I'm Laurence, a professional travel photographer since 2010. Jess and I write this site from our own travels.
The things to do in Prague that deserve a first visit are Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with its Astronomical Clock, the Klementinum library tour, the Jewish Quarter and an afternoon in Malá Strana. I first came to Prague in 2004, and went back in September 2026 with Jess, on her first visit. On that trip we also celebrated her birthday, which was nice.
We stayed five nights in the Old Town, walked the city for four full days and used the Prague Visitor Pass for three of them, so every verdict below comes from actually going in, climbing up or queueing for the thing in question. Our extra day we used on a day trip out of Prague.
Prague’s problem for a first-timer is choice. There are around 25 famous sights within walking distance of each other and nearly all of them charge for entry, so we’ve ranked them into three tiers. Each one comes with its price, whether the Visitor Pass covers it, whether you need to book, and the time of day we’d go.
Three days is enough for everything in the first two tiers. If you’d like those days put in order for you, our 3-day Prague itinerary lays them out day by day.
Table of Contents:
Our Top Things to Do in Prague at a Glance
Our three favourites from the trip, in a sentence each:
- Prague Castle. St Vitus Cathedral alone is worth the walk up the hill, and the whole complex filled a very happy morning.
- Charles Bridge at sunset from the top of the Old Town Bridge Tower. The view down the bridge to the castle as the light goes is the one I’d climb for again.
- The food. It’s heavy, meaty and served with dumplings and very good beer, and we loved it.
The rest of our Don’t Miss tier is Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock, the Klementinum library tour, the Jewish Quarter and Malá Strana.
The one thing we’d skip is planning your day around the Astronomical Clock’s hourly show.
On the Visitor Pass: it’s worth buying for three busy days, and rarely for two. As a rule of thumb, you need about eight covered paid sights in 48 hours or ten in 72 to come out ahead. It isn’t worth it for the castle and a couple of towers. We certainly got value out of it but we tend to pack a lot in, especially when researching for a guide like this.
How the Ranked List Works
Every sight sits in one of three tiers: Don’t Miss, Worth the Time, and If It’s Your Thing. Under each one there’s a short line with whether the Prague Visitor Pass covers it, the adult ticket price in Czech koruna (CZK), whether to book ahead and when to go. Prices are 2026 adult prices, checked in November 2026.
Don’t Miss: The Six Things We’d Do First
If you only have two days in Prague, these are the six to fit in. Between them they cover the castle district, the river and the Old Town, and you can walk between all of them.
1. Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral
Prague Castle is really a small walled town on the hill above Malá Strana. Inside the walls there’s a cathedral, a royal palace, a basilica and a lane of tiny houses, plus a lot of courtyards for the tour groups to fill.
The grounds are free to walk around from 6am to 10pm. The buildings need a ticket, and the basic circuit (450 CZK) gets you into the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica, St Vitus Cathedral and Golden Lane with the Daliborka Tower. It’s valid for two days, but you can only go into each building once, so don’t pop into the cathedral for a quick look on day one if you’re planning to come back.
St Vitus is the highlight. The nave is enormous and full of stained glass.
We got there before the buildings opened at 9am, which meant we had the first stretch of it before the courtyards filled up. By late morning the place was packed with groups. If you’ve got a bit of energy left, climb the Great South Tower for a view over the castle roofs to Malá Strana. It costs 200 CZK extra, or half that with the pass (I did not realise this at the time and paid full price, oops!).
The buildings open 9am to 5pm from April to October and 9am to 4pm from November to March. The cathedral opens at noon on Sundays. Check the Prague Castle visitor pages before you go. If you don’t have the pass, you can buy the official castle entry ticket online. There’s also a small-group castle tour with a local guide if you’d like someone to explain what you’re looking at.
On the pass: free, one entry per building · Adult ticket: 450 CZK basic circuit, Great South Tower 200 CZK extra · Book ahead: no · When to go: just before 9am
2. Charles Bridge and the Old Town Bridge Tower
Charles Bridge is free and open all hours, and from late morning to early evening it’s shoulder to shoulder. On two of our mornings I was on the bridge by about 6.15am, which is the time to photograph it.
