15 best things to do in Prague in February 2026: A local’s Winter Guide
My favourite places to visit in Prague in February 2026, including travel tips, weather and what to pack when you are heading off to Prague in winter.
I’ve lived in Prague for years, and while most people wait for spring, I’ve always had a soft spot for February. Once the Christmas crowds vanish, a quiet magic settles over the city. It’s the only time of year you can stand on the Charles Bridge at 8 am and actually hear the river flowing, or snag a cozy corner in a historic cafe without a booking.
In this guide, I’m sharing my absolute favourite things to do in Prague in February 2026, including taking part in traditional Masopust, visiting beautiful glass flower exhibition in Botanical Garden or going ice-skating.
And if you’ve visited Prague before make sure you check out my guide to what’s new in Prague to find out what other attractions you can add to your itinerary and make February the perfect month to visit Prague.
Is February a good month to visit Prague?
Yes, and no! It depends on how you like to travel and spend your time exploring a new town.
It’s perfect if you don’t like crowds and want to experience Prague without lots of tourists. But, be prepared that some minor tourist attractions might be closed for the winter or have shorter opening hours.
The weather in February is still quite cold and with regular sleety snow or a bit of rain. It gets dark around 5 pm at the beginning of the months and 5.40 pm towards the end of the month, so you need to plan your day accordingly and leave something nice to do indoors for the evening.
In the morning the sun rise is from 7.40 am at the beginning of the month to 6.50 am towards the end of the February.
February activities also sometimes overlap with January and March so make sure you check out my other blog post too to help you to plan your stay in Prague.
BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
Interesting dates in February
There are no Czech national bank holidays or official days off during February.
14 February – Valentines Day
Celebrating Valentines Day is still a novelty for most Czech people, as before 1989 hardly anyone knew about this day. Over the last 30 years, it became an increasingly popular day to celebrate, especially amongst the younger generation.
Like everywhere else it’s mainly commercially led, but Prague was a romantic city even before Valentines Day become popular, which means you can enjoy the day no matter what.
If you are planning to propose on Valentines Day in Prague there are many romantic places and restaurants that would be the perfect backdrop for your marriage proposal.
21 February – Travel Guides Day
This day is celebrated as a day for travel guides and guided walks guides. Around 12 major towns (including Prague) take part in the celebrations, which mainly include free or reduced entry to many tourist attractions, extra walks, festivals and other ways of celebrating the travel industry.
The actual date is adhered to fairly loosely, depending on what day 21 February falls, the main celebrations are usually the following (or the closest) Saturday.
PLANNING YOUR PRAGUE TRIP
- One day in Prague – itinerary suggestions to make the best of your time >>
- Non-touristy things to do & places to visit in Prague >>
My local tips for your February itinerary
The best way to plan your day is to mix outdoor activities with indoor ones and plan plenty of stops for coffee, museums or food breaks.
1. Ice-skating at outdoor ice-rinks
Each year, there are different locations for outdoor ice-skating rinks, which are often next to a beautiful backdrop of old houses in the middle of Prague, such as the Wenceslas Square or at the back of the Estates Theatre.
I like that you can borrow ice skates at the rink, so all you need to do is to turn up and be dressed appropriately (warm, but in something you can easily move around). I’ve noticed that most places also have lockers, so you can leave bags and baggy long coats there.
My favourite large ice-skating rink is at the top of Letna Park (opposite Sparta Football Stadium – tram stop – Sparta) and a much smaller one, but with a great view of Vltava River is at Naplavka in Smichov, and this one is on an actual boat!
READ MORE
2. The Crystal Garden at Botanical Garden (28 November 2025 – 15 February 2026)
The Crystal Garden (Křišťálová zahrada) exhibition is in it’s second year and it’s truly the perfect way to spend a winter evening. The main garden area above the St.Clara’s vineyard is transformed into magical winter place of light, music, and glass art.
These amazing glass pieces look like plants, mushrooms and birds and were made by a famous Czech glass artist, Jiří Pačinek, and his team. He also created the decorative glass that was used for the Glass Onion film with Daniel Craig.
The artworks are lit up beautifully, which makes them look great during the day and even better at night. The evening shows are extra special because they include live music from the PKF – Prague Philharmonia and cool digital art and video projections by students from the UMPRUM art school.
