Prague is one of the most beautiful and picturesque cities that I have ever been to. Unfortunately traveling in May brought rain for most of our 3 day trip there, and in my opinion you only need 2 full days to see the majority of the historical sites. Here is my Budget Travel Guide to Prague.

Suggestions

Currency:
1 USD = 23 CZK (They call it korunas) Currency exchange locations at the airport and train station give you a horrible rate so I suggest waiting until you get into the city to find better rates.

Exchange some money for tips and small souvenirs. The majority of the shops and restaurants do take credit cards, however at restaurants if you wish to tip the server it’s better to give them cash, as some restaurants do not allow you to add tip to the bill if paying with a credit card.

Public Transportation

Rideshare Apps

Uber and “Bolt” are ride share companies but we didn’t even use them once! The public transportation system works amazing in Prague.

Lime Scooters

Download the app. I didn’t ride the scooters because I think it’s too scary riding in a foreign country. There are many trams on the main road and the roads can be very bumpy with the cobblestones. Ride at your own risk!

Getting to the City From the Airport

Google maps works perfectly fine here so it’s fairly simple to navigate. Once exiting the baggage claim you will see these yellow kiosks to buy tickets. If there is a line then walk out the door and you will see more kiosks. Credit cards accepted:

Fare Prices:

24 CZK ($1.05 USD)) for 30 minute transfer
32 CZK (($1.39 USD)for 90 minute transfer
1 day pass is 110 CZK ($4.77 USD)
3 day pass is 310 CZK ($13.44 USD)

I took the 119 city bus and then transferred to the Subway Line A with a total travel time of approximately 50 minutes.
NOTE: I had no cell reception down in the subway so don’t forget to screenshot your directions.

Purchase Tickets BEFORE Traveling Budget Travel Guide To Prague

Tickets are NOT sold on the bus or tram so you must purchase it beforehand at either a newsstand or at a metro station. The 3 day pass is well worth it. You only have to validate it once and believe me it was hassle free. If you buy the individual tickets and you’re traveling with a suitcase of a certain size (larger than a carryon), you will have to pay 1€ extra for each piece of luggage. However if you get the 1 day or 3 day pass you won’t have to pay for the luggages. To read more about it, click here. The undercover usually spots out tourists and I stuck out like a sore thumb, so I got stopped but I obviously wasn’t worried because I had bought the 3 days pass. The fine for not having a validated ticket is 800 czk ($35 usd)

**Update** This info was based on the Prague Transportation website which hasn’t been updated recently. I was told that you can purchase tickets on the bus/tram but with a credit card only.

Airport Express Bus

There is another option to get to the city with the direct Airport Express Bus, and that will bring you to the main bus station for 2.60€.

Walking around is the best way to get from point A to point B. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side and it rained 75% of the time so we resorted to taking a lot of trams.

Public Bathrooms: Usually 10 CZK so always carry small change with you. Budget Travel Guide To Prague

Luggage Storage

Our flight arrived early before the designated AirB&B check-in time so we had to store our luggage somewhere. Since the main train station (Praha H.lN.) was 2 tram stops away from our AirB&B we decided to store our luggage at CubeSave. A medium size locker comfortably fit 2 small carryon suitcases. After picking the size locker you want, the kiosk will send a code via email or to your phone number, so be sure to have a working SIM card for your phone.
Cost:
75 czk ($3.25 usd) for 6 hours
125 czk ($5.42 usd) for 24 hours – I opted for this because I wasn’t sure what time we would be back to collect our suitcases.

Travel Cost Breakdown

Vueling Round Trip Flight From Barcelona: $108 USD
AirB&B near Prague Train Station (Praha Hl.N): $39 USD/night
This AirB&B was very conveniently located in front of a tram stop so getting around was very easy.

Places To See

Free Walking Tours 

Here are a couple options of some free walking tours to get your bearings and some history of this magical city.

How I plan all my adventures is I bookmark all the places I want to see on GoogleMaps and then I go from there. To do that, click on the location and press “save” and then I usually “star” the place. That way you’re not trekking back and forth and you can strategically and effectively plan your trip.

• Basilica of Saint Peter & Saint Paul 

This church lights up at night but I think I came  too early (around 8pm)

• Charles Bridge 

Tmost important connection from Prague Castle to Old Town

• Dancing House aka Fred & Ginger (after Fred Astaire and & Ginger Rogers)

• Dox Museum (Comtemporary Arts)

The only thing really worth seeing there is the Gulliver Airship. Entrance Fee: 180 CZK ($7.81 USD), Students: 90 CZK ($3.90 USD)

• Jewish Quarter 

Did you know why Hitler preserved Prague? He wanted to retire there and preserve this area as a museum to an extinguished race. Crazy!