The best thing I did on the bridge, though, was climb the Old Town Bridge Tower at the Old Town end for sunset on our first evening. From the top you look straight down the length of the bridge to the castle as the light goes, and it was one of my favourite moments of the trip.
The tower costs 250 CZK and is free with the pass. It’s open until 8.30pm from June to September, 7pm in April and May, and 6pm from October to March (7.30pm in December). That’s late enough to catch sunset from the top from about mid-August to the end of September, and from late October to early March. The rest of the year the sun sets after the tower closes, so go up in the last hour before closing instead.
On the pass: free (the tower; the bridge is always free) · Adult ticket: 250 CZK for the tower · Book ahead: no · When to go: sunrise on the bridge, and sunset or the last hour before closing from the tower
3. Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock and the Old Town Hall Tower
Old Town Square is the centre of everything, and you’ll cross it several times a day whether you mean to or not. The Gothic towers of the Týn Church are on one side and the Old Town Hall is on the other, with the Astronomical Clock on its tower.
The clock does its show every hour from 8am to 11pm. The apostles appear in the little windows and the skeleton rings his bell, and it’s over very quickly. The show itself isn’t mind-blowing, and the crowd watching it is half the fun. There’s more on this in the skip section below.
The Old Town Hall tower is the one to climb here. I went up at 9am opening on our third morning, with the whole square below. This is one to visit early as it gets busier as the day progresses.
One ticket (350 CZK) covers the tower and the historic interiors together, as there’s no tower-only ticket. It’s free with the pass. I only did the tower, not the interiors tour. Opening hours are 9am to 8pm from April to December and 10am to 7pm from January to March.
On the pass: free · Adult ticket: 350 CZK, tower and historic interiors together · Book ahead: no · When to go: the tower at 9am; the clock at a busy hour, for the crowd
4. The Klementinum Library and Astronomical Tower
When we asked our newsletter readers for their recommendations on what to do in Prague, this came at the top of the list. They were not wrong.
The Klementinum is a huge former Jesuit college a short walk from Charles Bridge, and its baroque library is one of the loveliest rooms in Prague. You can only visit on a timed guided tour, which takes you to the library and then up the astronomical tower for a view over the Old Town rooftops.
You look into the library hall from the doorway and don’t walk through it, which disappoints some people, so it’s best to know before you go. It does mean you get photos without people in though, which is nice, although you are somewhat restricted on angle and composition!
The tour costs 380 CZK and is free with the pass, but pass holders still need to reserve a slot using their pass number. That reservation is binding unless you cancel by 6pm the day before.
Tickets for each week go on sale every Monday, for the week beginning two weeks later, and popular slots sell out. We booked ours well ahead and took a 10am tour on our third day. The tour is run by Prague City Tourism, so book through Prague City Tourism’s Clementinum page or a reseller you trust. Without the pass, Klementinum tickets are also sold on Tiqets.
On the pass: free, reservation required · Adult ticket: 380 CZK · Book ahead: yes · When to go: a morning slot, then the Old Town afterwards
5. The Jewish Quarter (Josefov)
Josefov was the first thing we did in Prague, straight after dropping our bags. The Jewish Museum circuit takes in the Pinkas, Maisel, Spanish and Klausen synagogues, the Ceremonial Hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery. The walls of the Pinkas Synagogue are covered with the names of the Bohemian and Moravian Jews murdered in the Holocaust, and the cemetery’s headstones are crowded together under the trees.
The circuit ticket costs 600 CZK and is valid on three opening days, so you don’t have to cram it in. The Old-New Synagogue is run separately and is a separate ticket, but the pass covers both the Jewish Museum sites and the Old-New Synagogue.
Every site is closed on Saturdays and on Jewish holidays, so check the holiday list on the Jewish Museum’s visitor page against your dates before you plan anything else. Cover your shoulders and knees for the synagogues.
On the pass: free (the Jewish Museum sites and the Old-New Synagogue) · Adult ticket: 600 CZK for the Jewish Museum circuit · Book ahead: no · When to go: first thing in the morning, and never on a Saturday
6. Malá Strana and Kampa (With the Lennon Wall)
Malá Strana, the Lesser Town, is the district of baroque streets and palaces between the castle and the river, and it costs nothing at all.