My local tip: If you want to spend the whole day at the Botanical Garden and see the Fata Morgana Greenhouse you can as combined day and evening entry is allowed on the same ticket. You just can’t leave the garden, but there are restaurants & cafes and plenty to see, so arriving some time in the early afternoon is the perfect time to see the garden and instalations in the daylight and stay for the 5 pm light and music show.
- Location: Botanical Garden, Trojská 800/196, Prague 7 -Troja
- Opening Times
- Daytime Visit (Exhibition + Outdoor Expositions): Monday – Sunday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
- Evening Visit (Illuminated Exhibition with Music/Shows): Thursday – Sunday, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Ticket Prices:
- Adults: 180 Kč (save by buying your ticket online for 150 CZK)
- Children (3-15), Students (up to 26): 120 Kč
- Family Ticket (2 adults + 3 children): 540 Kč
- Seniors (60+), Disabled (ZTP): 95 Kč
3. Prague National Gallery – Free Open Days (7 February – 8 February 2026)
In February 2026, the National Gallery Prague (NGP) is celebrating its 230th birthday! The gallery started way back in 1796 as the “Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts.” To celebrate this huge milestone, the gallery is opening its doors for free.
You can visit the Schwarzenberg Palace and Sternberg Palace (just outside the Prague Castle) to see the Old Masters paintings, walk around the Convent of St. Agnes in the centre of Prague to see the Medieval Art or visit the Trade Fair Palace (Veletržní palác) in Prague 7 for Modern Art & Architecture exhibitions.
- Location: See above for individual sites across Prague
- Opening Times: 10 – 4 pm
- Tickets: Free
4. Between Light & the Body Photo Exhibition (5 February 2026 – 1 March 2026)
This art exhibition includes the creative work of two photographers, Vasil Stanko and Noro Tappert. Although both artists are originally from Slovakia, they have lived and worked in Prague for many years. The photos are really interesting, because they are completely staged.
I like how the artists carefully planned and arranged every detail of the scene before snapping the photo. Most of the images are traditional analogue photos rather than digital ones. The main focus of the collection is the female form, using a clever mix of bright light and deep shadows to create artistic silhouettes and shapes.
- Location: New Town Hall (Novoměstská radnice), Karlovo náměstí 1/23, Prague 2.
- Opening Times: Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (closed Monday)
- Ticket Prices: 50 CZK, Students/Seniors 20 CZK, Family Ticket, 100 CZK
5. Stay warm by exploring Prague on the tram
I always think, that the perfect way to warm up and carry on exploring the town is to hop on a tram and see the street’s architecture from a different angle.
My favourite route is tram no.22 because it takes you from the centre to the top of the castle, where you can get off and walk down the hill, exploring the Prague Castle area, Lesser Town and cross the river on Charles Bridge to Old Town Square.
If you want to travel in style, you can also use the historic tram no 42, which takes a similar route as number 22, but usually runs at the weekends during low winter season.
We are lucky, that Prague centre is very accessible by public transport and the tram network is well designed to get you to and from any major tourist attractions.
MORE TRAVEL TIPS
6. Festival Cirkopolis (8 February – 13 February 2026)
The Cirkopolis festival is a modern circus event in Prague that brings together talented performers from the Czech Republic and all over the world. I love, that instead of traditional circus animals, the show focuses on incredible human skills like juggling, contemporary dance, and acrobatics.
Starting this year, the festival will become a biennial event, meaning it will only take place once every two years. You can enjoy these creative and daring performances at several popular venues across the city, including Palác Akropolis, La Fabrika, and the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art.
- Location: Palác Akropolis, Kubelíkova 27, Prague 3.
- Ticket: 390 Kč – 490 Kč (depending on the show), 270 Kč – 350 Kč (for students, seniors, and children), Morning / Family Shows: 150 Kč – 290 Kč.
7. Have a Czech film evening in art cinema
As it gets dark in February, I usually check the independent cinemas around Wenceslas Square like Lucerna and Svetozor to see if there are any films I would like to see. I like that historic Lucerna cinema shows most current blockbusters and they are in the original language – English – with Czech subtitles, so that my English friends can watch it too.
Svetozor Cinema is also perfect for art films in their original language (English is the most favourite one), but they regularly show original Czech films with English subtitles.
If you are not too sure if you would like to see a Czech film, you might be in for a pleasant surprise. Most Czech films are very realistically filmed with interesting dialogue and storylines. They can often be fairly gritty, but funny at the same time.
