A city break promises lots of good things. Good food. Culture. History. Fun activities. Beautiful scenery. Prague offers this and so much more. Rated as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, we fell in love with the Czech capital during our 4 days in Prague. We loved the cobblestone streets, the gothic spires and towers, beautiful parks and the ornate architecture.
Spending 4 days in Prague is a great amount of time to see the main sights, tick off a few bucket list locations and maybe even uncover a few hidden gems? We like to think we did exactly that! From seeing Charles Bridge and Prague Castle, to uncovering hidden Cold War Bunkers, secret bars and stunning viewpoints over the city. We packed a lot into our 4 days in Prague – but that’s what city breaks are all about!
If you’re looking for some trip inspiration or planning to visit this wonderful city, then here’s our trip report of our 4 days in Prague: the city of a hundred spires.
4 Days in Prague
Day one
We arrived from London Heathrow to Prague’s Václav Havel Airport at 9:30am and we were looking forward to having a whole day ahead of us to kick start our 4 days in Prague.
We booked a return journey with Prague Airport Transfers who we could not recommend enough! The cost was about £25 each way which we thought was reasonable and we booked everything online in advance. Our driver met us at the arrivals gate, and we received a text to let us know he was waiting for us. The journey took about 20-25 minutes, and he dropped us off directly outside our apartment. Compared to 40 minutes taking a bus and tram.
Where to stay
We booked the beautiful Apartment Nebovidy for the duration of our 4 days in Prague. The apartment is ideally located in Mala Strana, a short walk from Kampa Park and Charles Bridge. We personally fell in love with the leafy parks and streets of Mala Strana. Everything was accessible and close by. Even all the old town sights on the other side of the river were only a 15 – 20 minute walk away. There is also plenty to do in Mala Strana. During our 4 days in Prague we found we spent more time on that side of the river, compared to the old town.
We arrived at the apartment shortly before 10:30am. Although it was too early to check-in, our host kindly looked after our bags for us so we could head off exploring.
Exploring Mala Strana
First things first. Time to get our bearings for our 4 days in Prague! So we planned a “DIY walking tour” around Mala Strana, starting with Petrin Tower. We decided to ride the funicular to the top of Petrin Hill, which was a 5 minute walk away. You can walk to the tower through the park if you’d rather, but it’s not easy going! The walk to the top is steep in many places, but there are lots of benches and places to sit if needed.
We found the funicular station no problem, and bought our tickets at the turnstile. A one-way ticket was about £2 per person (60czk) and goes to the top of the hill, a short walk from the tower. However, we didn’t realise there’s a stop halfway up and got off the funicular a stop too early! We then had a steep (but doable) 10 minute walk to the top – doh! The park is beautiful and peaceful though, and we enjoyed our unplanned detour.
Petrin Tower
At the foot of Petrin Tower there is a small café, so you can grab some refreshments (needed if you have walked up through the park). We purchased our tickets inside the tower and paid a small additional fee for the lift to the top. Our tickets were roughly £25 (733czk), for x2 adults. The lift to the top of the tower is behind a big vault-like door which was unexpected! The lift only holds about 4 people too, so it’s not for the faint hearted! But you’re out and up the top within a couple of minutes. Whether you walk the 299 steps to the top, or brave the vault-like elevator, you are rewarded with breath-taking views stretching far and wide across Prague.
We arrived shortly before 11am, on a Tuesday in April, so I’m not sure how busy the tower gets during peak season, but we were surprised to have the tower mostly all to ourselves! The weather was also on our side and we had a beautiful clear, sunny day. From the top we could view all the way down to the gothic spires of the Church of Our Lady and out towards the TV Tower in the distance. We were honestly wowed by the view! “What a way to start our 4 days in Prague” we thought!
St. Wencesla’s Vineyard
Keen on hunting down more photogenic points on our first day, we took a 30 minute walk through the streets of Mala Strana to St. Wencesla’s Vineyard. Located just outside Prague Castle, this appeared to be a hidden gem amongst the tourist hustle and bustle. It is not the biggest vineyard, but it has a cute little terrace, where you can drink in both the wine and the views.
