Things to do in Prague

Prague Castle is the obvious starting point – not one building but an entire walled hilltop complex, the largest ancient castle complex on earth, and still the official seat of the Czech president. Work out which ticket or guided tour suits your visit before you go, since the site sells several different options rather than one simple entry fee. Charles Bridge, the 650-year-old crossing linking the castle side to the Old Town, is worth an early-morning walk before the day's crowds arrive.

The Old Town Square and Astronomical Clock are free to see any time, but a guided tour is the only way into the Old Town Hall's interior and the 12th-century underground complex beneath it. For the communist-era side of the city's history, the Museum of Communism is a quick, inexpensive stop in the centre.

For a different angle on the same skyline, a Vltava evening cruise passes the illuminated castle from the water – a short sightseeing loop or a longer dinner version, depending on how much of an evening you want to build around it. For covering ground without walking, an electric trike tour loops past the city's landmarks and viewpoints. Prague's beer culture gets its own dedicated experiences too: a historic pubs tour for the centuries-old pub scene, or a beer spa for something stranger – a private soak in hops, malt and yeast with unlimited beer on tap.

Beyond the city, four very different day trips are all within a couple of hours: Kutná Hora, a UNESCO silver-mining town with a chapel decorated entirely in human bones; Terezín, the WWII ghetto and Gestapo prison north of the city; Karlovy Vary, the country's most famous spa town, built around a geyser hot enough to make tea; and Český Krumlov, a UNESCO medieval town with a castle moat that's housed real bears for centuries – the furthest of the four, so it fills a full day rather than a half day.

Combining Prague with Poland on the same trip? See our Poland & Czech Republic itinerary for how to get between Prague and Kraków and split your time.