- Location: Lucerna & Svetozor Cinema, Wenceslas Square, Prague 1
- Tickets: from 130 – 195 CZK, depending on the show and time
8. Have a breakfast or a brunch in a historic cafe
Since it’s going to be fairly cold outside for most of your February stay in Prague, I think, it’s the perfect time to have a long breakfast or brunch. Practically every larger cafe will have some sort of breakfast menu.
The breakfast or brunch menu is usually influenced by Czech cuisine, but expect to find variations on cooked breakfast (with or without meat), waffles, pancakes, smoothie bowls and porridge.
If you want to combine a great breakfast with a wonderful settings, here is my favourite list of historic breakfast places to visit in the centre of Prague.
These cafe place have been around for many years, some since 1900 – 1930 when cafe culture in Prague was booming. These are also the large style cafe places with open planned seating. Opening times are usually 8 or 9 am until late 10 or 11 pm (for light dinners or drinks).
The breakfast menu is usually more traditional than in newer cafes, but you can find a good selection of various egg/meat/sausage type of dishes with local bread, cakes and pancakes.
Prices for food and drinks are moderate, which is expected for the location. Drinks from 70-100 CZK, meat dishes 100-150 CZK, pancakes 100 CZK, set menus 250-375 CZK.
If you have a big appetite, I would definitely recommend Cafe Imperial, because their ‘all you can eat breakfast’ is the best value for your money. You can also check out my favourite breakfast places in Prague (not all are in historic places, but the breakfast is always great)
- Cafe Slavia – Smetanovo Nabrezi 1012/2, Prague 1
- Cafe Louvre – Narodni 22, Prague 1
- Kavarna Adria – Narodni 36, Prague 1
- Cafe Imperial – Na Porici 1072/15
TASTE MORE OF PRAGUE
- My favourite brunch cafes in Prague for a great start to your day >>
- 16 best ice cream places in Prague (with indoor seating spaces) >>
9. Travel down memory lane by visiting Matthew’s Fun Fair (21 February 2026 – 12 April 2026)
Matthew’s Fair is a traditional fairground with lots of rides, attractions and food stalls and I loved visiting it as child.
It always starts on the 24th of February on St.Matthew’s day or closest Saturday to that day and lasts about six weeks.
The fair is based next to a large park called Stromovka in Vystaviste, The Exhibition Centre in Prague 7, easily accessible by the Prague tram directly from the centre.
The fair lasts for about six weeks and entrance is free during weekdays and about £1 during weekends. This doesn’t, of course, include the individual rides, which you can buy directly from each attraction.
- Location: Vystaviste (The Exhibition Area), Vystaviste 67, Prague 7 – Holesovice, tram stop Vystaviste, tram no. 6,12, 17
- Tickets: free entrance to the park during weekdays, 30 CZK during weekend + individual rides from 50 -120 CZK
10. Visit Prague Castle
You can easily spend the whole day at Prague Castle. To be honest, I always think it’s a bit of-of a waste of time to dedicate the whole day to a castle on a lovely summer day, but in winter; now that is my idea of spending a perfect few hours.
There are so many areas to explore: the castle itself, the castle museum, the tiny houses of Golden Lane (which is free after 5 pm) and the cathedral.
Not everything is indoors, but there are plenty of little cafes and restaurants dotted in the castle grounds to keep you warm.
The castle grounds are open from early morning until late and they are free to visit, including the quiet streets of New World tucked away at the back of the Prague Castle.
- Location: Prague Castle, Hradcany, Prague 1
- Tickets: grounds entrance is free, ticket for the whole castle 550 CZK Adult (concessions available)
11. Walk along along the Hunger wall on Petrin Hill to Strahov Monastery & Prague Castle
If you want, you can extend your walk from the Prague Castle to the Strahov Monastery and then walk along the Hunger Wall to Petrin and Kinsky Garden finishing at the Ujezd and taking the 22 tram (or 9, 15 or 12) back to the centre.
I take this walk often from my flat in Smichov and I like that even when it’s a little cold, it’s a great walk to take and the great views of Prague and Prague Castle are definitely worth it.
This is because during the rest of the year, the leaves from the trees often cover the view of Prague Castle, but in the winter the views are unrestricted.
12. Join in the Masopust celebrations (7 February & 14 February 2026)
Masopust is a folk celebration of winter leaving the village and the start of the 40 days of lent before the Easter. It would be also a time, when people celebrate weddings, as it was the last time, you could eat meat, rich food and drink alcohol before Easter.
