UltimateCity Guide Prague
Our favourites

The magazine

Stories from Prague, Czechia

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Prague City Guide, in one place.

Culture

Arts + Culture

All of Arts & Culture

Mozart at the Estates Theatre, the Czech Philharmonic at the Rudolfinum, the National Theatre, the Prague Spring and the National Gallery.

The painted curtain, gilded boxes and red velvet of the State Opera auditoriumArts + CultureArts & Culture in PragueOpera, concerts, galleries and film

Areas

Prague by area

From the Old Town to Holešovice, each district has its own guide: the medieval square and the bridge, the Lesser Town and the Castle, the Jewish Quarter, Charles IV’s New Town, elegant Vinohrady, Žižkov and Karlín, and the art district in the river bend.

The Church of Our Lady before Týn and the Kinský Palace across a quiet Old Town Square in morning lightArea guideStaré MěstoThe Old TownThe red-tiled roofs and dormers of Malá Strana below PetřínArea guideMalá StranaThe Lesser TownPrague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral above Malá Strana and Charles BridgeArea guideHradčany & the CastlePrague CastleThe gilded, Moorish-style dome of the Spanish Synagogue in JosefovArea guideJosefovThe Jewish QuarterThe dome and columned front of the National Museum at the top of Wenceslas SquareArea guideNové MěstoThe New Town

On foot

Prague’s historic centre is best on foot: stay in the Old Town or Malá Strana and walk everywhere, with a 24-hour PID ticket for the trams up to the Castle.

  1. Area guideVinohradyElegant Prague
  2. Area guideŽižkov & KarlínThe tower and the river
  3. Area guideHolešovice & LetnáThe art district

Practical

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: tickets for the metro and trams, the Airport Express, the Czech crown, and itineraries for a first visit and a luxury weekend.

The Church of Our Lady before Týn and the Kinský Palace across a quiet Old Town Square in morning lightBefore you goPrague essentialsTickets, the airport, money and 112A modern Prague tram at Karlovo náměstíGetting aroundBy metro, tram and trainPID tickets and the Airport ExpressCharles Bridge and the Old Town Bridge Tower in evening light, with boats on the VltavaItineraryThree days in PragueThe classic first visitThe courtyard garden of the Mandarin Oriental, Prague, in the former Dominican monastery in Malá StranaLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe Tower Suite of the Hotel Paris, its round window framing the spires of the Týn church at nightItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Hotel Paris, Field and Mozart
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendMandarin Oriental, Papilio and Karlštejn

Our advice

Cross the bridge at dawn

Charles Bridge, begun in 1357, is at its best early in the morning, before the day’s visitors arrive; then climb through Malá Strana to the Castle, which opens its summer and winter seasons on 1 April and 1 November. Charles Bridge

Day trips

Beyond the city

Kutná Hora, Karlštejn, Český Krumlov, Karlovy Vary, Dresden and the Terezín Memorial: a silver town, a Gothic castle, a castle town on the Vltava, a spa town, a Baroque city on the Elbe and a place of remembrance.

The flying buttresses and tracery windows of the Church of St Barbara in Kutná HoraBeyond the cityKutná HoraThe silver townKarlštejn Castle and its Great Tower above the wooded hillBeyond the cityKarlštejnThe Gothic castleČeský Krumlov: the castle tower, the bend of the Vltava and the old town roofsBeyond the cityČeský KrumlovThe castle townThe Grandhotel Pupp and the spa houses of Karlovy Vary at dusk in DecemberBeyond the cityKarlovy VaryThe spa townDresden’s Hofkirche, palace towers and the Elbe at nightBeyond the cityDresdenBaroque on the Elbe
  1. Beyond the cityTerezín MemorialA place of remembrance

Our advice

Book the opera before you fly

The National Theatre sells tickets for its three stages, the National Theatre, the Estates Theatre and the State Opera, months in advance on its own site; an evening of Mozart at the Estates Theatre, where Don Giovanni had its premiere, is the most Prague of nights. Arts & Culture in Prague

In depth

In depth: Prague, the city of a hundred spires

Czech cuisine, the city of spires, music and art, eating, the grand hotels, film, the trams and where to buy: the stories behind the city.

The lit Christmas tree and market on Old Town Square at nightChristmas & New YearChristmas in PragueThe markets and the Czech Christmas tableMute swans on the Vltava below the Charles Bridge and the Old TownIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild PragueSwans, beavers and rocky valleysSvíčková na smetaně: beef in cream sauce with bread dumplings, cranberries and whipped creamEatCzech CuisineSvíčková, koláče, the Christmas carp and Pilsner

In season

The Christmas markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square run from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027: book hotels early for Advent and New Year.

  1. FeaturePrague, the classic and the newCastle, music, the table and the new Prague
  2. FeaturePrague on filmAmadeus, Mission: Impossible and Casino Royale
  3. The back storyMusic and artMozart, Dvořák and the opera houses
  4. The back storyEating in PragueThe stars and the Bib Gourmands
  5. The back storyThe grand hotelsFrom Four Seasons to the Hotel Paris

The ULTIMATE letter

Prague in your inbox

An occasional email with new places, events, area guides and our latest in-depth articles. No spam, ever.