Prague in Winter: The Best Things to See and Do

By Miranda Dreisin (Universität Leipzig, Germany)

One of the best things about living in Central Europe is how easy it is to travel – often on a whim, and usually without much hassle. Last month, I planned myself a very last minute weekend trip to Prague, which is only around 3 hours drive from Leipzig, Germany where I am currently studying. I took a cheap FlixBus before sunrise, and woke up having already arrived in the Czech Republic. I’d only visited Prague once before, and that was in summer, so I was curious to see how to make the most of a winter visit in just two days.

I unfortunately didn’t have time to do everything I wanted, but here are some recommendations based on what I did and really enjoyed! I have also included some recommendations I got from a friend in Leipzig, whose friend did Erasmus in Prague, and some places that I researched beforehand, but didn’t manage to make it to. I truly believe that there is something for everyone in Prague!

1. GOOD EATS & CAFÉS

I started off my first day with a lovely breakfast at SmetanaQ Café & Bistro (SmetanaQ Café & Bistro, Smetanovo nábř. 334/4, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia). The wait for a seat was quite long, but the food was great and really cheap for the price, and I got a view of Charles Bridge. Would recommend!

That afternoon I ended up meeting two friends who were also in Prague, and they took me to a very pretty café tucked away on the side of a street. It was a bit pricey but would highly recommend. (Artisan Cafe & Bistrot, Vejvodova 445/1, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia)

My biggest recommendation for a good meal is a restaurant called Kozlovna U Paukerta (Kozlovna U Paukerta, Národní 981/17, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia), which serves authentic Czech food for a really good price. On my first night I had duck and potato dumplings, and it was probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had. (However on my second day I went back without my Czech speaking friend and accidentally ordered an entire duck).

There are also many restaurants in Vojtěšský obvod which I have heard are very good. (Studánka sv. Vojtěch, 284 01 Miskovice-Kutná Hora 1, Czechia)

The most important thing to try if you are in the Czech Republic in winter is chimney cakes, which you can get from pretty much anywhere in the Christmas markets.

Some other places I didn’t try, but were recommended to me were:

A cheap Indian buffet (Ekant Indian Restaurant, Karlovo nám. 17, 120 00 Nové Město, Czechia)

Bistro Fair Food Club, which is really good for Czech cuisine at a good price (Bistro Fair Food Club, U Nemocnice 497/4, 128 00 Nové Město, Czechia)
- The botanical gardens are also nearby here, so could be good for a wander after lunch (Botanic Garden of the Faculty of Science, Charles University, Na Slupi 433 /16, 128 00 Nové Město, Czechia)
A Mediterranean Restaurant (PAPRIKA – Mediterranean Kitchen & Bar, Rumunská 8/16, 120 00 Vinohrady, Czechia)

Veggie & Vegan Food Options

Loving Bistro – Černá Labuť, Dům Černá labuť, Na Poříčí 25, Petrská čtvrť, 110 00 Praha, Czechia
One of the best vegetarian restuarants, and is very close to Czech cuisine (Střecha, Křemencova 7, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia)

2. DAYTIME ACTIVITIES

I spent a lot of time wandering around the city in these couple of days, here are some of the things I got up to!

Franz Kafka Rotating Head

This can be found at: Charvátova, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia. I went in both the daytime and in the evening, and it was great to see both times.

Kaiserstein Palace

This was probably my favourite place, it can be found at: Kaiserstein Palace, Malostranské nám. 23/37, 110 00 Malá Strana, Czechia.

Strahov Library

This can be found at: Strahovské nádvoří 132/1, 118 00 Praha 1-Hradčany, Czechia

Prague Castle

I also went here during the evening and the day. It can be found at: Prague Castle, Hradčany, 119 08 Praha 1, Czechia

Vintage Shopping

Prague is known for some of the best vintage shopping in Central Europe. I went to the following shops, which I can recommend:

VINTAGE AVENUE 70s-2010s, Y2K vintage & second hand fashion store, Husitská 1253/30, 130 00 Praha 3-Žižkov, Czechia
THE VINTAGE PRAGUE, Truhlářská 1110/4, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia
Textile House, Charvátova 11, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia

There are many many more places that I had written down! I have attached the addresses below:

Textile house, Lidická 799, 150 00 Praha 5-Smíchov, Czechia
Genesis Second Hand, Jindřišská 941/24, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia
Vintage shop by Textile House, 54, Sokolovská 91, Karlín, 186 00, Czechia
DUSHA ~ Second hand & Vintage Boutique, Jungmannova 8, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia

3. SUNSETS IN PRAGUE

I unfortunately only got to witness 2 winter sunsets in Prague; if you get to visit around this time of year, make sure not to miss them, they are absolutely beautiful. Here is where I would recommend watching them:

Sunset at Prague Astronomical Clock

The Prague Astronomical Clock is something you should definitely visit, even if you don’t go up. Every hour, 2 trapdoors above the astronomical dial open and the 12 apostles glide past one by one (you can see this from the street outside). I timed it so I arrived in the square about 30 minutes before sunset. I watched the show, and then I got tickets to go up, which were a bit pricey, but so worth it. The views, especially with the winter sun, were absolutely breathtaking.

Sunset at Charles Bridge

This is where I spent my first sunset in Prague; not as picturesque as the views from the Astronomical Clock but still very pretty!

Sunset at Riegrovy Sady Park

I unfortunately didn’t have time to go to Riegrovy Sady Park, but if I would have had a third evening in Prague, I would have spent it here. I heard from a friend that it was an incredible place to watch the sunset and you can see a lot of the city from the hill in the park. The address is: Riegrovy Sady, Vinohrady, 120 00 Praha 2, Czechia.

4. WHERE TO STAY

For this trip I stayed in Ahoj! Hostel (Na Perštýně 357/10, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia), which was good value for money and comfortable. It’s a social hostel that offers nightly activities, which I unfortunately didn’t have time to partake in, but I heard from people staying at the hostel that they were fun!

On my first trip to Prague when I was 18, I stayed in Safestay Prague Charles Bridge (Ostrovní 131, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia), which was nice and comfortable, but very quiet.

I have friends who have stayed in very lively hostels in Prague, and also very quiet ones, so it really depends what you are looking for, and there is something for everyone!

5. FINAL THOUGHTS & TIPS

In conclusion, these places were great for a winter visit (it was nice to be inside at least some of the time!) and I would recommend each of them. I have traveled a lot of Europe and I would consider Prague one of the best places that I have been – it has a bit of something for everyone, it’s very picturesque, and it’s also significantly cheaper than a lot of other similar places.

My two biggest tips are:

Make sure to wrap up warm! (It was freezing cold when I was there and being warm made such a difference).

Make sure to bring cash – I forgot to and needed it when I checked into the hostel. I ended up spending a lot of my first afternoon trying to find an ATM that would take my card.

Definitely make the most of being able to travel on your year abroad, especially if you are close by to other countries and if you are living somewhere with good transport connections. It’s 100% worth it, and you never know when you’ll next be in the position to travel so easily again!

Thank you for reading!