🇨🇿Prague
A thousand years of architecture that nobody got around to bombing, a castle district on one bank and a Gothic Old Town on the other, and the best cheap beer in Europe. The center is crowded by ten; the city is wonderful before and after.
Mid-range figures, per person
Per person, no flights — those are just below. The mid-range figure is researched; budget and luxury scale it, so treat the two as rough. The trip calculator and hotels below break the day down properly.
Fares are into Prague. Brno's small airport has few routes, so most visitors arrive by train from Prague or from Vienna's airport; Český Krumlov is about three hours from Prague by bus or train. Ranges are typical fares booked 1–3 months out, checked mid-2026 — school-holiday peaks run higher, and patient shoppers beat the bottom end.
Prices checked · how we work these out
Entry & visa
Czechia is in the Schengen Area. US, UK, Canadian, Australian and most other Western passport holders can stay 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Expect fingerprints and a photo at your first Schengen border under the EU's Entry/Exit System. The EU's ETIAS travel authorization is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026 — check the official ETIAS site before you fly.
Visa rules turn on your nationality and change often — always confirm the current requirement for your own passport with an official government source before you book.
Quick facts
Money & what things cost
Contactless cards work almost everywhere, including on board trams and the airport trolleybus, so you need little cash — a few hundred crowns for small pubs and market stalls. Take it from a bank-branch ATM, avoid the standalone Euronet machines that line the tourist streets, and always decline the machine's offer to charge you in your home currency. Prices quoted in euros are a convenience that costs you: pay in crowns.
What locals earn
| Average monthly salary (Czechia, Q2 2026) | CZK 51,966 gross (≈ $2,480), roughly CZK 40,700 ($1,940) take-home | Prague runs well above the national figure; this is the whole country |
| Minimum wage (2026) | CZK 22,400/month (≈ $1,070) | CZK 134.40 an hour — what a lot of hospitality pays |
Food & drink
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday lunch menu (soup + main) | CZK 150–210 | $7–10 |
| Main course at a Czech pub-restaurant | CZK 200–350 | $9.50–17 |
| Mid-range dinner with a drink, per person | CZK 600–1,000 | $29–48 |
| Coffee (cappuccino) | CZK 60–100 | $2.90–4.80 |
| Half-liter draft beer, neighborhood pub | CZK 55–80 | $2.60–3.80 |
| Half-liter draft beer, Old Town | CZK 90–130 | $4.30–6.20 |
Transport & sights
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| 30-minute transit ticket (app, or paper) | CZK 36–39 | $1.70–1.90 |
| 90-minute transit ticket (app, or paper) | CZK 46–50 | $2.20–2.40 |
| 24-hour transit pass (app) | CZK 140 | $6.70 |
| 72-hour transit pass (app) | CZK 340 | $16 |
| Airport Express bus to the main station | CZK 200 | $9.50 |
| Taxi or Bolt, airport → center | CZK 450–800 | $21–38 |
| Prague Castle main circuit ticket | CZK 450 | $21 |
| Jewish Museum ticket (all sites) | CZK 600 | $29 |
Where to sleep & what it costs
| Tier | Per night | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hostel dorm | CZK 350–700 ($17–33) | Plenty of good ones in the New Town and Žižkov; prices jump on summer weekends |
| Budget hotel / guesthouse | CZK 1,500–2,500 ($71–119) | Best value just outside the center, in Vinohrady, Karlín or Holešovice |
| Mid-range hotel | CZK 2,500–4,500 ($119–214) | The sweet spot is a converted townhouse in Malá Strana or the New Town |
| Luxury | CZK 7,000+ ($333+) | Riverside and Malá Strana palaces — still cheaper than their Vienna or Paris equivalents |
Been recently? Check our prices
One tap per figure. Check-ins reset whenever this guide is re-priced, so they only ever vouch for the numbers you see here.
Trip cost calculator
$278 per person per day · 4 nights of lodging (Mid-range hotel)
A rough estimate from this page’s daily budget and hotel prices — not a quote. Lodging assumes one room for the group; flights use the midpoint of the Getting there ranges above.
Getting around
- From the airport
- Václav Havel Airport is about 17 km west of the center with no train. The cheap way is trolleybus 59 to Nádraží Veleslavín, then metro line A into town — one 90-minute ticket (CZK 46 in the app), and you can tap a card on board. The Airport Express (AE) bus runs every 30 minutes to the main station for CZK 200, paid to the driver. For a car, use the official rank or Bolt/Uber, roughly CZK 450–800.
- Public transit
- Three metro lines plus a dense tram network, all on one time-based ticket. The PID Lítačka app is cheapest; paper tickets from machines must be stamped in the yellow validator the first time you board, and plain-clothes inspectors fine people who forget. Trams have contactless terminals on board. A 24- or 72-hour pass pays off by the fourth ride. Tram 22 climbs past the Castle and is the city's best cheap sightseeing ride — and its busiest pickpocket beat.
- Taxis & ride apps
- Bolt and Uber are the sane choice. Metered cabs have a city-set price cap shown on the door, but the ones idling at Old Town ranks and outside nightclubs are the reason Prague taxis have a reputation. If you hail one, agree that the meter is on before you move.
- On foot
- The historic core is compact: Old Town Square to Charles Bridge is ten minutes, and from the bridge up through Malá Strana to the Castle is another twenty-five, all uphill on cobbles. Wear real shoes. Trams make sense for Vyšehrad, Vinohrady and Letná.