We came down into it late on our castle day, via Petřín, and spent the rest of the afternoon drifting between Kampa island, the riverbank and the little squares around St Nicholas Church. The Lennon Wall is on the way, and of course it’s worth a few minutes for a photo. Café Savoy, near Kampa, was our coffee-and-cake stop, and it’s popular enough that a reservation helps.
On the pass: not needed, it’s free · Adult ticket: free · Book ahead: no (Café Savoy, yes) · When to go: late afternoon, walking down from the castle or Petřín
Worth the Time: Eight More for a Second or Third Day
With three days you can add most of these, and several of them are free with the pass.
7. Strahov Monastery: The Library and the Brewery
Strahov Monastery sits at the top of the hill above the castle, and it’s worth the extra climb for two reasons. The library has two of the most beautiful historic halls in the city. You view them from the doorway, as at the Klementinum, and the ticket (220 CZK) isn’t covered by the pass. We bought them and didn’t regret it.
The second reason is the monastery brewery, which brews its own beer and made a very good lunch stop on our castle day (that’s the beef tartare below).
The monastery gardens also have one of the best views over the city. It rained while we were up there, and it was still a lovely view. The Strahov Monastery website has the library hours.
On the pass: not included · Adult ticket: 220 CZK for the library · Book ahead: no · When to go: lunchtime, after the castle and the Loreto
8. Petřín Hill: The Lookout Tower, Funicular and Observatory
Petřín is the green hill above Malá Strana, and you can walk along its ridge from Strahov, which is what we did. At the top there’s the Petřín Lookout Tower (250 CZK, plus 150 CZK if you want the lift), which looks a bit like a small Eiffel Tower and has a view over the whole city. Nearby is the Štefánik Observatory (120 CZK), which we also visited. All three are free with the pass.
The funicular runs between Malá Strana and the top of the hill every 10 minutes from 7am to 10.15pm. A single ticket costs 100 CZK (90 CZK in the app), and it’s covered by the pass and by 24-hour and longer transport tickets, but not by the short-term ones. As of November 2026 it was still officially in trial operation, with a short closure scheduled that month, so check the Prague transport company’s site before you plan around it.
On the pass: free (tower, funicular and observatory) · Adult ticket: tower 250 CZK, funicular 100 CZK, observatory 120 CZK · Book ahead: no · When to go: mid-afternoon, walking along the ridge from Strahov
9. A Concert in the Mirror Chapel
Prague has classical concerts most evenings, and the Mirror Chapel inside the Klementinum, which has one every night, is one of the prettiest places to hear one. We booked ours for our final evening in Prague. After five days of walking it was a lovely way to finish, with a sit-down, some classical music in a baroque chapel lined with mirrors, and a short walk to dinner afterwards.
Tickets start from 750 CZK and aren’t covered by the pass. We booked ours as an entry ticket for the Mirror Chapel concert on GetYourGuide.
On the pass: not included · Adult ticket: from 750 CZK · Book ahead: yes, a few days out · When to go: an evening when your feet need a rest
10. The Paternoster at Prague City Hall
A paternoster is a lift with no doors that never stops. Open cabins move in a continuous loop, and you step on and off as they pass. Prague City Hall on Mariánské náměstí has one, and Prague City Tourism runs guided tours of the building that include a ride. It’s one of the odder things you can do in Prague.
How you book depends on whether you have the Visitor Pass:
- With the pass, the tour is free. Reserve by email at paternoster@prague.eu with your pass number, then collect your tickets at the Clementinum ticket office (open daily 9am to 8pm). The reservation is binding, so cancel by 6pm the day before if you can’t make it. We emailed ahead with our pass numbers and took a 5.15pm tour on our first afternoon. The pass’s paternoster page has the details.
- Without the pass, tickets cost 250 CZK (200 CZK for ages 15 to 26) and are sold by Prague City Tourism at its offices and online. New prices apply from 1 March 2027. The Prague City Tourism paternoster page has the current schedule.
