Are you planning a winter trip to the Czech capital and looking for some tips? Let’s look at what you can do in Prague in winter.
You could have read some of our tips in Prague Sightseeing Essentials!
Many tourists plan their trips to Prague for spring and summer. And it’s understandable that people want to enjoy nice weather but did you know how beautiful Prague is in winter? If you can imagine travelling to this beautiful city once the summer heat is over, read on because you’re in for a treat!
Table of Contents
Why Travel to Prague in Winter
Before we come to the actual tips, let’s look at some of the advantages of travelling to Prague in winter.
- Less tourists – If you’ve ever been to Prague in spring or summer, you know the city is crowded to the point that in some places you just walk wherever the huge mass of people takes you. Winter will give you the opportunity to explore the city at your own pace.
- It’s not hot anymore – Temperatures in Prague can reach up to 40°C/104°F in summer. The average temperatures are just around 0°C/32°F in Prague in December, January and February and a little above that in March. It does snow in Prague, however, it’s usually very mild and snow that would disrupt usual functioning of things is unusual.
- It’s cheaper – it’s probably not a surprise that hotels and other establishments have different rates for different seasons, summer being the most expensive one. Christmas in Prague is also a more expensive season in some establishments but except for the holidays you can save some nice money by travelling to Prague in winter.
- Ice-skating – There are outdoor ice-skating places as well as natural water that freezes over in winter and you can enjoy one of the most popular Czech winter pass-times!
What to do in Prague in Winter
1. Old Town Stroll
The Old Town of Prague is a magical place on its own. It’s even more magical, when you take a stroll in the thin layer of crispy snow in the dark (it starts getting dark as soon as 4 PM in winter), the street lights are on, or even the Christmas lights and you can smell the cold air, grab a cup of mulled wine and enjoy the historical ambient of the place.
2. Prague Christmas Markets
If you travel to Prague in December you cannot miss the Christmas markets in Prague. Hot beverages, traditional Christmas products sold in charming wooden stalls, Christmas lights and the smell of spices in the air, that is just some of the treats. The most famous Christmas markets are in the Old Town Square, in the Wenceslas Square and at the Prague Castle. And there’s a rich cultural program during the whole Advent. Prague at Christmas is just marvelous! And if you come just for the markets, you might be looking for the best place to stay for Prague Christmas markets. Well, Booking.com has a whole list for that!
Hotels near Prague Christmas Market
3. Prague Observatory
Prague observatory offers a rich program as well as the opportunity to “just” watch stars. You can see the current program and movies here.
4. Indoor Waterparks, Spa and Wellness
You don’t need to give up swimming and water games with children in Prague just because it’s freezing outside. There are indoor pools and also whole water parks such as Aquapalace Praha, Aquacentre Šutka or Jedenáctka vodní svět.
And as for spa and wellness, there’s Saunas Vltava, the spa in the already mentioned Aquapalace Praha, the Beer spa Bernard and many more.
5. Zoo and Botanical Garden
Especially if you travel with young children, zoological gardens are a good place to spend time. The biggest and most famous is the ZOO in Troja but there are also other and specialized ones, for example: Crocodile zoo, Papilonia (Butterfly house), Jellyfish house or the Marine World. There is also the impressive Botanical Garden of Prague and the Botanical Garden of the Charles University.
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6. Play in the Snow and Ice-skate
If you’re lucky and it snows enough while you’re in Prague, you can get a sledge or a bob and go up the Petřín hill to enjoy a ride down. When the river Vltava freezes over, you can ice-skate and if it doesn’t, there’s always other artificial spaces for ice-skating in winter.
One of the open-air skating possibilities is Čapadlo on Prague’s Náplavka right in the center.
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7. Theatres, Museums and Galleries
Prague is literally packed with theatres, museums and galleries! Whether you fancy drama, musical performances or marionettes, there’s always something to choose from. On this website you can check and sort the program of the theatres and purchase the tickets.
The same goes for the museums and galleries in Prague, there is something for everyone. Learn more in Galleries in Prague and Museums in Prague and Art Galleries in Prague.
8. Walks in Nature
If you like nature, you can go for a walk in one of the many parks in Prague and enjoy the winter sceneries. Stromovka is the place to go for many in any weather. Chotkovy sady was the first public park in Prague and Divoká Šárka is a stunning natural reserve in the north-western part of the city. If you’re on Petřín hill, you can walk to the Kinsky garden around the Kinsky palace. And there are many more places to go, you just need to choose a direction and go!
9. Fear House
Do you like to scream and be afraid? There’s a place just for you and it’s called Prague Fear House!
10. Cafés!
And let’s not forget the numerous cozy cafés in Prague!
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