Prague, the old town everyone walks, done well

Prague is the Bohemian capital and one of the most walkable old towns in Europe, the Vltava splitting it between the Old Town and the castle side. The Old Town, castle side, and smaller neighborhoods work better as separate walking areas.

Getting in from the airport

Prague Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) sits about 17 km west of the center. The airport bus is the simplest way in, with a taxi as the easier-with-luggage alternative.

Transit notes

The Prague Metro is simple and useful: three lines, clear colors, and an integrated ticket with trams and buses. The airport still needs a bus connection, but once you are in town the metro is the clean way to skip the most crowded old-town walking stretches.

Festivals and big annual events

Prague's busiest seasonal windows are Christmas markets and the May music festival.

Where to stay

What to see

Prague is a walk-it city, and the central sights line up between Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, and the castle hill across the river.

The Old Town and the squares. The Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall is the obvious meeting point. The hourly show is brief, but the square around it is the heart of the old town. The Powder Tower is the Gothic gate at the edge of the old town, a cool tower and free to walk past, with the art-nouveau Municipal House concert hall right next to it.

The river and the castle side. The Charles Bridge is the famous crossing. Do it before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m. to beat the crowd press (see scams below). Across the river in Malá Strana, the Lennon Wall is the free graffiti wall, and below the castle the free viewpoints are the value play: Vyhlídka Na Opyši has some of the best views over the city for nothing, and St Wenceslas Vineyard is the spot to sit with a glass and the same view.

If the weather is gray or your feet are done, Prague Venice Boat Trip is the easy river-and-canal add-on. I would treat it as a rest stop rather than the reason for the day.

The odd ones. The Dancing House is the warped Gehry building on the riverfront, and the Žižkov Tower with the crawling-baby sculptures climbing it is the city's strangest landmark. For an indoor hour, the Choco-Story chocolate museum is a bit overpriced but fun, and the gift shop is free to browse.

Where to eat

Czech food is heavier than its neighbors. Cured meats, dumplings, roast pork knuckle, hearty soups. Beer is the national drink in a way few countries can match.

One I would not repeat: Alriso Risotteria. The food is fine, but the quality does not make up for the service.

Common scams to know going in

Prague's scams are mostly soft and easy to side-step once named. They cluster in the Old Town, on the Charles Bridge, and in the taxi market.

• Currency exchange in the Old Town. The street kiosks advertising "0% commission" between Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge are running a worse rate than the bank or the airport. The board lists buy and sell on the same line and the actual rate you receive is on the wrong column. Use a bank ATM (ČSOB, Komerční banka, Raiffeisen), withdraw CZK directly, skip the kiosks entirely. The notable exception is Exchange.cz on Kaprova, which is a real fair-rate operator.
• Tipped-meter taxis. The traditional Prague taxi scam was a doctored meter charging 4x the real fare. Use Bolt or Liftago instead. If you end up in a curb taxi, confirm the rate before pulling away (max ~36 CZK/km inside the city) and ask for a printed receipt at the end.
• Restaurant bill scams in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square. Same pattern as Rome. Bread basket added at 80 CZK, sparkling water you didn't order at 120 CZK, "tourist menu" at 2-3x the local rate. The signal is a touter outside the door, picture menus, and English-only chalkboards. Walk one street back from any major square.
• The "drink with us" bar scam. A friendly local invites you for a beer at a club he insists is the best in Prague. The bill arrives at the end with charges of 10,000+ CZK for "VIP service" or "private room." The doormen will make sure you pay. This is a real pattern in the area south of Wenceslas Square at night. If a stranger insists on a specific venue, go to a different venue.
• The "free walking tour" pressure tip. The free walking tours that meet at the Astronomical Clock are legitimate, but the guide will spend the last ten minutes explaining that the "free" tour runs on tips and that "the locals tip 500 CZK" (they don't). 200 CZK is fair if the tour was good. Pay what you think the value was, walk away.
• The Charles Bridge pickpocket press. Mid-bridge during the noon-to-6 p.m. window. The bridge fills, the crowd compresses around the statues, and the wallet leaves with someone behind you. Phone in a zipped pocket, bag in front. Cross the bridge before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m. for the photo and the air.

None of this makes Prague difficult. The metro is safe, the city is safe at every hour, and Czech beer is the cheapest in the EU. The scams are easy to side-step once named.