3 Days in Prague: Your Perfect Weekend Itinerary

Prague is an amazing city for a weekend getaway! Plan the perfect 3 days in Prague to experience old-world charm and Czech culture with this itinerary.

We took a big family trip to Prague, Czech Republic for a glorious 3-day vacation to the “City of a Hundred Spires“. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this city’s beautiful architecture and incredible history (and all the castles, of course!).

Whether you only have 3 days in this beautiful city or longer to explore, you can use this guide to make the most of your time in Prague. Let’s get into my 3 day Prague itinerary!

3 Day Prague Itinerary

Day 1 in Prague: Castles, Palaces, and Alchemists, oh my!

Our first day in Prague was filled with history, and this city has some pretty crazy history with alchemists, magicians, Holy Roman emperors, and royal families.

Visit Prague Castle & Lobkowicz Palace

Prague Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the largest castle complex in the world. This ancient castle, founded around 880, occupies an area of about 750,000 square feet and measures 1,870 feet long and 430 feet wide. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic, and throughout its history it served as the seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia.

Lobkowicz Palace is part of the Prague Castle complex, but it is privately owned by the Lobkowicz family.

Within the castle complex, there are several historic buildings to explore:

• Lobkowicz Palace
• St. Vitus Cathedral
• Golden Lane
• Old Royal Palace
• St. George’s Basilica

I’ll talk more in-depth about each below.

I recommend booking this Prague Castle and Lobkowicz Palace combination ticket, which gives you entry into Lobkowicz Palace and all the historic buildings listed that are on the Prague Castle “basic circuit” ticket. This is the ticket we booked, and I found it was the best price for being able to see all these things.

Book your Prague Castle & Lobkowicz Palace ticket here.

Tour Lobkowicz Palace

Lobkowicz Palace is the former home of the Lobkowicz family, a Czech noble family that is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. The Palace first came into the family in the early 1600s.

During World War II, the Palace was seized by the Nazis. After the war, it was seized by Communist authorities and held until the fall of the Communist government in 1989. After a long restitution process to return confiscated properties, the Palace finally returned to the Lobkowicz family in 2002.

The family opened the Palace to the public to display the family’s collection of art, furnishings, music, and military equipment.

A tour of Lobkowicz Palace gives you a look at the oldest and largest privately owned art collection in the Czech Republic. There are family portraits, The Hay Harvest by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, two paintings of London by Canaletto, graphics and drawings, decorative arts, a music archive with works by over 500 composers and musicians, mounted hunting trophies, and a collection of 17th-18th century rifles and pistols.

You can also attend a midday concert at Lobkowicz Palace and listen to members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra play in the 17th century Baroque Concert Hall.

Lunch at Lobkowicz Cafe

Lobkowicz Cafe is a quaint café right by Lobkowicz Palace. This is the perfect spot for a quick lunch before your tour the rest of the Prague Castle complex.

They serve sandwiches, and burgers in a small indoor space, in a cozy courtyard, and on a covered veranda with panoramic views.

We recommend the Gourmet Cheeseburger and the Chicken Caesar Wrap.

Tour Prague Castle Old Royal Palace

The Old Royal Palace was the original residence building at Prague Castle. It was mostly a wooden building when it was built in the 9th century, and it was turned into a stone Romanesque palace in the 12th century. In the 14th century, the building was enlarged with a Gothic vaulted interior.

After the 15th century, the Old Royal Palace was used for coronations, conferences, and offices.

Tour St. George’s Basilica

St. George’s Basilica was the second church built at Prague Castle, and now it’s the oldest surviving church within the complex. It was built in 920 in the Romanesque style.

Tour St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral is the largest and most important church in the Czech Republic. The Gothic cathedral was the third church built on this site, with construction beginning in 1344. But the cathedral wasn’t completed until 1929.

Coronations of Czech kings and queens took place in the cathedral, and several patron saints, sovereigns, noblemen, and archbishops are buried here.

