Top 10 Things to Do in Prague

The Old Town Square is Prague's historic epicenter, featuring the Church of Our Lady Before Týn's Gothic spires, pastel Baroque St. Nicholas Church, and the Astronomical Clock (Orloj) built in 1410. The clock draws crowds hourly with its mechanical apostle parade. This square offers a richer architectural mix than Prague Castle's courtyard, with three distinct styles within 100 metres. Its December Christmas market attracts over 2 million visitors annually, cementing its reputation as one of Europe's most beautiful holiday markets.

Prague Castle is the world's largest ancient castle complex, covering 70,000 square metres. Inside, St. Vitus Cathedral features Alfons Mucha's Art Nouveau stained glass masterpiece, which is 30% larger than comparable windows in Notre-Dame. The complex also includes the Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane's tiny medieval houses. With over 1.8 million visitors annually, it attracts 20% more foot traffic than Charles Bridge, making it the Czech Republic's most visited landmark.

The Letna Park beer garden provides the best panoramic view of Prague's red rooftops and Old Town, with giant jugs of Pilsner Urquell at outdoor tables. At only €2 per half-litre, it is cheaper than the typical Old Town pub. The park features a giant metronome on a former Stalin statue site and 30km of cycling trails. It outperforms #2 Old Town Square for sunset views, drawing 5,000 visitors daily during peak summer months.

Petrin Hill delivers the best elevated view of Prague's spires and castle, thanks to the Petrin Lookout Tower — a one-fifth scale replica of the Eiffel Tower built in 1891 that rises 63.5 meters. Its 299-step spiral staircase rewards climbers with a panorama that outperforms the Old Town Hall Tower in scope and crowd-free serenity. The hill's orchard gardens and walking paths offer a peaceful retreat from Old Town crowds, accessible via a 60-second funicular ride from Malá Strana. The Mirror Maze (Zrcadlové Bludiště) on the hilltop adds a fun family diversion, with 46 mirrored panels that create endless illusions.

Josefov's Old Jewish Cemetery is Europe's most densely packed burial ground, with tombstones stacked up to 12 layers deep across just 1.1 hectares, creating a haunting, tilted landscape that holds an estimated 100,000 graves. This Jewish Quarter houses six historic synagogues — including the 13th-century Old-New Synagogue, Europe's oldest active synagogue — and the Jewish Museum, making it a richer heritage site than Prague Castle in historical significance per square meter. A combined ticket for 350 CZK covers all synagogues and the cemetery, the most practical way to explore this compact area.

Malá Strana offers a Baroque escape beneath Prague Castle, with cobblestone lanes and walled gardens that feel entirely removed from the Old Town bustle — and the Wallenstein Garden, free to enter, features resident albino peacocks and 24 regular summer classical concerts from June to August. This quarter's palaces and craft shops along Nerudova Street provide a more intimate cultural experience than Vinohrady and Žižkov, which leans modern and residential. The 500-meter climb from Malostranské náměstí to the castle includes 33 Baroque statues lining the route.

Vinohrady and Žižkov are where 85% of Prague's locals live and socialize, offering an authentic dining scene with over 200 restaurants and wine bars — far from tourist-heavy spots like Josefov. The Žižkov Television Tower, at 216 meters, is Prague's tallest structure and features an observation deck plus a one-room hotel suite for 2,000 CZK per night, adorned with 10 giant crawling babies by David Černý. Náměstí Míru square serves as a hub for neighborhood exploration, with a weekly farmers market that attracts 15,000 visitors every Saturday.

The Mucha Museum in the New Town offers the most comprehensive and intimate view of Alfons Mucha's career, from his iconic Parisian posters to the monumental 20-painting Slav Epic. The museum's collection includes over 100 works, including the complete set of Slav Epic panels, each measuring up to 8 by 6 meters. Compared to Prague's larger art institutions, the museum provides a focused, immersive experience that outperforms #10 Wenceslas Square in cultural depth. The shop sells high-quality reproduction prints at prices starting at €8, making it a superior souvenir destination.

Wenceslas Square is Prague's civic and commercial heart, a grand boulevard that was the epicenter of the 1989 Velvet Revolution. The square spans 750 meters in length and 60 meters in width, lined with hotels, cinemas, and shops beneath the St. Wenceslas statue. The Memorial to the Victims of Communism features seven descending bronze figures, each 2.2 meters tall. For nightlife, it is more accessible than the #9 Mucha Museum, with over 30 bars and clubs within a 500-meter radius, and attracts 100,000 visitors nightly.