Best 9 Things To Do in Prague
Prague Visitors Pass
My number 1 tip for visiting Prague is to purchase the Prague Visitor Pass. You can do it with GetYourGuide technically, but I found it easier to book directly though the website since they give much more directions on how to book tours in advance. With the visitors pass, you get free admission to virtually all the main attractions in Prague, discounts on private tours and other experiences, and use of public transportation is included in the card too!
Here's a quick breakdown of the pricing in Czech Koruna and it's conversion to US dollars for regular admission (there is also reduced tickets for students/ elderly and another for children) as of January 2025:
2-day pass: 2,400 CZK / $98.32
3-day pass: 3,000 CZK/ $122.90
5-day pass: 3,600 CZK/ $147.48
I personally got my money's worth from the two-day visitors pass as the amount I would have paid for each separate attraction was a grand total of 3,980 CZK / $163.04! This means I saved 1,580 CZK / $64.72.
On my trip to Prague, I got the two-day Prague pass and had a jam-packed schedule (I skipped lunch both days to fit in everything I wanted to do). Were I to do it again, I would still choose the two-day pass and have my days be more relaxed by opting out of doing the two walking tours. Two-days is enough time to do the main attractions and maybe a few other less touristy attractions. Three-days would give you a more relaxed days and additional time to explore museums, towers, the zoo, and the botanic gardens. Five-days would truly give you the whole experience of getting to know all Prague has to offer. I would only recommend the five-day pass for those dedicated to spending hours in the museums of Prague.
1. Old Town Hall with Astronomical Clock
Regular Admission: 550 CZK (with Visitor's Pass: free)
The attraction itself is nice, but nothing to write home abo
As part of the ticket you receive with the Visitor's Pass, you can also select a time to go on the guided tour of the old town which includes a short trip to the Medieval Underground, the chapel, and halls of the old town hall. The tour lasts 1 hour, but my tour guide was extremely kind and went over by about 15 minutes to ensure we all enjoyed the tour to the fullest.
2. Pilsner Urquell Beer Museum Tour
Regular Admission: 549 CZK (with Visitor's Pass: free)
The Pilsner Urquell Beer Museum is truly a magnificent experience. Upon arrival, you will receive a 3D audio guide that will take you through the museum to learn about the history of brewing, the brewing process, the methods of tapping, and the story of the birth of Pilsner Urquell, The tour is engaging with lots of interactive activities and lots of opportunities to meet people and enjoy the experience with them. As part of the tour, you also participate in a beer tasting and at the end, you receive two more Pilsner Beers to enjoy at the museum's pub! It really is a wonderful experience!
3. Prague Castle + English Tour
Regular Admission: 450 CZK (with Visitor's Pass: free) + 250 CZK for Guided Tour
Included in the Ticket and Description of Activity
Included in the Prague's Visitor Pass is entrance to the four main attractions in the Prague Castle complex. The first is the Old Royal Palace, which allows you to see one of the oldest parts of the Castle. The second attraction included in your ticket is St. Vitus Cathedral which is the most popular and photographed part of a visit to the Prague Castle. The cathedral is a example of stunning gothic architecture built in the 14th century and houses the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors. The third attraction is the Golden Lane which is a street full of well-preserved Renaissance houses built in the 15th century that housed soldiers and displayed as a open-air museum. The last attraction is St. George's Basilica which is the second-oldest church in Prague and dates back to the 10th century.
Of all these four attractions, the first two were the most memorable (though mainly St. Vitus Cathedral was the highlight). The Golden Lane was also intriguing to go to as it's crazy to picture living in such small houses in the 14th century and doing some window shopping along the street. St. George's Basilica was the least memorable attraction to me as all the signs in the basilica were only in the Czech language and the structure itself just could not compare to how spectacular St. Vitus is.
