Prague was a medieval fairytale wonderland! I yearn for the day I can return and spend hours more just roaming these magical streets. This city is a European time capsule, with it being untouched throughout the World Wars. So much of the city is original it gives a wonderful glimpse of hundreds of years worth of history, architecture and everyday living. This simple fact makes it one of the prettiest cities we visited on our European Adventure. Visiting again in winter is a new bucket list item for me. We had 24 hours here and boy did we jam-pack them! Here's how to spend 24 hours in Prague and make the most of your awe-inspiring experience...
24 Hours in Prague - Public Transport and Accessibility
Prague is surprisingly small, which made it easy to get from place to place. The public transport is cheap and very easy to navigate. The majority of the city was quite flat, but getting to the very top of Prague Castle was a bit of a workout.
Best Views of the City
What better way to spend 24 hours in Prague, than to see the city all at once with a full 360 degree view! Head up the Lesser Town Bridge Tower to get a spectacular view of Charles' Bridge and the surrounding city, all the way up to Prague Castle. It's less popular and crowded compared to the Old Town Bridge Tower, which makes for a more comfortable experience and great for photos! Climb up for just 90kc.
The top of The Old Castle Stairs (Zámecké schody) - The stairs are a bit of a climb, but your reward is waiting to greet you at the top! A fantastic view of the entire city and a nice little pit stop before/after exploring Prague Castle.
Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge is a major must-do for any touristy day out in Prague! Lined with statues, street performers, small artisan stalls and some of the best views of the surrounding city, take your time on this walk! This bridge has seen it all in its 600 years. Many stories are attached to the bridge, with legends becoming famous. Along the bridge you will find many plaques, shiny from people rubbing them for good luck. I personally chose that i'm luckier not touching them and keeping me hands free from thousands of germs and diseases, but each to their own.
Old Town Square
Prague's Old Town Square is full of history and stories to tell! Churches, food stalls, fountains, statues and historically significant buildings line this square. Take your time here and enjoy all it has to offer. I would highly recommend getting a guided tour for this part of Prague, to get the best experience.
Astronomical Clock
Wow! On the edge of The Old Town Square you'll find Prague's iconic Astronomical Clock. Make sure to check it out as the clock strikes on the hour. This clock is over 600 years old and still performs for its audience everyday. With moving figurines, hands, moon, sun and stars, it's a masterpiece not to miss! This clock was something we fell in love with and we made it our mini-mission to find a real replica to take home as our 'grand souvenir'. Unfortunately we couldn't find one and settled with a $10 wooden stationary version. We'd still love one so if you have any ideas where we could purchase one, please let us know!
Sex Machines Museum
Yes this is a real thing and actually there's more than one museum dedicated to sex in Prague! For 250kc we thought why not! and went in for a giggle. It was definitely interesting and probably something i can say i've now ticked off the bucket list. Just in front of the Astronomical Clock, check it out for something of contrasting difference from churches and castles...
Food
A traditional snack in the Czech Republic is the Trudelnik. It's sort of like a big hollow donut covered in sugar and cinnamonny goodness, cooked over open coals - giving it a lovely smokey flavour from the traditional cooking method. You'll find these at most markets throughout the city. For an extra special treat, try it with nutella and ice cream in the middle. It's very messy and oh so sweet, so pull up a chair and a napkin for this adventure power pack.
For lunch we decided to wander the back streets until we found a restaurant that caught our larger-than-our-belly eyes! We did this quite a few times when hunting our meals in Europe, for a couple of reasons - 1. You'll find unexpected, unexplored, none-touristy, more local cuisine treasures. 2. It's usually cheaper off the touristy track (usually being emphasised).
We found the adorable gluten-free Italian restaurant Alriso. This lunch was some of the best food we had eaten on our European Adventure! I highly recommend it!
Markets
All throughout Prague you'll find markets selling the freshest, most authentic treats you can find! 2 markets we checked out, and i'd recommend visiting, are The night markets at the bottom of Wenceslas Square and the food markets in front of Prague Castle (summer). With Curtis gauging on the thickest, meatiest sausage i've ever seen, I tried traditional Mead (honey wine) for the first time and loved it!