The cathedral is filled with beautiful, ornate stained glass.

Tour the Golden Lane

The Golden Lane along the northern side of the castle is a row of small 16th century homes built to house the castle soldiers and goldsmiths (the lane used to be called Goldsmith Lane before being shortened to Golden Lane).

The small homes were occupied until World War II. Czech writer Franz Kafka lived in house No. 22, and a famous fortune-teller “Madame de Thebes” lived in No. 14 (she was arrested because of her prediction of the fall of the Third Reich). In the 1950s, the homes were painted in bright colors.

See Daliborka Tower

At the end of the Golden Lane, you’ll exit to Daliborka Tower. The bottom floor of this tower was used as Prague Castle’s prison.

The tower is named after its first prisoner, a knight named Dalibor from the village of Kozojedy, who was imprisoned for housing rebel serfs during an uprising. Local legend says that he taught himself to play violin while he was imprisoned, and some claim to hear his ghost playing the violin still today.

Once you’ve exited the dungeon, you’ve pretty much seen the best of the Prague Castle complex.

Book your Prague Castle & Lobkowicz Palace ticket here.

Have Some Hot Chocolate at Choco Café

After leaving Prague Castle, we were walking down Nerudova and noticed that there were a ton of chocolate shops. I’m not really sure why there seem to be so many right here, but we were enticed by a café that said they had 50 types of hot chocolate.

Choco Café is a small shop with hot chocolate, desserts, and chocolate you can take home. They have hot chocolate plain, with add-ins like nuts or ginger or fruit, with alcohol, made with cocoa beans grown exclusively in one country or region, or made with beans harvested on a particular plantation. They also offer coffee and non-chocolate drinks.

We tried a variety of delicious treats: an Arriba hot chocolate (a variety from Ecuador), plain milk chocolate, hot chocolate with whipped cream, mulled wine, a chocolate cake, and a peanut butter cheesecake. Everything was delicious!

Visit the Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague

The Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague is a very small museum, but we really learned a lot about alchemy here.

The first part of the small museum gives you some insight into the history of alchemy. You can also read stories of different alchemists and magicians in Prague. One room is set up to look like the legend of Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for knowledge and power, being taken by the devil through a hole in the ceiling.

The second part of the museum is a climb up to the top of Kelley Tower. Edward Kelley was a 16th century alchemist who lived here and put his laboratory in the attic of this building. A guide will take you through the recreation of Kelley’s warehouse and laboratory and will explain Kelley’s work.

A model of William Shakespeare is displayed here because some people think Shakespeare might have been friends with Kelley, under an assumed name, during what’s known as his “lost years” when there’s no record of where Shakespeare was.

Once you’ve learned all about alchemy, it’s time to try some elixirs yourself at the Alchemist Tavern!

Have a Drink at the Kellyxír Alchemical Lab Pub

Have a drink straight from Edward Kelley’s lab!

Kellyxír Alchemical Lab Pub serves completely normal drinks, just with a little added flair of rounded flasks and bubbling dry ice. They serve food, too, but we were just here for the drinks.

The drinks all have great names, too. We had the Nasty Alchemist On The Beach, Shakespeare’s Drinking Ink, The Essence of the Philosopher’s Stone, Herbs Fresco, Brexit Tincture, Al-Caribbia, Archimboldo’s Sketch, Blood of Inman The Knight, and the fan favorite Let’s Try To Say After Drink: Strčprstskrzkrk.

(Because I know you’re wondering: Strč prst skrz krk is a Czech tongue-twister that means “stick a finger through the neck”. After hearing our waitress say it, Kevin was able to get pretty close! But that was before the drink, and he definitely couldn’t do it after.)

Dinner at J.J. Murphy’s Irish Pub Prague

For dinner, we ate at J.J. Murphy’s Irish Pub Prague. This Irish restaurant is located near the Irish consulate, so we knew they would have some pretty good, authentic Irish food.

