Five days lets Prague unfold properly. The first three cover the icons - the Old Town and Jewish Quarter, Prague Castle and Malá Strana, the New Town and Vyšehrad - at an unhurried pace, while Days 4 and 5 step beyond the postcard into the neighbourhoods where Praguers actually live: leafy Vinohrady, pub-loving Žižkov, and the creative riverside of Holešovice, Karlín, and Letná. This is where the city's outsized café, beer, and gallery culture comes into its own, and where the views come without the crowds. The plan still assumes a central base and a transit pass, and you can freely swap Day 5 for the Kutná Hora day trip (see the dedicated guide). As always, start mornings early for the big sights, keep the indoor stops for a wet afternoon, and save anything that appeals straight into your own editable itinerary.
5 Days in Prague: The Ultimate Itinerary
Old Town Orientation
09:00Prague Astronomical Clock & Old Town Hall (Staroměstský orloj)
Open on Old Town Square beneath the 1410 Astronomical Clock, catching the hourly Walk of the Apostles before the square fills. Take in the Týn Church towers and the swirl of Gothic and Baroque facades.
Tip: Watch the show from across the square for the best view of the full dial, then move before the next busload arrives.
10:00Old Town Hall Tower (Staroměstská radnice)
Climb (or take the lift up) the Old Town Hall Tower attached to the clock for a 360-degree panorama straight over the square, the Týn towers, the red roofs, and across to the castle.
Tip: An early-bird discount applies in the first opening hour - one of the best-value views in the centre.
11:30Havelské tržiště (Havel's Market)
Wander to Havelské tržiště, the Old Town's only surviving open-air market, trading since 1232. Browse the stalls of fruit, flowers, ceramics, wooden toys, and Czech souvenirs between the two big squares.
Tip: Good for an honest souvenir away from the tourist-trap shops; haggling is not really a thing, but quality varies stall to stall.
13:00Kantýna
Lunch at Kantýna, an Ambiente butcher-and-canteen near Wenceslas Square where you pick cuts of Czech beef grilled over open fire and sold by weight, with tartare, bramborák, and tank beer.
Tip: No reservations - go at opening or slightly off-peak. It is in a former bank hall, so the room itself is worth a look.
15:00Grand Café Orient
Take coffee and a Czech dessert at the Grand Café Orient, the world's only fully Cubist café, on the first floor of Josef Gočár's House of the Black Madonna - everything from the chandeliers to the coat hooks follows the angular style.
Tip: Try the věneček or a slice of cake; the balcony tables over Celetná are the ones to angle for.
17:30Charles Bridge (Karlův most)
Finish the day crossing Charles Bridge toward Malá Strana at golden hour, the Baroque statues silhouetted and the castle glowing above the river - the definitive Prague photograph.
Tip: For an even quieter crossing, come back at sunrise on another morning; at dusk it is busy but magical.
Prague Castle, Petřín & Malá Strana
09:00Prague Castle (Pražský hrad)
Arrive early at Prague Castle to walk the courtyards, Old Royal Palace, and Golden Lane before the crowds. Allow the morning for a thousand years of Czech history on one ridge above the river.
Tip: Free to enter the grounds; buy the circuit ticket for the interiors. Tram 22 drops you at the upper gate to save the climb.
09:45St. Vitus Cathedral (Katedrála svatého Víta)
Inside the walls, St. Vitus Cathedral soars over the tombs of Bohemian kings, its stained glass - including Mucha's celebrated window - lighting the Gothic nave. The spiritual heart of the castle and the country.
Tip: Go right after opening, before the nave fills; the Mucha window is on the north side.
12:30U Modré Kachničky
Lunch on duck and game at 'The Blue Duckling' in Malá Strana, an old-world salon of antiques and hand-painted walls serving the city's most romantic take on traditional Bohemian cooking.
Tip: Reserve ahead and settle in - this is a leisurely, occasion lunch rather than a quick stop.
14:30Vojanovy sady (Vojan Gardens)
Slip into Vojan Gardens, Prague's oldest surviving garden, a walled Baroque oasis of peacocks, fruit trees, and quiet chapels hidden behind the Lesser Town lanes.
