Is Prague walkable? + 5 easy walking routes from the centre
Everything you need to know about walking in Prague, including practical walking tips and 5 easy walking routes from the centre as recommended by a local.
Planning your trip to Prague can be a little overwhelming, especially if you try to plan what you want to visit and workout the distances in between and how it’s going to fit into your travel schedule. On top of that getting your head around the local public transport might be just too much, so I completely understand if you are wondering whether Prague is walkable and whether you can manage the whole of your trip on foot.
The good news is that most of the popular and the must see attractions in Prague are within the inner centre which is compact and easy to walk around as it’s fairly flat and level walking. Most attractions are also close together, so you can see quite a lot in a short space of time.
I walk pretty much everywhere in Prague – especially in the centre – because the perfect way (for me) to explore the town is to get lost (on purpose) and I seem to always find something new! Getting lost in Prague is my favourite way to finding new places, enjoying the architecture and exploring the streets.
In this blog post, I wanted to share with you my favourite walks in the town and also tips on how to make the most of your visit to Prague by exploring the town on foot.
Is Prague walkable? The quick answer
Yes, absolutely! Prague is one of the best walkable cities in Europe (one of the top 5 actually) and the centre of Prague is pretty compact. A lot of the centre of Prague which is about 3-5 miles wide, is also pedestrianised and without much public transport, so you don’t have a lot of choice, but to walk there anyway.
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Can I walk everywhere in Prague? (without using public transport)
If you are in Prague for just a few days and staying in the centre (or close by), you can pretty much see all the main attractions on the foot and you don’t need to use public transport if you don’t want to.
You might not want to walk all the way up to the Prague Castle or Vysehrad Castle Area, but the rest of the centre of Prague is perfectly manageable on foot.
Is Prague easy to walk around ? Is it flat or hilly?
The centre of Prague such as the Old Town Square, the quirky streets and squares around it, Jewish Quarter are fairly flat and easy to walk around. It’s also very easy to walk across the Charles Bridge and walk around Kampa Island and the lower part of Lesser Town.
But, the other main attraction – the Prague Castle is on top of a steep hill. The good news is that you can take a tram 22 or the historic Prague tram no 42 up to the top of the hill and walk down afterwards.
If you have more than just a few days in Prague, you might like to explore other parts of Prague and some are again on other hills – these include the famous Petrin Lookout Tower, the large Letna Park, the trendy area of Zizkov district or Vinohrady or the Vysehrad Castle area. Whilst you can walk to all of these places from the centre of Prague (they would be a good 45-60 minutes walk) you can also hop on public transport and get directly there and then walk back to the centre of Prague.
Best places in Prague for flat level walking
If you want to keep level and don’t want to do a lot of hill climbing, then the centre of Prague is the best place to start. You can walk around the Old Town Square, Jewish Quarter, the streets around the Kings route, the beautiful Charles Bridge and Kampa Island with green park and streets around it.
You can also walk around the Vltava River, which has various points of interest on both banks, including the islands in the middle. You can start the loop around the river anywhere, but if you start from Old Town Square walk towards the Jewish Quarter and then turn into Dvorakovo Nabrezi.
This will take you through a lovely park and you get a great view of Prague Castle. Cross the river on Manesuv Most – Manes Bridge (one of the many historic bridges over Vltava River) and continue walking towards the Kampa Island (you can get some amazing photos of Charles Bridge from there).
You can walk all the way to Smichov along the river or cross the river at Most Legii (Legionaries Bridge) to see the Shooter’s Island, National Theatre and then walk on the other side of the river to the modern building called the Dancing House and even further to Smichov Naplavka where you can visit the popular farmer’s market on Saturdays. And of course you can zig zag through Charles Bridge at any point and change the walk to suit you.
Pedestrianised areas of Prague
The centre of Prague doesn’t have much public transport on the surface (e.g trams tend to go around the centre and there are no buses) and only few underground stops (Staromestska, Namesti Republiky, Mustek).
- Old Town Square – and some streets around such as Celetna Street
- The Kings route through Old Town Square to Charles Bridge
- Charles Bridge (no bikes, scooters allowed)
- Prague Castle Grounds
- Na Prikope Promenade (from Wenceslas Square to Municipal House at Peace Square)
- Wenceslas Square (part of)
A lot of narrow streets in the Old Town look like they are for pedestrians only (because they are so narrow or small), but cars are allowed in, so you still need to watch out for traffic.
How to orientate yourself in Prague
I know that a lot of people would use google maps on their phone, but a good guidebook with real map is also useful if you run out of battery or don’t want to use your phone data.
I also use the Czech version of google maps called Mapy.Cz which you can download on Google Play and it’s available for both android and apple users. The benefit of the mapy.cz is that once you have it as an app on your phone, it works even if you don’t have a signal or don’t have your data switched on.
There is also fairly good signage on streets in main areas to take you to the most visited tourist attractions. You can also find displayed local maps, especially as you walk into the underground stations.
What walking shoes are best for walking in Prague?
Prague has a lot of cobbled stones, stone paved pavements and old quirky streets, which are quite hard to walk on. The streets and some older pavements are also not perfectly straight and level, so if you don’t have comfortable padded shoes, you can feel every little stone as you walk.
Because of that, I’d really recommend packing good quality trainers or soft padded shoes with enclosed toes for walking during the day and keeping strappy sandals or pretty high heels for the evening if you want to go out to a restaurant, theatre or club.
