč290 / $13). Third, Jewish Quarter combined ticket ($24) covers 6 synagogues + Old Jewish Cemetery + Pinkas Synagogue — all within 30 seconds of each other in rain. Fourth, Municipal House (Obecní dům) café + Smetana Hall concerts — peak Art Nouveau + café reasonable ($10-15) + guided tours $8. Fifth, Mucha Museum + Národní galerie (19-20th century collection) + Convent of St Agnes (medieval) + DOX contemporary art. Sixth, Lobkowicz Palace inside Prague Castle — Lobkowicz family private collection + English audio guide. Seventh, 2-star Michelin lunches at La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise, Field, Eska ($70-120) — 4-hour rainy-day fine-dining marathon. Eighth, U Fleku (1499 brewery + tavern, in-house dark beer) — atmospheric rainy-day pick. Ninth, Kino Lucerna for Czech films with English subtitles (Closely Watched Trains, 1968 Oscar).

Prague Zoo (Zoologická zahrada Praha) is #1. In Troja district — Metro C 'Holešovice' + tram 17. Adult Kč280 / $13, kids 3-15 Kč220 / $10. Ranked world's 7th best — giraffes, elephants, gorillas + free cable car. Second, Petřín Hill funicular + Mirror Maze (Kč120 / $5) + mini-Eiffel Petřín Tower (Kč180 / $8) + rose garden — kid-friendly full set + the funicular ride itself is an attraction. Third, Astronomical Clock hourly procession — short but kids love it; pigeons + street performers in the square as free bonus. Fourth, Magic Garden of Bohemia (near KGB Museum) — trick museum + optical illusions. Fifth, National Technical Museum — 5 floors of cars, planes, clocks, printing presses (Kč290 / $13, family of 4 about $50). Sixth, Vltava pedal boats (Pedalo, 45 minutes Kč400 / $17) — sail under Charles Bridge with the whole family. Seventh, DinoPark Praha (outskirts, Metro B 'Zličín' + shuttle) — dinosaur theme park Kč330 / $15. Eighth, AquaPalace Praha (Metro C 'Opatov' + bus) — Central Europe's largest waterpark, $30 / 4 hours. Ninth, KFC + Burger King + McDonald's everywhere — no food anxiety, and Lokál Dlouhá has a real kids' menu for goulash newcomers. Hotel pick: Old Town NH Collection Carlo IV (from $140) or Ibis Praha Old Town (from $90), both 4-person rooms. Strollers OK on Charles Bridge, but Metro has limited elevator coverage — use escalators carefully.

1 day means focus on efficient movement, not full coverage. 8 AM: take tram 22 to 'Pražský hrad' or 'Pohořelec' and walk 5 min — arrive 8:30 to skip the queue. Prague Castle + Circuit B (Old Royal Palace + Golden Lane + Basilica + St Vitus Cathedral) Kč250 / $11, 2-3 hours. Watch noon changing-of-the-guard and lunch at Strahov Monastery Brewery (in-house brewing, $13+, 10-min walk from Castle). 1:30 PM walk down Charles Bridge + 30 statues + atmosphere 1 hour. 3 PM Old Town Square + Astronomical Clock + Old Town Hall Tower Kč300 / $13, 1.5 hours. 6 PM dinner Lokál Dlouhá (traditional goulash + Pilsner) + 7:30 PM Charles Bridge nighttime illumination + 9 PM hotel. Day 2: 9 AM Jewish Quarter (Josefov) combined ticket $24, 2 hours. 11:30 AM lunch U Modré Kachničky (Czech fine dining, $30+). 2 PM Petřín funicular + mini-Eiffel + Mirror Maze, 2 hours. 4:30 PM John Lennon Wall + Mala Strana walk, 1 hour. 6 PM U Fleku (1499 brewery, house dark beer + goulash, $22+). 8 PM Vltava night cruise (75 min, $28) — Charles Bridge + Castle lit. Tram 22 connects everything (Castle + Mala Strana + Old Town + Wenceslas Square) — a 24-hour pass Kč120 / $5.20 covers unlimited. 1 night = stay in Old Town within walking range of everything. Charles Bridge: visit twice — sunrise 6-7 AM once + night 9-10 PM once.

First, exchange-rate scams. 'Change' booths throughout Old Town advertise '0% commission' but actually pay 60-70% of the real rate. Bring a card + use Czech-bank ATMs (Česká spořitelna, Komerční banka). Euronet ATMs charge 5-12% premiums — avoid completely. Contactless cards work 99% of the time. Second, pickpockets. Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, and trams 22, 9, 17 are hotspots. Bags in front, no back pockets, and watch for groups crowding from behind. Third, tram/metro fare inspectors. Plainclothes officers in white shirts can demand your ticket — instant Kč1,000 / $40 fine. Your 24-hour pass Kč120 / $5.20 must be validated in the yellow box on first use; unvalidated = no ticket = fine. Fourth, the trdelník trap. Marketed everywhere as 'traditional Czech' for $4-6, but it's actually Hungarian/Slovak and only became a Prague tourist item in the 2010s. Real Czech desserts are svíčková (cream sauce dessert variants), palačinky (crepes). Fifth, tourist-trap restaurants. Old Town Square + Charles Bridge restaurants advertise 'traditional Czech' at 2× the price for half the quality. Real local: Lokál Dlouhá, U Fleku, U Modré Kachničky, Café Louvre (Kafka's spot) — 5-10 min walk off the square halves the price. Sixth, Jewish Quarter closed Saturdays — all 6 synagogues + cemetery closed for Sabbath. Plan around it. Seventh, English not universal. Tourism areas 90% English, locals 50%, neighborhood restaurants may be Czech-only menus — 'Dobrý den' (hello) and 'Děkuji' (thanks) get smiles. Eighth, tipping. 10% appreciated — round up cash, or for card pay write the tip on the receipt before signing. Don't tip US-style 18-20% — locals see it as awkward. Ninth, public toilets. Almost all paid Kč10-20 / $0.50-1 — carry koruna coins.