Prague winter vacation
Prague is one of the most popular destinations for winter vacations, and with good reason. The city’s charming streets are lined with glittering Christmas lights that make it feel like a fairy tale, and the city’s architecture reaches back centuries, giving you a glimpse at some of Europe’s most beautiful buildings.
The best part? You don’t have to travel far to get there. Prague is located just an hour from Vienna by car, so you can enjoy the beauty of both cities in one trip.
If you’re still not convinced that Prague is the perfect winter vacation spot, here are some more reasons why you should go:
-The Czech Republic has one of the lowest prices for food and drink in Europe, so you can spend less on entertainment and more on activities like skiing or snowboarding at nearby mountains.
-Prague has some of the best museums in Europe (like the National Museum or Museum Kampa) as well as incredible castles (like Strahov Monastery) and gardens (like Letohrad). It also has excellent shopping districts (like Old Town Square) and great nightlife options (like Vinohrady).
Things to do in prague during winter
Go shopping for souvenirs
Prague in winter is well known for its Christmas markets, and the array of goodies you can pick up within them. But an ideal activity for the winter months is to hit the shops, get out of the cold, and bring back some unique goodies!
Aside from the tourist shops, where you can pick up some charmingly Czech souvenirs, there’s plenty to be found around the city. The area around Wenceslas Square has an array of clothes shops, ensuring you can look oh-so-fashionable back at home without looking like you bought your clothes at the same place as everyone else. But if you really want a unique souvenir to take home, consider picking up something from Prague’s design scene. The Czech capital is really gaining a reputation for design, and you can get some outstanding pieces in both fashion and homewares – they’re guaranteed to be a talking point!
Show off your moves by going ice skating
What could be more wintery than ice skating? Imagine yourself gliding across the ice, wrapped in your finest faux-fur, cheeks blushing with the cold, looking like the finest ice prince or princess… because it’s nice to imagine that than the inevitable embarrassing falls on to your rump, right?
But who knows: perhaps you are indeed the next Torvill and Dean (or one of them, anyway), and the ice is your home. So where can you show off your silky skills, and go ice skating in Prague in winter?
The good news is that you won’t even have to go out of the city centre! Get yourself to the Fruit Market (Ovocný trh), right next to the magnificence of the Estates Theatre, and you can skate your heart out for free. Open-air skating in the heart of the city: it really doesn’t get anymore fairytale than that!
Instagram the Lennon Wall
The Lennon Wall is probably the most Instagrammed spot in Prague. It’s a street art free-for-all – when students protested the Communist regime by painting pictures of John Lennon on a large blank wall, they probably had no idea that their chosen spot would take on a life of its own. Murals of Lennon and his lyrics still remain the focus of the wall, but there’s no denying that it’s more popular these days as a background for a selfie, rather than a site of historical significance. That’s a shame, so if you do visit, take some time to remember why the wall’s art exists at all.
Given its modern popularity, it’ll come as no surprise when I tell you that it gets rather busy here throughout the year. You can struggle to find a patch of wall which isn’t already being taken up by rising social media stars. So take advantage of the relative quiet of Prague in winter, and come here early for a gloriously influencer-free experience! It’s significantly quieter here in the winter than it is at other times of the year, and you can selfie to your heart’s content.
See in the New Year in Prague
Forget Times Square: what could be more perfect for seeing in the New Year than Prague? A city as friendly as it is beautiful, with much more reasonably-priced drinks, and wonderful public squares in which to celebrate with the locals – that’s just perfect!!
Wenceslas Square sees the largest amount of revellers on New Year’s Eve, and is also the area of the city with the biggest concentration of nightlife spots – as you’d expect, the clubs and bars fill up pretty darn quickly on New Year’s Eve, so you’ll probably want to buy tickets or make reservations in advance. But the one thing you may expect from the evening doesn’t actually happen until the day afterwards – the official city fireworks display! This takes place at 6pm on January 1st, and the Charles Bridge is a popular spot for watching them; again, get here in plenty of time.