The tours start at the entrance to the Clementinum Astronomical Tower, not at City Hall itself. They’re only open to over-15s in good physical condition, and there’s no step-free access. English tours usually run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
On the pass: free, book by email · Adult ticket: 250 CZK without the pass · Book ahead: yes · When to go: whichever English slot you can get
11. Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad is a fortress on a rock above the Vltava, south of the New Town, and it’s where we went on our last morning. It feels like a different city from the Old Town, a big walled park with views up the river and the national cemetery.
The grounds are free and open all year. Inside, the casemates and the Gorlice hall (330 CZK, or 295 CZK online) and the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul (130 CZK) are both free with the pass. The buildings open 10am to 6pm, and on Sundays the basilica doesn’t open until 11am. Take Metro line C to Vyšehrad station and walk from there. The Vyšehrad website has the details.
On the pass: free (casemates and basilica) · Adult ticket: 330 CZK casemates, 130 CZK basilica · Book ahead: no · When to go: a morning, before the New Town museums
12. Lobkowicz Palace
Lobkowicz Palace is the one building inside the castle walls that the castle ticket doesn’t cover, but the pass does, so if you have one, go in. Without the pass it costs 380 CZK. Hours are on the Lobkowicz Palace website.
On the pass: free · Adult ticket: 380 CZK · Book ahead: no · When to go: late morning, when the castle is busiest
13. Municipal House and the Powder Gate Tower
The Municipal House is the big Art Nouveau concert hall and civic building where the Old Town meets the New Town. You see the best of the interiors on a guided tour, which costs 320 CZK and is free with the pass. Tour times are fixed, so check on the day.
Right next door, the Powder Gate Tower costs 200 CZK and is free with the pass. I climbed it, and the view is fine, but there are better towers (more on that in the skip section).
On the pass: free (Municipal House tour and the tower) · Adult ticket: tour 320 CZK, tower 200 CZK · Book ahead: no, but check tour times · When to go: midday, between the Old Town and the New Town
14. Czech Food and Beer
The food was one of our three favourite things about Prague. Czech cooking is mostly meat, sauce, dumplings and sauerkraut, with beer alongside, and once you accept that and stop looking for a salad, it’s a very happy place to eat.
Our favourite meal was at Lokál Dlouhááá, a big, cheerful beer hall serving Czech classics, where the potato and mushroom soup was exactly what you want after a morning in the Jewish Quarter. At Havelská Koruna, a no-reservations cafeteria in the Old Town, we had goulash with bread dumplings and pork with sauerkraut. The schnitzel with potato salad at U Medvídků was another good one.
The sweet I’d go back for came from Cukrárna Myšák’s branch near the castle. They’re called dukátové buchtičky, little buns soaked in vanilla cream, and they’re one of the best things I’ve ever eaten!
For beer, Pilsner Urquell: The Original Beer Experience on 28. října is a self-guided visit with an audio guide and two beers, at 579 CZK or free with the pass. We went because it was on the pass, and it was surprisingly good. Book through Pilsner Urquell’s own site or get Pilsner Urquell Experience tickets on Tiqets.
Prague’s restaurants get quite busy, and the popular places prefer you to book, especially in the busier months. We reserved most of our dinners in advance and were glad we did.
On the pass: free (the Pilsner Urquell experience) · Adult ticket: 579 CZK for the beer experience · Book ahead: restaurants yes, the beer experience no · When to go: lunch in a beer hall, the beer experience in the afternoon
If It’s Your Thing: Ten More, Depending on What You Like
These are the sights we’d add for a particular interest, or for a fourth day. None of them is essential for a first visit.
15. The National Museum and Wenceslas Square
The National Museum’s historic building closes off the top of Wenceslas Square, and inside it’s a grand old museum of natural history and Czech history, with a whale skeleton hanging in one of the halls. It costs 360 CZK, isn’t on the pass, and opens daily 10am to 6pm. The National Museum website has the current exhibitions.
The statue of St Wenceslas on his horse stands right in front of the museum.
