Prague 3-day itinerary

Prague's leafiest residential quarter, and where locals actually eat and drink once the tourist-centre kitchens close. Náměstí Míru's neo-Gothic church anchors a street pattern of Art Nouveau apartment blocks, wine bars and a growing share of the city's better restaurants; Riegrovy sady's beer garden looks back at the castle skyline from the other side of the river. No single must-see — the point of a day here is the neighbourhood itself.

1. 08:00
   Breakfast Café Sladkovský30m

   A corner café-bistro toward the Vršovice edge of Vinohrady, serving sandwiches, burgers and pancakes with a late-night bar turn — open until midnight most nights, from 11:00 on Sundays. Cards, cash and even bitcoin are all accepted.

2. 08:30
   Havlíček Gardens (Grébovka)Garden, 1h

   A hillside park built over the spoil from digging the Vinohrady rail tunnel, now home to a working 1.7-hectare vineyard that still produces its own wine. Free to enter, open until midnight April to October and until 22:00 the rest of the year. The wooden vineyard gazebo hosts a wine-harvest festival every autumn.

3. 09:50
   Rieger GardensPark, 1h

   A big sloping park above Vinohrady with wide views back toward the castle skyline across the river — locals come for the grass, not a single sight. The beer garden inside runs seasonally, roughly April through October, opening from around 14:00 on weekdays and 11:00 on weekends; it's closed over winter.

4. 11:05
   Wenceslas SquareLandmark, 30m

   A half-kilometre pedestrian-and-tram boulevard running from the National Museum down to the Old Town gate — the site of the 1989 Velvet Revolution protests, now lined with cinemas, chain stores and, at night, stag-party bars. The “0% commission” currency-exchange booths along it quote a bad buy rate in small print; use a bank ATM instead and always decline any “convert to home currency” offer. Eat a street back rather than at the square-front cafés.

5. 12:00
   Lunch Grébovka Pavilion1h

   A garden café inside the Grébovka vineyard, built around a faithful replica of the park's 1870s bowling alley. Cash only — no cards accepted. A relaxed spot for a glass of the vineyard's own wine after the climb up.

6. 13:00
   National MuseumMuseum, 2h

   The neo-Renaissance building crowning Wenceslas Square, open daily 10:00–18:00 with no fixed weekly closure. Tickets are sold online, by app, at a self-service machine, or at the box office. The Historical Building is wheelchair accessible via the New Building entrance and lifts, with wheelchairs available to borrow at the cloakroom, though the dome and the Children's Museum's upper floors are not reachable.

7. 15:15
   Lucerna PassageLandmark, 30m

   An Art Nouveau covered passage linking Štěpánská and Vodičkova, free to walk through, with a cinema, a music bar, shops, a café and one of the city's working paternoster lifts inside. Look up in the main hall for David Černý's upside-down parody of the Wenceslas statue hanging from the ceiling — the horse's rider is dead, the horse very much alive.

8. 17:30
   Dinner Vinohradský Parlament1h 15m

   A grand, high-ceilinged corner restaurant right on náměstí Míru serving Czech regional cooking and dumplings from mid-morning to midnight most nights. There's a vegetarian option on the menu, though it's a short list — this is a meat-and-dumplings kitchen at heart. Cards accepted.

Prague's most photographed square and its most crowded — the Astronomical Clock draws a scrum on the hour, every hour. Slip a block back from Staroměstské náměstí and the lanes empty out fast, leading north into Josefov's six synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery's tilted headstones, or toward Charles Bridge's Old Town tower. Eat a street away from the main square; the view comes free, the food beside it does not.

1. 08:00
   Breakfast Café Savoy30m

   An 1893 grand café at the Újezd end of Malá Strana, on the walk up to the Petřín funicular — a busy all-day café with pastries and light meals, turning into a quieter, French-leaning restaurant for dinner. Open 08:00–22:00 on weekdays, from 09:00 on weekends and holidays. It keeps its own wine list, so this isn't a dry option. It's a step further from the Charles Bridge crowds than most Malá Strana cafés, which is exactly the point.

2. 09:00
   Old Jewish CemeteryHistoric site, 30m

   Roughly 12,000 visible tombstones packed onto uneven, centuries-layered ground, entered from Široká 3 — the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe still in its original location, in use from the 15th century until 1787. Rabbi Loew's grave, the most visited, is often covered in small paper wishes tucked between the stones. One ticket (600 CZK) covers this plus five other Jewish Museum sites, but not the separately-ticketed Old-New Synagogue. Closed Saturdays and Jewish holidays; hours run to 16:30 in winter and later into the evening from spring to autumn. The uneven historic ground means it is not wheelchair accessible.