Selecting Your Guided Tour
From the bottom of my heart, I recommend visiting the Prague Castle and taking a tour through the castle ticketing. I DO NOT think it's worth it to book your tour of the castle through GetYourGuide or even to get the audioguides from the castle. On GetYourGuide, most of the guided tours include the entry ticket (which you do not need to buy with the Visitors Pass) and costs around 1,200 CZK ($50) a person. Meanwhile, the audioguides cost 350 CZK ($14.50) and require a 500 CZK ($20) deposit.
There were 3 advantages to booking the guided tour through the castle ticketing office.
1. Your tour is quick and packed with information. Unless you are a major history buff, you will likely find a three hour guided tour / audioguide to be full of information that you won't care about and might even block out (I can't even count the number of times this happened to me). By doing this one hour tour, you will really only get the highlights and most interesting parts of history.
2. A much better price. This 1 hour guided tour costs 250 CZK ($10) which is the cheapest option across all the tours (even the audioguide!!).
3. VIP access. In my tour, we skipped all the lines and went through the exit. Since it is only a one-hour tour, the castle ensures you are not wasting any time waiting in line. My tour guide used her badge to allow us entry in the back way and even allowed us to go into restricted areas of the cathedral that NO OTHER TOUR GUIDE WAS ABLE TO OFFER. With her badge, we cut every single line and were not questioned about it AT ALL.
4. Jewish Quarter
Regular Admission: 600 CZK (with Visitor's Pass: free)
By purchasing this one-time ticket, you can visit all the important attractions of the Jewish Quarter including the Old New Synagogue, Spanish Synagogue, Pinkas Synagogue, Jewish Cemetery, Maisel Synagogue, and the Klausen Synagogue.
I would say the most famous of these synagogues are the Pinkas and Spanish Synagogue. The walls of the Pinkas Synagogue are filled with the names of approximately 80,000 Czech Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It is a moving and startling realization to see how large the building is and how full the walls are of the names of these victims (pictured below). On the upper floor of this synagogue, you also can see drawings made by children in the concentration camps. Outside the Pinkas synagogue you can enter the Jewish cemetery. The Spanish Synagogue is especially famous and known for it's stunning interior that is worth the line outside it. Check the hours because they change from season to season.
5. Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul at Vyšehrad
Regular Admission: 130 CZK (with Visitor's Pass: free)
This basilica was a bit out of the way but so worth the trip. The cathedral is beautiful with barely any tourists. The architecture of the building is in the Neo-Gothic style and built in the 11th century. However, the inside of the basilica is where it becomes especially grand. The entire inside of the basilica is richly decorated in the Art Nouveau style meaning that it uses shapes or motifs from nature like flowers and animals and lots of brilliant colors. Truly a basilica to behold.
6. River Boat Cruise
Regular Admission: 320 CZK (with Visitor's Pass: free)
I did the 1pm River Boat Cruise after I left the Prague Castle around 12pm. This 1 hour cruise was the perfect opportunity to rest my legs, sit back, and enjoy the view of the city. I went in early December and they had indoor seating that was warm and comfortable and still gave you great views of the city. I was even able to order a nice hot chocolate to warm up!
7. Classical concerts at the Klementinum (Clementinum) / Mirror Hall
Regular Admission: 1000 CZK for seats in Section A, 850 CZK for seats in Section B, and 700 CZK for seats in Section C (no discount with Visitor's Pass)
They have chamber concerts everyday at 17:00 and on Saturdays have a 15:00 and 19:00 concert in addition to their 17:00 one. The show lasts for 60 minutes and their are no numbered seats, so you will want to show up early to get the best seat in your section. This performance featured the classic chamber string instruments, but also a piano player and an opera singer. It was magical to listen to this phenomenal music in a beautiful hall. You just need to buy your tickets a day or two in advance, especially during the busy season.
8. Watch a ballet performance at the National Theatre
Regular Admission: Depends on seats, but can range from 350 CZK to 1500 CZK. I paid about 950 CZK (no discount with Visitor's Pass)
This was my first time seeing a professional ballet performance and it was wonderful. I saw a flyer for the ballet when I purchased the ticket to the classical concert in the mirror hall. When I told the man at the ticket office I was interested, he told me to NOT buy tickets with the flyer because that show "is not very nice". Sure enough, I checked google maps reviews and the show is not professional. Instead, he recommended I buy tickets to the ballet shows through the National Theatre. I managed to get a last minute ticket for myself, but they sell out weeks in advance, especially for the holiday show, so BOOK IN ADVANCE. I saw the Nutcracker performance and found it to be a breathtaking production.