How busy this place gets during the peak season, we’re not sure? We arrived sometime after 12pm and had our pick of spots. We loved sitting here, sipping on Czech wine and taking in the views across the river to the old town.
The price we paid for the wine was a little on the high side for Czech prices (about £20 for 2 large glasses of wine). That said, it is just outside a touristy area of the castle. It is a vineyard. And we expected to pay a bit of a premium for the view. We didn’t mind this, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re visiting.
St Nicholas Bell Tower
Prague is known as the city of a hundred spires, and we planned to climb a lot of them! We always love a viewpoint, and Prague was no different. From the vineyard, we had a 10 minute walk downhill to St Nicholas Bell Tower. Located in the heart of Malá Strana, you can’t miss the bell tower with its blue tipped roof.
Attached to the Church of St Nicholas and built in 1755, the bell tower previously served as a fire watchtower. During the 1960s-80s, the tower became an observation post for the secret police during the Communist era, where they monitored western embassies. It has certainly had a colourful history. Today however, it has a small exhibition on it’s past, but mostly serves as a vantage point for one of the best viewpoints in Prague.
We bought our tickets inside and had the whole place to ourselves. There’s 215 spiral steps to the top, but the views are worth it! Our tickets were also a little over £5 each (190czk) which we thought was pretty good!
Kampa Park
Continuing our DIY walking tour of Mala Strana, our next stop was the John Lennon Memorial – our first “avoid” recommendation. The memorial started shortly after Lennon’s murder in 1980, as a symbolic site and act of free speech. In reality though, the mural has been covered in stickers and graffiti. You can no longer see any of John Lennon’s face, and it doesn’t seem to serve much historical purpose now.
From here, we took a short walk to Prague’s narrowest alley. A tourist novelty perhaps, but we surprisingly enjoyed it and were quite amused by it! The street is only 70cm wide, with a traffic light system at either end of the alley. Google says this is “closed” for some reason, but we can confirm that’s not the case. The alley only leads down to a restaurant, but we thought it was a bit of light hearted fun!
Moving on, we explored the river bank towards Kampa Park. There are some beautiful viewpoints of Charles Bridge along this stretch, and mostly out the way of large crowds who seem to stay close to, or on the bridge itself.
Cutting through the park we found a beautiful little spot called Piknik Park, where we ordered a beer and wine. Like everything we had come across, it was peaceful and quiet and we had the terrace to ourselves. It has a beautiful lookout over the canal, with lots of bird boxes, and we enjoyed watching all the busy little birds.
We’d had a fantastic start to our 4 days in Prague, and as evening rolled in, we found Laboratorio Della Pizza around the corner from our apartment. We ordered a four cheese pizza each and promptly headed back to the apartment for some much needed kip!
Day two
Feeling well rested after a long day on our feet, we were ready to go again! Next on the list for our 4 days in Prague, we had planned to venture over to the old town. We were up and out the door early, and we were walking across Charles Bridge by 7:30am. This was the perfect start to the day, where we could enjoy the “main sights” of Prague all to ourselves. Other than the 2 of us, the only other people crossing the bridge were commuters and joggers. If you cross the bridge midday onwards it is a very different experience!
We walked across the bridge into the old town and took in the view of the Church of Our Lady and the Astronomical Clock. Again, at that time of the morning there was no-one really around, so we got to enjoy uninterrupted views which were definitely worth getting up early for!
After grabbing a few photos, we turned back on ourselves slightly and headed for Coffee & Waffles – an all day breakfast place we had read great things about! Oli ordered a black coffee and waffles with salted caramel ice cream on top, while Mandy ordered the apple strudel waffles with a matcha tea (which also happened to be the best matcha we tried during our 4 days in Prague). Coffee & Waffles comes highly recommended by us!
The top of Prague’s Old Town Hall
Feeling very full and happy, we made our way back to the old town to head to the top of the Old Town Hall Tower. It can be confusing knowing what’s what in Prague. For those not too sure, the Astronomical Clock is attached to the Old Town Hall, and it is the Town Hall’s Tower that you climb up. The official website can be found here.