Tip: Free and blissfully calm - a perfect digestif stroll before climbing the hill.
15:30Petřín Lookout Tower (Petřínská rozhledna)
Climb Petřín Hill to its Eiffel-style 1891 lookout tower for sweeping late-afternoon panoramas, with rose gardens, orchards, and a mirror maze scattered across the slopes.
Tip: Funicular reopening is expected summer 2026; otherwise it is a 20-25 minute uphill walk through the gardens.
18:00Café Slavia
End across the river at Café Slavia, Prague's most storied café, open since 1884 opposite the National Theatre, its Art Deco windows framing the Vltava, Charles Bridge, and the castle. A live pianist often plays in the evening.
Tip: Ask for a window table for the river-and-castle view; it was the haunt of writers and dissidents from Rilke to Havel.
New Town, the Riverfront & Vyšehrad
09:30Mucha Museum
Start with Alfons Mucha's sinuous Art Nouveau posters and panels at the Mucha Museum, the world's first dedicated to the artist, in a Baroque palace just off Wenceslas Square.
Tip: Compact and rewarding; about an hour, with a short film on the Slav Epic to round it off.
11:00National Museum (Národní muzeum)
Walk up Wenceslas Square - the stage of the 1989 Velvet Revolution - to the monumental National Museum, the country's largest, with collections from natural history to Czech national history beneath its restored dome.
Tip: The underground passage links the historic palace to the modern New Building; the dome viewpoint looks straight down the square.
13:00Café Louvre
Lunch at Café Louvre on Národní, a Parisian-style grand café and billiard hall open since 1902 and once frequented by Einstein and Kafka, serving everything from breakfast to Czech classics.
Tip: A reliable, atmospheric mid-day stop; the billiard hall upstairs is a fun detour.
14:30Dancing House (Tančící dům)
Stroll to the riverfront and the Dancing House, Gehry and Milunić's curving 1996 'Ginger and Fred', a playful jolt of modernism against the Art Nouveau embankment.
Tip: Shoot it from the Jirásek Bridge opposite for the full profile; the rooftop terrace bar is ticketed but worth a drink.
15:30Vyšehrad
Follow the river south to Vyšehrad, the clifftop fortress of Prague's founding myth, with its twin-spired basilica, ramparts, and the cemetery where Dvořák and Smetana lie. Stay for the sunset over the Vltava.
Tip: Free to roam; the bastion walls give the best crowd-free panorama in the city. Bring a snack and a drink for the view.
U Fleků
Dinner at U Fleků, Prague's oldest brewery-restaurant, founded in 1499 and brewing a distinctive dark 13-degree lager found nowhere else, served with hearty Czech fare across its warren of halls.
Tip: Touristy but genuinely historic; the dark beer is the thing. Wave off the trays of shots unless you want them on the bill.
Žižkov & Vinohrady: Local Prague
09:30National Monument at Vítkov
Climb Vítkov Hill to the monumental 1930s memorial fronted by one of the world's largest bronze equestrian statues, of Hussite general Jan Žižka, for a sweeping, crowd-free view over Karlín and Žižkov to the castle.
Tip: The hill and esplanade are free; the rooftop terrace needs memorial admission (Tue-Sun). A quiet, local start to the day.
11:00Žižkov Television Tower (Žižkovská televizní věž)
Cross into Žižkov for its rocket-like TV tower, Prague's tallest structure, where David Černý's faceless crawling 'Babies' cling to the pylons. Ride up to the 93-metre observation deck for a very different skyline view.
Tip: The Babies are free to spot from below; the deck is ticketed. The surrounding streets are full of Žižkov's famous pubs.
12:30Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord (Kostel Nejsvětějšího Srdce Páně)
Move to Vinohrady's tree-shaded náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad for Jože Plečnik's audacious 1932 Church of the Most Sacred Heart, its glazed-brick facade rising to a flat tower pierced by the country's largest glass clock.
Tip: The exterior is the showpiece and viewable anytime; the interior opens mainly around services.