It’s a slightly movable event, but it’s usually somewhere around the middle to the end of February.
The weekend before and after, there are many celebrations in Prague and neighbouring villages with masked processions, folk music and traditional food such as filled cakes (kolace), yeasted pancakes (livance), bramboraky, smoked sausages and also plenty of beer.
One of my favourite Masopusts is just outside Prague in Mokropsy (20 min by train from Smichovske Nadrazi towards Beroun – train stop is called Cernosice – Mokropsy), because it’s my local Masopust and one that I helped with regularly from 1994 until I moved to London few years later.
I used to take part in the procession and help with the costumes, mainly making hundreds of colourfully crepe paper roses that decorated hats and dresses. My friend told me that they kept re-using the roses long after I’ve left, partly because they were so well made, but probably because it was really hard work to make them!
The Masopust has been going strong since 1989 and each year is bigger, better and more elaborate. Entrance is free, just come as you are and enjoy the celebrations.
13. Visit the ice sculpture exhibition – Ice Magic – 18.12. 2025- 18.3. 2026
Coming back for it’s third year (and moving away from the original place in Vinohrady to the new location outside the centre of Prague), this is the most amazing ice sculpture exhibition called Ice Magic, where you can see over 50 sculptures made from ice. The sculptures were made by talented artists from across Europe.
This year, you can also enjoy a drink at an ice bar, walk through a ice corridors to explore the ice sculptures. The absolute highlight of the exhibition is the longest ice slide in Europe, which is over 18 metres long and really good fun thing for everyone to go on.
The whole ice park is over 2000 m2, but it’s all indoors. The exhibition is held in a special chilled tent with a temperature below zero, so make sure you wrap up warm!
- Location: Westfield Shopping Centre, Černý Most, Chlumecká 765/6, Prague 14 (Cerny Most Underground station on line B)
- Opening Times: Every day from 10:00 to 22:00
- Admission: adults 250 CZK, seniors 200 CZK, children under 80 cm go free, Bar with one drink 190 CZK, Snowtubing 150 CZK, All in one ticket 330 CZK or 530 CZK VIP ticket
14. Visit castles & chateaus opened in winter season
The castle and chateau official winter season is from 1 November until 31 March and most state and private castles and chateaus are unfortunately closed during that time. But the good news is that there are still some lovely places that are open in the winter.
I’ve included my favourite 15 castles and chateaus that are open in winter in my latest travel guide. You can easily visit these as a day trip from Prague and I’ve included opening times, how to get there, ticket costs and my favourite insider tips.
TRAVEL RESOURCES
- Train tickets buying guide + discounts and main stations >>
- Prague Main Train Station – Practical Guide >>
- Major Train Stations in Prague – for a day trips >>
15. Titanic Exhibition (21 November 2025 – 22 May 2026)
The world-famous Titanic exhibition has been seen by millions of people across the globe, and now it’s coming to Letňany in Prague! This event lets you step inside real-life recreations of the legendary ship that famously sank in the Atlantic Ocean back in 1912.
You can wander through amazing recreations of the actual ship, from the posh cabins and fancy lounges to the gritty engine room. The coolest part is seeing hundreds of real items that were actually rescued from the bottom of the ocean, like old jewellery, perfume bottles, and clothes that belonged to the passengers.
You can even touch a real iceberg to feel how freezing the water was, or grab a photo on the front of the ship just like that iconic scene from the movie! There’s plenty to see, including a reconstructed French café and a massive boiler room, plus a fun “treasure hunt” adventure for younger kids, so it’s a brilliant day out for everyone.
- Location: PVA EXPO PRAHA (Hall 6), Beranových 667, Prague 9 – Letňany.
- Opening Times: Monday to Friday: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday: 9:30 am – 7:00 pm.
- Ticket Prices:
- Adults: 350 Kč (Weekdays) / 400 Kč (Weekends).
- Students & Seniors (65+): 300 Kč (Weekdays) / 350 Kč (Weekends).
- Children (6–15 years): 250 Kč (Weekdays) / 260 Kč (Weekends).
- Family Tickets: Starting from 980 Kč (prices vary depending on how many kids you have).
- Kids under 5: Free!
This blog post was originally written on 8 January 2022 and last updated on 23 January 2026