On the pass: not included · Adult ticket: 360 CZK · Book ahead: no · When to go: an afternoon in the New Town
16. The Museum of Medieval Art at St Agnes Convent
The National Gallery keeps its medieval collection in the former Convent of St Agnes of Bohemia, a short walk from the Jewish Quarter. It’s free with the pass. We went straight after Josefov on our first day. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm, and the National Gallery Prague website has the ticket prices.
On the pass: free · Book ahead: no · When to go: after the Jewish Quarter
17. The Cold War Museum
If the communist era interests you, the Cold War Museum pairs well with the National Museum on the same afternoon. We visited on our last afternoon. It costs 250 CZK and isn’t on the pass.
On the pass: not included · Adult ticket: 250 CZK · Book ahead: no · When to go: paired with the National Museum
18. Žižkov Television Tower
The Žižkov tower is the futuristic needle you see on the skyline east of the centre, and its observation deck at 93 metres has a view over the whole city. I went up on our third afternoon. It’s interesting, and it’s open daily from 9am until midnight, so you can go after dark, but it’s out of the way if your days are in the Old Town (more on that in the skip section).
It costs 350 CZK and is free with the pass. Without the pass, Žižkov TV Tower tickets are on Tiqets, and the tower’s website has the hours.
On the pass: free · Adult ticket: 350 CZK · Book ahead: no · When to go: after dark, if you’re already in the east of the city
19. The National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror
This memorial is in the crypt of the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius on Resslova street, where the parachutists who assassinated Reinhard Heydrich in 1942 made their last stand. The bullet holes are still in the wall outside. Entry is free. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm, and isn’t on the pass (it doesn’t need to be). We visited on our last day, on the way to Vyšehrad.
On the pass: not included (entry is free) · Adult ticket: free · Book ahead: no · When to go: on the way to Vyšehrad or the Dancing House
20. The Dancing House
The Dancing House is the curvy glass-and-concrete building on the riverbank, part offices and part hotel, a few minutes’ walk from the Heydrich memorial. I went on my own while Jess was at the Mucha Museum. The gallery inside is free with the pass and open daily 9am to 8pm. The rooftop terrace belongs to the bar up there, so if you want the view, buy a drink.
On the pass: free (the gallery) · Book ahead: no · When to go: paired with the Heydrich memorial
21. A Vltava River Cruise
The pass covers two river cruises, Prague Boats and Prague Venice. We took the Prague Boats sightseeing cruise from Čechův most at 6pm on our third day, booked online once our pass was active. It’s a relaxed way to see the bridges and the castle from the water, and on the pass it costs you nothing but time.
Prague Venice tickets are collected at the Charles Bridge Museum, and the cruise costs 550 CZK without the pass. Prague Boats also sells an evening sightseeing cruise on GetYourGuide if you don’t have the pass.
On the pass: free (Prague Boats or Prague Venice) · Adult ticket: 550 CZK for Prague Venice · Book ahead: Prague Boats, yes, online once your pass is active · When to go: early evening
22. Letná Park
Letná is the park on the bluff across the river from the Old Town, and from its edge you get the classic view of Prague’s bridges stepping one after another down the Vltava. It’s free. There’s a giant metronome up there too, which is exactly as odd as it sounds. We didn’t make it up to Letná on this trip, so this one comes from our research rather than our own visit.
On the pass: not needed, it’s free · Adult ticket: free · Book ahead: no · When to go: late afternoon, when the light is on the bridges
23. The Loreto
The Loreto is a baroque pilgrimage church and cloister a few minutes’ walk from the castle gates. We went inside after the castle, and it was a nice, peaceful break from the crowds there. It’s free with the pass, and costs 280 CZK without it. Photography is included in the ticket, with no tripods or flash. The Loreto website has the hours.
On the pass: free · Adult ticket: 280 CZK · Book ahead: no · When to go: straight after the castle, when you’ve had enough of the crowds
24. The Mucha Museum
Alphonse Mucha made the Art Nouveau posters that you’ll see on every second postcard in Prague, and the Mucha Museum in the New Town is a small collection of his work. Jess is a big fan of Mucha’s art, and she says that even if she wasn’t, it would have been worth the visit. It costs 300 CZK and isn’t on the pass.
