A Gothic city that came through two world wars almost untouched, at prices well below anywhere in western Europe. Two hours from the UK, and everything worth seeing is within a half-hour walk.
Czechia never joined the euro, and it shows in every bill you pay.
A good dinner with wine costs half what it would in Vienna, ninety minutes down the road. Beer costs less than water in some bars, which is a genuine phenomenon rather than a joke. The saving matters most on a short break, where food and drink are a bigger share of the total than the flights. And unlike a lot of cheap city breaks, you aren't trading down on what you came to see — Prague's old town is one of the most complete medieval centres in Europe.
The Old Town Square is the picture, but the good bits are the ones people walk past.
The astronomical clock, the Týn church and a lot of people. Come at seven in the morning and it's yours.
Thirty baroque statues and a view both ways. Sunrise is the only time it isn't shoulder to shoulder.
The largest ancient castle complex in the world. Allow half a day, and go up via the Lesser Town rather than the tram.
The other castle, on a cliff south of the centre. Almost no tourists, a cemetery of Czech greats, and the best river view.
Not the ones on the square. Find a hospoda with a Pilsner Urquell tank and order the goulash. Under a tenner.
Beer gardens on the hills above the city. Where Praguers go at sunset, and the view is better than any paid viewpoint.
Stay inside the centre — it's small enough that everywhere walkable, and the outskirts save you very little.
In the middle of it. Convenient, atmospheric, and noisier at night than you might expect.
Baroque, quieter, and the prettiest half of the city. Uphill walking is the trade-off.
Twenty minutes out by tram. Residential, excellent restaurants, and where you'd live.
Around Wenceslas Square. Cheapest central option and well connected, less charming.
May and September are the best months. December is magic but busy, and January and February are cold, cheap and gloriously empty.
Summer brings big crowds and 25–30°C. Winter drops to freezing but the city looks its best under snow, and hotel rates collapse in January and February. The Christmas markets run from late November to 6 January, which is longer than most European cities — worth knowing if your dates fall after Christmas.
2 hours to Václav Havel (PRG), served from a wide spread of UK airports.
Bus 119 to the metro, or a fixed-price taxi. Around 35 minutes to the centre either way.
Czech koruna, not euro. Cards are widely accepted; carry some cash for pubs and markets.
Walk. Trams cover the rest and a 24-hour ticket costs about £4.
We'll come back with hotels in the right quarter, flights from your nearest airport, and the payment plan written out in full.
Three is ideal. Two works if you're efficient; four lets you add Kutná Hora or Český Krumlov as a day trip.
Very — and it's the cheapest of the major market cities. The Old Town Square market is the prettiest setting in Europe.
Vienna is four hours by train, Dresden two, Kraków seven. Ask us for a two-city version with open-jaw flights.
The Old Town is, intensely. Vyšehrad, Vinohrady and Letná are ten minutes away and barely touched.
Flights, a central hotel and transfers as one package. We book the museum and gallery slots that sell out, and tell you which ones to book yourself.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, central accommodation and airport transfers. They indicate what a break of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
10 nights · May–Jun, Sep–Oct · from £1,449pp
11 nights · May–Jun, Sep · from £1,149pp
10 nights · Mar–May, Sep–Nov · from £849pp
12 nights · Apr–May, Sep–Oct · from £2,399pp
11 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,199pp
15 nights · Dec–Apr · from £2,399pp
