Prague
Czech Republic, Europe
Europe's most beautiful old city, and it knows it.
You cross Charles Bridge at 6am and it belongs to you: stone saints, fog off the Vltava, and a busker somewhere tuning up badly. By 10am the same bridge is a slow-moving wall of selfie sticks and tour groups. Prague is that tension constantly. Medieval towers and Baroque palaces on every corner, and a stag-do pub crawl moving past them like a river that doesn't know what it's flowing through.
Our honest take
The historic centre is genuinely extraordinary and also genuinely exhausting in summer. Tourists outnumber residents in the Old Town. Walk ten minutes east into Žižkov or Vinohrady and you're in a completely different, actually Czech city. Do both. The beer is cheap everywhere; the food quality drops sharply near the Astronomical Clock.
Why go
- Prague Castle at dusk, when the tour groups leave: St. Vitus Cathedral turns amber and the city spreads below you across the river in a way that makes the postcards look understated
- Czech pub culture is still intact in the right neighbourhoods. A half-litre of Pilsner Urquell costs 55-65 CZK ($2.50-3) in a local pivnice and the regulars will mostly ignore you, which is its own kind of welcome
- Kutná Hora is 90 minutes by train: a medieval silver-mining town with a church decorated in human bones that is simultaneously absurd and genuinely moving
Skip if you can
- Trdelník (chimney cake) sold on every tourist street: overpriced tourist confection with no real Czech tradition behind it, invented by marketers in the 2000s
- Restaurants on Old Town Square or within 50 metres of the Astronomical Clock. You will pay €20 for something microwaved and eat it surrounded by people who also didn't research.
- The Astronomical Clock itself at noon: hundreds of people staring up at a small mechanical parade that lasts 45 seconds. See it at a quiet hour instead.
Things to do
Where locals eat
Braised beef sirloin in a creamy root-vegetable sauce, served with bread dumplings, a spoon of cranberry, and a swirl of cream. The national comfort dish, not the goulash tourists expect.
Café Louvre, a grand 1902 café on Národní that serves the classic version
Czech goulash is thicker and less paprika-forward than the Hungarian version, usually beef, served with bread dumplings and often a dark tank beer alongside.
Lokál (Ambiente group), e.g. Lokál Dlouhá, a proper hospoda with tank Pilsner
The spit-roasted sugar pastry sold all over the old town. Worth knowing it is NOT traditionally Czech and is a tourist-era invention, locals rarely eat it. Included honestly so visitors aren't misled.
Any old-town stall, but treat it as a tourist snack, not local food
Open-faced sandwiches on white bread with potato salad, ham, egg, or fish, a Czech deli staple bought by the piece.
A traditional lahůdky (deli) counter
Costs
Per person, per day on the ground, lodging, food, local transport and activities. Excludes international flights (see Getting there).
Half-litre beer in a local pub: 55-65 CZK ($2.50-3). Svíčková (roast beef with cream sauce) at a non-tourist restaurant: 220-300 CZK ($10-14). Prague Castle: about 250 CZK for the shorter circuit, 450 CZK for the main circuit including St Vitus Cathedral (~$11-20).
Official pricingGetting there
Where to stay
Cobblestones, castle views, quieter than Old Town, walkable to everything
Residential, café-heavy, metro access, genuinely local feel, best value mid-range
Central and convenient but loud, crowded, and priced accordingly
Good to know
- Pickpockets operate heavily on Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and tram line 22. Use a front-pocket wallet or money belt in crowds.
- Currency exchange booths near tourist areas offer terrible rates. Use ATMs from reputable banks instead.
- Taxi apps (Bolt, Liftago) are cheaper and more reliable than hailing street taxis, which still occasionally overcharge tourists.
- The city is very safe by European standards. Scams are financial, not physical.
Prices, visa rules, and transport details may change. Always verify with official sources before booking. Last updated: August 2026.