How We Spent 4 Days in Prague (And What We’d Change Next Time)

Quick Take

Prague turned out to be one of the most walkable cities we’ve visited.

If you’re visiting for the first time, we’d skip the day trip to Kutná Hora, park the car on Day 1, and spend every hour in Prague instead. We accidentally walked more than 10 kilometers on our first day without even trying.

Overlooking the bridge to Slovanský ostrov

Why We Went

Prague wasn’t a bucket-list trip.

We were meeting friends who already had flights booked there, and it sounded like a fun excuse to get out of Stuttgart for a few days, explore a new city, and spend time together.

What We Were Wrong About

We expected Prague to be touristy.

We expected it to be cheaper than Germany.

What we didn’t expect was just how much there was to see.

After our first day, we’d walked more than 10 kilometers without even making an effort. We only realized it later when our feet started reminding us.

There was always another corner to see, another alley to follow, another church to walk towards, another bridge to cross.

There was just always something.

At one point, we found ourselves looking at a pair of church steeples that looked like they belonged at Hogwarts.

By the end of the night, I remember telling Duygu that this was one hell of a walkable city.

What Was Worth the Time

Wandering the Old Town without a strict plan.

As someone who’s traveled over the years, I’ve found that having an itinerary often causes more stress than good. It starts feeling like a sprint where you can’t really enjoy the moment.

Instead, it feels like running errands and crossing things off a to-do list.

After all, we go on vacation to explore and relax; not to run errands.

One afternoon, we hopped on Google Maps and searched for a beer garden.

That was the entire plan.

Instead, we ended up at a waterfront beer garden hosting an African cultural event with music, vendors, cultural goods, beer, pizza, and a crowd we never would have found if we’d been busy following an itinerary.

We weren’t looking for the event.

We were looking for a beer garden.

What Wasn’t Worth the Time

Kutná Hora.

The Bone Church was interesting, but if it’s your first time in Prague, we’d skip it.

The bigger issue wasn’t the church.

It was everything required to get there.

Getting to the station.

Finding the right train.

Squeezing into a crowded non-air-conditioned carriage.

Then doing it all over again on the way back.

At times it felt like a leg in The Amazing Race.

Looking back, we’d rather have spent that day in Prague.

The city simply had more to offer.

What We’d Do Differently

If we got that day back, we wouldn’t spend it chasing more attractions.

We’d spend it in Prague.

More walks along the river.

More time crossing bridges.

Maybe a boat ride on the water.

More café breaks.

And another cultural experience.

One thing we learned from the free jazz show is that free events attract a very different crowd than paid events. If we did it again, we’d happily pay for a ticket and enjoy the performance with people who came to be there.

One Tip for First-Time Visitors

If you’re arriving by car, park it on Day 1 and don’t think about it again until checkout.

That’s exactly what we did.

Final Thoughts

Our biggest takeaway from Prague wasn’t a landmark or attraction.

It was realizing that Prague doesn’t need much of an itinerary.

The city is so walkable, and there’s so much to see, that some of our favorite memories came from simply picking a direction and seeing what we found.