Prague's historic core is compact, extraordinarily beautiful and completely overwhelmed. The entire trick is when you go to each part of it.
The timing that changes everything
| Place | Go | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Bridge | Before 8am, after 10pm | 10am–8pm |
| Prague Castle | At opening | Mid-morning coach arrivals |
| Old Town Square | Early, or evening | Astronomical clock on the hour |
| Jewish Quarter | At opening | Midday |
The Charles Bridge before 8am is a different structure — the baroque statues visible, the river audible, and the castle rising ahead through mist. By eleven it is shoulder to shoulder.
The astronomical clock's hourly show is brief and underwhelming and draws an enormous crowd. Watch it once from the edge if at all.
The castle
A complex rather than a building — St Vitus Cathedral, the old royal palace, Golden Lane, and gardens.
The grounds are free to walk; specific buildings are ticketed, in several combinations. Decide which you actually want rather than buying the largest circuit by default.
Go at opening. Walk up through the Malá Strana streets rather than taking the tram, and come down through the gardens or the Nerudova steps.
The districts nobody visits
Ten to fifteen minutes by tram, and where Praguers actually spend time.
Vinohrady — tree-lined streets, the best restaurants in the city, and the strange Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord on Jiřího z Poděbrad square.
Žižkov — bars, a working-class history, and the television tower with the crawling baby sculptures on it.
Holešovice — galleries and bars in former industrial buildings, plus the DOX contemporary art centre.
Karlín, rebuilt after the 2002 floods and now the food district.
The beer economics
In a traditional pub away from the old town, a half litre runs 45–70 koruna — roughly €2–3, and frequently cheaper than water.
Around the Old Town Square it can be triple that.
Walking ten minutes changes the bill substantially, and the beer is better where the locals drink it — Czech pubs take tank and unpasteurised beer seriously.
Two cautions: some tourist-area places add unrequested items to the bill, and the currency exchange booths in the centre have historically offered very poor rates. Use an ATM from a recognised bank.
The two-day shape
Day one: Charles Bridge at dawn, Malá Strana, up to the castle at opening, down through the gardens, afternoon in the Old Town and Jewish Quarter, evening in Vinohrady.
Day two: Vyšehrad — the other castle, on a rock above the river, with almost nobody there and a cemetery holding Dvořák and Smetana. Then Žižkov or Holešovice, and the river.
Practical
Trams cover the city well; the 22 runs past the castle and is a sightseeing route for a fare.
The airport is bus plus metro, roughly 40 minutes.
Season: Prague is beautiful in snow and busy from spring to autumn. Winter is cold, cheap and considerably quieter.