How do I get from Václav Havel Airport (PRG) to central Prague?

Around 30 minutes by car or taxi to most central addresses, depending on traffic. The Airport Express bus runs from the terminal to Hlavní nádraží (Prague Main Station) in roughly 40 minutes for substantially less. Bus 119 plus Metro line A is the budget option at around 45–50 minutes. Most heritage hotels arrange direct transfers; worth booking in advance during the November–December and June–August peaks.

When is the best time to visit Prague?

Late April to early June for the temperate weather, opening gardens and pre-peak crowd levels. Late September to mid-October for the cultural season's return and falling visitor numbers. Christmas markets through Advent for a specific winter set-piece. Avoid the second half of July and the first three weeks of August unless you specifically want hot and busy.

Should I stay in the Old Town or Malá Strana?

The Old Town for first-time visitors prioritising walking distance to the Astronomical Clock, the Jewish Quarter and the headline architecture, with the densest tourist infrastructure on the same side. Malá Strana for a quieter base, the Castle and the Lesser Town's Baroque palace heritage, with Charles Bridge as the five-minute walk back to the Old Town side. Many returning visitors stay in Malá Strana once they have done the Old Town first.

How many days do I need in Prague?

Three nights minimum for a first visit covering the Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, Charles Bridge, Malá Strana and the Castle complex. Four to five nights to add the Vy&scaron;ehrad, the Mucha Museum, the New Town Art Nouveau buildings, a day trip to Kutná Hora or Karlovy Vary, and the heritage cafés (Café Slavia, Café Louvre, Café Imperial). Beyond five nights is for cultural specialists — the opera, the Smetana Hall, the Philharmonic, the contemporary art at the DOX or the MeetFactory.

The historic centre is fully walkable, with the Old Town and Malá Strana within 30 minutes of each other on foot via Charles Bridge. The terrain on the Castle side is hillier than the Old Town's flat layout. The Metro system (three lines) is fast, clean, and reliable for longer distances, and the tram network covers the surface routes the Metro misses. A bicycle works well on the riverside paths but the cobbled centre is hard going on wheels.

What is the Prague café culture?

A distinct Central European tradition that overlaps with Vienna's but holds its own character — the Czech kavárna is closer to a literary café in atmosphere than the Viennese Kaffeehaus's drawing-room formality. Café Slavia (since 1884, opposite the National Theatre, the writers' café of the dissident era), Café Louvre (since 1902, frequented by Kafka and Einstein), Café Imperial (1914, Art Nouveau interior, attached to the hotel of the same name), and Grand Café Orient (1912, the only Cubist café in the world) are the canonical institutions. Order Turkish coffee or filtr (filter coffee) and one of the Czech pastries — koláč, věnec, or the Habsburg-era Apfelstrudel.

Boutique Hotels in Prague, Czechia

Malá Strana

Malá Strana, the Lesser Town, runs along the Vltava's west bank between the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. The district survived the post-war development pressures that altered much of Central European Prague and retains its Baroque-palace residential character — many of the buildings are now embassies, the gardens of the Wallenstein Palace open to the public during summer, and the cobbled lanes climb the slope toward the Castle complex above. The Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa sits on Tržiště, the lane that runs uphill from Malostranské náměstí — a five-star heritage hotel across four interconnected former bourgeois houses, with an Indonesian-themed spa in the original 16th-century Gothic vaults beneath the building. The property featured as a Prague location in Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets.

When to visit

Prague runs a year-round cultural calendar with two seasonal peaks and two clear shoulders. Spring (April to early June) is the editorial sweet spot — temperate weather, gardens at the Wallenstein and Vrtba opening up, the spring music festivals in the concert halls, and the Old Town crowds thinner than they will be from mid-June. Summer (mid-June to mid-September) is high season — hot, busy, with the Old Town and Charles Bridge at their most crowded but with the inner gardens and the riverside cafés at their best. Autumn (mid-September to late October) is the second sweet spot, with cooler weather, the opera and symphony seasons returning to full programming, and visitor numbers falling. Winter (December to early March) is cold but distinctive: Christmas markets through Advent, the Czech Philharmonic in full season at the Rudolfinum, and the Old Town under snow when it falls. January and February are the quietest months of the year — useful for travellers willing to trade weather for atmosphere and access.