They have a classic Irish pub feel downstairs and a lounge upstairs with sofas where you can watch football, rugby, cricket, and more.

We recommend the Bangers & Mash, the Shepard’s Pie, and the Traditional Fish n’ Chips.

Walk Down the Narrowest Street of Prague

The narrowest street of Prague is a skinny stairway between two buildings that has pedestrian traffic lights at each end to let you know when the stairway is free. It’s just under 20 inches wide at its narrowest spot.

The stairway leads to a restaurant at the bottom. There’s no other way out but back up the stairs. We had to wait for a bit because the button for the light at the top of the stairs wasn’t working, but typically you should be able to press the button and it will give you the “walk” signal when the stairs are free.

You’ll find the narrow street at U Lužického semináře, 118 00 Malá Strana, Czechia.

Cross Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge is the famous medieval stone bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague. King Charles IV had the bridge constructed in 1357, and it was mostly referred to as Stone Bridge or Prague Bridge until 1870 when the name was officially changed.

It was the only bridge crossing the Vltava river in Prague until 1841. Today, it is a pedestrian-only bridge that connects Old Town and Lesser Town. It’s 1,693 feet long and 33 feet wide.

The bridge is flanked by two fortified Gothic towers in Lesser Town and one in Old Town. Thirty statues of saints were erected to decorated the bridge in the 1600s-1700s (these are all replicas now, but you can find the originals in the National Museum).

There is a Charles Bridge Museum that tells you about the history of the bridge. You get free entry with your Prague Castle ticket, the Prague Castle/Lobkowicz Palace combo ticket, and with a lot of other combo tickets like this Historical River Cruise.

Most reviews say the museum is small and not really worth the ticket price on its own, but people were generally pretty happy with it as a bonus to a tour they already wanted. We decided to skip the museum and just admire the bridge from the outside.

Chill Out at the Ice Pub Prague

Ice Pub Prague is an interesting experience where everything — the walls, bar, tables, sculptures, and glasses — are made of ice!

It’s technically part of Karlovy Lázně, a 5-story club that’s the largest music club in central Europe. But you don’t have to go to the club to get to it, you just go through a pedestrian tunnel under the U Šalamouna building right next to Charles Bridge.

You book your 20 minute time slot, which includes either a vodka cocktail or a mocktail, and then pick up a thermal poncho with sleeves and a hood, as well as some gloves to keep you warm. Then they let you into what’s essentially a giant restaurant freezer that’s been iced over. The floors are extremely sticky, and I bet that’s to keep it from icing over and to keep people from slipping.

The drink menu is simple: Sweet, Sour, or Bitter. Your first drink (included in your admission) comes in a plastic cup, so if you want the fun ice cup, you’ll have to order a second drink.

20 minutes is plenty of time in the Ice Pub. Even though the jackets they give you are warm, it’s still quite cold at under 20°F (-7°C)!

Book your Ice Pub Prague with Nightclub Option ticket here.

See the Astronomical Clock Chime the Hour

The Prague Astronomical Clock is a medieval clock that was installed in 1410, which makes it the oldest astronomical clock still in operation. And you can see it in action!

Mounted on Old Town Hall, the clock has an astronomical dial that represents the Prague view of the sky, an “above the horizon” portion for daytime, and a “below the horizon” portion for nighttime. A mechanical Sun and Moon show their position in the sky. Roman numerals tell the time on a 24-hour clock. A moveable circle marks the zodiac signs. On the outer edge are golden Scwabacher numerals that represent Old Czech Time and indicate the time of sunset.

Below the clock is a calendar displaying allegories of the months and the zodiac signs.

The clock strikes the hour from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. So you can fit it into your itinerary anywhere you have time. We just happened to see it at night while walking back to the hotel.

When the hour strikes, the procession of the Twelve Apostles is set in motion. A statue of each Apostle appears in the doorways above the clock.

The four figures at the side of the clock also move on the hour. The skeleton of Death chimes the hour and rotates his hourglass to show the other figures that their life is at the end. The figures of a Turkish man, a Vain man, and a Miser shake their heads “no”.

