Prague is one of my favourite European cities. After my first visit in 2018 I fell in love and knew it would be somewhere I could go back to time and time again. At the end of July, I spent four days in Prague courtesy of Jet2CityBreaks and I got to tick off a few more things on my Prague bucket list. It’s easy to find cheap flights to Prague with Jet2, so you should definitely consider going. If you’re planning a trip to the Czech Republic, here are the five things to do in Prague that you can’t miss.
Go up the Petřín Lookout Tower
The Petřín Lookout Tower is a 63.5m (208ft) tall steel-framework tower, located at the top of Petřín Hill. Once used as both an observation tower and a transmission tower, it’s now a tourist attraction offering panoramic views over Prague. The Petřín Lookout Tower which was built in 1891 resembles Paris’ Eiffel Tower, only on a smaller scale. There are two observation levels and 299 steps to the peak of the tower. Once at the top, you can enjoy a view of both sides of the river plus the rest of Bohemia if it’s a clear day. To enter the tower, it costs 220 CZK and if you want to go up in the elevator, which only reaches the first observation deck, it’s an extra 150 CZK.
To get to the Petřín Lookout Tower, you can ride on the Petřín Funicular which departs from Újezd tram stop. It costs 60 CZK each way, however if you already have a transport ticket (24h, 48h etc.) then this is included. Even the views from the funicular are stunning.
Once you’re at the Petřín Tower, take some time to sit and enjoy the surrounding views. The tower is set at the top of Petřín Hill and there’s some beautiful scenery. On Petřín Hill you’ll also find the Cathedral of St Lawrence, the Štefánik Observatory, the Mirror Maze, the Rosarium and the Květnice Garden.
Take a day trip out of Prague
While Prague is a stunning city, there are also so many other beautiful cities in the Czech Republic. If you have a spare day, I recommend you venture out of the capital. The transport links in Prague are brilliant, you can easily get to other parts of the country via train. If you’re like me and love cheap holidays, then you’ll really appreciate how cheap the transport is. So far, I’ve visited two other cities from Prague – Karlovy Vary and Kutna Hora.
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa town in the west Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. Along with being famous for its award winning spas, Karlovy Vary is also well known for its stunning architecture. It takes just 1 hour and 35 mins to travel from Prague to Karlovy Vary by bus. If you leave early enough, can easily make it a day trip. If you’re not looking for a spa visit, then there’s plenty of other things to do in Karlovy Vary. You can learn more about the town in the museum, try the world famous mineral water or take a walk down the river.
Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora is a city around 80km east of Prague. It’s well known for the Gothic St. Barbara’s Church and Sedlec Ossuary, aka the Bone Church. It takes just under an hour to get to Kutná Hora from Prague on a direct train. Each single ticket cost me 183 CZK which is approximately £6.41. Once you arrive at Kutná Hora train station, Sedlec Ossuary and the city centre are just a bus ride away in opposite directions. The buses cost 20 CZK per ticket which is approximately 70p.
I had 6 hours in Kutná Hora, but I felt like this was too long for me. I visited Sedlec Ossuary and the city centre and saw everything I wanted to in around 3 hours. If you want to visit both of the cathedrals then 6 hours should be the perfect amount of time.
Explore both sides of the river
The city of Prague is split into two parts by the river Vltava. Both sides of the river are worth visiting. As the city is so small, you can easily explore both sides in a couple of days. On one side of the river, you’ll find Old Town (Staré Město) and New Town (Nové Město). Lesser Town (Malá Strana) is on the other side. If you’re on the Old Town side of the river, you’ll find the Old Town Hall, the Astronomical Clock and The Church of Our Lady of Tyn. In the New Town, there’s plenty of museums, the National Theatre, the historic Jewish Quarter with the famous pink Jerusalem Synagogue and Wenceslas Square. Across the river, you’ll find Prague Castle and Prague Cathedral, the John Lennon Wall,
Learn about the history of Prague
Prague has such a lot of history for you to learn about. I think it’s important that you take an interest in the history of the place you’re visiting. The city centre has so many different museums to choose from, but one of my recommended things to do in Prague is visit the Museum of Communism. This museum is located right in the city centre, just a short walk away from the Old Town Hall. It costs 380 CZK for adults which is approximately £13.37. There’s no time limit in the museum, but I’d recommend putting aside around two hours. There’s a lot of information to take in, most of which is written in blocks of text on the walls. This is something to consider if you struggle to concentrate on large portions of text.
There are plenty of other museums in Prague, including:
- Jewish Museum
- Franz Kafka Museum
- National Museum
- Museum of the City of Prague
You can also choose to take a walking tour, which is something I did on my first trip. There are plenty of free walking tours of Prague on offer, you just need to leave a tip at the end.
Take a river cruise
As with any city with a river running through it, there’s plenty of companies offering river cruises. I think that seeing the city by boat is fantastic and can give you a different perspective. The river cruise I chose went from the Lesser Town side of the river. I didn’t do much research, and just chose to go for one that I found whilst wandering around. If you want a more informal river cruise then the hotel I stayed in recommended Prague Boats.
The cruise I did cost me 320 CZK which is approximately £11.20 for an hour. However around 20 minutes was spent stationary half way through, so I didn’t see as much as I’d hoped. I’d recommend booking a cruise in advance and looking at the route beforehand.
Whilst my cruise wasn’t what I was hoping for, it was a really nice boat and I did get to learn more about the city.
