Is Prague Worth Visiting for a City Break & Why Visit?

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is a brilliant city break destination with historic streets, castle views, riverside walks, Czech beer, hearty food, and plenty to explore on foot.

We visited once in winter and once in autumn, including a longer stay with Henry, and found it easy to enjoy Prague slowly while also visiting the main sights. Both were budget trips, so we stayed in backpacking hostels in the city centre.

Best Areas of Prague to Explore

Disclosure! Keep in mind that some links in these posts are affiliate links. If you click one of them, I may earn a small commission (for which I’m extremely grateful) at no extra cost to you. Thanks for visiting!

The city has plenty of pleasant areas to visit. These are the areas I enjoyed most. To find out about places of interest, see my Things to Do in Prague guide.

Old Town

Old Town Square is a top place to visit, with many facets. It often gets very busy during the day or evening. However, when I visited, it was quite tranquil in the mornings from sunrise until mid-morning. The early-morning visit was also perfect for photographing the area’s stunning buildings.

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is on the West Side of the city, over the Charles Bridge from Old Town. It is a prominent feature overlooking the city and river. The castle is a complex of fortifications, churches, gardens, palaces and the Gothic St Vitus Cathedral.

You can stroll through most of the area for free, which is an ideal way to take in the architecture. For the second half of our 15-day stay in the city, we stayed in a hostel near the castle, and the grounds were a regular feature on our dog walks.

Hradčany Square

Near the castle is Hradčany, a fantastic area of the city to visit. The square and its edges feature statues and imposing buildings. Impressive palaces line the edges of the square. These include the archbishop’s palace, Tuscany Palace, and the Schwarzenberg Palace. You can also see a 17th-century church in the square, the Church of St Benedict.

Lesser Town

Lesser Town’s street plan dates to the 13th century, making it interesting to explore. The route from the river to the castle on the hill is a beautiful walk, albeit steep. I enjoyed the blend of Renaissance and Baroque buildings on the streets of Lesser Town.

These are quite colourful and well worth seeing. Some are retail shops, eateries, and pubs, so you can peek inside. There are a few embassies in the area too. We enjoyed quite a few walks through the lesser town and found some lesser-known places. For example, learning about the Winston Churchill statue and his links to the country.

Down By The River

One of my favourite places to walk and spend time in the city is along the banks of the river Vltava. The river runs through the centre of Prague, and both banks have amazing views. You can see key places of interest from the river. There are several bridges to cross, including the decorative medieval Charles Bridge. For views of both sides and a chilled vibe, head to Archers Island. We enjoyed multiple walks on the banks during our visits to the city.

Prague Travel Guide

Some information to help you enjoy your city break.

Where to Stay?

There was a wide variety of places to stay, including pet-friendly options. After staying in the city a few times, I prefer to stay as close to the old town as possible. In terms of location, our accommodation at The Bunker Factory on Wenceslas Square was my favourite. You can find places to stay from budget to luxury on the Booking.com website.

How To Get Here?

Prague has an international airport for visitors from overseas. However, I prefer to arrive by train. We have travelled by train from nearby cities, including Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Dresden. Travelling by train is good value for us when travelling with Henry. You can find various options to get to the city on the Omio website.

Getting Around The City

The central areas of the city are quite walkable, and it is easy to find things on foot. The public transport in the city is very good too. Prague has an extensive tram network throughout the city. Other options include the underground and various buses. The best way to navigate is to use Google Maps, which seems accurate.

We had to learn quickly how to buy tickets for our ride. You pay for a 30-minute ride at the machine and then travel for that duration. You validate the ticket before or as you start your journey, and the time runs from the time of validation. Combined with walking, this was a good way to explore the city. However, for some, a day ticket might be better value.

What To Eat?

The city has a variety of restaurants and pubs. We found that many of the eateries and pubs in the city were pet-friendly. A fun thing to do in the evenings is to attend one of the local medieval-style banquets at various venues in the city. We found Czech cuisine to be hearty and delicious, and my favourites were the pork knuckles and stews.

What To Drink?

Drinking Czech beer was a constant theme throughout our visits. We visited a selection of bars and stuck with various Pilsners on our hydration breaks. Beer is a way of life in the Czech Republic, and they sure have some fantastic options. Plenty of the city’s bars and pubs were dog-friendly, which was very handy.

What’s Nearby?

If you are staying for a while, there are many day-trip options from Prague. Some of which are organised by tour companies; others are straightforward trains. You could visit the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Pilsen. For those who enjoy UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Český Krumlov is a popular destination.

Is Prague Worth Visiting?

We visited Prague twice: first for two nights in January, and again for 15 nights, because we loved spending time in the city. We found plenty to keep us entertained on our visits, and we still have places we want to visit.

Exploring the city in 3 days/2 nights is nigh on impossible because of the well-preserved historic sights. Thus, we opted to revisit for a longer stay, and there are still places left to see if we return.

However, we saw some major sights, had fun, and thought it was a great city. Highlights for me were the Gothic architecture, the beer culture and the sights. Must-see areas include the old town and the castle area.