We accidentally walked in through the wooden doors to left of the tower (which is not the way in!) Slightly further along are a set of double glass doors with reception inside where you can purchase your tickets. An added bonus was that we received a 50% discount on our tickets because we arrived within the first hour of opening! The cost was roughly 300czk (£10) for the both of us. You can also pay a little extra to ride a glass lift to the top, but we opted for the stairs instead.
At almost 70 meters high, it is not the tallest tower in Prague, but it does offer one of the most iconic views imaginable in Prague. Personally, we think the Church of Our Lady is one of the most stunning European Churches around. We love its dramatic black spires and gothic design. Being able to admire it from the top of the tower was the icing on the cake! From the top, you can walk around for 360 degree views over Prague; from Prague Castle, to the TV Tower, and over all of Prague’s iconic red rooftops.
Visiting the TV Tower
Before heading to the TV Tower, we took a stroll through the town square towards the Jewish Quarter. This is an interesting and historic part of the city. You can book tours for a deeper dive on the history and visit the many synagogues, but we opted for a self-wander and just enjoyed taking in the views and the incredible architecture.
The TV Tower is quite out of the way from everything else. It’s roughly a 20 minute tram ride or a 45 minute walk from the old town. We chose to grab a Bolt (basically Uber for those not familiar), which took 20 minutes even in Prague traffic. If you take the tram, your nearest stop is Jiřího z Poděbrad, with an 8 minute walk to the tower, but we liked the convenience that the taxi would take us straight to the entrance.
At 216m it’s the tallest tower in the city and features quite a harsh brutalist concrete design. Inside the tower is a hotel, a restaurant & bar, plus an observation deck 93m up, with 360 degree views. A creepy element though is that leading Czech artist, David Černý, installed about 10 crawling babies up the side of the building. You’ll also see more of these babies dotted about the city. We headed inside and grabbed our tickets from reception, which were about 300czk (£10) per person.
Overall, we wouldn’t suggest you come out of your way to visit the tower. The whole place smelt very damp, and the views weren’t amazing, particularly when looking out through quite dirty glass. The views are more impressive closer to the city centre. We did however grab a drink at the restaurant and shared a slice of cake, which was nice!
Exploring hidden Cold War Bunkers
For the afternoon, we booked tickets online for a tour of the hidden bunkers below the Hotel Jalta. Also known as the Cold War Museum, or the Nuclear War Bunker. This was easily one of our top highlights during our 4 days in Prague! You can reserve your booking online for free and pay for your space at the start of the tour.
Built between 1954 and 1958, the bunker was built along with the hotel, after the original building was accidentally bombed by allied forces. The bunker can be found 20 meters below ground, and was designed to hold up to 150 people, including important communist officials and officers in the event of nuclear war, for a period of 2 months. Thankfully this never happened and over time the hidden bunkers were used by the secret police instead.
Going underground…
We met our guide (dressed in period themed police uniform) in the hotel lobby, before heading down to the bunker. The museum splits its focus as a nuclear bunker, and also its latter years as a hub for the secret police. We began the tour in the cold war medical room, which instantly gave us shivers, with an old operating table and equipment. In the corner of the room is an old escape tunnel back to Wenceslas Square. If you’re brave enough you can crawl to the end of the tunnel and look up towards the escape ladder and hatch!
We moved from room to room, fascinated by its history. Many of the rooms were completely empty and deserted when the bunkers were first discovered, so many are set-up for how historians believe they would have been used. But much of the kit and equipment is real.
One room that was particularly interesting was the original “engine room” which provided a clean air supply into the bunker in the event of a nuclear disaster. But by far, the bunker’s most interesting history was its use by the secret police, who would use the space to spy on important hotel guests. The final room we were taken into was a secret “monitoring” room, filled with old telephone exchanges and a floorplan of the hotel rooms. Important business would often happen inside those rooms with political members and other prominent nationals, and so the rooms were bugged for the secret police to gain secrets and insider knowledge. There was a lot worse that also happened inside the bunker on behalf of the secret police, in the form of kidnapping and torture! But you will have to visit yourself to learn more about its fascinating history.