Day 2 in Prague: The Heart of Old Town

Our second day of Prague was spent really getting to know Old Town, from the top of the clock tower to the medieval undergrounds.

Visit the LEGO Museum

The LEGO Museum displays the collection of Miloš Křeček, which is the largest private LEGO collection in the world. His collection actually spans five museums across the Czech Republic (and a LEGO Hotel), so this museum in Prague is only part of it.

The museum has classic LEGO blocks, toys from LEGO before they started making blocks, limited edition and special promo sets, and Prague-related builds. The Prague museum has over 3,000 unique models and a LEGO store where you can buy your favorite sets.

It’s not a very large museum, but LEGO enthusiasts really have a great time there. I picked this out for my two adult LEGO fans, and they loved it. We still only took about an hour to go through the whole thing. I bought our tickets for the LEGO Museum on GetYourGuide because I found them to be cheaper from there than direct.

Book your LEGO Museum tickets here.

Watch the Rotating Head of Franz Kafka

The rotating Head of Franz Kafka statue is an appropriate metamorphosis of the Prague writer (get it — because he wrote The Metamorphosis).

The kinetic sculpture by David Černý is over 36 feet tall and is made up of 42 rotating panels that move individually.

The sculpture seeks to reflect the inner torment of Kafka’s mind.

Lunch at Cafe Praha

Cafe Praha has a great location for people-watching. I recommend getting a table outside on a nice day and enjoying the weather and the scenery.

This restaurant serves Italian favorites. I recommend the Spaghetti Pomodoro or a Margherita Pizza.

Take an Old Town Prague Medieval Underground Tour

See what’s underneath the city of Prague on this Medieval Underground Tour. I love this tour because it really lets you see the oldest parts of Old Town.

Prague has been plagued by floods basically it’s entire existence. Even in recent years they’ve had to do some serious flood control. But back in the 13th century, their solution was to move the entire ground floor up a level in Old Town. They filled the streets with trash and leftover building material from new constructions until the ground level was raised.

So when you eat in a restaurant’s basement level, you’re really in old Old Town. Not many of the old Romanesque basements remain in their original state, but this tour took us to three that have been preserved.

This tour company also uses the underground rooms for their Ghosts & Legends Tour, so some of the rooms are decorated like its Halloween. That would be a good tour to take if you want the underground with a bit of a spook factor!

Book your Prague Medieval Underground Tour here.

Have a Snack at Al Minuto Ristorante Italiano

Al Minuto Ristorante Italiano is located right next to Old Town Hall at the House at the Minute, which is a Renaissance townhouse where Franz Kafka and his parents lived for three years.

It’s a simple Italian restaurant, and we stopped here just for a mid-day drink and a charcuterie board. They have a nice outdoor patio where you can enjoy peoplewatching and see the Astronomical Clock.

See Old Town Hall and Climb the Astronomical Clock Tower

We’ve already admired the Astronomical Clock Tower from the outside, so now it’s time to go inside and to the top!

The Astronomical Clock is on the side of Old Town Hall, established in 1338. The southern wing that you can see now is all that’s left of the Old Town Hall; the eastern wing was destroyed during the Prague Uprising in 1945.

An entry ticket to Old Town Hall lets you go to the top of the Gothic clock tower and get an unparalleled view of the city from high above, and lets you see the historical hall, chapel, and Romanesque underground.

In the historical hall and chapel, you can also see behind-the-scenes and get a close-up look at the Apostle statues inside the clock.

To get to the top, you can either take an elevator (for an extra charge) or walk the winding ramp up. After seeing that it wasn’t stairs to the top, we wish we would have saved a little money and not bought the lift ticket.

Book your Old Town Hall & Clock Tower ticket here.

Enjoy Old Town Square

Old Town Square is Prague’s oldest square, dating back to the 10th century when it served as a marketplace. Homes were built around the square in the 12th and 13th centuries, then came the Old Town Hall and the Church of Our Lady before Týn in the 14th century.