• John Lennon Wall 

This wall represents a symbol of global ideals such as peace and love.

• Kafka Head 

Sculpture of a head made of 42 rotating panels

• Letna Park and Chotkovy Gardens 

A nice park to walk through in the way to Prague Castle.

• Municple Library of Prague 

One of the largest libraries in Prague with a cool tunnel of books as seen below.

• Old Town Square 

Beautiful square with the large astronomical clock. At every hour there is a show.

• Prague Castle 

Security check – NO DRONES allowed. When you exit the Prague Castle you can check out the beautiful view of the different colored buildings on Nerudova Street.

• Wenceslas Square 

One of the main squares in New Town

Places To Eat in Prague

Tipping

Just round the bill up. If you’re VERY happy with the service, you can leave a 5%-10% tip.

Prague offers food tours starting at around 90€. That’s a bit too expensive for my liking.

Here are some suggestions that I’m sure you will enjoy. I recommend bookmarking these places, that way if you happen to be in the area you can swing by! Also for some reason in Prague they are obsessed with making reservations. I wasn’t sure about what time I’d be around, so sometimes I would call 1-2 hours prior to arriving and make a reservation on the spot.

• Kantyna

MUST get the beef carpaccio. It was life changing for me. No need for reservations.

• Sad Man’s Tounge and Bistro 

CASH ONLY – it’s one of most reviewed restaurants in Prague. No Reservations

• Sisters 

Known for their opened faced sandwiches. Unfortunately they were closed for renovations until the end of May.

• Terasa U Prince Rooftop 

RESERVATIONS recommended if you want a good seat. I happened to go at 11am when they opened and thankfully had a great view. They do charge 30 CZK cover and a service charge is already included. If you don’t want to eat then you can just do drinks and enjoy the view.
Phone: +420 737 261 842

• U Kroka 

You can make a reservation online here. You MUST get the boneless pork knuckle. It was one of my favorite things to eat on this trip.
Phone: + 420 775 905 022

• U Magistra Kelly 

Call for reservations (it’s a small place) The pork knuckle was alright and the fried cheese was bomb!
Phone: +420 257 217 770

Vietnamese Food

I was surprised that there were a lot of Vietnamese restaurants here. Eating Czech food can be quite heavy so if you need a break, check out these two places:

• banh-mi-ba 

It’s a chain so there are several locations. Sandwiches are about 119 CZK ($5.16 USD)

• Pho Vietnam Tuan & Lan 

CASH ONLY – the bun cha was my favorite dish.

Dessert

Every tourist here get the chimney cake called Trdelník (not a traditional Czech dessert). The first one I got was sooo disappointing. It looked like shit and I just tossed it in the trash. Let me save you the trouble. You should go to Good Food Coffee & Bakery.

Bar

• Hemingway Bar – RESERVATIONS recommended! This bar was voted top 15 in Europe. The staff are very knowledgeable and really nice. Credit cards accepted but tip in cash only.
  Phone: +420 773 974 764

Day Trip to Kutna Hora to see the Sedlec Ossuary (Bone Church) 

This chapel contains skeletons of between 40,000 – 70,000 people whose bones are arranged in forms of decoration and furnishings. Although there is not much else to see in Kutna Hora, this is definitely worth the day trip. They were still excavating for more remains inside the building. I spent probably about 20 minutes inside and then I was ready to go home.

Time Tables

The ride is about 1 hour and you can check train times here.
From: Praha H.l.N Station
To: Kutna Hora mesto (town)

Buying Tickets – Round Trip 192 CZK ($8.35 USD)

When you get to the main Praha Hl.N station, go down the ramp and head to the customer service area to buy your tickets. Unlike the train stations that I’m used to, they do not have kiosks where you can purchase the tickets yourself. Make sure you get the ticket to Kutna Hora mesto (town).

I took the 8:00 am train and arrived by 9:00 am. Then I took another small train and I got off at the first stop. From there it’s a short 5 minutes walk to the place where you can buy the tickets. There will be signs so you can’t miss it.

You will have to purchase your entrance tickets before entering the chapel. Credit cards accepted. Cost: 90 CZK ($3.90 USD)

Then I was on my way back to Prague on the 11:00 am train.

I hope this found this Budget Travel Guide To Prague very informational. Want to see other European destinations? Click here.

Budget Travel Guide To Prague