Cocktails & dinner
Evening rolled round and we were very excited! Completely by sheer coincidence, 2 good friends of ours also happened to be visiting Prague the same time as us! We couldn’t wait to meet up for some dinner and drinks!
While we waited for them to arrive, we decided to grab a couple of drinks ourselves. One bar which had caught our attention long before our 4 days in Prague was a place called Anonymous Shrinks. Located in a cellar, with moody vaulted ceilings, this secret bar serves delicious cocktails with a twist! Based on psychiatrist ink blots, this bar provides you with a “menu of ink blots”. But what you have chosen, only they know! Clearly something about their process works though. Oli’s favourite cocktail is an old fashioned, and the ink blot he selected was in fact for an old fashioned!
Anonymous Shrinks is open from 5pm, accepting walk-ins for the first 2 hours. From 7pm you must book a table to avoid disappointment. We enjoyed our drinks and moved on to our next bar to meet our friends.
More interesting cocktails…
Next on our hit-list was “Anonymous Bar” (not to be confused with Anonymous Shrinks), but with a similar vibe.
The bar is completely inspired by V for Vendetta, and the barman even brings you your drinks with a mask on. Creepy. But we loved it! Before this point though, you have to find the bar! This is a challenge in itself. But once inside, the bar definitely has a secret, speakeasy feel to it.
We sat down and ordered a round of cocktails, not realising that each cocktail was weird and wonderful in its own way! One cocktail came with a postcard for us to fill in, and the bar would post for us. Another involved a member of staff taking our photo with a polaroid for us to keep. And when we asked to order a second round of drinks, they gave us a completely different menu with new cocktails on to explore! One of our friends also doesn’t drink alcohol anymore, so our barmen very kindly adapted their cocktails to be mocktails.
Anonymous is so much more than just a bar, they really focus on making your evening an experience. We loved it here and would definitely come back again!
Dinner at GamberoRosso
For dinner, we booked a table for 8pm at GamberoRosso in old town. We booked in advance online, and we were glad we had because the place was packed! A good sign we thought!
We both ordered a 4 cheese pizza (again!) but it did not disappoint! This was the best meal we had during our 4 days in Prague. Our friends also ordered a pizza each which they said was delicious. We enjoyed our meal with a local red wine recommended for us by our waiter, and it was all very lovely!
None of us had starters, so we could all save ourselves for dessert. Between us all we ordered either cheesecake or tiramisu. As mentioned, our friend no longer drinks alcohol anymore and unfortunately the tiramisu turned out to be quite boozy! So we were thoroughly impressed when our waiter took the plate away and served our friend with a brand new, freshly made tiramisu with no alcohol in it!
This was hands down our best meal during our 4 days in Prague. The service was fantastic and the food was even better. A definite recommendation from us!
Day three
We nearing the end of our 4 days in Prague, but we had another busy one planned. This time back on the Mala Strana side of the river. We had another early start to the day, and walked down the road to Artic Bakehouse, based on our apartment host’s recommendation. The place was filled with delicious baked goods, from fresh croissants and pain au chocolat, to muffins, cinnamon swirls and all types of baked breads! On one side of the bakery, you can watch the master at work, with shelves and shelves full of freshly made goodies ready for the oven! This place is a real treat! We both couldn’t resist the cinnamon swirls, which were huge and had a massive helping of cream cheese on top. It tasted incredible. No regrets.
From the bakery, we then had a 30 minute walk through the streets of Mala Strana towards Prague Castle. The route meant we well and truly worked off those cinnamon swirls, because as we approached the castle we were faced with quite a long, steep set of stairs all the way to the top of the hill where the castle is located. We certainly took for granted how hilly this part of Prague is and had quite the workout getting to the castle! However, once we arrived we were also rewarded with an amazing view over the city.
Prague Castle
If we’re honest, we don’t think we truly maximised our time at the castle. We had seen during our 4 days in Prague already just how insanely busy the castle can be. We ensured we arrived early (9:30am) to beat the crowds. But after a few busy days already, I think we were too tired to fully appreciate the complex. We also found the ticketing process quite confusing.
