10 Magical Things to do in Prague

Prague is one of the most beautiful, magical cities to visit in Europe – especially in the winter months. The architecture, the lights, the festive Christmas markets and the wintery scenes make you feel warm and cosy even with chilly temperatures.

There’s just something magical about spending a wintery break in the capital city of the Czech Republic.

We snagged great flights with Jet2 to Prague for our winter escape!

And naturally, we discovered everything you need to see and do while you’re there! With flights just under two hours from the UK, it’s super easy to get to – the magic is nearly on your doorstep!

And there truly is so much to do and see while you’re in the city.

Hotels in Prague

Walking around is the best way to see the city – you can even book private walking tours with guides who know it all – personally this is one of my favourite ways to see a city!

Let’s go on an adventure and find all of the best things to do in Prague, shall we?

10 magical things to do in Prague ✨🏰🌉

📖 Visit the Klementinum’s Baroque Library

I’ve been wanting to visit the Klementinum for so long!

It’s actually a series of buildings but inside you will find what you’re waiting for… the Baroque Library hall.

If you are a fan of books and seeing all the best libraries around the world (like I am!!) then this needs to be on your list.

Important to note… You are NOT allowed to actually enter the Baroque Library.

You stand at a tiny little entryway to get your shot (see the photo for the details).

I should have snapped more behind the scenes of what the whole tour looks like, but I was stressed about getting the perfect library shots.

Also, you cannot use flash photography, you are ONLY allowed to use your mobile phone to take photos.

No cameras so I was not allowed to use my DSLR. I’m not really sure why this is the case. It’s very tricky to get shots as there are so many people on the tour.

Here’s my recommendation…

When you enter the area for the Baroque Library – there are two sets of doors you can look through, but the entryway platform is the doors on the right hand side (not the left hand side with the ropes in front). During your tour, go stand by those doors if you want to be the first to get let in.

It’s amazing to see in person – it really is beautiful. So it is worth the visit!

This is the little platform that you are allowed to view the library from. I was begging the tour guide to let me take more, but realistically they open the doors and turn the lights on for about five minutes. So you only have 5 minutes to take it all in.

You can only view this by going on a tour which is 300czk or £10 per person

There’s also more on the tour, like the Astronomical Tower – this is all within the same building.

These are views from the Astronomical Tower!

This is part of the Klementinum (library) tour. Don’t get this confused with the Old Town tower in the Market Square, where the Christmas market is.

I got very confused about this when I was booking this tour as a lot of the towers are actually called nearly the same thing. The main tower you will see in the town square is later down in this post.

Anyways! You can see the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle in the distance here. Also be aware, you will walk up MANY steps throughout this tour and quite a few winding staircases.

Book some of the coolest things to do in Prague:

🎄 Get in the holiday spirit at the Old Town Christmas Market

Wintertime is the best time of year to visit Prague.

It’s a city that absolutely comes alive in the chilly temperatures. And it has one of the best European Christmas markets. Located in the Old Town Market Square you’ll find the city of Prague’s main Christmas market.

With one of the finest Czech Republic trees over 82 feet tall as the pride and joy, the market spans out across the square with delicious food stalls (seriously, get the sausages), drinks (mulled wine or hot chocolate anyone?) and festive crafts and trinkets to purchase.

It’s truly worth making sure Christmas Markets in Prague is on your winter bucketlist!

🔭 See the best views from the top of the Old Town Hall

Tickets to the Old Town Hall are 225 CZK around £8 each.

This is very worth it especially for theses Christmas market views! We bought ours on the door (we purchased on the door – but I’d recommend planning ahead).

Visiting the Old Town Hall is great no matter what time you visit, but there really is something extra magical about visiting it at night (OK so this was 4pm!) but with the lights twinkling… it really is a magical scene.

We actually went back again the next afternoon to get some daytime shots as well because I wanted a selection of both. A little over the top? Probably. Do I regret it? Absolutely not.

Anyways! You can get your tickets to go up and it’s about 6 floor walk up, luckily there aren’t many stairs to climb as the walk is a sloped kind of ramp walkway.

However, you can also spend a little extra on your ticket to access the lift.

Because we are cheap when we travel (though I guess not that cheap since we did this twice) we booked the regular walk up tickets.

But if you are in a time crunch or require more accessibility, this is the ONLY tower in Prague that has elevator access.

🕰 Watch the Astronomical Clock chime

Prague is home to the oldest functioning Astronomical Clock in the world!

Back in the year 1410 the Prague Astronomical Clock was assembled and resides in the Old Town Market Square. I can’t believe that we get to see something quite so cool today!

You can plan your visit and be aware that the Astronomical clock goes off every hour from 9am-11pm.

How magical does it look?! It blows my mind how incredible the world and history is!

🌉 Walk the Charles Bridge (and go up the Old Bridge Tower)

The best views of the Charles Bridge are from the Old Town Bridge Tower! I know, it’s another tower name that sounds like the rest of the other towers. But I’m here to guide you through it.

For these views you need to climb up 138 steps to the top.

It is quite a steep climb – take water with you!! You also do need to purchase tickets to be able to go up. Tickets are 150 CZK. You can purchase these about halfway up the walk or in advance.