9. Visit the National Gallery
Regular Admission: Depends on how many exhibitions you want to see of the four permanent ones. Each ticket is between 180 and 250 CZK. (no discount with Visitor's Pass)
I personally did not visit the national gallery, but this came highly recommended to me from a close friend. She visits art museums with decent frequency and says this is among her favorites! From pictures I see online, the building looks absolutely massive, so you can easy spend hours in the national gallery.
Things I Do NOT recommend
In my list below, I describe the activities I did that I don't recommend people to do. To clarify, some of these activities were not bad, they just were not good enough for me to think it worth the time and effort you put into your trip.
The Clementinum Astronomical Tower and Baroque Library Tour
Regular Admission: 380 CZK (with Visitor's Pass: free)
As part of the guided tour when visiting the Clementinum, you'll start by seeing the Baroque library (one of the most beautiful libraries in the world), the Median Hall that holds period astronomical instruments, and a trip to the top of the tower for some beautiful views of Prague and the castle.
The tour was enjoyable, but in my opinion nothing very special. I was personally most excited about seeing the Baroque library, and it didn't live up to what I was hoping for. The library was stunning (I'll give you that), but in order to keep it preserved, entering is prohibited so instead you see the library from the door. The grandiose of the library was also a bit lost with how many people cared only for taking photos (to be fair, I'm guilty of taking photos too), and didn't care to listen to the tour for the rest of the time.
As I mentioned, it wasn't a bad tour but I think it was just mediocre. If you have the time, then sure, why not go. If not, don't lose sleep over it. There isn't a big difference between seeing the photos online and seeing the library in person.
Medieval Underground Guided Tour
Regular Admission: 600 CZK (with Visitor's Pass: free)
I would recommend skipping this tour hosted by the Prague Visitor's Pass because you spend the first hour of this 2 hour tour exploring the medieval underground of the Old Town Hall (which you can do as part of your ticket for the Old Town Hall). I did both and didn’t really get anything extra from this tour that wasn’t covered in the tour of the Town Hall.
Old Town and Jewish Quarter Guided Tour
Regular Admission: 600 CZK (with Visitor's Pass: free)
I would not recommend this tour hosted by the Prague Visitor's Pass because I felt like there wasn’t much I learned from this tour/ took away since it was an outside walking tour. We learned a lot of the history of these areas, but I think it’s mainly interesting for those who are history buffs. I would rather spend the time inside the buildings part of the Jewish Quarter instead.
Day Trip to Terezín Concentration Camp
Guided Tour (5 hours): $45-65
Charles Bridge
Regular Admission: Free
I didn’t even attempt going to the Charles Bridge. When I googled it initially, I knew it wasn’t something I was interested in doing. The appeal of going to the Charles Bridge lies in its antiquity. Construction of the bridge started in 1357 by King Charles the 5th. However, I believe tourists mainly visit the Charles Bridge nowadays because of the statues along the bridge. I knew immediately I didn’t want to spend the time and energy going. If you go past 9am, you’ll just end up in a HUGE mass of people. It’s crowded, everyone is obnoxiously taking photos, and it’s not worth it in my opinion.
Things I would have liked to do
Vintage Tram Line 43
Regular Admission for adults is 350 CZK
I meant to get a ticket to this and simply ran out of time. My plan had been to purchase the ticket on my last day of the Prague Visitor's pass since it stays valid for 24 hours (so to do this activity the day after my visitor's pass expired). The Tram Line basically takes you on a little tour around Prague and let's you see al the beautiful neighborhoods. Considering one loop around Prague takes around an hour, I think this would have been an incredible way to make sure you saw all you were hoping to see and give you ideas of other neighborhoods to venture into.
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