We wanted to go to the top of the Great South Tower in the cathedral, but hadn’t realised this was a different type of ticket we needed to buy. Many people we spoke to said they spent at least half a day exploring the complex, whereas we were there 1 – 2 hours maximum? You can also book a 1 hour guided tour which would be beneficial to learn more about the history of the castle.
Regardless though, the complex was still very impressive. We really enjoyed walking inside the cathedral and were in awe of its detailed and delicate features.
After the castle, we headed down towards the river once more and appreciated some of the beautiful views down towards Charles Bridge. Rain clouds appeared to be rolling in, so we headed inside somewhere for a coffee and waited for the passing shower.
Lesser Town Bridge Tower
During our first day Mala Strana walking tour, there was one other viewpoint we had planned to tick off, but ran out of time for. So once the rain clouds had passed, we headed to the end of Charles Bridge and climbed to the top of the Lesser Town Bridge Tower.
The tower was once part of an ancient gate, which provided access to and from Malá Strana. We entered inside from street level, past groups and groups of people who all seemed to have no idea you could enter the tower. We bought our tickets from the kiosk, which cost us about £6 each (190czk) and climbed the 138 steps to the top.
At 43.5 meters high, the tower is quite small, but offers one of the best photo spots in Prague – completely hidden in plain sight! The Lesser Town Tower is connected via a walkway to the smaller Judith’s Tower (not publicly accessible). It’s hard to compare each of the towers as they all offer a slightly different vantage point. We’d say St Nicholas Church Bell Tower had a bit more to offer. However, from the walkway you have views behind you towards St Nicholas Church, or of Charles Bridge directly below you. You can also see the many other towers and spires of Prague, including the Church of our Lady, Powder Gate, the TV Tower and beyond, offering a unique viewpoint in Prague.
You can find out more about admission prices online. At the other end of the bridge, you can also climb its sister tower, Old Town Bridge Tower.
Powder Gate
For our final tower ascent of the trip, we took a casual walk towards Powder Gate. Located a short walk through the old town, Powder Gate is one of the original 13 city gates that existed, offering access in and out of the old town. It’s a gothic, dark, “sooty” looking tower, which during the 17th century was used to store gunpowder, giving it the name we know today.
At a height of 44 meters, the tower very much mimics the Lesser Town Tower and Old Bridge Tower. However, from the top you can enjoy the views from the back of the Church of our Lady, looking towards Prague Castle, Petrin Tower and Petrin Hill. It also overlooks one of the busiest streets in the city, so it’s great for people watching and watching the world go by.
There are 186 steps to the top, which are much narrower and tighter compared to the other towers in Prague. The first set of spiral stairs have a rope you can hold on to, however this doesn’t last all the way to the top. You can steady yourself from the wall, but take your time all the same and watch your footing.
From the top, you can walk all the way around the top of the tower for some of the best viewpoints in Prague from the TV Tower to Prague Castle. The top is also covered, making for a great rainy day activity.
We bought our tickets from a small kiosk at street level. Full details of opening hours and admission prices can be found online here.
Dinner & drinks
After Powder Gate, we stumbled across Pivovar U Tří růží. Tucked down a side street, just outside of the old town, this place is a true hidden gem. It was relatively quiet inside, with just a few small tables chatting away. They brew their own beers onsite and also serve food.
Oli was especially happy with the beer options. However, not being a beer lover, there wasn’t much available for Mandy. After a quick chat with the barman, we discovered they also stocked some local Czech spirits. We’re not quite sure what it was… it was like a crossover between sherry and whiskey? But it was nice! We enjoyed our stop here so much, that we stayed for another round!
For dinner, we walked up the road to Střecha, a fully vegan restaurant. As vegetarians, we can usually find somewhere to eat with relative ease. But we were particularly excited by the menu here and its ample menu choices! Mandy ordered a burger and Oli had their fried cheese with chips. The schnitzel was also a close contender! The food was great, and we would definitely recommend this place.
