12 of the best free things to do in Prague

13.07.2024 - 14:54 / lonelyplanet.com

Jul 12, 2024 • 7 min read

Prague is no longer the budget city break it used to be. While the beer remains refreshingly cheap, big-ticket attractions such as St Vitus Cathedral, Strahov Library and the Prague Jewish Museum now require visitors to dig deeper into their pockets.

Luckily, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the Czech capital for travelers on a budget – no matter how small it may be. Here’s our pick of the very best free things to do in Prague.

It may be one of Prague’s most iconic attractions, but the 650-year-old Charles Bridge doesn’t cost a penny to cross. Stroll along its stone cobbles to admire rows of baroque statues, enjoy armies of buskers and artists, and take in the spectacular spires and domes on both sides of the river.

Planning tip: For a great view of the full 500m (1640ft) span of the stone-arch bridge, head to the riverbank behind the Franz Kafka Museum.

Another famous city landmark, the Astronomical Clock, is one of the most popular free things to do in Prague – yet its on-the-hour procession of mechanical figures leaves some tourists a little underwhelmed. So instead, come here between showtimes for a closer look at the clock itself.

As well as being intricately beautiful and rich in symbolism, the two clock faces are also fonts of information. They tell you the time (look for the point where the golden hand meets the Roman numerals), the day and month of the year, the zodiac sign, the times of sunset and sunrise, the current phase of the moon and so much more. Not bad for a clock first installed in 1410.

When it comes to provocative modern art in Prague, one sculptor reigns supreme: David Černý. The artist is perhaps best known for his work Entropa, a huge sculpture depicting EU states as crude stereotypes (like France on strike and Romania as a Dracula theme park), which, after causing just the smallest amount of controversy, is no longer on display. However, many of the artist’s other works dot the streets of Prague, and – to make things even sweeter – are completely free to enjoy.

Highlights include Kůň, in the middle of the Lucerna Palace shopping arcade, which depicts a lifeless, upside-down horse ridden by an inattentive King Wenceslas; K, a gigantic rotating metal bust of Prague writer Franz Kafka, located above Národní třída metro station; and Miminka, a series of faceless babies crawling up Žižkov’s TV Tower. You can also find some ground-level miminka (babies) on the small river island of Kampa.

Topped by what looks like a pint-sized Eiffel Tower, Petřín Hill is one of Prague’s most popular playgrounds. Come for the woodland walkways, blooming rose gardens and gorgeous views of the city below – and don’t miss the Hunger Wall, a structure built in 1362 that takes its name