Prague in 2 Days

The condensed plan for anyone passing through Prague on a European tour or a weekend break: two days covering what genuinely cannot be missed — the Old Town bank on day one, the castle bank on day two — with no repeated river crossings and no time lost in transit. The long museums are deliberately dropped in favour of what you see once in a lifetime. Start very early: two days in Prague are enough only if you wake with the city.

1Day 1

1Charles BridgeStart at 6 or 7 am — the bridge is yours alone with the mist. This is the single most important tip in the plan, and there is no making it up later.

2Old Town SquareTen minutes east on foot. Take breakfast in a back-street café rather than on the square front — roughly double the price out there.

3Prague Astronomical ClockThe 9 or 10 am show, then up the tower by lift. If you climb one tower in two days, make it this one.

4Jewish Museum in PragueFive minutes north. Allow at least two and a half hours. Remember it closes Saturdays and Jewish holidays — swap the two days if that falls on your visit.

5Spanish SynagogueThe last and loveliest site of the quarter — do not finish the combined ticket before it.

6Wenceslas SquareLate afternoon: walk the square uphill to the statue. A regime fell here in 1989, and halal restaurants sit one street off it.

7Letná ParkSunset: tram to Letenské náměstí and out to the edge. Five bridges in one frame, and free.

2Day 2

1Strahov MonasteryTram 22 to Pohořelec at opening. Start from the top — everything after is downhill, and that is the whole trick of the day.

2Prague CastleTen minutes east on foot. The Circuit B ticket, and three hours is enough. The courtyards themselves are free if you are pressed.

3St. Vitus CathedralThe first thing you enter inside the castle — it has the longest queue. The Mucha window is what you will remember.

4Golden LaneIncluded in the same ticket. Half an hour is enough — and house 22 was Kafka's writing room.

5St. Nicholas ChurchDown the old stairs into the Lesser Town. A cheap ticket for one of the most overwhelming interiors in Prague.

6Lennon WallFifteen minutes, then cross into Kampa over the little canal bridge.

7Kampa IslandEnd the two days here on the river bank — or take the funicular up to the Petřín tower if you have an hour and the energy left.