Prague Budget Guide: Old Town Hall & Local Itineraries

Building a cheap Prague trip means understanding the map. The center is tiny. You can save a lot of money by walking a 9-to-14-kilometer loop. Start early at Wenceslas Square. Check out the architecture and the view from the National Museum steps before the crowds arrive. Walk down Na příkopě to Republic Square. See the Gothic Powder Gate and the Municipal House. Then head into Staré Město. The Old Town Hall is your mid-morning stop. If you want to stay nearby, Prague 1 is the place. Grand Hotel Bohemia or Hotel KINGS COURT are for big spenders. If you're on a budget, look at the Metropolitan Old Town Hotel or the Old Prague Hotel.

By lunchtime, head for the river. Pass the Rudolfinum and cross the 516-meter Charles Bridge. Once you're across, Malá Strana gets quieter and more romantic. Hit Kampa Island for free sights like the Lennon Wall and the strange 'Babies' sculptures. Walk up Nerudova Street to reach Prague Castle. It's a massive place (70,000 square meters) and dates back to 880 AD. Prince Bořivoj started it. You don't have to pay to enter the main grounds. See the outside of St. Vitus Cathedral and also the castle view at Vyhlídka Na Opyši for free.

If you have extra days, get out of the tourist zone. Vinohrady and Žižkov are where locals and expats actually live. Vinohrady has great parks and the Anna Hotel. Žižkov is the nightlife spot for backpackers. Check out Hotel Ariston or Pension SKLEP there. You can also find weird, cheap things to do. Grab a bike with the Rekola app and ride the Vltava paths. Go throw some axes at The House of Axes. Or head to the Sapa market for real North Vietnamese food.

Just behind the Prague Castle walls is a quiet spot most people miss. Nový Svět (New World) started in the 14th century along the road to Střešovice. It wasn't for royals. It was for the servants and laborers who kept the castle running. Charles IV put it inside the city walls in 1360. Two huge fires wiped out the original wood houses, but they rebuilt them in the 17th century. The poor residents put gold signs on their houses (like the Golden Sun) hoping it would bring them luck. It didn't.

Today it feels peaceful, but it used to be a slum. Petr Ryska from the Praha neznámá project calls it the 'Naples of Prague'. During the First Republic, people lived in brutal poverty. Six families often crammed into one tiny house. A family of twelve might share a damp, windowless room of only six square meters. At the house U Zlatého slunce, kids slept on floors covered in jute with cockroaches for company. The rooms were so moldy that the police had to hold handkerchiefs over their faces when they visited.

Now the area is full of artists and writers. The poverty is gone. The House of the Golden Griffon used to be a hotel where Tycho Brahe stayed. Further down, you'll find U Raka. It's the last timbered house in the center. It's named after the crayfish that used to live in the Brusnice stream (which is now under the street). It's a fancy boutique hotel now. End your walk at Cafe Novy Svet. Grab a seat on the balcony for a view of the Deer Moat.

Walking is best, but you'll need the tram eventually. The PID system is reliable and cheap. Download the PID Lítačka app. Don't bother with paper tickets or the confusing machines. Using the app is cheaper and easier. The prices are different too. A 30-minute ticket is 36 CZK on the app but 39 CZK on paper. A 90-minute ride is 46 CZK digitally instead of 50 CZK. If you're staying for a while, get a pass. A 24-hour pass is 140 CZK on the app. A 72-hour pass is 340 CZK. These work for the metro and all tram lines plus city buses. The one catch is the Petřín funicular. Short tickets don't work there. You need a 60 CZK single ticket or an active 24/72-hour pass.

Watch your money. Stay away from ATMs in souvenir shops or the Euronet machines. They use Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) to rip you off with bad rates. Only use ATMs at real banks. Česká spořitelna and Komerční banka are safe, and Fio Banka works too. When the machine asks to convert your currency, hit 'No.' Never trade cash with people on the street. To get from the airport, take Bus 119 to the Nádraží Veleslavín metro. It costs 40 CZK. A taxi will charge you €32 for the same trip. If you need a car, use Uber or Bolt for a fixed price.

Food prices in Prague depend on how close you are to the big sights. To eat cheap, look for the polední menu (lunch special). Most places serve these from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. You get a full meal for 130 to 200 CZK. But get away from the main square. Havelská Koruna is a local canteen where goulash and dumplings cost about 187 CZK. Students go to Klub AVU in Prague 7. Cafe Louvre on Národní also has good lunch deals in a nice room.

If you're in a hurry, grab a chlebíček. It's a small open-faced sandwich. You'll see them topped with Prague ham or potato salad. Some have eggs and salami. Go to a lahůdky (deli) for the real ones. Zlatý kříž on Jungmannova and Ovocný Světozor are local favorites. Libeřské Lahůdky is another solid choice. A sandwich at a deli costs less than 30 CZK. You can get a full lunch for 100 CZK. For something better, go to Naše Maso. Their meatloaf sandwich is 145 CZK. Worth it.

Beer is cheaper if you walk five minutes away from the tourists. A half-liter of pilsner is 44 to 61 CZK in a local pub. On the Old Town Square, it can cost 150 CZK. Try the three different pours: Hladinka (normal), Šnyt (mostly foam), or Mlíko (all foam). Avoid any menu that is only in English. That's a tourist trap. For dessert, find a větrník at Erhartova Cukrárna. It's a pastry that beats the street trdelník every time.