Prague, the historical capital of Czech Republic, is known for its magnificent castles, cathedrals and monuments. It’s the perfect European city for a quick vacation that’s filled with impressive locations that you cannot get bored of!
This Prague travel guide will share the perfect itinerary with a breakdown of each day for the winter season with the must-see spots, dining options, ticket prices and shopping locations.
Travel FAQs
How long do you need in Prague:
We spent 3 days in Prague and it was the ideal amount of time needed to explore the city and its main attractions. It’s quite a small city with most of the incredible sights all in one location or nearby one another so traveling around the area can be very easy and time-convenient.
Where to stay in Prague:
A tip from me is to get a hotel in or near Old Town Square (Staromestska Namesti) which is where all the main tourist spots are located in. We stayed at the Sovereign Hotel which was only a 5-10 minute walk to most of the locations we were aiming to visit. When visiting during the winter season the roads can get very slippery so getting your accommodation in this location will surely save a few slips.
What is Prague like during Winter:
Although Prague is a city that is great for all seasons, visiting the location during winter is a definite must! The city is decked out in Christmas lighting, garlands, and Christmas markets and with the snowfall covering the roads and the historical buildings it truly does look magical (especially from somewhere high up like the Old Town Tower).
Make sure you pack clothes that you can layer up when visiting Prague as the winter season can be very cold with weather falling between -2 degrees to -5 degrees during mid December so packing a warm coat, scarves, hats, and gloves are a must. The snowfall can also be quite heavy which results in the roads becoming quite slippery so make sure you pack sturdy shoes.
Itinerary for Winter
To make the planning process easier, see below the perfect itinerary customised for a 3 day trip to Prague during winter season. It splits out the possible places you can visit each day with some additional options to visit if you have more time!
Day 1 - Explore the christmas markets
We arrived to Prague in the morning and had the rest of the day to wind down and enjoy the city. With our hotel being only a few minutes away from all the popular locations we headed down to the nearby Christmas markets after checking into the Sovereign Hotel.
Our first stop was Wenceslas Square which faces the stunning Narodni Museum. The museum is known as a well-known landmark and is one of the largest national museums in Prague. It consists of various collections with exhibits from the fields of natural history. Tickets to visit the museum costs 250 CZK per adult.
We explored the Christmas markets in Wenceslas Square which is filled with several potato dishes, hot dogs, dumplings, and the famous Trdelnik. Trdelnik is a traditional spiraled sweet pastry that is grilled over a fire on a wrapped spindle and comes in several different flavors and toppings.
We then headed to Old Town Square which is where the main Christmas markets were located as well as some of the major landmarks such as The Astronomical Clock and The Old Town Hall which we explored the next day. Our main focus for the day was the Christmas markets which were nestled among the backdrop of the Gothic Tyn Church and had various different stalls selling traditional Czech food, wooden toys, and unique merchandise. If you are visiting Prague during the month of December then the Christmas markets can definitely not be missed.
Day 2 - Old Town Tower, Astronomical Clock and Charles Bridge
On our second day we visited The Old Town Hall which was located at the heart of Old Town Square. The Old Town Hall is a gothic tower with a unique astronomical clock and was founded in 1338. We rode up to the top of Old Town Tower to experience the panoramic views of Prague which costs around 250 CZK – 350 CZK. You are given the option to either walk up the stairs to the top or take the elevator which costs slightly more.
The Astronomical Clock is located on the southern side of the Old Town Hall. A mechanical show called ‘Procession of the Twelve Apostles’ is played every hour from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and during this time lots of tourists gather up to view this in motion. If you are around the area when the procession is about to begin then make sure to look out for this!
If you’re feeling hungry then stop by at the Al Minuto Restaurant which is just a few steps away from The Astronomical Clock. It is an Italian restaurant and we opted for a tuna pizza and linguini with chicken and wild mushrooms. Both the dishes tasted absolutely delicious and were quite reasonably portioned with the meal costing around 1300 CZK for 2.
Our next location was Charles Bridge which is one of the most popular landmarks of Prague. It is a gothic stone bridge that crosses the Vltava river and connects Old Town to Lesser Town. It is a crowded area but definitely an enjoyable walk and worth visiting with its gorgeous views of the town. The perfect time to visit the bridge is around 4pm which is when the historical gas lamps are lit with a burning wick on a long rod.
Day 3 - Visit Prague Castle and its surroundings
On our last day we decided to head off to visit the surroundings of Prague Castle. Entering the grounds of Prague Castle itself is free but a ticket is needed to enter majority of the buildings. Buying a ticket isn’t necessary as you are still able to stroll around the area to see the exterior of all the buildings as well as enter the magnificent ST. Vitus Cathedral but you are not able to view the entire cathedral without a ticket.
Types of Tickets for Prague Castle and surroundings:
- Prague Castle Circuit – Old Royal Palace, ST George’s Basilica, Golden Lane, ST Vitus Cathedral (250 CZK)
- Tower of the Cathedral with a view gallery (150 CZK)
- The Story of Prague Castle (150 CZK)
We then headed off to the Old Royal Palace which takes a lot less time to explore and mainly consists of witnessing the old structures of the place, its halls and corridors which follow the same gothic architectural design as some of the other famous buildings in Prague.
During Christmas, the area is filled with more Christmas markets that serve hot and cold drinks, delicious meals such as fish and chips, burgers and pancakes for a quick break before continuing the rest of the tour.
Our journey then continued by visiting ST George’s Basilica which is known for being the oldest church built within the grounds of the current Prague Castle and is now also used as a concert hall where you are able to enjoy live classical music.
We ended our journey by visiting a cafe inside the ground of Prague Castle called ‘Ippa Cafe’ which was a beautiful french style cafe with various homemade designer pastries. The cafe was definitely a pleasant surprise with its impressive selection of cakes. We opted for hot chocolates, cheesecake and a cake called ‘Princpikler’ which tasted as good as it looked and altogether they cost around 700 CZK.
Once we finished our tour we strolled around the outside of the castle which had terrific views of the town covered in snow and a few stalls serving hot and cold food, souvenirs and toys. We decided to try grilled vegetables and a chicken steak to warm ourselves up in this freezing cold weather.
Our next location was back to Old Town Square for souvenir shopping. When it comes to souvenirs, old town definitely has a variety of unique options such as wooden decor pieces, handmade nesting dolls, and classic souvenirs of items that feature what the region is made famous for.
We ended our trip by visiting the popular ‘Vytopna Railway Restaurant‘ which is situated in Wenceslas Square. I suggest pre-booking a table rather than walking in as the restaurant was quite packed with a queue so if you want to avoid the waiting times then definitely book a table online beforehand. The dining experience in this restaurant was definitely a unique one as it has a 400m miniature railway that has train models running around the whole restaurant to deliver food and drinks to the table. There were various different options for food including burgers, steaks, grilled meat and sandwiches but the most exciting part was definitely watching the trains go by in small pots filled with food. Definitely worth dining there if you visit Prague!
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