Prague: A City of Towers, Tank Beer and Long Winter Evenings

Look up almost anywhere in Prague and a tower looks back. The city counts about 132 of them in the Old Town alone, and more than 2,000 across Prague by some estimates: Gothic bridge towers, Baroque domes, the green copper of church spires and, out east, a television mast with babies crawling up its sides. It is a city built to be seen from above and enjoyed from street level, where the cobbles lead to beer halls, Art Nouveau cafés and squares that turn into markets every winter.

The rewards come from moving between layers. Spend a morning on the castle hill and the Old Town, then cross into the residential districts of Vinohrady and Žižkov, where the parks look back at the skyline and the pubs pour beer straight from the tank. Prague is compact, its trams and metro are cheap and frequent, and a long weekend is enough to fall for it; a week lets you see why people stay.

The Areas

Prague's historic centre sits on both banks of the Vltava. Most visitors stay in the Old Town or Malá Strana for the sights, or in Vinohrady and Žižkov for a more local feel and easy tram and metro links to the centre.

• Old Town (Staré Město) — the medieval heart around Old Town Square and the astronomical clock, with Charles Bridge at its western edge. Best for first-timers who want to walk everywhere, though it is the busiest part of the city.
• Josefov — the old Jewish Town inside the Old Town, home to the Old New Synagogue and the sites of the Jewish Museum. Central, and an easy walk from Old Town Square.
• Malá Strana (Lesser Town) — across Charles Bridge below the castle, a quarter of Baroque palaces and churches, including St Nicholas and the Waldstein Palace, now the seat of the Czech Senate. Suits couples and anyone who wants to be close to the castle.
• Hradčany — the castle district on the hill, stretching from Prague Castle to the Strahov Monastery and its brewery. Atmospheric and close to the views, if a climb from the river.
• Vinohrady — named after the vineyards Charles IV had planted here in the 14th century, now a residential district of Art Nouveau and Historicist apartment blocks, wine bars, cafés and the Rieger Gardens. Good for longer stays and food lovers.
• Žižkov — historically working-class and famous for its pubs, below Vítkov Hill and the television tower. Lively and informal, with the Palác Akropolis as its cultural centre.

What to See and Do

Begin on the hill. Prague Castle, founded in the 9th century, is the largest still-inhabited castle compound in the world, covering 7.2 hectares. The grounds are open daily from 6:00 to 22:00 and the historic buildings from 9:00. The basic circuit ticket (450 CZK, valid for two days) covers St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St George's Basilica and Golden Lane with the Daliborka Tower, the lane begun under Emperor Rudolf II. The guard changes every hour from 9:00 to 18:00, with a ceremonial version and fanfare at noon in the first courtyard.

Walk down through Malá Strana to St Nicholas Church, the work of two generations of the Dientzenhofer family: Kryštof designed the front and nave, consecrated in 1711, and his son Kilián Ignác added the choir, dome and tower. The dome rises about 70 metres outside, and the interior is the highest in Prague. Then cross Charles Bridge, begun in 1357 under Charles IV and finished in 1402 by the workshop of Petr Parléř. It is 515 metres long, guarded by towers at both ends and lined by 30 statues and sculptural groups, most added between 1706 and 1714. It is at its best at night, when the gas lamps are lit.

In the Old Town, the astronomical clock on the Old Town Hall dates from 1410 and is one of the three oldest working astronomical clocks in Europe; every hour from 8:00 to 23:00 the twelve apostles appear. Climb the hall's tower, or take the lift, to the gallery at 42 metres for the best view of the square's spires. A short walk north, the Old New Synagogue has been used for services since the late 13th century, and the Jewish Museum's synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery, the best preserved in Europe, are visited on one ticket. Finish at the Municipal House, built between 1905 and 1911, where Alfons Mucha decorated the Mayor's Hall; its café is open to everyone, while the halls are shown on guided tours.

Viewpoints, Parks and Hills

Prague is a city of hills, and each one gives you a different skyline. Vyšehrad, on a rock above the Vltava south of the centre, is the setting for some of Prague's oldest legends, including that of Princess Libuše. Today it is a park with the 11th-century Rotunda of St Martin, the neo-Gothic Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul and the national cemetery, Slavín. Below the ramparts run about a kilometre of casemates, where the Gorlice hall keeps six original statues from Charles Bridge. The park is open all year.