Map
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Neighborhoods to stay in
- Old Town (Staré Město)
- Maximum convenience and maximum crowds; lovely at 7am and midnight, a scrum in between.
- Malá Strana
- Baroque lanes below the Castle — Nerudova is the main climb — and the most beautiful place to wake up. Quiet after dark.
- New Town (Nové Město)
- Around Wenceslas Square and down to the river: central, better value, well connected, a bit less charming.
- Vinohrady
- Leafy, residential, full of cafés and wine bars, ten minutes by tram or metro to the center. Where many expats live, for good reason.
- Karlín & Holešovice
- Converted industrial districts with new restaurants, galleries and the best hotel prices near the center.
Things to do
Sights
Food & drink
Music & theater
Tipping & etiquette
- Say dobrý den when you walk into a shop, a small restaurant or a lift, and na shledanou on the way out. Silence reads as rude.
- In a pub, a fresh beer arrives when your glass is nearly empty. Put a coaster on top of the glass when you have had enough.
- The server keeps a tally of your drinks on a paper slip on the table. Leave it there.
- Toast with eye contact and na zdraví; looking away is considered bad luck.
- A table with a rezervováno card is taken, even if it is empty for the next hour.
- Trams have priority and are quiet. Look both ways on every crossing in the center.
How to spend a trip to Prague
Prague's historic center is small enough to walk, so time rather than distance is the constraint — the famous sights are overrun from mid-morning to late afternoon, which is why every plan below front-loads the early starts.
One day gets you the postcard route — both banks and the bridge between them — if you start early and accept that you are skimming.
- DawnCharles Bridge while it is empty, then up through Malá Strana along Nerudova.
- MorningPrague Castle at opening: St Vitus Cathedral first, before the groups reach it.
- AfternoonBack across the river to Old Town Square; climb the Old Town Hall tower rather than waiting for the Astronomical Clock.
- EveningDinner and tank beer at Lokál, then the bridge again after dark.
Three days is this guide's own answer, and it lets you see Prague as a city rather than a checklist.
- Day 1The one-day plan above: the bridge at dawn, the Castle, and the Old Town.
- Day 2The Jewish Museum in the morning (not on a Saturday), then Vinohrady for lunch and a slow afternoon in its cafés. Sunset at the Letná beer garden.
- Day 3Vyšehrad in the morning for the ramparts and river views, Café Louvre for a late lunch, and the National Theatre or a concert at the Rudolfinum in the evening.
Five days is comfortable. Prague itself fills four, and the fifth is best spent getting out — either on a day trip or by moving on to somewhere smaller.
- Days 1–3The three-day plan above.
- Day 4A day trip to Kutná Hora for the bone chapel and the cathedral, or to Karlštejn castle; both are about an hour by train.
- Day 5Head south to Český Krumlov for a night, three hours by bus, or east to Brno, under three hours by train.
Safety & common scams
Prague is a very safe city for visitors. Violent crime against tourists is rare; the realistic risks are pickpockets on tram 22, at the Astronomical Clock and on Charles Bridge, overcharging in the Old Town, and the loud stag parties that take over some Old Town streets on weekend nights.
Scams to know
- Exchange-office rates — the '0% commission' signs hide dreadful rates, sometimes for 'VIP' amounts you'll never reach. Czech law lets you cancel an exchange of up to €1,000 within three hours at the same office with your receipt. Easier: use an ATM or card.
- Street money changers — someone offers a great rate on the pavement and hands you old or foreign notes that are worthless. Never change money with a stranger.
- ATM currency conversion — standalone Euronet machines charge high fees and push their own conversion rate. Use a bank's ATM and always choose to be charged in CZK.
- Taxi overcharging — cabs waiting at Old Town ranks and outside clubs quote multiples of the fare. Use Bolt or Uber, or insist on the meter.
- Restaurant extras — bread, nuts or a 'cover' you didn't order turn up on the bill, and the card terminal suggests a tip on top of included service. Check the bill line by line; send back what you didn't ask for.
Emergency numbers: 112 (general, English spoken) · 155 (ambulance) · 158 (police) · 150 (fire)
Phone & internet
EU SIMs roam at no extra cost. Otherwise, a prepaid SIM from O2, T-Mobile or Vodafone runs about CZK 250–500 ($12–24) for 10–15 GB, sold at the airport and at operator shops; an eSIM bought before you fly is simpler. Coverage is strong everywhere, including on the metro, and most cafés have Wi-Fi.
First-timer FAQs
How many days do I need?
Three days covers the Castle, the Old Town, the Jewish Museum and a slower day in Vinohrady and Vyšehrad. Add a fourth for a day trip to Kutná Hora or Karlštejn. Český Krumlov deserves its own overnight rather than a rushed day trip.
Is Prague still cheap?
Cheaper than Western Europe, no longer a bargain. Hotels in season are close to mid-range Western prices. Food and beer are where you save — as long as you eat where Czechs eat, not on Old Town Square.
Can I pay in euros?
Some tourist shops and restaurants accept them, at a rate that works in their favor, with change given in crowns. Pay by card or in CZK.
Is the Astronomical Clock worth waiting for?
The clock itself, yes — look at it any time. The hourly show, not really; it is brief and the crowd is the main event. Take the Old Town Hall tower instead for the view over the square.
Is Český Krumlov a good day trip from Prague?
It is three hours each way by bus, so a day trip means six hours of travel for four in town. Stay one night: the day-trippers leave by late afternoon and the town is yours.
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Prague or…?
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