Two things to remember, though. Firstly, book your accommodation well in advance – Prague is getting extremely popular as a New Year’s destination, and your chances of getting a central hotel will significantly improve if you get your hotel early. Secondly, remember that taxis in Prague can be extremely expensive, and they’re likely to be pre-booked on New Year’s Eve. Trams will likely be your only option for getting back to your hotel, so make sure that you know your route in advance.
Go up the Petrin Tower
As you’ll have realised, one of the best things to do in Prague in winter is to simply admire the views. It’s such a scenic city: it’d be a travesty not to go somewhere you can get a view of the tidy skyline, with its tiled roofs and historic architecture. And to take a selfie in front of it, because that’s the way of the modern world.
There’s no better spot for those cityscape/selfie dreams than the Petrin Tower. It’s a rough copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris – if you’re in the Charles Bridge area, look up to the top of the hills, and you’ll see it there – and like its French counterpart, you’re positively encouraged to pay a small fee and ascend to the top. You can go either halfway up, or all the way, but you’re guaranteed a good view with either!
You don’t even need to walk all the way up to the tower – you can get a ticket for the funicular, and enjoy yet more views whilst you’re being whisked up the hill. Maximum views for minimum effort!
Go shopping in the Christmas markets
Prague’s Christmas markets have reached legendary status – indeed, you can expect to pay more for your hotel at this time of year, thanks to the thought of doing a spot of festive shopping here becoming so popular. But when prices are this good, and the markets filled with festive cheer, can you blame anyone for wanting to come? I certainly can’t!
The main markets are on the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, and happily for all you wannabe Santas, they’re only five minutes walk apart. This means that you won’t have far to carry your vast sacks of presents, as you’re bound to find pretty much everything you need in both of these! You’ll find everything from Christmas decorations, to warm fleecy clothing (I picked up a pair of woollen slippers, and they’re like walking on marshmallows – so much love!), to Czech glassware. All of it is festive, reasonably priced, and so nice that you’ll resent having to give it away to someone. Bah humbug.
Oh, and did I mention the mulled wine, and the spit-roasted pork? Because you need those in your life.
Eat ALL the Czech food
Czech food is ideal for keeping you warm in the winter. It really couldn’t be any more perfect, with a selection of hearty, carb-tastic treats which will keep you fuelled when you’re out in the cold. And it’s all so good: I’d happily visit Prague in winter just for the food, quite honestly.
Try a roast pork (or if you want to really fill yourself up for the day, go for a pork knuckle!), and get a side dish of dumplings to dip in the meaty sauce. Or grab a goulash for the ultimate winter warmer! Options such as svickova or fried cheese are also perfect for keeping your belly full and warm.
Want to plan which dishes to try whilst you’re there? Have a look at my Prague food guide!
Walk across Charles Bridge
The bridge connecting the Old Town to Prague Castle is notoriously busy at all times of year. It gets quite treacherously slippy if there’s snow on the ground (balanced up by being heartbreakingly pretty), and the cold winds off the Vltava River slice across your face. So what makes it an awesome part of visiting Prague in winter?
Simply put, you can go an grab some beautiful early morning shots of the bridge, quiet and majestic, without having to get up quite so early. In the summer, you’ll need to get to the bridge at around 6am to avoid the crowds. In winter, you can get there any time up until 9am, and still enjoy having it mostly to yourself.
Plus, Charles Bridge in the snow really is outstandingly scenic!
Visit Prague Castle
Prague’s Castle is unmissable – not only in the sense that you really should visit it, but also because it’s gloriously visible perched on a hillside overlooking the city. If you’re headed across the Charles Bridge, your eyes will be drawn to the castle, and you’ll stop for at least fifty-two photos of it. It’s true; I’ve counted it.
Not only does the castle itself look wonderful in the winter (the square outside the main gates is the ultimate in stately European spots, especially with a bit of snow for the stoic gate guards to “enjoy”), and attractions such as St. Vitus’ Cathedral and the Golden Lane sparkle with atmosphere, but the castle grounds are surely close to perfection. Walk around the perimeter of the castle, and enjoy some jaw-dropping views of Prague in winter spreading out in front of you. Orange-tiled roofs, the river being spanned by charming bridges, some dramatic winter clouds… views don’t come any better!