On the west bank, Petřín rises above Malá Strana. Its funicular reopened on 22 September 2026 after a complete reconstruction, so you can ride up again to the lookout tower that Prague calls the younger sister of the Eiffel Tower. In Vinohrady, the Rieger Gardens, laid out between 1904 and 1908, spread over about 11 hectares; walk to the meadow at their western edge for a view of the Old Town and the castle. In Žižkov, the 216-metre television tower is the tallest building in the city, with an observation platform at 93 metres and David Černý's giant babies on its columns.

What to Eat and Drink

Czech cooking is generous and built around sauces and dumplings. Look for svíčková na smetaně, marinated beef sirloin in a cream sauce, roast pork with dumplings and cabbage, goulash, and fried cheese, a pub classic served with potatoes and tartar sauce. Desserts lean towards bun cakes, fruit pies and pastries filled with plum jam and quark.

Beer is the other half of the table. At Lokál Dlouhááá in the Old Town, a 1970s-style pub with long wooden benches, Pilsner Urquell comes from tanks kept right under the taps, and the menu of Czech dishes changes daily. U Fleků, on Křemencova street, has brewed beer continuously for more than 500 years and is known for its 13° dark lager. Up on the castle hill, the Strahov Monastic Brewery revived a brewing tradition tied to a monastery founded in 1140, and makes its own St. Norbert amber, dark and IPA beers.

Make time for a café too. Café Louvre on Národní, with more than a century of history, still has one of Prague's best-known historic billiard halls. In Vinohrady, the farmers' market on Jiřího z Poděbrad Square, in front of Jože Plečnik's Church of the Most Sacred Heart, is a good place to see what the city eats.

Getting There and Around

Flights land at Václav Havel Airport Prague. The cheapest route into town is public transport: bus 59 runs to Nádraží Veleslavín on metro line A in about 35 minutes, and bus 100 to Zličín on metro line B in about 45 minutes, both on a standard 90-minute ticket (46 CZK in the PID Lítačka app, 50 CZK on paper). The Airport Express (AE) runs from Terminal 1 to the main railway station, Hlavní nádraží, in about 45 minutes; it has its own fare of 200 CZK, and day passes do not cover it.

In the city, trams, metro and buses share one ticket system. Fares rose on 1 January 2026: a 30-minute ticket costs 36 CZK in the app or 39 CZK on paper, 24 hours 140 or 150 CZK, and 72 hours 340 or 350 CZK. Paper tickets must be validated on first boarding, and app tickets activated at least a minute before you travel. The historic tram 42 runs on a separate day ticket that lets you hop on and off. The centre itself is best on foot.

When to Go

Summer is warmest, with July averaging highs of about 24°C, and mid-June to early September is the easiest time for long days outdoors; June also has the most rainy days. Spring and autumn are milder and quieter, and the Jewish Museum and the castle keep longer hours until mid-October. Winter is cold, with January averaging between about −3°C and 2°C, but it is also when Prague is at its most atmospheric.

From late November, Christmas markets fill the squares. In 2026 the markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square run from 28 November to 6 January 2027; those on Republic Square (25 November), Tyl's Square (26 November) and Peace Square in Vinohrady (20 November) close on 24 December. Expect mulled wine, hot mead, roasted nuts, sausages and trdelník, along with hand-made decorations and traditional crafts. Prague Castle stays open on 24 December.

Good to Know

The currency is the Czech crown (CZK, Kč). Many shops and restaurants accept euros, but change comes back in crowns, so it is simpler to pay in crowns or by card. Exchange offices may not charge fees, and you can cancel an exchange within three hours if the rate was poor; never change money on the street. Prague charges a local tourist fee of 50 CZK per person for each night after the first, usually collected by your accommodation.

The Old Town and Charles Bridge are crowded in the middle of the day, especially in summer and during the markets; cross the bridge early or late, and spend the afternoon in Vinohrady or on Vyšehrad. The Jewish Museum is closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays, and on 28 October 2026 the castle area closes from 15:00 for a state ceremony. Popular pubs fill up in the evening, so book a table at Lokál if you can. The EU emergency number, 112, works throughout the country.

The Essence

Prague is generous to the curious. Climb one tower and you see a dozen more; cross one bridge and the next district has its own park, its own pub and its own view back at the castle. Come in summer for long evenings by the river, or in December for mulled wine under the spires, and give yourself time for both sides of the city: the one in the guidebooks, and the one where Prague sits down to a glass of beer from the tank.