13:00Farmers' Market at Jiřák (Farmářské tržiště Jiřák)
Lunch at the farmers' market on the same square, known to locals simply as 'Jiřák', where Czech growers sell produce, cheese, baked goods, and street food in a relaxed neighbourhood crowd.
Tip: Busiest and best on Saturdays with live music; on other days it is a smaller but pleasant graze. Bring a little cash.
15:00Riegrovy sady (Rieger Gardens)
Spend the late afternoon in Riegrovy sady, the Vinohrady park whose open hillside lawns frame Prague Castle at sunset. Its lively beer garden, nicknamed 'Riegrák', is one of the city's great warm-weather hangouts.
Tip: Grab a half-litre and a bench on the slope for the castle-and-sunset view - a quintessential local evening.
18:30Bukowski's Bar
Round off in Žižkov at Bukowski's, a dark, candlelit cocktail bar named for the writer and loved by locals for well-made, fairly priced drinks and a laid-back, slightly debauched vibe.
Tip: Cash-friendly and unpretentious; it sits among Žižkov's pubs if you want to keep the night going.
Holešovice, Karlín & Letná
09:30Letná Park & Metronome (Letenské sady)
Start on the Letná plateau at the giant red Metronome, which ticks where a colossal Stalin monument once stood, for one of the best free panoramas across the Vltava and its bridges to the Old Town.
Tip: A favourite skate and picnic spot; the terrace view is free and at its softest in morning light.
11:00National Gallery Prague — Trade Fair Palace (Veletržní palác)
Walk into Holešovice for the National Gallery's Trade Fair Palace, a vast 1928 functionalist landmark holding 19th-to-21st-century art from Czech modernists to Picasso, Klimt, and Van Gogh - and Mucha's monumental Slav Epic.
Tip: Closed Mondays. It is huge, so pick a couple of floors rather than trying to see everything.
13:00Eska
Lunch in foodie Karlín at Eska, a converted-factory bakery and bistro fusing fire-baking and fermentation with modern Czech cooking; its wood-fired sourdough and charred potato are local icons. It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for value.
Tip: The ground-floor bakery is great for a quicker bite; book the bistro for a proper sit-down lunch.
14:30DOX Centre for Contemporary Art
Spend the afternoon at DOX, Prague's leading contemporary-art centre in a converted Holešovice factory, known for provocative, socially engaged shows and the giant wooden Gulliver Airship perched on its roof.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Climb up into the airship if it is open to visitors during your exhibition.
16:00Stromovka (Royal Game Reserve / Královská obora)
Unwind in Stromovka, Prague's largest central park, a sprawling English landscape of ponds, footbridges, and ancient trees laid out as a royal hunting ground in the 13th century - the city's 'Central Park'.
Tip: An easy, leafy walk back toward Letná; rent nothing, just wander the shaded paths and pond-side lawns.
18:00Letná Beer Garden (Letenský zámeček)
Finish at the Letná beer garden beside its neo-Renaissance chateau, pouring cheap draught beer under chestnut trees with the city's finest free panorama of the Old Town and the Vltava bridges at sunset.
Tip: The open-air kiosks are cash-only; arrive before sunset in peak season to claim a bench. A perfect last Prague evening.
FAQ
- Is five days too long for Prague?
- Not at all. Three days cover the icons, but Prague rewards a slower pace: Days 4 and 5 trade the crowded centre for the neighbourhoods - Vinohrady, Žižkov, Holešovice, Karlín, and Letná - where the city's café, beer, and gallery culture and its best free views actually live. You will leave feeling you understood the city, not just ticked it off.
- Can I swap a day for a trip out of the city?
- Easily. Day 5 is the natural one to swap for the classic Kutná Hora day trip to the Sedlec 'Bone Church' and St. Barbara's Cathedral, about an hour away by train (see the dedicated guide). Český Krumlov and Karlštejn Castle are other popular escapes if you have the appetite.
- Where should I stay for a five-day trip?
- Base yourself centrally in the Old Town or Malá Strana for the first days' sights, or - better value and more local - in Vinohrady or Žižkov, which you will explore on Day 4 and which are a short tram or metro ride from everything. All keep you close to the restaurants and bars in this plan.
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