After dinner we fancies a nightcap and after another browse on Google Maps, we came across Black Angels Bar. Located in the cellar of Hotel U Prince, opposite the Astronomical Clock, this place was a great find! We were seated straight away in a moody corner, within the cellar arches which we loved! We’re not sure what crowd this place attracts, but there were signs stating not to take photos due to the clientele who frequent there. There was also a drinks cabinet full of signed and autographed bottles! We stayed for a round of cocktails, drinking in the atmosphere and reflecting on our 4 days in Prague so far.
Day four
Our final day in Prague was a beautiful sunny day. We packed up and checked-out early so we could make the most of our final day. We weren’t too sure what to do with our bags for the day, but found a place called EasyLocker, just down the road from our apartment. Using a small kiosk, you pick your locker, enter a code, and choose how long you require the locker for. It was honestly so easy! We highly recommend this as an option if you’re in the Mala Strana area.
We felt like we’d been non-stop during our 4 days in Prague. So for our final day, we opted for a more casual day. Making the most of the beautiful weather, we took a walk up to Letna Park. The park is Prague’s largest green space (around 52 hectares!) and is a peaceful haven, overlooking the hustle and bustle of the old town. It was a short, but steep walk to the top of the park, and wow, the views did not disappoint!
We arrived about 9:30am and found only locals enjoying a morning run or dog walk. It was a lovely place to spend a morning, enjoying the many viewpoints. Our particular favourite spots were in front of Hanau Pavilion, the Metronome or the Letná Beer Garden. But as you explore the park, you’ll find there are loads of beautiful spots and viewpoints to discover.
Afternoon
Feeling hungry, we walked down to Mala Strana to Cafe des Taxis. Again, we thought this was a great little find. It serves mostly a local university crowd, but it was tucked out the way, with good food and drinks. Between us we ordered a coffee and a matcha latte, plus 2 toasties to set us up for the day!
With no agenda, we spent the morning exploring Prague on foot. We wandered over the bridge towards City Hall. We had heard interesting things about the building’s paternoster elevator, which moves in a circular fashion. Unfortunately though, the lift was out of order, so we were unable to visit.
Still keen to enjoy the sunshine, we walked along the river towards Dancing House. The views at this end of Prague are lovely, especially as we crossed the bridge, looking back up towards the old town and Charles Bridge.
At the end of Legion Bridge we found the very cute Claudia Coffee. Located inside one of the bridge pillars, with just a small serving window, this is a fab little place to grab a drink to go. From here, we walked down the steps to Střelecký Island. We found a bench in a nice sunny spot, surrounded by large mature trees and birdsong. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the surroundings and relaxing in the sunshine.
All around the island you can admire exceptional views of Prague, and enjoy a perspective that not many tourists seem to know about. We also saw a small beaver / otter like animal called a Nutria. They’re about the size of a small dog and live around the river banks of the Vltava. If you’re lucky you may see one wandering around or swimming along the shores of the park (they’re very cute!).
Time to leave…
Feeling sad our 4 days in Prague was coming to a close, we decided to re-visit one of our favourite restaurants as a final highlight. We took a short walk through Mala Strana, back to Laboratorio Della Pizza. We treated ourselves to a pizza each and a couple glasses of wine, absolutely loving our final day. From here, we grabbed our bags from EasyLocker, and were picked up by Prague Airport Transfers from outside our Airbnb.
We’ve ticked a number of European cities off our bucket list now, but we think Prague is by far our favourite. Not only is the city full of interesting history and culture, but it’s friendly, welcoming, clean and genuinely beautiful. From the stunning architecture, the vast River Vltava and the leafy Mala Strana neighbourhoods. We just fell in love with Prague. We hope this trip report has inspired you to visit this wonderful city, or maybe re-live some memories if you’ve been before?
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1 comment
Just finished your “4 Days in Prague” trip report. Like you, it is one of my favorite cities, so much so that I am returning this summer to visit it again. I liked your approach of focusing on some lesser known spots along with the main sites. And I especially enjoyed your recommendations on some places to eat or get a drink and will definitely visit some of them. Thanks for the thorough writeup.