3 Days in Prague

3 days in Prague goes by fast. It’s a big city with a lot to see, so you definitely need a plan. I spent a weekend exploring Prague 1–the historic center of the city that gives Prague its charm and fairy tale feel– and I had a wonderful time. So if you only have 3 days in Prague, here’s my suggested itinerary to optimize your time & not get overwhelmed

*A note about how I explore: I get started early each morning & I hit the ground running. I front load my agenda to take advantage of the high energy levels present at the beginning of a journey. This allows me the grace to slow down as the days progress, if I need to. And by day 3, I usually need to. 😀

Friday, Day 1:

9:00 am -1:00 pm:
Explore the Jewish Quarter

First up is a tour of the Jewish Quarter, or Josefov. You can either take an organized tour, or stroll around on your own like I did. This neighborhood was once the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe. Between 1893-1913, a concerted effort to make it look more like Paris resulted in many of its buildings being were torn down. During WWII, Hilter left the Quarter intact to serve as a museum of the race he’d planned to exterminate. What remains of the former Jewish Quarter is:

Pinkas Synagogue
Old Jewish Cemetery
Maisel Synagogue
Klausen Synagogue
Old New Synagogue
Spanish Synagogue
Jewish Town Hall
Old Jewish Cemetery

My Jewish Quarter Highlights:

The Pinkas Synagogue (Hours & ticket info can be found here) serves as a memorial to the Czech Holocaust victims, with nearly 78,000 names of the Czech victims written on its walls.
The Old Jewish Cemetery has an estimated 100,000 people buried within the confines of its walls. What makes this unique, and speaks of the atrocities suffered by the Jews at the time, is they were not granted additional land to bury their dead. In response, more dirt was to brought in and bodies had to be buried on top of each other–12 deep in some spots. This is the reason for all the crooked tombstones and hills within the grounds.

Tip #1: You could easily spend 3-4 hours exploring the Quarter and its sites, which include shopping, restaurants, and the Franz Kafka statue. The synagogues are closed on Saturday, so if you are in Prague for the weekend, you only have Friday or Sunday to fully explore the synagogues.

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Lunch & Shopping

Taking a moment to sit & relax in Old Town Square w/ the bubbles

Use this time to get some lazy strolling, shopping, and sight seeing in. There are several restaurants in & around the Jewish Quarter and Old Town Square you may want to try. Prague is known for its crystal and there are two locations of Blue Praha in Old Town– I stopped in here at least 3 times to buy stuff (I couldn’t help myself). Or pop into a street cafe to sample the fares and get some people watching in. Now would also be a great time for a food or beer tour.

Tip #2: After a morning of heavy walking, now is a good time to give your feet their first rest of the day. You may not feel it it now, but you will. Trust me. I averaged over 14,000 steps per day and it took it’s toll on me by the end of my trip. I recommend you take downtime each day to relax and rest your legs.

7:00 pm – Until
Hemingway Bar Prague & M1 Lounge

The Fairy Tale: absithne, black pepper syrup, tonic water, lemon peel, rosemary, lemon thyme

My night time preferences lean more towards cocktails and music, so I’d suggest heading to Hemingway Bar Prague. I absolutely loved this cocktail bar. They have top notch bartenders & inventive cocktails. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu here. Be sure to try a cocktail made with absinthe. Even if absinthe isn’t your thing, this is THE place to imbibe it. I had the Fairy Tale and it was beyond awesome.

After cocktails, head over to M1 Lounge for a night of Hip Hop and R&B. The DJ’s are on point, the atmosphere is high energy, and you’ll be sure to dance the night away.

Tip #3: I recommend you make the Hemingway Bar your first stop of the night. For one, once you get there, you may not want to leave. I spent 2 hrs longer here than I’d initially planned. Also, it’s not unusual for a line to begin forming around 9:00 pm. And while it’s definitely worth the wait, by getting there early, or securing a reservation, you can bypass the line and get down to the serious business of enjoying some of the best cocktails you’ll taste.

Saturday, Day 2

8:00 am – 10:00 am
Farmers Market

Prague has its share of farmers and pop up markets all around. Since today’s focus is on Old Town Square, I’d visit the Jirak Farmers Market in the Vinohrady district (in Prague 2). This market is actually open Wed-Sat, so you have some flexibility on when you visit, depending on when you arrive in Prague. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning than by fueling up for a day of exploration. Walk the stalls, try out all the delicious foods, and grab some coffee. Once you’ve had your fill, head over to Old Town Square via walking, public transportation, or Uber.

10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Old Town

View of the Charles Bridge and Mala Strana from the Klementinum Astronomical Tower

Prague’s Old Town is the historic picturesque center of the city dating back to the 9th century. It felt like I was in a fairy tale while exploring Old Town. I was here every day at different times just to take it all in and get a comprehensive sense of the vibe. The top sites to explore in the Old Town include:

Old Town Square:
- Astronomical Clock & Tower
- Church of our Lady before Tyn Church
- St. Nicolas Church
Klementinum
Charles Bridge
Powder Tower

My Old Town highlights:

After you’ve spent some time in the square, head towards the Klementinum, which houses the most beautiful library I’ve ever seen + offers my favorite views of the city.
The Charles Bridge is a pedestrian bridge connecting Old Town to Lesser Square (the Castle District). It’s a magnificent site, made of stone and featuring 30 statues lining its span. It’s sure to be super crowded during the midday with tourists and local artist selling their wares.
When you’re finished with the Charles Bridge, head towards the Powder Tower. This tower is one of the original 13 city gates & was used to store gun powder in the 17th century. You can tour tower for impressive views of the bridge, but be warned. The stairway is super tight, cramped, and steep. I tried to make it to the second level, but couldn’t bring myself to take more than 3 steps before I had to turn around.