There are two Mucha exhibitions a few minutes’ walk apart, and we turned up at the wrong one first (the Mucha Foundation’s museum in the Savarin Palace on Na Příkopě), which was pretty confusing until the ticket desk put us straight. The Mucha Museum is the one on Panská.
On the pass: not included · Adult ticket: 300 CZK · Book ahead: no · When to go: whenever you’re in the New Town
Which Prague Viewpoint Is Best?
Prague is a city of towers, and as a photographer I’d happily spend a whole trip going up them. If you only climb one, make it the Old Town Bridge Tower, at sunset if your dates allow. Here’s how the others compare, including the free lookouts.
| Viewpoint | What you look at | On the pass | Without the pass | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town Bridge Tower | Charles Bridge and the castle | Free | 250 CZK | Sunset, dates allowing |
| Old Town Hall tower | Old Town Square and the Týn Church | Free | 350 CZK (with interiors) | 9am opening, before the crowds |
| Great South Tower, St Vitus | The castle roofs and Malá Strana | 50% off | 200 CZK | A clear morning at the castle |
| Petřín Lookout Tower | The whole city from the west | Free | 250 CZK, lift 150 CZK extra | Mid-afternoon |
| Klementinum astronomical tower | Old Town rooftops | Free, reservation required | 380 CZK (with the library) | Tour only |
| Žižkov TV Tower | The whole city from the east, at 93 m | Free | 350 CZK | After dark |
| Powder Gate Tower | The Old Town and the Municipal House | Free | 200 CZK | Only if you’re passing |
| Letná Park | The bridges down the Vltava | Free anyway | Free | Late afternoon |
| Strahov Monastery gardens | Malá Strana and the Old Town | Free anyway | Free | With the castle |
| Castle ramparts | Malá Strana roofs and the river | Free anyway | Free | Early morning |
| Vyšehrad ramparts | The Vltava from the south | Free anyway | Free | A quiet morning |
For photography, the morning towers (Old Town Hall at opening, the castle ramparts) give you soft light and few people, and Žižkov is the one that’s open late enough for the city at night. Sunset times and closing times change a lot through the year, and our Prague itinerary has the season-by-season detail.
What We’d Skip in Prague (and What to Do Instead)
None of these is a disaster, but each one costs time you could spend better on a short trip. Here’s what we’d do instead.
Planning Your Day Around the Astronomical Clock Show
People plan whole mornings around the hourly show, and the show itself is short and a little underwhelming. The fun is the crowd: hundreds of people with phones in the air, all waiting for a skeleton to ring a bell. So go at a popular hour, watch the crowd as much as the clock, and then carry on with your day. If you want something more out of the visit, go up the Old Town Hall tower.
Making the Lennon Wall a Destination
The Lennon Wall is a quick photo on your way through Kampa, and that’s all. Don’t make a special trip for it.
The Powder Gate Tower, If You’re Choosing One Tower
If you’re only going up one tower in Prague, this wouldn’t be near the top of my list. Pick the Old Town Bridge Tower for the view down the bridge (at sunset, if its hours allow) or the Old Town Hall tower for the square instead.
Žižkov, If Your Days Are in the Old Town
The TV tower is a bit of an effort to get to, and you end up a long way from the sights you came to see. Go if you’re staying out that way or want a night view. Otherwise, the Petřín Lookout Tower gives you a whole-city view without leaving the centre.
Trdelník as an Old Prague Tradition
The rolled spit cakes sold on every corner of the Old Town are marketed as an old Prague tradition. In fact trdelník is a spit cake with Slovak, Moravian and Hungarian roots (the Slovak town of Skalica holds an EU protected name for it), and it only spread through Prague’s tourist streets in the early 2000s. Eat one if you fancy it! For a Czech sweet, though, find the dukátové buchtičky at Cukrárna Myšák.
Wenceslas Square as a Sight in Itself
Wenceslas Square is really a long, sloping boulevard of shops and hotels. Go for the National Museum and the statue at the top, and don’t feel you need to walk the whole length.
Charles Bridge in the Middle of the Day
This one is a timing swap, not a skip. Of course you’ll cross the bridge at midday anyway, but if you want to enjoy it, go at sunrise or late in the evening.