Also, another little magical travel tip for you? Visit the Charles Bridge at sunrise.

This is when it’s is quite empty.

We went just before 7am and there were a few people around the bridge taking photos, others going to work, or out for a morning jog. But you pretty much have the bridge to yourself! It’s the perfect time for it.

📚 Marvel at the beautiful Strahov Libraries

You’ve probably seen snaps of this stunning library floating around Instagram or Pinterest – and I can 100% confirm that it’s just as beautiful in real life.

Welcome to the Strahov Monastery libraries where you get to see the Philosophical Hall and the Theological Hall. These are both kind of similar but oh so different at the same time.

Please note! If you want to physically go into the library rooms – you’ll need to book a private tour a few weeks in advance.

So while it’s not a library that you can walk through unless you have a tour booked (sad times), visiting the Strahov libraries is still much easier photo wise than visiting the Baroque Library in the city centre.

You can spend as much time as you like meandering the hallway between the two beautiful libraries AND you can use your actual camera if you like – yay!

We peered in across a roped off section, even looking past a roped area, this still feels like real life magic. It is beautiful and very much worth a visit.

Tickets are 150 CZK or around £5 each. Please note: apparently there is another 50 CZK fee for taking photos that they sometimes enforce but we didn’t have an issue on our visit.

🏰 Stroll down Prague Castle’s Golden Alley Lane

We left the library to wander up to Prague Castle which is only a 10 minute walk away from Strahov Monastery.

You need to go through security barriers to get into the castle complex. Here you can either purchases tickets or can walk around the free parts of the complex.

Your Prague Castle ticket gives you access to a few different areas, like the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica and the Golden Lane.

You don’t need tickets to get into St. Vitus Cathedral though so I’m inclined to say you might not need to purchase tickets at all.

HOWEVER, Golden Lane is a super cool spot within the castle complex that you do need a ticket to enter. But I do believe if you visit outside of operating hours you can simply walk through this area.

🍸 Grab cocktails at Hemingway’s Bar

After all of that exploring, you’ll probably be in the mood for cool cocktail bars.

So let me tell you about Hemingway Bar. You can book tables for a few hours and let me tell you I made a huge mistake only booking ours for an hour. Walk across the Charles Bridge and you’ll find this cool little spot.

I’d recommend a two hour slot to fully enjoy it. We had a cocktail each, some snacks and enjoyed the ambient mood before our time was up.

It was definitely fully booked so make reservations for this! I booked ours a day in advance but on a weekday – if you’re travelling at the weekend, plan ahead.

🍽 Dinner at Café Savoy

Café Savoy is one of those restaurants in Prague that you just have to go to.

It’s highly recommended by anyone and everyone and it doesn’t feel the slightest bit touristy either.

It kind of feels a little bit Parisian but I also think quite a lot of European destinations give off that kind of aesthetic anyways. It’s chic, it’s authentic and trust me – you’ll love it.

Joe ordered the beef and I ordered the gnocchi, both were incredibly delicious but the pièce de résistance is without a doubt, the Apple Strudel for dessert.

As someone who is not a huge dessert fan (I know, I’m weird) – the apple strudel is magnificent. I’m still thinking about it today.

🌆 Sunset drinks at T Anker rooftop bar

Joe LOVES discovering rooftop bars, so I did a little searching and found T. Anker bar that was nearby to our hotel.

I’d really recommend it as it’s off the beaten path a bit from the main square which means it’s not super crowded (though I am confident in the summertime it’s packed).

But they have a huge outdoor space and an indoor bar as well, perfect for grabbing a drink and watching the sun set over the stunning city.

Equally, I’ve heard great things about Terasa U Prince which is a rooftop bar right in the centre of the Old Town square.

We didn’t go as we’d had so many views from the Old Town Hall Tower already but it’s certainly one to check out too!

Have you been to Prague before? There’s SO much more I can’t wait to share – check out my Prague story highlight for more and stay tuned for a blog post with full details on our adventures! ❤️

Where to stay: Cosmopolitan hotel

PS. I’m also sharing where we stayed because I really enjoyed our hotel. We were at the Cosmopolitan Hotel – only a 10 minute walk into the Old Town Square.

The room was more of a no frills vibe but modern, clean, and literally exactly what we needed.

The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Café Imperial, which is across the street from it, are sister hotels and have a famous Czech chef in charge, Zdenek Pohlreich.

We even had dinner one night at Café Imperial. So if you’re looking for a central spot that has some really fantastic food offerings, I’ve got you covered.

More Hotels in Prague

I know I’ve said it multiple times throughout this post but Prague really feels like you’re stepping in to a magical fairytale atmosphere.

And it leaves you feeling like you’ve visited a very welcoming place. From the places we visited, the restaurants we ate in and everything in between.

I couldn’t help but to describe the very cold weather city as a warm one. Everything felt like it was coated in a golden-hued warm (albeit cold weather!) palette that we got to experience.

Prague is one of those places that I would return to in a heartbeat, its such a beautiful magical city!

Have you been to Prague before? Would you go someday?

Kelly xo