I found that soft padded trainers are the best for me, rather than actual walking shoes which can be quite hard to walk on and I keep them for my hiking trails in the Czech countryside.
My favourite walking routes in central Prague
These routes are not marked in any way, but make a great walks through a lot of historic places, parks and they really give you the chance to experience the city in a different way. There are of course many walking routes outside the centre of Prague, but the ones I’m mentioning here are accessible straight from the Old Town Square or by riding a few stops on a tram.
Walking the king’s coronation route to Prague Castle (3 km – 45 minutes)
If you want to have a good hike up Prague Castle and experience history first-hand, then the best way is to take the route that was taken by all kings on their coronation day. It starts next to the historic Powder Gate, which used to be next to the original Prague castle where the king would start the procession from.
The route will take you through the Old Town Square, Small Square and then through streets Jilska and Husova to Karlova Street taking you directly to the famous Charles Bridge. Once you are on the other side of the river, continue through Mostecka Street to Malostranske Namesti and up by the side of the St. Nicholas Church into Nerudova Street. Once you reach the top, turn right into the street ‘Ke Hradu’ which will take you to the main entrance to the castle grounds.
This is quite amazing route that will take you through the historic centre of Prague, where practically every house has its own history and it’s interesting to look at and you can also stop at many of the coffee shops and restaurants along the way.
This walk is about 3 km long, but most of it is up the hill, so it can easily take 45-50 minutes. If you want to walk slowly to admire the views or stop somewhere on the way, plan 1-2 hrs for your walk, so it doesn’t feel rushed.
If you like the idea of this walk, but don’t fancy the steep climb to the castle, you can also take this route down from the castle after you take the Prague Castle Tour (using the first option to get there using a tram 22 to get to the Prazsky Hrad stop).
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Petrin Hill Walk (2-3 km 30-45 minutes)
This is my favourite way to walk to Prague Castle from my flat in Prague without using any public transport.
You can start at Svandovo Divadlo tram stop (close to Ujezd on tram no. 9, 15, 12, 20) and walk first towards the Kinsky Chateau (now the National Folk Museum with a rather lovely cafe and ice-cream place).
Take any of the paths up the hill and walk through the Kinsky Garden and the historic Hunger Wall into the Petrin gardens until you reach the park around the tall Petrin Lookout Tower. If you didn’t want to walk up the steep hill, take the Petrin Funicular from Ujezd to the top of the hill. Carry on walking next to the Hunger Wall to Strahov Monastery and then either down through the park and streets to the Lesser Town Square or continue onto the Prague Castle.
Letna Hill Walk (3-4 km – 45-60 min)
As you walk on the Petrin hill, you can see the next hill stretching behind the Prague Castle. You can either get to it from the Prague Castle or you can travel first to the Letenske Namesti (tram no. 12 from Malostranska or Malostranske Namesti – Lesser Town).
Follow the signs to the Technical Museum or Agricultural Musem and then carry on walking through the large Letna Park, stopping at the popular Letna Beer Garden for some refreshments. You can get some lovely views of most of the famous Prague Bridges over Vltava River from the Hannau Pavilion (also cafe & restaurant) and then continue to Chotkovy Sady (Chotek Park), Bilek Villa (house of a famous sculpturer) and through the Royal Garden to the Prague Castle.
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Stromovka to Troja Walk (3km – 45 minutes)
This is a really lovely walk through a large Stromovka Park and Vltava islands and river banks. It’s a flat level walk until you get to the popular Prague Zoo – if you want to continue to the Botanical Garden then you need to add extra 20-30 minutes and a steep hike at the end.
Take any tram to the stop Vystaviste (no. 12, 17 etc) Exhibition Palace & Grounds and walk through the Stromovka Park following the signs to Prague ZOO. You’ll cross a river canal and then Vltava River itself and you’ll arrive at Troja Castle (now Art Gallery).
Prague Zoo entrance is just another 5 minutes walk and the Botanical Garden and Fata Morgana Greenhouse are further up the steep hill. You can return back to the centre by frequent bus from the front of the ZOO.
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- What to see in Stromovka Park – The visitor’s guide to attractions >>
- The Guide to Botanical Gardens in Prague >>
Karlin to Holesovice Walk
This walk will take you over the newly opened pedestrian bridge over the Vltava river. It connects Karlin with Holesovice district in the spot where the entrance to the Holesovice Market is.
You can start from Florenc – Underground Station (line B) or tram (or walk there from the Peace Square via Na Porici street and follow the main street towards Karlin. You can make a detour by exploring the Karlin Army Barracks, Karlin Main Square with the beautiful church and the pretty streets around.
The new pedestrian bridge over the river Vltava is tucked behind the new residential buildings opposite the main Karlin Square. Once you walk across you’ll see the entrance to the Holesovice Market with different shops, cafes, outdoor street food tracks and art galleries.
You can carry on exploring the Holesovice district by having a coffee (or a lunch) in Vnitroblok (amazing inner houses space with cafe, art gallery and artist workshops) and walk to the Marina to see the newer houses developed within the old boat yards. At any point you can take tram back to the Prague centre or continue walking towards the Exhibition Ground and Stromovka Park.
This blog post was originally written on 18 October 2023 and last updated on 18 October 2023
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