Exchange Booths and Paying in Your Home Currency
Czech law bans commission at exchange offices, makes the rate board show the least favourable rate on offer, and lets you cancel an exchange within three hours at the same office for amounts up to the equivalent of €1,000. Keep the receipt. Even so, we’d skip the booths and use a bank ATM for koruna, declining any offer to convert the withdrawal.
The same goes for card machines. When a terminal offers to charge you in dollars instead of koruna, EU rules mean it has to show you the mark-up first, and the answer is always to pay in koruna.
Golden Lane at Peak Hours
Golden Lane is on the castle ticket, and its row of tiny houses is a lot of fun. In the middle of the day, though, it’s a slow shuffle. Do it first thing at 9am, or at the end of your castle visit just before closing. Be sure to pop in at the shops as well, there are some nice souvenirs available.
Is the Prague Visitor Pass Worth It?
For three busy days of sightseeing, yes. For two days, usually not, unless you’ll fit in about eight paid sights. And for a light trip built around the castle and a couple of towers, no. The pass is sold by Prague City Tourism and covers free entry to around 80 sights, discounts at about 30 more, and all public transport in the city, including the airport trolleybus and the AE airport bus.
Adult prices are 2,700 CZK for 48 hours, 3,300 CZK for 72 hours and 3,900 CZK for 120 hours (students 2,050, 2,500 and 2,900 CZK; children 1,350, 1,650 and 1,950 CZK). Validity runs from when you activate the pass, not when you buy it, and an inactive pass stays valid for up to a year after purchase.
Here’s how it works out for five typical plans, using the adult gate prices from this page:
| Plan | What’s in it | Gate prices | With the pass | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle and Old Town towers, 2 days | Castle circuit, Great South Tower, Old Town Hall, Old Town Bridge Tower | 1,250 CZK | 2,800 CZK (48 h + Great South Tower at half price) | Pay as you go |
| The six Don’t Miss sights, 2 days | The above plus the Klementinum and the Jewish Museum circuit, walking everywhere | 2,230 CZK | 2,800 CZK (48 h) | Pay as you go |
| Don’t Miss plus Worth the Time, 3 days | The above plus Petřín tower, observatory, paternoster, Vyšehrad, Lobkowicz, Municipal House, Powder Gate Tower, Pilsner Urquell and a 72-hour transport ticket | 5,129 CZK | 3,400 CZK (72 h) | The pass, by about 1,700 CZK |
| New Town museums, 1 to 2 days | National Museum, Mucha Museum, Cold War Museum, Heydrich memorial | 910 CZK | None of them is covered | Pay as you go |
| Transport-heavy, 3 days | 72-hour transport, Vyšehrad casemates and basilica, Žižkov, castle circuit, Old Town Hall, Petřín tower, Prague Venice cruise | 2,750 CZK | 3,300 CZK (72 h) | Pay as you go, unless you add the Klementinum and the Jewish Museum |
| What I used on our 72-hour passes | Jewish Museum sites, paternoster, Old Town Bridge Tower, castle circuit, Great South Tower, Lobkowicz, Loreto, Petřín tower, observatory, Old Town Hall, Klementinum, Powder Gate Tower, Pilsner Urquell, Žižkov (plus St Agnes, the Dancing House gallery and the cruise) | About 4,640 CZK before the last three | 3,400 CZK | The pass, comfortably |
So the break-even point is simple: add up the gate prices of the covered sights you’ll actually visit inside the pass window, and buy the pass if the total beats its price. On our list that’s roughly eight paid sights in 48 hours or ten in 72. Note what isn’t covered: the Strahov library, the National Museum, the Cold War Museum, the Mucha Museum and the Mirror Chapel concerts. The Great South Tower is half price, not free.
For us it was an easy win, because we used it hard for three days and then spent a fourth on a day trip and a fifth on the sights it doesn’t cover. If your list is mostly towers, Prague City Tourism’s “9 Prague Sights in 365 Days” ticket (990 CZK) is worth comparing too.
