Prague
Spires, a castle on the hill and a bridge that has carried the city for six centuries.
Prague survived the twentieth century with its old town intact, and so it keeps whole streets of Gothic, baroque and art nouveau that other capitals lost. The castle and cathedral stand on one bank of the Vltava, the Old Town and its square on the other, and Charles Bridge with its statues joins them.
Why go
It is one of the great walking cities: the Old Town Square with the astronomical clock, the lanes of the Jewish quarter, the bridge, the climb through Malá Strana to the castle. The beauty is dense and continuous.
It is also a city of beer halls, concert churches and river islands, and the countryside of Bohemia — castles, spa towns, the bone church at Kutná Hora — is close.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01Charles Bridge
The stone bridge lined with baroque saints, with the castle rising beyond. At dawn it is empty and at dusk it is a promenade; both are worth the walk.
02The Old Town Square and the clock
The Týn Church's twin towers, the baroque St Nicholas and the astronomical clock on the town hall, which performs its procession on the hour to a crowd below.
03Prague Castle and St Vitus
The castle complex on the hill, with the cathedral, the old royal palace, Golden Lane and the gardens stepping down to Malá Strana.
04Malá Strana
The Little Quarter below the castle: baroque palaces, the church of St Nicholas, the Wallenstein garden and the island of Kampa on the river.
05The Jewish quarter
Josefov's synagogues, the old cemetery with its crowded stones and the art nouveau streets that replaced the ghetto around them.
06Beer, music and the river
Beer halls from the traditional to the microbrewed, chamber concerts in churches most evenings, and the paddle boats and riverside bars along the Vltava in summer.
07Kutná Hora and the castles
The silver town with its ossuary is an hour by train; Karlštejn castle is less. Český Krumlov, the storybook town in the south, is a longer day or an overnight.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Staré Město, the Old Town
The square, the clock and the lanes around them. Central, historic and crowded by day.
Malá Strana
Below the castle: quiet cobbled streets, gardens and views. Romantic and a little uphill.
Vinohrady
Leafy residential streets with cafés, parks and the city's newer restaurants, a short tram ride from the centre.
Nové Město and Wenceslas Square
The New Town's long boulevard, department stores and hotels, with the Old Town a few minutes' walk away.
When to go: Prague
- SpringApril and May
- Blossom in the castle gardens and the Prague Spring music festival in May. Mild and increasingly busy.
- SummerJune – August
- Warm, long days and the river at its liveliest. The fullest crowds on the bridge; early mornings are the answer.
- AutumnSeptember and October
- Golden light on the spires and thinner crowds. Comfortable for walking and often clear.
- WinterNovember – March
- Cold, sometimes snowy, and atmospheric under the lamps. Christmas markets fill the Old Town Square from late November.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Prague. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- PRGVáclav Havel
Distance from
- CDGParis870 km
- LHRLondon1,060 km
- DXBDubai4,450 km
- BOMMumbai6,160 km
- JFKNew York6,560 km
- JNBJohannesburg8,580 km
- SINSingapore9,860 km
- SYDSydney16,090 km
Getting around: Prague
The centre is compact and cobbled, made for walking. Three metro lines and a dense tram network reach everything else; a short-term pass covers both and the airport bus.
The trams over the river and up to the castle are a sight in themselves. Taxis and ride-hailing are simple; trains from the main station reach Vienna and Berlin in a few hours.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Czechia
- Currency
- CZK · Czech Koruna
- Languages
- Czech
- Time zone
- Central European Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +420
The atlas
Prague in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Prague, month by month
- Jan1°
- Feb3°
- Mar8°
- Apr14°
- May19°
- Jun23°
- Jul26°
- Aug25°
- Sept20°
- Oct14°
- Nov7°
- Dec2°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: May to September.
Mean highs run from 1°C in January to 26°C in July, with about 639 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for PragueModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBPrague
4,450 km
6 hrs · Estimate
From AUHPrague
4,470 km
6 hrs · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Prague
In pictures: Prague
Plan this trip: Prague
Open the trip builder with Prague already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