Other interesting buildings on the square include the Gothic Stone Bell House built in the 13th century, the Rococo Kinský Palace from the 18th century, and the Baroque Church of St Nicholas from the 18th century.

A monument to Jan Hus, a predecessor to the Protestant movement, has a significant place in Old Town Square. In the pavement, you can also see memorial stones marking the execution of 27 Czech lords during the revolt against the Habsburgs in 1621 and the Prague meridian.

Take a Prague Beer Tour

The Czech Republic is known for its beers like Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen, and Budweiser Budvar. So a beer tour in Prague is a must!

We chose this 3-hour Prague Beer Tour because it comes with a drink at three pubs and a traditional Czech dinner included, since the last thing we wanted to do was drink on an empty stomach.

(Don’t worry, non-beer-drinkers! You can sample other local wines and ciders on this tour, too, or just stick with soft drinks.)

We ended up having a private tour because no one else booked the tour. Our local guide took us to three different pubs with varying styles. Two were off the typical tourist path, so it was nice to get to see a little bit more of the city this way. The last was right on Old Town Square.

Our guide was able to recommend local beers, of course, but he also made an effort to find out more about the wines and ciders for us to make sure we got something we liked. The dinner was at the second pub and was very delicious!

Book your 3-hour Prague Beer Tour and Traditional Czech Dinner here.

Admire the Powder Gate Tower

The Powder Gate Tower is one of the city’s original Gothic gates. Built in 1475, the tower once served as a gunpowder store, earning its name.

The path through the gate brought one of the main roads from Eastern Bohemia into Prague. It was down this road that the coronation processions of Bohemian kings would enter the city.

You can go inside where you’ll find a small museum with sculptures of former Czech kings and learn about the history of the tower. You’ll also be able to climb up the 186 steps to the top where you’ll get a great view of Prague. We unfortunately didn’t get the chance to go inside on this trip.

Book your ticket to the Powder Gate Tower here.

Day 3 in Prague: Castle Day Trips

If you’ve spent any time clicking around my blog, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of castles. So I will see as many castles in a single day as possible. Which is why we spent our final day in Prague on a day trip to two very important castles!

Take a Day Trip to Karlštejn Castle

We’ve seen the most-visited castle in the Czech Republic (Prague Castle), so now it’s time to see the second most-visited castle — Karlštejn Castle.

Karlštejn Castle was built in 1348 by King Charles IV as a place to keep the Bohemian Crown Jewels safe, as well as holy relics and other royal treasures. The treasures were kept in the middle of the tallest stone tower.

The castle apparently wasn’t considered safe enough, though, because the Crown Jewels were evacuated during the Hussite Wars and moved to a safer location. After that, they were kept at Karlštejn Castle for almost 200 years before being moved to Prague Castle.

We did the Imperial Residence of Charles IV tour (the basic tour). This 1-hour guided tour shows you inside the 1st and 2nd floors of the Imperial Palace and the 1st floor of the Marian Tower. You get to see rooms like the King’s Bedchamber, the wood-paneled Audience Hall, the Banquet Hall, and a copy of the St. Wenceslas Crown.

Karlštejn Castle is about 10 miles west of Prague. Getting there on our own seemed too tricky (because I wanted to do two castles in one day), so we booked a private tour with Private Prague Guide. They offer a lot of interesting tours, custom itineraries, and they have a 5-star rating on Tripadvisor — and for very good reason. This was the best tour we did!

There are other day tours that can get you to Karlštejn Castle, too, like this Half-Day Karlštejn Castle Tour, this Karlštejn Castle Tour from Prague, or this Small Group Karlštejn Castle & Koněprusy Caves Tour.

Read more about visiting Karlštejn Castle here.

Lunch at Restaurace a penzion Pod Dračí Skálou

For lunch, we ate at Restaurace a penzion Pod Dračí Skálou, which is just 10 minutes from Karlštejn Castle, down an unpaved hiking path near the castle’s arched gateway.