3. 09:45
   Old Town Hall & Astronomical ClockLandmark, 45m

   The tower and its 15th-century astronomical clock anchor Old Town Square — every hour on the hour (09:00–21:00) the clock's Apostles parade past two small windows above the dial, watched by a dense crowd below; you don't need a ticket to see this from the square. Climbing the tower is ticketed separately and gets you a lift up plus the best rooftop view over the square. The tower itself is barrier-free by lift, but the older historical rooms inside the town hall are not. Hours run later (until 20:00) from April through December and shorten to 10:00–19:00 in January–March.

4. 10:45
   Church of Our Lady before TýnChurch, 20m

   The twin Gothic spires behind Old Town Square belong to a working parish church, so tourist visiting hours are short and pause for services — roughly Tuesday to Saturday 10:00–13:00 and 15:00–17:00, closed Sundays and Mondays for sightseeing (hours shift slightly in winter). Entry is free; a small donation near the door is appreciated. The main entrance passage is from Staroměstské náměstí, but step-free wheelchair access is via the Celetná side.

5. 11:20
   Botanicus (Ungelt)Shopping, 25m

   A Czech natural-cosmetics brand — soaps, oils and herbal teas made from its own farm — with a shop tucked into the Ungelt courtyard right behind Týn Church, a quieter pocket than the square out front. Open daily 10:00–19:00, making it an easy stop between the church and the Jewish Quarter.

6. 12:00
   Old-New SynagogueHistoric site, 30m

   The oldest active synagogue in Europe, still used for regular services, so it keeps synagogue hours rather than museum hours: open Sunday to Friday 09:00–17:00, closing an hour earlier on Fridays before Shabbat, and closed Saturdays and Jewish holidays. It is ticketed separately from the rest of the Jewish Museum's sites — its ticket does not combine with the Old Jewish Cemetery ticket, and vice versa. The building's medieval stepped entrance is not wheelchair accessible.

7. 12:45
   Lunch Grand Café Orient1h

   The only café in the world built entirely in the Cubist style, on the first floor of the House of the Black Madonna — climb the equally Cubist staircase past the small museum on the way up. Open from 09:00 on weekdays and 10:00 at weekends, until 21:00 daily, so it works for a mid-morning coffee break away from the Old Town Square crowds. There is no lift to the first floor.

8. 13:45
   Old Town Bridge TowerViewpoint, 30m

   The Old Town end of Charles Bridge, and the better-value of the bridge's two towers to climb — a steep spiral stair leads to a small museum and then the gallery, with a view straight down the bridge to the castle. Charles Bridge itself is free and always open; only the tower is ticketed. Hours run 10:00–18:00 in the colder months and extend to 20:30 in June–September, last entry 30 minutes before closing. The tower has no lift and is not wheelchair accessible.

9. 14:30
   Kampa Island & ParkPark, 40m

   A flat, willow-shaded riverside park on the island the Vltava's Čertovka mill-stream carves off from the rest of Malá Strana — the classic photo spot for the water-wheels below Charles Bridge, and a genuinely quiet green break a five-minute walk from the bridge crowds. It's free and open around the clock; the wide lawn along the river (Na Kampě) is the spot to sit. No paid attractions here beyond Museum Kampa at its northern tip.

10. 15:25
    Charles Bridge (Malá Strana end)Landmark, 30m

    The view side of Charles Bridge — cross from Malá Strana's Mostecká street for the classic look back at Staré Město and the bridge's baroque saint statues. It's a free, unticketed, 24-hour pedestrian crossing; the flanking Malá Strana Bridge Towers can be climbed separately for a fee, on their own hours. Come at sunrise or after 22:00 for the bridge without the tour groups — by mid-morning it is one of the most crowded spots in the city.

11. 16:10
    Museum KampaMuseum, 1h 30m

    A modern and contemporary art museum in a converted riverside mill, built around the Jan and Meda Mladek collection — the strongest single reason to see Central European abstract art (František Kupka) outside a national gallery. Open daily 10:00–18:00 with last entry at 17:30, no closed day. The riverside terrace out front has two of David Černý's giant crawling babies and a line of oversized chairs; you can see those without a ticket.

12. 17:55
    Dinner U Zlatého Tygra (At the Golden Tiger)1h 15m

    A small, dark, unchanged pivnice off Karlova street, made famous by writer Bohumil Hrabal and once host to Václav Havel and Bill Clinton over a beer — but it is still a genuine locals' pub, not a stage set. Cash only; there's an ATM nearby if you arrive without koruna. It gets hopelessly full in the evenings, so a phone reservation is worth making if you want a table rather than standing room. The menu skews meaty; the fried jalapeños with blue cheese are the one clearly vegetarian dish.

