Prague: How Much Time Should I Spend There? Ideas for 2,3 and 4+ Days

Prague is a beautiful Eastern European city that has so much to offer even the most discerning traveller. With impressive architectural highlights and a whole host of cultural history (as well as rock bottom prices!), you could easily spend weeks or months in Prague! But if you have just a select number of vacation days, how do you decide how many days you should spend in Prague? Read on to find out my top tips so you can create a trip of a lifetime…

How Much Time Should I Spend in Prague?

Prague is a fantastic city break for a long weekend as you can easily explore the highlights in two or three days. Ideally, you’d give yourself between three and five days discovering Prague, as there is so much to see and do in and around the city.

If you’re visiting Prague as part of an extended trip exploring a number of spots in Europe, you could happily spend anywhere between two days and a week in Prague, depending on how much you like it.

What is There to See and do in Prague?

While I don’t want to put anyone off who is not particularly into buildings, it’s fair to say that Prague is all about the architecture! The city of spires is a breath-takingly beautiful place that will make even the most architecturally-adverse traveller fall in love with buildings and design. It’s not a UNESCO World Heritage City for nothing after all!

Prague was a Bohemian stronghold with a wealth of history and culture, creating the majestic landscape we see today. With colourful buildings, pristine bridges, terracotta roofs and more castle and church spires than you could shake a stick at, Prague offers photo opportunities at every turn!

The Old Town Square, Astronomical Clock, Church of Our Lady Upon Tyn, the Goltz Kinsky Palace, Charles Bridge, Wenceslas Square and the Prague Castle are just a few of the many highlights that first-time visitors will want to explore.

Here I’ll break down the types of things you’ll be able to fit into a two, three or four+ day itinerary in Prague so you can plan a trip to this stunning city in line with your timeframe and travel plans.

How to Spend Two Days In Prague

While you could easily spend much longer than two days in Prague, if you only have a weekend to squeeze in a trip, then two days is better than none! You’ll want to plan parts of your trip (including early arrival flights and a late departure), so you can make the most of the time you have available to you.

Prague is a relatively compact city, so most of the main town can be seen on foot over two days simply by wandering the city streets. You’ll want to try and plan your weekend to Prague when there looks likely to have good weather (or pack accordingly!) as much of your time will be spent outside. While Prague has several excellent museums, it’s unlikely you’ll have too much time to spend inside if you want to see the majority of Prague’s highlights in two days.

It’s also important to note that Prague gets dark at around 4 pm during the long winter months, so you won’t have as long to spend seeing the architectural gems that this city is known for, or for admiring the views over the city of spires.

If you’re visiting Prague for two days, you’ll want to check out the main attractions which include Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, Malá Strana, the Old Town (in particular the Old Town Square), the Jewish Quarter and Wenceslas Square. These top sights will all but take up 48 hours, allowing time for discovering some of the sights/museums and stopping off for plenty of delicious local refreshments along the way!

Three Days In Prague

If you have three days to spend in Prague, perhaps over a long weekend, you’ll be able to enjoy all of the highlights (as aforementioned in the two-day itinerary) and more. This extra time will allow you to see some additional areas such as Petrin Hill or to take a walk along the Vltava River or a trip up the Town Hall Tower. Petrin Hill, located on the opposite side of the river to the main square, can be reached by cable car or a hillside walk. From this vantage point, you can enjoy fantastic views of the city as well as seeing the Mini Eiffel Tower that is situated at the top.

Allowing yourself three days will also give you time to enjoy an evening concert or maybe get a taste of the world-famous Prague nightlife! You might even want to add in a food or beer tour to get a real feel for local food and culture. Giving yourself three days instead of two means you won’t need to rush around and can give yourself some slack if you’ve consumed one too many Czech beers the night before!

If you visit Prague over a festive period, the extra day will also give you a chance to spend plenty of time exploring the city’s Easter or Christmas markets that are held in the Old Town Square, without missing out on seeing the main sights. These can be a great place to stock up on some gifts and souvenirs to remind you of your time in the Czech capital.

