What to see in Czechia as a foreign tourist

Touristy Prague

Prague tourism map

First there is the mandatory but very touristy centre (marked red): the Old Town with its square and the astronomical clock, Charles' Bridge, Jewish cemetery and synagogues, etc.

there are many other locations in the historical centre worth seeing, its best just to walk through these areas and explore, i tried to mark some important stuff in yellow

  • walk along the river (eg Kampa park) and on the islands, there are very nice parks and nice views all around
  • Národní Třída (National Boulevard) street: start off with the national theatre (read its wiki page it has an interesting history of burning down and the entire nation donating money towards it twice), also Václav Havel square inside the modern theatre, then a lot of cafes and nice architecture across its entire length
  • Václavské náměstí (Venceslaus / Main square) - under reconstruction but you should see the beautiful national museum at its top (southeast end), it also has a lot of 'passages' = beautiful streets within the buildings, search for eg Pasáž Koruna, Pasáž Lucerna
  • Náměstí Republiky square - also a very nice area, nearby there is a new cool train station by Zaha Hadid
  • explore the streets around the old town, at least between the aforementioned places
  • the whole Malá Strana quater on the west side of the river is worth exploring, although it can sometimes be uphill, there is so many palaces, government buildings, embassies, churches, all beautiful, make sure to checkout Valdštejn Gardens
  • then there is the castle, check out all of its public parts (you dont have to go to the expensive golden street), the huge cathedral and I would also recommend going in the gallery
  • behind the castle there are its beautiful Royal Gardens, you just neet to cross a bridge over the moat

there is so many interesting buildings and institutions in prague i cant name them all, just when you see some monument or a nice building try searching it on google maps and wikipedia/chatgpt, it may be some part of the University, a Theatre, Music hall, Bank, usually sth important

Wider Prague

most of these can be connected by walking and using the subway+tram+bus system

  • ride the subway, mainly line A and B in the centre has some nice stations
  • if you're interested try to get a concert/theatre ticket, preferably in the national theatres/opera or Rudolfinum
  • Petřín watchtower, gardens, the whole hill: these are one of the best views of prague, the funicular is currently closed but google maps should get you there, I also recommend walking from there all the way to the castle or even further on the 'mountain range' all the way to the mentronome, it a nice walk with some monasteries and nice views, the watchtower itself is a bit touristy - map
  • Vyšehrad castle and area - arrive with metro C at the Vyšehrad station, there is a very nice view of prague and a huge congress centre, then you walk to the castle with nice architecture and views of more prague - map
  • Náplavka - an area right next to the river with nice cafes and a good vibe - map
  • Strahov monastery, quite close to the castle - map
  • Grébovka villa and orchards/gardens: in a slightly different part of the city, kinda a hidden gem with nice views and lovely gardens - map
  • Metronome (former stalin monument) - again nice views with a nice walk, the Letná area north of it is also very nice - map
  • Žižkov quater - just walk around its nice, also see the famous TV tower - map
  • Vítkov monument of fallen soldiers: again a nice walk and a park - map
  • Strahov stadium right west of Petřín: the biggest stadium on earth ever constructed, its very brutalist, im not sure you can get inside, but eg this is a nice viewing platform also of the city - map
  • Parukářka park
  • There is also a huge zoo and so many parks

Outside of Prague

each one of these is about a half day trip, but all the trains are very cheap and reliable so should be no problem getting a bit further from prague

I higly recommend the app IDOS for checking and buying all your intercity train (and even bus) tickets

  • Kutná hora - a picturesque city that has not changed since mediaval times with a beautiful cathedral, , and a unique Ossuary
  • at least one castle (there is soo many), here are some near prague: Karlštejn (touristy), Křivoklát, Konopiště, Český Šternberk, Hluboká Castle (the most beautiful one in czechia but a bit further and touristy)
  • go to some other city and explore it, I would recommend Kutná hora but were already there, so you could do Olomouc or Brno, they are very nice historically but a bit further away so it would be a full day trip
  • Terezín, former imperial fort and then a concentration camp, you can try to find tickets here but even without them you can walk around it and explore