This classic medieval tavern offers a menu of traditional Czech cuisine filled with specialties like smoked meat, chicken steak, deer medallions, boar medallions, potato pancakes, fried cheese and more.

Take a Day Trip to Křivoklát Castle

After visiting Karlštejn Castle, we headed to Křivoklát Castle.

Křivoklát Castle was founded in the 12th century during the Přemyslid dynasty. Later, it was turned into a prison with inmates like Edward Kelley, whose alchemical lab we explored back in Prague!

We took the Gothic Palace – Long Tour (the basic tour). This 80-minute guided tour takes you into the Royal Hall (which is the second-largest hall in the country after Prague Castle’s Vladislav Hall), the Late Gothic chapel, the expansive library with 52,000 volumes, the dungeon and prison, and more.

There are a lot fewer options for tours to Křivoklát Castle, but you might try this Křivoklát Castle Tour by Private Car, this Private Křivoklát Castle Tour with Bohemia Glass Factory & Lunch, or this Křivoklát Castle & Křivoklátsko Day Hike. Of course, I recommend the Private Prague Guide tour of Křivoklát Castle and Karlštejn Castle.

Read more about visiting Křivoklát Castle here.

Read next: Karlštejn Castle & Křivoklát Castle Day Trip from Prague

Dinner at La Piccola Perla

Back in Prague, we went to La Piccola Perla, a relaxed trattoria serving authentic, homemade Italian cuisine in the center of Prague.

They have a menu of Italian favorites from pizza to pasta to seafood dishes. I recommend the Spaghetti alla Carbonara.

Top Hotel for 3 Days in Prague

Most people will want to stay in or near Old Town when visiting Prague, since Old Town is the heart of the city. Luckily, Prague is very walkable, so you aren’t far from the city’s attractions wherever you stay.

We chose the COSMOPOLITAN Hotel Prague, a luxury boutique hotel that’s on the edge of Old Town. The hotel is inside a converted 19th-century townhouse in Prague’s shopping district, and it’s just a 10 minute walk from Old Town Square.

The rooms are simple but comfortable. They have air conditioning, which is always a plus for us. There’s a fitness center with a sauna and a swanky on-site restaurant.

3 Days in Prague Map

Ready to explore Prague’s top attractions and hidden gems? Use the map below to help plan out your 3-day itinerary exploring Prague, Czech Republic.

With its beautiful architecture, rich history, and thriving art and culture, this vibrant city is sure to captivate and enchant.

I hope this 3-day itinerary helps you plan the perfect vacation to Prague!

Save on Prague’s Top Attractions

Want to save big on Prague’s top attractions? With the Prague CoolPass, you can save a ton on the cost of entrance tickets to 70+ museums, tours, and attractions all around the city!

Visit bucket list attractions, enjoy top tours, and discover hidden gems handpicked by local experts. With one price and one pass, you have everything you need right on your phone. This is the perfect pass for a 3 day trip to Prague!

Get your Prague CoolPass here.

Prague 3 Day Itinerary FAQ

More Prague Travel Tips

• 24 Best Things to Do in Prague, Czech Republic
• Karlštejn Castle & Křivoklát Castle Day Trip from Prague
• Visiting Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic
• Where to Eat and Drink in Prague, Czech Republic
• Visiting Křivoklát Castle in Křivoklát, Czech Republic
• Visiting Karlštejn Castle in Karlštejn, Czech Republic

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Ready to visit Prague, Czech Republic? Plan your trip with these tips.

• Book Your Flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
• Find Accommodation: You can find top hotels in Prague using Booking.com.
• Start Packing: Check out my packing list resources so you’re prepared for your trip.
• Explore the City: Get access to 70+ attractions at a great price with the Prague CoolPass.

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Cheers!

Paige

Did you find this 3 day Prague itinerary helpful? Let me know in the comments!