A fortress park on a river-bend cliff with a fraction of the castle's crowds. The Slavín cemetery holds Dvořák, Čapek and most of the country's other cultural names under one shared monument; the ramparts beyond it give the best open view of the Vltava's curve in the city. Half a day is enough, which makes it an easy pairing with a light morning or evening elsewhere.

1. 07:40
   Check out of your stay
2. 08:00
   Breakfast Café Savoy30m

   An 1893 grand café at the Újezd end of Malá Strana, on the walk up to the Petřín funicular — a busy all-day café with pastries and light meals, turning into a quieter, French-leaning restaurant for dinner. Open 08:00–22:00 on weekdays, from 09:00 on weekends and holidays. It keeps its own wine list, so this isn't a dry option. It's a step further from the Charles Bridge crowds than most Malá Strana cafés, which is exactly the point.

3. 08:30
   Vyšehrad RampartsHistoric site, 1h 15m

   The fortified park and ramparts are free to enter year-round and give the widest open view of the Vltava's bend in the city. The grounds themselves are stated barrier-free, though the approach up the hill and the historic cobbling need extra care. The Leopold Gate infocentre, where paid tours are booked, keeps shorter hours — roughly 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–18:00.

4. 10:00
   Slavín CemeteryHistoric site, 20m

   The shared national monument holding Dvořák, Smetana and most of the country's other cultural names, free to visit as part of the fortress grounds. It's an open-air memorial cloister, not a museum — quiet contemplation rather than a ticketed stop.

5. 10:35
   Vyšehrad CasematesHistoric site, 45m

   A 45-minute guided walk through the fortress's underground corridors to the Gorlice hall, where the original Baroque statues from Charles Bridge are kept out of the weather. Timed tours run through the day in Czech and English — book at the Leopold Gate infocentre or online rather than expecting to walk straight in.

6. 11:35
   St Martin's RotundaChurch, 15m

   Prague's oldest surviving rotunda, built in the late 11th century and still used for regular Mass. The exterior can be viewed anytime within the free grounds; going inside needs prior arrangement through the Vyšehrad Chapter rather than a walk-up ticket.

7. 12:05
   Lunch Manifesto Market (Anděl)1h

   An open-air, industrial-style street-food hall a short walk from Anděl metro, with a rotating roster of independent kitchens spanning Asian, Mexican, Italian, Indian, American and Czech food, plus a dedicated beer bar. Vendors change over time — check the current stall list rather than one you read before your trip.

8. 13:05
   Staropramen Brewery Visitor CentreMuseum, 1h 15m

   Closed Sundays and Mondays. The working Staropramen brewery, founded 1869, runs a roughly 50-minute guided multimedia tour ending with a beer tasting. Tours run in Czech and English through the day and need advance booking online — don't just show up expecting a slot.

9. 14:35
   Zlatý anděl (Golden Angel building)Landmark, 15m

   The curved glass office-and-retail building at Anděl junction, completed in 2000 by architect Jean Nouvel, with a large angel image serigraphed onto its corner facade — a nod to a 19th-century building of the same name that stood here until it was demolished in 1980 for the metro. It's a free exterior photo stop rather than a ticketed sight: the building itself is offices and shops, with no visitor program inside.

10. 15:05
    Hořejší nábřeží (Smíchov riverside walk)Viewpoint, 30m

    The Smíchov-side embankment where Kampa park's southern tip gives way to the Anděl district — a free, open riverside promenade with joggers, cyclists and views across the Vltava. It's the walk you'd take to reach the Dětský ostrov footbridge a little further north along the same bank.

11. 15:50
    Children's IslandPark, 1h

    A small, free, car-free island in the Vltava reached only by a footbridge from Janáčkovo nábřeží, on the Smíchov riverbank just south of Kampa. It's a genuine playground island — age-grouped play equipment, a football pitch, a basketball/volleyball court, and a restaurant on the southern end. Hours vary seasonally and aren't published consistently, so treat it as a daytime-into-evening stop rather than checking a fixed closing time.

12. 17:30
    Dinner Café Bistro Citadela1h 15m

    A café-bistro inside the fortress's Old Burgrave's Residence, open daily 10:00–22:00 (shorter in bad weather) with a garden terrace over the ramparts. Modern burgers, sandwiches and pancakes rather than traditional Czech food; vegetarian options include a Portobello burger, and both cash and card are accepted.