Tip #4: Don’t just stop at the main sights in Old Town Square, explore and get lost in the many curving streets. There are restaurants, bars, cafes, and shopping everywhere. One of my favorite things to do exploring Old Town was wandering around, looking at the architecture, and discovering what lay down many of the twisting, turning streets.

Things you see strolling around Old Town

7:00 pm – Until
L’Fleur & Karlovy Lane

To get the evening started, grab cocktails & dinner at L’Fleur. Unlike some of the cocktail bars I visited, their food menu includes heartier fare than the standard bar staples of sausages, olives, popcorn, etc. I had a delicious burger with truffle fries. L’Fleur’s cocktail menu is inspired by the art collections at the Louvre. I LOVED it here–so much so I visited twice. The drinks are fantastic and the bartenders are super personable. I also had my first experience with smoked cocktails here.

After drinks and a bit of food, head over to Karlovy Lane for a night of clubbing. Karlovy Lane is the largest club in central Europe. It has 5 floors, each with a completely different theme. So whether you’re looking for dance music, oldies, hip hop, or just want to chill, Karlovy Lane is the spot for you. The coolest thing about this club is they have an Ice Pub. (see what I did there 😉 ) The temperature stays a crisp -7º all year round. (They give you a thermal jacket and gloves to wear during your visit–which is limited to 30 mins at a time.)

Sunday, Day 3

9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Mala Strana (Lesser Quarter)/Castle District

View of the city from Mala Strana, on the hill right under Prague Castle

Mala Strana, also known as Lesser Quarter, is located just across the river from Old Town. Once you step off the Charles Bridge and onto its cobblestone streets, you are instantly transported to a different time and place. Mala Strana is quaint and beautiful. I could almost see the town operating as it must have back in the days of its founding. Be prepared for lots of steep hills here, so comfortable shoes, water, and snacks are highly recommended. I took my time and made a couple of stops while walking up Nerudova Street to the castle. If the pitch of the hill is too much, or your legs are not up it, the #22 tram is available.

Start your tour off at the Charles Bridge, enter from Old Town and walk across the Vltava River into Mala Strana.

Here are a few of the sights in Mala Strana:

Lesser Town Bridge Tower
Nerudova Street
Lesser Town Square
St. Nicolas Church
Prague Castle
- St. Vitus Cathedral
- St. George Basilica
Golden Lane
Strahov Monasteru (library)
Petřín Hill/Petřín Tower
Riverside- relax and feed the swan; awesome place to enjoy the sunset
Lennon Wall

Remainder of the day

Kafka Statue at the Quadrio Shopping Center

Depending on how you are enjoying Mala Strana, you may want to stay longer, or cut it short. If you so happen to still be there at sunset I highly recommend you spend it Riverside. You get gorgeous views of the city and the Charles Bridge, plus you can feed the swan. FYI- swan are HUGE, I was quite taken back by their size and presence.

Once you leave Mala Strana, use the rest of the day to check out some other nearby landmarks or finish up your shopping. Now is the perfect time to venture more into the city and check out the moving statue of Kafka, not to be confused with the Kafka statue located in the Jewish Quarter. This statue of Kafka’s head features 42 moving levels that are all capable of independent movement. Things to do the pass your last day at a leisurely pace include:

Wenceslas Square
Kafka’s Statue
King Wenceslas Riding an Upside Dead Horse statue
Enjoy the buskers in Old Town Square
Walk around more of the winding streets- I ran into a lot of pop up markets this way with everything from honey mead & one of a kind souvenirs
Head down to see the famous Dancing House, “Fred & Ginger”
Shopping: pick up some spa wafers, visit Manufaktura for some home spa products, peruse the crystal shops, grab a bottle of Becherovka to take home
Try some local Czech pastries (I recommend Cukrar Skala) and grab a Trdelnik (I had to have chocolate with mine)
Check out the local parks and beer gardens
Boat ride on the Vltava River

I tend to take things easy on my last night. I usually grab an early dinner at a nice restaurant, have a cocktail or a glass of wine, then meander back to my room to pack. It usually takes some time for me to Tetris all of my new purchases into my luggage 🙂

Here’s a short video of some more Old Town experience, including footage of the Kafka statue in action.

Additional Tips for Exploring Prague

If you want to the Charles Bridge all to yourself, avoid it during the midday. Instead, shoot for early mornings or later during the twilight/night hours. There’s nothing like catching the sunrise on the nearly empty bridge, it’s a great time to catch your breath and let your mind rest & explore possibilities.
Explore Prague at night. Prague is magical in and of itself, but seeing the city a night all lit up gives it a completely different feel. Prague is a safe country with a low crime rate. Not once did I feel unsafe while I explored the city as a single woman day, or night. That being said, use common sense at all times. I stayed to the common areas for my night time explorations: Old Town Square, The Charles Bridge, and the areas around the cocktail bars & nightspots I visited were fairly busy.
Never feel the need to strictly adhere to any agenda. If you are having fun, by all means keep it going. If you get somewhere and you’re not enjoying yourself, head to another attraction. I keep an itinerary so I never get stuck for ideas of what to do. However, I never hesitate to stow it and go off plan. Remember, the point of a vacation is to relax and enjoy.
*Keep in mind the operating hours of anything you really want to experience though. Nothing worse than going off script and then missing out out something you really wanted to do because it’s closed.