Travel

3 Days In Prague: A Full Itinerary

by Katelynn Kellogg

Prague, Czech Republic is one of my favorite places to visit as a solo-female traveler. I could easily spend a week or more in this city, but in this post, I’ll share a full itinerary for spending 3 days in Prague.

Viewpoint during my 3 days in Prague.

*This post may contain affiliate links in which I receive a small commission for if purchases are made.*

Getting to Prague:

Bus 191 - Na Knížecí (19 stops) --> Transfer at Vypich (end of route for bus) and get on tram 22 - Zahradní Město (12 stops) to Malostranské náměstí.

I came by way of plane from the Istanbul Airport. The flight was about 3 hours and landed in Prague’s Václav Havel Airport. The airport is located about 20km away from the city center so I needed to find transport from the airport to my hostel. There are multiple ways you can get from the airport to the city including personal taxi, bus, or train. I chose the most affordable option since I am traveling a more limited budget.

I have to say, I watched quite a few youtube videos on how to get from the airport to Prague before arriving and they did not help as much as I thought. Finding the buses was a bit confusing as they’re located on multiple levels of the airport. However, I eventually figured it out and headed to the basement level and found the bus I needed. It was a little less crowded because I wasn’t going to the city center.

I’m staying on the west-side of the Charles Bridge, so I chose to take the most affordable option and travel by bus. My bus ticket cost only $1.41 USD but did take about 45 minutes.

My Route:

Bus 191 – Na Knížecí (19 stops) –> Transfer at Vypich (end of route for bus) and get on tram 22 – Zahradní Město (12 stops) to Malostranské náměstí.

Money:

airalo esim app logo

One of the first things I do when I arrive in a new country is download an e-sim card. I have an Iphone 13 which no longer allows for external sim card transfers, so e-sim is the way to go. It’s honestly so much easier anyway. I used the Airalo app and purchased by region on this trip as I knew I’d be traveling to multiple countries in Europe.

Most places in Prague will take typical international credit cards, but if you are wanting to exchange US Dollars to Czech Kroner (CZK), I advise you do not do it at the airport. Wait until you’re into the city and find a local exchange center.

Since exchange centers all over the world try to scam tourists out of their money, I always look at the exchange rate using the Xe Currency app the day I arrive. That way, I have an idea of how much Czech Kroner I should be getting for my money and can choose an exchange kiosk that is providing a fair exchange (because they will all be different!)

However, all that being said, I didn’t actually get ANY Czech money in the 4 days I was there, I was able to use my credit card everywhere.

Tipping:

I find that it’s not a requirement or even expectation that you tip, but it is still accepted and I always tip when receiving a service. Typically, 10% is a safe bet, but it’s not disrespectful if you just round up your bill. For example, if my meal and 2 beers was 250 CZK, I can round it to 300 (50 CZK is about $2.35) and that would suffice.

Visiting Charles Bridge during my 3 days in Prague.
Jacket weather, but enough brightness to make me squint

Weather in Prague in late April – early May:

I arrived in Prague on April 26th and it was 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Looking at weather apps before my departure from the U.S., I expected it to be about the same temperature so I was prepared and packed appropriately. Throughout the duration of my 4-day stay in Prague, the low was 48 degrees F and the high temp was 55 degrees F. It didn’t actually feel too cold though because the sun was shining every day and I was doing so much walking that I was keeping warm.

From my experience, doing a quick google search before going somewhere typically lands fairly accurate weather predictions.

Where to Eat and Get Drinks:

When budget traveling, the best way to save money is to shop for groceries and cook your own food. Despite that, I LOVE food and trying new foods along the way is one of my favorite things so I DO tend to splurge a bit when it comes to the “food” line item on my budget.

I did however stop by the market and purchase some croissants and apples for breakfast so I could spend more money on lunches or dinners. I also skipped lunch some days because I was busy walking and moving and wasn’t hungry. There was a market right across the street from where I stayed and it had everything I needed (including delicious coffee!).

Restaurants I visited while in Prague:

Lokál U Bílé kuželky – I ordered Beef braised in red wine and crushed potatoes with onion. $8.20 USD

Pivovar Národní – Grilled pork neck steak marinated in beer and pepper, mustard with a side of crushed potatoes with onion. $11.62 USD + $2.44 for beer.

