Prague's historic core is small, which is both its charm and its problem. Two days is plenty, provided you treat the old town as a morning activity and give the rest of your time to districts most weekend visitors never reach.
Why this route works
The centre is at its worst between eleven and six. This plan puts you there early, moves you to Vinohrady, Karlin or Letna in the afternoon, and brings you back for the evening when the day-trippers have gone.
Day 1 - Castle side, then the river
Start at the castle at opening. Walk down through Nerudova rather than up it, which is a completely different experience for your knees. Cross Charles Bridge before nine if you want a photograph without shoulders in it. Spend the late morning in Mala Strana, which is quieter than its position suggests.
In the afternoon, take the tram to Letna Park. The beer garden there has the best view in the city and none of the pricing of the old town. Come back down at dusk.
Day 2 - Old town, Jewish quarter, Vinohrady
Josefov deserves a proper visit, not a walk-through. The combined ticket covers several synagogues and the old cemetery, and two hours is realistic. Afterwards, walk east out of the tourist zone into Vinohrady for lunch.
Finish the day at Vysehrad, which most short-stay visitors miss entirely. The fortress walls give you the Vltava from the south and the cemetery is genuinely beautiful. It is a twenty minute metro ride back to the centre for dinner.
Practical notes
- Buy transport tickets by app or at machines, and validate paper tickets when boarding
- Avoid currency exchange booths in the centre, and use bank ATMs
- Restaurants in the old square charge roughly double for the same food two streets away
- Tipping is usually rounding up plus a small percentage
When to go
April to June and September are the sensible windows. December has markets and cold, and January is quiet, cheap and often grey. August is crowded without being especially pleasant.
Common mistakes
- Booking a hotel on the main square and then complaining about the noise
- Paying for a castle tour when the grounds and a self-guided walk cover most of it
- Eating trdelnik and believing it is a Czech tradition, it is not
What to bring
Layers in every season except high summer. Cobbles again, so no thin soles. A card is accepted almost everywhere, but keep a small amount of cash for tram machines and older pubs.
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