BONUS: Here is our lesson in souvenir purchasing.... If you're buying liquids to bring home, make sure to pack it in your check-in luggage... as Curtis has very quickly learned the hard way... no more traditional Mead for me 🙁
oh well, i'll just have to go back to Europe for some more 😉
Wenceslas Square
This square is basically the main boulevard, and a good checkpoint/meeting point for your adventure. Along this stretch you'll find museums, cafes, shops, markets, and a central train station. From this train station you can basically travel to any other spot in Prague, so again, it's a good centre point. You'll also find the familiar golden arches, for those who are feeling homesick or in need of a greasy, cheap meal.
A lot of history has been captured in this square, and again , i'd highly recommend getting a tour guide for this street to really highlight it's importance. A nice humbling draw point for me, were the benches with inspirational quotes on them, lining the middle of the square. These messages really brought me back to earth amongst the hustle and bustle of our mini-adventure in a capital city. Check them out!
All along and the surrounding streets of Wenceslas Square you'll find all the souvenir shops you'll need, to bring that token of Prague home with you! Prague gave us our first taste of the interesting features, that intrigue most, as we were about to venture up into Germany and The Netherlands. As we were wandering the streets, a recurring theme jumped out and grabbed our fresh-touristy eyes. Marijuana themed cookies, chocolate, beer, lollies...everything! It is legal to sell these products as the THC from the cannabis has been removed and basically these products are just 'weed favoured'. I was definitely bewildered by the site of these products, which was kind of good to get it out of my system before Amsterdam... I had no idea how little of a taste test this was, compared to what was about to invite us a few countries later....
Also along here you'll find many Thai massages! A rarity in Europe, i had been praying for one our entire trip! From all the 12 hour walking days over the past 4 weeks, i had been keen to be stretched and moulded back into some sort of young-vibrant-body resembling shape! This was a great pit stop before our train back to our camp site.
John Lennon Wall
The John Lennon Wall is a great piece of human spirit capsulated in colour and imagination. Here, anyone can place anything on the wall at anytime. Using paint, markers, glitter, posters and images, people from all over the globe have made this an ever-growing masterpiece. Take your time to read the messages and be humbled by the positivity.
David Cerny Sculpture
Making your way back up to Prague Castle, an interesting site will capture your eye. At the entrance to the Franz Kafka Museum you'll see a sculpture of 2 boys, peeing into a pool, ironically shaped like Czech itself. Not only are they just peeing into the pool, but they move as well. There is actually a phone number you can text, to have a message spelled out by these boys. Can you think of a more unique way to propose to your girlfriend??
St Vitus Cathedral
Located inside the walls of Prague Castle is the most impressive cathedral i've ever been to! So this is an absolute must-see attraction with just 24 hours in Prague. Sitting proudly on the highest point in Prague, this Cathedral easily gains the awe-inspired looks of visitors. It's big, bold and booms out of the square. It is quite difficult getting a solid photo of this building as it is squished into the space, with a busy day of tourists making it even harder. But get on the ground, get creative and don't be afraid to use a wedding photographers parting gestures to snap your golden moment.
Make sure to take a look inside, with the glass windows being some of the most impressive in all of Europe!
Additional attractions to check out with any time leftover of your 24 hours in Prague -
Hamley's department store - one for the young at heart, this store has everything!
Prague Old Car tours - a unique way to check out the city and give your legs a rest
Parizska Street - Here you'll find incredible buildings filled with all the luxury shopping you could dream of. Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. etc. all call this street home, just off the Old Town Square.
Vinarna Certovka - Narrowest Street in Prague. It is so narrow that traffic lights have been installed. This is not one for the claustrophobic but an interesting attraction to tick off the bucket list.
What else should I check out, next time I have 24 hours in Prague? Let me know in the comments!
'Believe you can and you're halfway there'
Hi, it seems that you had an awesome time in Prague, thank you for sharing!
I am only wondering why did you have Italian food – didn’t you want to taste Czech cuisine in Czechia?
If I can recommend something for your next visit:
– do try Czech food. It is not my favorite, but I loved some of their soups and sausages. And for dessert, anything with poppy seeds! Save goulash, though, for Hungary: that’s where it is from and nothing compréhensible to how it’s made there.
Also, the chimney cake Trdelník originates from Transylvania, the Czechs only borrowed it from Hungarians. Kürtőskalács it’s name.
– The sunrise is magical, from many lookout points. Plus, you beat the tourist crowd! Imagine having the Charles Bridge for yourself only? With some luck, it can happen.
– Night is for music (if you are not out for another magical walk…): countless of occasions to listen to excellent live music, in various types of venues and various genres. By my opinion, this is one of the greatest strengths if Prague.
Well, have fun!