How to have a long weekend in Prague for less than €100

Prague has long been known as a budget destination: there’s a lot to see for little impact on your wallet. Just walking through much of its centre is a delight as it’s a world of cobbled streets and elegant Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau façades, sliced in two by the Vltava river. It’s a playful city, with its ‘dancing house’ and humorous sculptures all around. 

Here’s how to get your fill of culture, sights, shopping and eating out during a long weekend in Prague, with a spending budget of €100 per person – not including flights and accommodation.  

Friday

Start your weekend getting a public transport ticket, valid on metro, tram and bus services, and the funicular. A 72-hour pass costs 330 CZK (€13.03).

Hit the stunning Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí), containing some very impressive historic buildings including the Old Town Hall Tower, which has a beautiful, intricately-made astronomical clock dating from 1410 with a brief on-the-hour procession of mechanical figures. There’s a Renaissance townhouse, the House at the Minute, adorned with biblical and mythological scenes, and the former home of Franz Kafka. 

Grab a tasty plate of halušky (potato dumplings with cabbage and bacon) from 79 CZK/€3.12 from one of the nearby food stalls and grab a seat to do a spot of people-watching. For something more substantial, head for one of the numerous inexpensive Vietnamese restaurants –many Vietnamese people migrated here during the communist era due to an agreement made between Czechoslovakia and Vietnam. Afterwards take a stroll around the charming streets of the Old Town, perhaps stopping at one of the inexpensive bars.

Total spend: €16.15

Saturday

Join a two-and-a-half hour free walking tour offered by Free Walking Tour Prague covering the Old Town and Jewish Quarter, castle and Charles Bridge, or New Town. Though free, a 250 CZH/€9.87 contribution is recommended. Freetour also offers World War II and communist era tours. 

Look out for the numerous striking sculptures around the city. Most notable – and sometimes controversial – are those by David Černý, such as three crawling bronze babies with bar codes on their faces at Kampa Park (more babies climb the Zizkov TV Tower) or, on Husova Street in the Old Town, look up to see Man Hanging Out, depicting psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud hanging by one hand from a building.

The 650-year-old Charles Bridge (above) is lined with 30 traditional, Baroque sculptures mainly from the 18th century. Cross the bridge – which has artists displaying their works, and buskers – to get from the Old Town to the Lesser Town (Malá Strana). Nearby the Kafka Museum’s courtyard is a tranquil spot, with another Černý artwork, Piss, featuring two bronze male sculptures urinating onto a pond the shape of the Czech Republic. Have a great coffee and cake (180 CZK/€7.11) here at Café Cihelna.

Lesser Town is much quieter and less visited by tourists than the Old Town. It’s home to the John Lennon Wall, a burst of colours with Lennon-inspired street art, in an otherwise conservative neighbourhood of attractive historic buildings and cobbled streets. Next to the wall walk through an arch to a sweet little walled garden and upmarket gift store Artisème.

A four-minute walk takes you to Baroque Waldstein Palace, whose riding school houses part of the National Gallery of Prague’s collection. Waldstein’s immaculate gardens are free to enter and have peacocks on hand to add to your Instagram picture.

For lunch, head for Tlustá myš, set within a characterful cellar basement. Specialities of the region include Myší tajemství (Mice mystery), which thankfully does not contain mice, but instead chicken, vegetables and potato (209 CZK/€8.25). 

Afterwards, take the funicular on Ujezd Street to reach the top of Petřín Hill. After admiring the rose gardens, 19th-century Petřín Tower, which resembles France’s Eiffel Tower, and perhaps visiting the Štefánik Observatory’s astronomy exhibition, it is a pleasant walk back down amongst woodland and birdsong.

Now stroll around the secluded, cobbled winding streets of the pretty and romantic Nový Svět (or ‘New World’) quarter. It has remnants of the old city walls and pastel-shaded 16th-century houses, as well as a children’s play park and charming café.

It’s not far from Prague Castle, and you can visit the courtyards, the Neo-Gothic part of the Cathedral of St Vitus and, after around 4-5pm when the street stalls have closed, historic thoroughfare Golden Lane. During the summer the royal gardens are also accessible.

For dinner try U Bulinü, where you could get a falafel burger (329 CZK/€12.99). It’s slightly away from the touristic centre in Vinohrady, but worth a detour.

If you’re not ready for bed, head for Wenceslas Square, with a good choice of restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

Total spend: €38.22

Sunday

Renting a rowing boat, canoe or paddleboard on the Vltava River provides a relaxing and completely different view of the city. Boat hire companies include Pádlujeme on Císařská Louka, a little island in central Prague. Prices start at 200 CZK/€7.89. Alternatively, you could take a boat excursion if you don’t want to navigate a vessel yourself. 

Near Císařská Louka is the striking Dancing House, built in 1996 and based on Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing. Designed by world-renowned architects Milunić and Gehry, its deconstructed shape, resembling leaning or moving, metaphorically illustrates the Czech nation leaving its communist past.

Now head for the Jewish Quarter, where there are five synagogues and a cemetery with 12,500 tombstones spanning 3,500 years. There’s a fee to go in, but you can soak up the atmosphere just by walking around this historic neighbourhood and dipping into the free-to-enter Robert Guttmann Gallery, which has temporary exhibitions.

Kafka Hummus Café is a good option for lunch, with choices including several hummus-based meals and shakshuka. Try a chicken feta tabbouleh salad (319 CZK/€12.59).

After lunch, not only will a visit to the huge National Museum (300 CZK/€11.84) give a comprehensive overview of Czech history and culture, but the stunning interior is an added bonus.

For dinner head for old established U Fleků for a beef goulash and dumplings (289 CZK/€11.41). 

Total spend: €43.73

Grand total: €98.10

Currency conversions correct in August 2024