Four+ Days In Prague

If you’re lucky enough to have four or more days available to dedicate to seeing Prague, you will be able to take a leisurely pace and spend as long as you want exploring each sight and museum. Spending four+ days in Prague is a particularly good idea if you are a bit of an arts or culture buff as you will have time to check out the National Gallery, Lobkowicz Palace, the Franz Kafka Museum, the National Museum or even The State Opera. Prague also has a number of statues dotted around the city which can be fun to explore either as part of a walking tour or just stumbling upon them during a city stroll.

Spending multiple days in Prague also gives you the option of visiting Castle Hill over two consecutive days (as the ticket allows), which is ideal if you want to witness both the castle and the city in different lights. Getting up for sunrise and heading across Charles Bridge and up to Castle Hill at dawn (before it is packed with tourists) is a wonderful idea, and if you have plenty of time you won’t feel bad heading back to your hotel for an afternoon siesta after an early morning start!

Four or more days in Prague allows you additional time to have long lunches, late nights, day trips and boozy brunches to your heart’s content!

Day Trips To Take From Prague

If you have longer to spend in the Czech Republic, you might want to consider taking some day trips from Prague to add to your experience. These could be outdoor activities, foodie experiences or cultural highlights. These are some of my favourite day trips from Prague:

Day Trip To Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov is a picture-perfect town in South Bohemia in the Czech Republic that looks like it has stepped out of a fairy tale. The terracotta roofs, winding medieval streets, riverside walkways and famous castle all help to create a magical atmosphere that you’ll remember for a lifetime. Taking a tour to Český Krumlov allows you to explore this enchanting town with ease, with a multi-lingual tour guide giving you an insight into Český Krumlov’s history, culture and architecture. You can’t miss with this tour.

Day Trip to Kutna Hora and the Bone Chapel

If you’re into the mysterious and somewhat macabre, you might be interested in visiting Kutna Hora and the Bone Chapel (a link to an amazing tour). This is one of the most popular day trip tours from Prague as it lies just an hour away and yet seems worlds apart from standard city life. The historic buildings of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kutna Hora, and the Sedlec Ossuary (Bone Chapel) give an insight into the Kingdom of Bohemia, allowing the stories of days gone by to come to life!

Prague Hot Air Balloon Tour

Not only are the landscapes and views within the city of Prague beautiful, but the surrounds are too! Taking a hot air balloon ride up over Prague and the nearby countryside allows you to witness sprawling natural landscapes, historical castles and a breath-taking sunrise or sunset from around 1000m up in the air. Enjoying the vistas from above can be an excellent way of marking a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary. You’ll even be able to celebrate this adventure with a glass of bubbly when you return to land! This is our recommend company hot air balloon company.

Hopefully, by now you’ll be able to weigh up how long you want to spend in Prague and can start looking up flights or trains to this spectacular city. While Prague can be explored over two jam-packed days, it’s probably best to give yourself a little extra time so that you can relax and enjoy the experience. The more time you have, the more you will be able to get off the main tourist trail and get under the skin of the city.

Have you been to Prague? How long did you spend there? Was it enough or would you have liked more time to see the city sights? Let us know in the comments below!

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Hannah Champion

Hannah was bitten by the travel bug early in life with numerous family holidays to the south of France and even an epic round-the-world voyage to visit family friends at just the age of six. Ever since then her wanderlust has continued to be the focal point of her life. Although she studied French and European Film at university, Hannah moved straight into the world of travel when it came to getting a job. She began her career by helping people organise their gap year adventures before moving on to content and communications for a luxury safari company. Hannah has now combined her passion for travel with freelance work so that she can travel around the globe working as she goes. Her main loves are beaches, food, temples and wildlife and if she can find somewhere that ticks all those boxes, even better! Having travelled to 40 countries so far Hannah has been lucky enough to have a taster into a huge range of cultures and communities, but there are still so many to uncover. Each time she meets a new person on the road it seems there is yet another destination to add to her never-ending bucket list!