McCarthy’s Irish Pub – Jasen’s Fish and Chips $17.57 USD + $4.17 for beer.

Prague, and really all of the Czech Republic is known for its infamously cheap beer. As someone who enjoys beer, I made some stops at the following bars/pubs as well including the Strahov Monastery Brewery and the Beer Museum. The Strahov Monastery was a cute little brewery with a great selection of beers and a nice outdoor area to sit in. The Beer Museum isn’t a museum at all, it’s just a bar and it’s just an okay bar at that. Slightly disappointed with that one.

Where to Stay:

As a solo female traveler on a budget, I chose to book all my accommodations in hostels while I was in Prague. I’m sure there were Airbnb and hotel options, I just didn’t look into them for this trip.

Hostels are shared accommodation options that host anywhere from 2-16 people in a room (typically 4-8). They are all over cities that have many tourists and backpackers and range vastly in price, space, cleanliness, noise level, etc. I’ve stayed in some great hostels and also some sketchy ones throughout my travels.

I used both Booking.com and Hostelworld.com to look for hostels in the area and I did book in advance this time, which I don’t always do. This time around, Booking.com had cheaper fares, so I booked both of my accommodations through their site.

Booking.com

I stayed at Charles Bridge Hostel & Apartments for nights 1 & 2. I booked a bed in a female-only room. Typically I would have to pay more to be in a female-only room, but Charles Bridge Hostel & Apartments was offering the same price for female-only and a mixed gender dorm. If I have the option, I always choose female only, just because it feels a little safer being a solo female traveler. However, that being said, I haven’t ever shied away from a mixed-gender dorm if it was in my price range and location I was interested in.

This hostel was one of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed at! They provided delicious complimentary coffee & cappuccino at the desk. The staff was incredibly helpful and welcoming. The beds were all side by side vs. bunk style which I enjoyed. The showers/restrooms were very nice, and had hot water and great water pressure. The location was PERFECT and last, but not least, the wifi was reliable (:

Charles Bridge Hostel & Apartments in Prague.

I moved over to the East side of the bridge and stayed at the Best Spot Hostel for my 3rd night. Doing so allowed me to explore new tourist attractions and walk around a new area as well as be closer to the bus station for when I had to take off early the next morning for Berlin.

This hostel wasn’t nearly as nice as the Charles Bridge, but as its name alludes, it was in an incredible location. It was very basic in terms of amenities, wifi was so bad I couldn’t even connect and the beds didn’t have individual power outlets. There was really great storage at this hostel though that actually fit my entire suitcase AND backpack which was nice.

Best Spot Hostel in Prague.
image by Booking.com

Overall Budget for my 3 Day Prague Itinerary

Prague really has something for everyone. There are some incredible places to stay that will cost you much more than I have, and there are even cheaper options for accommodation than I chose. My best advice is to plan your budget in advance. Find some spots you’d like to stay, restaurants you’d like to eat at, any admission costs you’ll need to pay, and then add a small cushion to that for additional spending.

As a minimalist consumer, I try not to buy anything on my trips that I do not need so I don’t typically add a “shopping” cushion to my budget or spend any time shopping at all, however, I did need to purchase a new phone charger while I was in Prague because mine stopped working.

My total cost for 3 days including transportation, accommodation, dining, attractions, and purchases = $114.83.

My Itinerary for 3 days in Prague

Now I want to preference this itinerary by saying this is my 2nd visit to Prague, so I already know sort of know my way around. If it’s your first visit you may want to allow more time to maneuver through your schedule.

Also, I am a go-go-goer so my agenda is always pretty packed. I like to schedule as much as I can to my schedule when visiting cities and then spend time unwinding while on long bus/train rides and whenever I can find a beach. I often plan a lot more than I am actually able to accomplish, which I do purposely so I never run out of ideas. I am perfectly content if I don’t make it through the list though.

I advise having 2-4 main attractions/things you’d like to do in a day and then spend the rest of the time just walking, taking pictures, and people watching anywhere you can.