You can buy the official Prague Visitor Pass on Tiqets, or directly from Prague City Tourism. We picked ours up at the airport, and our 3-day itinerary covers buying, activating and collecting it.
Getting Around Prague and Where We Stayed
Central Prague is very walkable, and we walked nearly everywhere. The two exceptions are the climb up to the castle, where tram 22 to the Pražský hrad or Pohořelec stop saves your legs for the castle itself, and Vyšehrad, which is a short ride on Metro line C.
If you don’t have the pass, a 24-hour public transport ticket costs 140 CZK in the app (150 CZK on paper), and a 72-hour ticket 340 CZK (350 CZK on paper). Both cover trams, the metro, buses and the Petřín funicular. Details are on the Prague public transport site.
We stayed at The Dominican hotel, a converted monastery on Jilská in the Old Town, which put the Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter and Charles Bridge a few minutes’ walk away.
Frequently Asked Questions About Things to Do in Prague
What are the top things to do in Prague?
Prague Castle with St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge (climb the Old Town Bridge Tower, at sunset if its hours allow), Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock, the Klementinum library tour, the Jewish Quarter and Malá Strana.
With a third day, add Strahov Monastery, Petřín Hill, Vyšehrad and a Czech beer hall.
What should you avoid doing in Prague?
Don’t plan your day around the Astronomical Clock show, don’t change money at the exchange booths, and always pay in koruna when a card machine offers you your home currency.
Do visit the Jewish Quarter on any day but Saturday, cross Charles Bridge early or late, and book the Klementinum and your restaurants ahead.
Is the Prague Visitor Pass worth it?
Yes, if you’ll use it hard. The 72-hour pass costs 3,300 CZK, and three busy days of the sights on this page add up to well over 4,000 CZK at gate prices.
It isn’t worth it for a light trip of the castle and a couple of towers, or if your list is mostly the National Museum, Mucha Museum and Cold War Museum, none of which it covers.
How many days do you need in Prague?
Three days is enough for a first visit, covering everything in our first two tiers. Add a fourth for a day trip. Our 3-day Prague itinerary puts it all in order.
Do you need to book Prague attractions in advance?
Mostly not. The castle, the towers and the museums are walk-up. The exceptions are the Klementinum tour (timed, released every Monday for the week beginning two weeks later), the paternoster tour, the Mirror Chapel concerts and dinner at popular restaurants.
Pass holders still need to reserve the Klementinum and the paternoster, and both reservations are binding unless you cancel by 6pm the day before.
What can you do in Prague for free?
Walking Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, Malá Strana and Kampa, the castle grounds (6am to 10pm), Letná Park, the Vyšehrad fortress grounds and the Heydrich memorial are all free.
The Astronomical Clock show is free too, every hour from 8am to 11pm.
Can you pay in euros in Prague, and is it expensive?
The currency is the Czech koruna (CZK). Some shops accept euros, but at their own rate and with change in koruna, so it’s better to pay by card in koruna.
We found Prague cheaper than most Western European capitals for food and beer, but the sights add up. A full day of paid entries can easily pass 1,500 CZK each, which is why the pass maths is worth doing.
When is the best time to visit Prague?
We went in early September, when the evenings were still long (sunset was around 7.30pm) and the Old Town was still busy. Late spring and early autumn are the times we’d pick.
For a winter trip, the 2026 Old Town Square Christmas market runs from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, but expect the square to be at its most crowded.
Is Prague walkable?
Very. The Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, Charles Bridge and Malá Strana are all within about 20 minutes’ walk of each other.
Take tram 22 up to the castle to save the climb, and Metro line C to Vyšehrad.
Planning Resources and Further Reading
The guidebook we carried every day in Prague was Rick Steves Prague & the Czech Republic, and it was very useful, particularly for the walking tours and the history behind the sights.
For more on planning your trip:
- Our 3-day Prague itinerary puts the sights on this page into a day-by-day plan, with restaurant picks and the Visitor Pass logistics.
- We spent our fourth day out at Kutná Hora, and our guide to day trips from Prague covers it and the other easy options.
- Prague to Vienna is an easy train ride. When you get there, our 2-day Vienna itinerary and 3-day Vienna itinerary take it from there.
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