3 days in Prague: a day-by-day sightseeing plan

Prague is a compact medieval city on both banks of the Vltava, and most of this plan is on foot. Day one is the longest, from the Castle and Strahov down through the Lesser Town and over Charles Bridge into the Old Town and New Town, day two covers the Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter and Wenceslas Square, and day three goes further out to the National Gallery, Žižkov, Vinohrady and Vyšehrad.

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Day 1

Prague Castle, Strahov, the Lesser Town and Charles Bridge

6 stops

09:00
Prague Castle
About 2 h 45 min
The castle is a whole hilltop district rather than one building: St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica and Golden Lane are the main parts of the long first visit. Finish in the south gardens for the view over the Lesser Town roofs.
Walk, 14 min
12:00
Strahov Monastery
About 30 min
Up the hill from the Castle, this abbey's library has two painted Baroque halls, the Theological Hall and the Philosophical Hall, seen from the doorway. Half an hour is enough; then begin the long walk down.
Walk, 20 min
12:50
Wallenstein Palace
About 45 min
The Baroque palace below the Castle houses the Czech Senate, and its garden is the part to see, with a great loggia, bronze statues, a dripstone grotto wall and peacocks. The garden opens only in the warmer months, so in winter keep this a quick look.
Walk, 10 min
13:45
Charles Bridge
About 25 min
The 14th-century stone bridge is lined with Baroque statues, with towers at each end framing the Castle behind you and the Old Town ahead. Cross slowly and stop at the statue of St. John of Nepomuk, whose bronze plaque people touch for luck.
Walk, 7 min
14:20
Bethlehem Chapel
About 30 min
Jan Hus preached in Czech in this plain hall church in the early 1400s; it was rebuilt in the 20th century on its original walls. A short stop for its history rather than its looks.
Walk, 15 min
15:05
Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral
About 45 min
In this Orthodox cathedral, the paratroopers who killed Reinhard Heydrich in 1942 made their last stand, and the crypt is now a memorial to them. Look for the bullet marks around the crypt window on Resslova Street, a quiet end to a long day.

Day 2

The Old Town, the Jewish Quarter and Wenceslas Square

5 stops

09:00
Prague Astronomical Clock
About 25 min
The medieval clock on the Old Town Hall shows the time, the movement of the sun and moon and the signs of the zodiac, and on the hour the twelve apostles appear at its small windows. Watch it from the square, then walk north into the Jewish Quarter.
Walk, 6 min
09:35
Old New Synagogue
About 30 min
Europe's oldest active synagogue, completed around 1270, is the heart of Josefov, the old Jewish Quarter. It is a small Gothic room with a twin nave; the Old Jewish Cemetery and the other synagogues of the Jewish Museum nearby make a good addition if you have more time.
Walk, 6 min
10:15
Church of Our Lady before Týn
About 35 min
The two Gothic towers with their clusters of small spires are the skyline of the Old Town Square. The way in is through the arcade of the houses in front of it, and inside is the tomb of the astronomer Tycho Brahe.
Walk, 13 min
11:05
Wenceslas Square
About 20 min
More a long boulevard than a square, it runs uphill to the statue of St. Wenceslas and the National Museum, and it is where crowds gathered in 1968 and again in 1989. Walk up it slowly as the link to your next stop.
Walk, 5 min
11:30
National Museum in Prague
About 1 h 35 min
The neo-Renaissance building at the top of Wenceslas Square holds natural history and Czech history collections, and its domed Pantheon of statues and the view down the square from the steps are reasons enough to go in. An underground passage links it to the museum's newer building next door.

Day 3

Modern art, Žižkov, Vinohrady and Vyšehrad

4 stops

09:00
National Gallery Prague
About 1 h 35 min
The National Gallery spreads its collections over several buildings, and this stop is the Trade Fair Palace in Holešovice, a large functionalist building from the 1920s. It holds the modern and contemporary collection, with Czech art of the 20th century alongside works by Klimt, Schiele and Picasso.
Taxi, 6 min
10:45
Žižkov television tower
About 1 h 5 min
The tall tower from the late 1980s divides opinion, and David Černý's crawling baby sculptures on its shaft make it hard to miss. Its viewing deck gives the widest view over the city in this plan.
Walk, 19 min
12:10
Basilica of St. Ludmila
About 45 min
The neo-Gothic church with twin spires stands on Náměstí Míru, the main square of Vinohrady. It is a quick look on the way to Vyšehrad, and the leafy residential streets around it are as much the point as the church.
Taxi, 4 min
13:00
Basilica of St Peter and St Paul
About 45 min
The neo-Gothic basilica stands inside Vyšehrad, the old fortress on a rock above the river. Next to it is the Vyšehrad Cemetery, where Dvořák, Smetana and Mucha are buried, and the ramparts look up the Vltava toward the Castle.

Good to know

Days one and two are on foot over cobbles, so wear comfortable shoes; on day three, trams or short taxi rides link the districts.
Day one has six stops and a lot of walking downhill and across the river; if it feels long, keep the Castle and Charles Bridge and let Bethlehem Chapel or the cathedral crypt go.
Several museums and churches close one day a week, so check before you fix which day you do what.
Late spring and early autumn are the easiest seasons; in summer the Old Town and Charles Bridge are at their busiest.
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Open in Atlazi

3 days in Prague: a day-by-day sightseeing plan

Prague Castle

Strahov Monastery

Wallenstein Palace

Charles Bridge

Bethlehem Chapel

Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral

Prague Astronomical Clock

Old New Synagogue

Church of Our Lady before Týn

Wenceslas Square

National Museum in Prague

National Gallery Prague

Žižkov television tower

Basilica of St. Ludmila

Basilica of St Peter and St Paul

Good to know

Make this plan yours