Day 1

After arriving at the hostel I showered, got settled in, and rested for about an hour before I headed out to explore, but today I visited:

  • The Lennon Wall (Free)
  • The Miminka Sculptures (David Černy’s Crawling Babies) (Free)
  • The Narrowest Street in Prague (Free)
  • The Charles Bridge Viewpoint (Free)
  • Dinner at the Lokál
The Lennon Wall
The Narrowest Street in Prague
Crawling Babies Statues

Day 2

Walked over to the market across the street and purchased a small coffee with milk and 2 croissants for breakfast. The I walked up what felt like a million stairs to the Old Royal Palace for a full day of exploring. Here’s what I did today after breakfast:

  • Headed to Prague Castle, which you can walk around for Free, but I purchased the multi-entry ticket so I could get inside ($11.78 USD)
    • Vitus Cathedral,
    • The Old Palace,
    • George’s Basilica, and
    • The Golden Lane
  • Strahov Monastery Brewery for a couple of beers and relax after all that walking.
  • Petrin Tower, which is a tall, Eiffel Tower-looking structure that provides exceptional, 360-degree views of the city. ($10.37 USD to climb up to the observation deck)
  • Petrin Incline Railway was just a super cute ride down the hill to Újezd street in a small lift ($2.83 USD)
  • The Memorial to the Victims of Communism monument (Free)
  • As that was a very full morning, I headed back to the hostel to rest my legs/feet and take a nap.
  • Dinner at Pivovar Národní
  • On the way to dinner, I stopped at the Franz Kafka Memorial, which was a very unique experience. I can’t say I’d recommend it, but it was something. It was more of an interactive experience than a museum and I wouldn’t say it was worth the money to visit but I know Kafka has an important history here so that’s why I wanted to go. ($12.72 USD)
  • I also stopped at the Municipal Library to see the Idiom Installation, which is a cylindrical tower of books with an internal mirror that makes it appear to be a continuous well of books. This was really cool!
  • Hanging Sigmund Freud Statue on Husova Street and then headed home.
Memorial to the victims of communism
Tulips in the Park
Old Royal Palace Stained Glass Window

This was one of those days I REALLY pushed the limits of how much I could do in a day so I do NOT advise you attempt to do all these things unless you’re ready to be exhausted at the end of the day, but if you only have 3 days and want to “DO IT ALL” this is a good day of non-stop go-go-goooooing.

Day 3

Yesterday was very tiring so I took my time getting up and around this morning. I had a cappuccino at the hostel and packed up my things to move to the next hostel.

I took a bus to the east side of the bridge and walked about 5 minutes to the hostel. It’s a “take-it-easy” day so I visited:

  • Frankz Kafka Rotating Head installation (Free)
  • The Bansky Museum ($16.96 USD) This was my FAVORITE attraction this entire trip. I’ve always been a fan of Banksy and the stances the artist has taken with their art. I also love the anonymity of the artist. It would be on my “must-visit” list for sure.
  • Old Town Square (the oldest and most significant square in Prague that houses the famous Astronomical Clock) (Free)
  • Late lunch/dinner at McCarthy’s Irish Pub
  • Nap
  • Drinks at the Beer Museum (which isn’t a museum at all, just a bar… slightly disappointing)
Social Media
Make some trouble
Man gives dog a bone
No Trespassing
Girl with balloon
All images from Banksy Museum

As I mentioned before, this is my second visit to Prague and my schedule was still SUPER busy as there is so much to see and do around the city. If you’re lucky enough to have a longer period of time traveling, I’d highly recommend 5 days in Prague to really get the full experience and not wear yourself to the ground trying to do it all.

Final Thoughts for my 3 days in Prague:

  • Traveling fast and fitting in this much in your schedule is NOT advised. If you have the time to slow down and enjoy each day a little more, I highly advise you doing so. I was quite tired at the end of each day and accrued more than 7 miles of walking.
  • Although I did all these things in just 3 days, I would advise visiting Prague much longer than 3 days. 5-6 days would probably be perfect. There’s plenty to do to keep you busy!
  • Make sure you have travel insurance! If you’re traveling like I am, and moving almost every day to a new location, you’ll feel much better having the security of travel insurance in the horrible instance something gets stolen, lost, or goes wrong. I’ve been using SafetyWing travel insurance for my travels over the years because I’ve found it to be the most affordable option with the best coverage for my needs.