Activities or How to Spend Your Time in Prague

Prague is bursting at the seams with things to do. Highbrow pursuits rival opportunities for more frivolous entertainment. Whether you choose the city’s rich musical heritage or enjoy a pint of Pilsner in one of its legendary beer cellars, this is the city where there really is something for everyone.

Most visitors enjoy relaxed walking in Prague and discovering nice views, historic buildings, religious icons and famous inhabitants. There are plenty of walking tours to choose from, some covering the general history of the city. In contrast, others are focused on specific themes – the history of the Jewish community, Romanesque Prague, Gothic Prague, Baroque Prague, Renaissance Prague or Composers’ Prague. You can join a group or book your own personal guide.

If the idea of walking does not appeal to you, you can always blend culture with comfort by taking a ride through Prague instead. Horse-drawn carriages carry you at a gentle pace through the cobbled streets of Old Town. Or you can opt for a ride in a vintage car – open-top, weather permitting. Generally, all tours depart from Old Town Square. Riverboats are another option for seeing the city from a different angle – lunch cruise, evening cruise with dinner or cruise with live music where live jazz bands play.

Activities in Summertime

Open-air films on the Island of Střelecký Ostrov are broadcast each night at around 9 pm, from the middle of July until early September. Also, many people find paddling down the river enjoyable in a warm climate.

Activities in the Evening

The grounds of Prague Castle remain open until midnight and offer a picturesque, crowd-free area to explore during the evenings. Concerts held in the Municipal House, the Rudolfinum and the National Theater showcase great performers at fantastic prices.

Best activities

•  Listen to some Mozart – the real thing at the Estates Theatre or starring puppets at the National Marionette Theatre. The Estates Theatre hosted the première of Mozart’s Don Giovanni in 1787, and this opera can still be seen here today or alternately performed by puppets at the National Marionette Theatre.

• Take a walk up Wenceslas Square, stopping to look at Josef Myslbek’s famous equestrian statue of St. Wenceslas and the small shrine to the martyrs of the communist era. St. Wenceslas is flanked at the foot of the monument by statues of his grandmother, Ludmila, Vojtěk, Prokop and Anežska. The square became the focus for demonstrating Praguers and has been the scene of both tragic and joyous events in the city’s history – most recently, the Velvet Revolution of 1989, which drove out the communist regime.

• Visit some famous traditional Czech pubs, where guests sit at plain wooden tables and wait to be served glasses of the frothy Pilsner Urquell lager.

• Visit some famous Cafes – many lovely cafes serve great coffee and snacks.

• Rent a rowing boat or pedalo on the Vltava river, which will give you an interesting new perspective on the city. You will find boat rentals open every day from April to the end of October, from 9 am to nightfall under Charles Bridge, directly across from Club Lávka, or on Slovanský Ostrov.

• Engage in fitness regimes, spa treatments or Thai massage. Treating yourself to a massage or a spa treatment is affordable – and you know you are worth it. Cybex Health Club and Spa Prague Hilton, Pobřžení Street or World Class Fitness Centre Wenceslas Square 22 are good choices. Thai massage parlours have recently gained popularity and thus can be found all around the city.

• Go into one of Prague’s hidden churches and cloisters, which are often used for musical concerts and, therefore, rehearsals. Slip in through the side door, pay your respects and, if possible, stay for the angelic acoustics.

• Try the National Museum, if you are a museum-goer, as it offers visitors free admission on the first Monday of the month as many others do. When you pick up the Prague Post, check for any gallery exhibition openings.

• Visit some numerous shopping malls. Here are some located in the heart of the city. Palladium and Myslbek Centre are probably the most lavish and well-equipped in Prague, with a good range of shops like Marks & Spencer, Marlboro Classics, Kookai, Calvin Klein, Gant USA and Next, to name a few. There’s even a sushi bar. Černá Růže Shopping Centrum is a modern shopping centre on Na příkopě and contains a mix of shops, cafés and restaurants. Outlets include Adidas, Bang & Olufsen, Daniel Hechter, Dolce & Gabbana and Mambo.

• During the summer months, take a trip on Prague’s historic tram 91, which can be great fun too. The National Theatre, Lesser Town Square and Wenceslas Square are all boarding points.
• The Prague zoo is visited by 1.3 million people every year. After the flood in 2002, it turned into one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe. The area of the Prague zoo is 60 hectares. More than 5000 animals in 650 species live in the 10 pavilions and 15o outside expositions. The garden’s pride is the pavilion of the Indonesian jungle, which is the largest exposition for animals in the Czech Republic and the pavilions for gorillas, giraffes, big cats, penguins or gharials or the Children’s zoo with its contact animals. If you come with kids, there is no better place for a trip to Prague.

Best Place for a View over the City

Prague is a city of red rooftops, towers, and golden spires; of wooded hills and amazing views. Every visitor who climbs the steps to the castle is rewarded with a great view over the city. But if you want to escape the crowds, there are other lofty vantage points, including Vyšehrad, Petřín Hill Tower, Letná Park, TV tower, Old Town Hall Towers and St Henry’s Tower.