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Visiting Prague in August 2023 – Travel Tips & Things to do

Prague by Month

Prague is a great city to visit in August: full of summer festivals, events in parks and amazingly hot weather. You’ll have a long days filled with sun and balmy evenings to explore the city. Prague is very safe for tourists and solo travelers and August is the perfect month to travel. All you need is to pack light and enjoy the summer in Prague.

Is August a good month to visit Prague?

August is a great month to visit Prague, but it does have a few drawbacks. All the tourist attractions, tours, hotels and restaurants are open and you also get a lot of free events happening in parks and open spaces in Prague.

For me there are a couple of drawbacks to spending August in Prague.

First, it’s very busy and there are a lot of people (aka tourists!) about. Local Czech people pack up and leave for their summer cottages in the countryside or leave the country to go to the seaside in Croatia.

Second, the weather can be unbearably hot! I find myself escaping the city for a long days walks in the forests or cooling paths of rivers and streams.

It could be sometimes tricky to stay cool in the summer heatwave in Prague and still see everything you wanted to. You just might need to slow down and take things easy.

Summer is also when most of the scheduled public building work, closures and public transport maintenance happens. So, watch out for re-routed trams and changes to opening times.

Theatres take their summer holidays too and are closed for the whole of August (and July). There are, however, alternative theatre performances at outdoor venues at Zizkov’s Tower, Prague Castle Gardens and other parks.

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO PRAGUE

When it’s the best time to visit in August ?

There are no special public holidays during august to disrupt the month. The school children have holidays until the end of august and a lot of local Prague people spend their time away at their country cottages or abroad travelling.

People usually start to get back the last week in August, so that might be the time it’s possibly good to avoid. Roads, airport, trains and public transport will be busy as everyone will be getting back to Prague.

GETTING AROUND PRAGUE

What is the weather like in August?

Most days in August can be really hot – up to 20-25 Celsius in the shade, but will feel much hotter in the sun. The summer weather in Prague will get slightly cooler in August than in July, especially as you go towards the end of August.

When the weather is hot for a while, we usually get thunderstorms and rain. It cools down a little for the nights, but don’t be surprised if it’s still very warm until very late at night.

The warm summer evenings are also the perfect opportunity for a stroll tasting Prague’s ice creams as you explore the city centre.

When the sun is shining it can be very hot in the direct sun (easily up to 35 Celsius), so try to stay in the shade if you can. If you get easily sunburned, I’d recommend to plan your day, so that you stay indoors or in the shade between 1-3 pm. This is the time when the sun is at its hottest.

PRACTICAL TIPS

Day light in August

At the beginning of August the sunrise is at 5.30 am and the sunset is at 8.45 pm. There is also about extra 30-40 minutes after the sunset when it’s still good visibility.

In the middle of August the sunrise is at 5.50 am and the sunset at 20.20 pm.

At the end of the August, the sunrise is at 6.15 am and the sunset at 7.50 pm.

This gives you between 13, 5 – 15 hrs of a day light in August, which is plenty to plan a long day exploring Prague or even for a trip away from Prague.

I always plan my longest day trips for summer as you can fit a lot into one day.

I usually visit the town, chateau or galleries in the morning and after lunch I head for my walk. The weather is a little cooler after 4 pm and by 6 pm it settles into a lovely summer evening. I can easily fit a whole day hike into the afternoon, often catching the first train after the sunset at 8-9 pm back to Prague.

Most people would still set out for their day hike in the morning, which means that they are finishing when I’m starting mine. In the summer, the afternoon is the perfect time for walking because it’s not as hot and there are not a lot of people on the trails.

What to pack for your visit to Prague in August

The good thing is that you don’t need a lot for your August visit to Prague!

Light summer clothes (dress, shorts, loose linen shirts) with one extra layer in case it’s a bit cold in the morning or evening should be sufficient. You might like to pack a light rain proof jacket or an umbrella in case it rains.

You also want to make sure you have a sun hat, sunglasses and sun cream. I’m not very good with sun, so I tend to wear long dress with light shirt (with long sleves) when it’s very sunny as an extra barrier against the sun.

I also prefer to bring just a few outfits and then hand wash them, rather than to bring a big suitcase of clothes, but that depends on how you normally dress. I try to go for clothes that don’t need ironing and which can be drip dried on a hanger over night.

Although it’s usually hot in august, I still prefer to wear comfortable trainers (or other suitable summer shoes) because Prague cobbled streets and pavements are very hard to walk on all day.

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Important Dates

There are no official public holidays or special days celebrated in August.

Things to do in Prague in August

As I mentioned before, July and August is the official summer holiday, which means that many theatres and concert halls are taking a summer break too.

Instead of the regular theatre performances in traditional theatres such as the Estate Theatre or the National Theatre, there are numerous summer theatre plays in parks and open spaces.

These include Shakespeare Summer Plays in the Vysehrad Castle Grounds or Prague Castle Grounds or a comedy plays under the Zizkov Tower.

A lot of activities overlap a little, so apart from the suggestions in this blog post, you can also find more tips on what to do in summer in Prague in my July or June blog post.

Visit Prague Parks

There are many public parks in Prague, which are free to visit. Whilst the streets are hot with the summer sun, the parks provide shade and you can sit on a cooling grass and have a picnic, read or just rest.

Parks within walking distance of Prague centre

Parks slightly outside the centre of Prague (but easily reachable by tram, metro or bus)

Parks outside the centre of Prague (about 60-80 minutes travel by public transport)

Shakespeare Summer Plays

Whilst the main theatres in Prague are taking time off during July and August, many dramatical theatre companies take part in putting together theatre plays performed outdoors.

The Shakespeare Summer Plays at Prague Castle grounds are a great way to enjoy the traditional plays in more relaxed and casual way.

Zizkov Tower Summer Plays

The plays at this outdoor theatre are usually in Czech, but they could be still a great way to experience a theatre play in the shadows of the famous television tower.

You can also explore the Zizkov area beforehand – there are plenty of independent coffee places, pubs and restaurants around and on few days during a week, you can also visit the Farmer’s Markets at Jiriho z Podebrad Metro Station (5-7 minutes of walk from the tower).

Summer at Letna Festival

This is a great outdoor festival that takes place over two weeks (towards the end of the August) in Letna (Prague 7 District). There is circus at the top of Letna Park, creative workshops for children, music, food stalls and lots of other events.

Back to school festivals

The last weekend before the end of August is all about children. Many areas of Prague prepare events to celebrate the end of summer with activities for children, music, food stalls and competitions. These events are usually outdoors in the parks, squares or shopping centres and most activities are free (or symbolic entry fee).

Wine tasting festival

This is one of many wine festivals that are happening towards the end of the summer and early autumn.

This wine festival is on 26 August 2023 at Beroun (about 30 minutes by direct bus from Zlicin – Underground line B or by train from Smichov Train Station or the Main station close to the Wenceslas Square). It’s super easy to buy a train ticket and the trains to Beroun are very frequent (every 20 – 30 minutes – some are direct, some stop along the way).

The way how this festival works is that instead of ticket you buy a wine glass (100 KCZ) that you take around the stalls to buy your wine.

You will get a chance to taste different wine – both local and international.

The wine itself is usually a very reasonable price (because you’ve already paid 100 CZK for the glass). There is also music, entertainment and food stalls. The event is held at the town square and it’s usually a very relaxed day out.

This blog post was originally written on 27 January 2023 and last updated on 27 January 2023

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