Free self-guided itinerary. This is a travel guide, not a bookable guided tour.

The river is the decision

Prague splits neatly in two: the Old Town on one bank, the castle and Malá Strana on the other. A single day comfortably covers one side properly, or both sides badly. This guide is built around choosing.

Two shapes for the day

One bank, properly. The Old Town and the Jewish Quarter in the morning, an unhurried lunch, the lanes in the afternoon. You will see less and understand more.

Both banks, selectively. Cross early, do the castle hill before the queues, come back over the bridge in the afternoon. Accepts that some things get walked past.

The mistakes

Queuing for castle interiors without knowing which ones matter. Crossing Charles Bridge at midday, when it is at its worst. And treating the astronomical clock display as an event worth twenty minutes of waiting — the interesting part is the mechanism, not the show.

Getting around

The centre is walkable end to end. Trams are useful for the hill; the number that runs up to the castle district saves a long climb.