Prague, the beautiful capital city of the Czech Republic, has become an extremely popular tourist destination in the past few years, known for its medieval architecture, exciting nightlife, and notoriously cheap prices. However, just like in any major European city, underprepared travellers can often find themselves paying exorbitant rates and high prices in Prague if they aren’t careful.
If you have ever found yourself wondering “is Prague expensive?”, the good news is that you absolutely can do a trip to Prague for a fraction of the cost of many other exciting destinations, as long as you plan ahead and avoid overly touristy areas.
While Prague is more expensive than other Czech cities at an average cost of €47 to €130 per person per day, it is certainly more affordable than other Western European cities if you’re travelling on a mid-range budget.
As a rule of thumb, you can assume that the closer you are to Charles Bridge, the higher prices will be, as the famous bridge tends to be where the highest concentration of tourists are. If you’re curious about prices in Prague and how to plan a visit to this incredible city, read on for a breakdown of prices in Prague for all different kinds of budgets!
Accommodation Prices in Prague
When it comes to accommodation in Prague, there is absolutely no shortage of incredible places to stay in Prague for all different kinds of travellers. However, regardless of what your budget is on a trip to Prague, I would definitely recommend making sure you stay in a neighborhood close to the Old Town. The Old Town is the most centrally located, historic heart of the city, and almost everything that you’ll want to do will be within walking distance from this area.
Luckily, there are many affordable options. Since Prague is such a big student city, there are many accommodation options for young travellers who want a fun, social experience and don’t necessarily care about having their own room.
A bed in a shared dorm-style room at most of the centrally located hostels in Prague range from €20-30 a night.
Many Prague hostels will also have their staff take travellers out in groups most nights, which makes for a convenient and safe way to check out the nightlife in Prague, particularly if you are travelling solo. For the young and energetic traveller, the hostels in Prague are an incredibly affordable, fun, and social accommodation option. I’d recommend Hostel One Home or The Roadhouse.
However, the hectic atmosphere of a hostel is definitely not for everyone. If you are looking to have your own room in a hotel, yet still hoping to travel on a budget, there are plenty of affordable mid-range options in Prague. Most pretty standard hotel rooms in Old Town Prague cost around €65-80 per night. Check out Hotel Inos or Hotel Zlatá Váha for affordable private hotel room options.
And finally, if you’re looking for a more luxurious hotel experience and don’t mind paying extra money, you’ll find there are plenty of nicer hotels in Prague that are still relatively affordable.
For a private room in a nicer hotel (including breakfast buffet, fitness facilities, high-speed wifi, etc.), expect to pay anywhere from €100-150 per night, depending on the location of the hotel. Prices can also be lower if visiting Prague during winter.
As you can see, there is no shortage of accommodation options in Prague for any type of budget or traveller. Click here to browse other hotel options in Prague.
Transportation Prices in Prague
Prague is an extremely walkable city, particularly if you choose to situate yourself in Old Town, which means day-to-day you likely won’t have to factor in transportation expenses.
However, if you do opt to use public transport, you’ll find that it is affordable and easy to navigate. Getting from the airport to city centre via public bus will be the cheapest option and expect to pay around €20 if you’d rather take a taxi or Uber/Bolt into town. There is also the option to organise an affordable shared shuttle from the airport or a private transfer if budget isn’t an issue.
Once in town, if you choose to opt for public transportation to get you around, you can expect to pay around €1.25-1.70 for a one-off trip (valid for 30 & 90 minutes respectively) on any of Prague’s public transportation options (metro, tram, or bus).
If you think you’ll end up using public transportation a lot while in Prague, you can also opt to get a 24-hour pass for around €5 or a 72-hour pass for around €13.
The easiest place to purchase tickets is through the PID Lítačka app where you can buy and store tickets directly on your smartphone.
So, regardless of whether you choose to walk or use the bus or metro to get from place to place within Prague, the cost of transportation is quite low and likely won’t be a major factor in budgeting your trip.
Food Prices in Prague
When it comes to the cost of food in Prague, you’ll be similarly surprised at how affordable it can be, as long as you avoid tourist traps and extremely busy areas (namely the area surrounding the Charles bridge).
Likely, wherever you choose to stay (be it a hostel or hotel) will offer a light complimentary breakfast, so if you take advantage of it, you can completely eliminate breakfast costs. However, if you do choose to grab a coffee and pastry at a café, you can expect to pay around €5-10.
The cost of a meal in Prague depends on when and where you choose to go. For lunches or dinners, you can expect to pay anywhere from €8-€15 per person on a meal. It is definitely possible to get more affordable meals if you frequent local Czech pubs or casual Vietnamese outside of the city center.
A good tip to keep in mind is that many of the restaurants in Prague offer lunch specials that are truly incredible deals, including three-course meals for under €10-15. If you’re a foodie and you want to check out Prague’s dining scene, make sure to take advantage of the culture of lunch specials.
On the other end of the spectrum, you’ll find street food stalls all over the city that offer sausages and other Czech specialities for just a few euros. Overall, when it comes to Prague food prices, possibilities are endless and affordable!
Activities Prices in Prague
There is so much to do in Prague, and luckily, most of the main attractions and sights that people love to see are free!
You can spend a full day simply walking around the city, admiring the medieval architecture, and checking out some of the famous spots, such as the John Lennon Wall, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Square.
Additionally, you could take advantage of a free walking tour to help get you acclimated with the history and geography of Prague. I’d recommend doing a walking tour on your first day, in order to get the most out of the rest of your trip!
The company Free Walking Tours Prague puts on a few different tours of the main areas in Prague (Old Town, New Town, Charles Bridge and Prague Castle) all for free, as long as you make a reservation in advance. However, even though the tours themselves don’t cost any money, you should always allocate a few euro to leave a tip for your tour guide.
Oftentimes they work completely on a volunteer basis and take so much time out of their day to provide tourists with a great experience. It is pretty standard to tip 8-10 euros on a free walking tour, which is around 200-250 Czech crowns.
If you choose to do a more specialized tour, such as an underground tour or a beer tour, expect to pay around €20-30 per person. The admission fees for most of the museums, galleries, and other attractions worth seeing in Prague (including the National Museum, the Jewish Museum, the zoo, and entry into Prague Castle) cost anywhere from €10-20.
If you are a big fan of checking out museums and galleries while travelling, it may be worth purchasing a Prague City Card to save money. These cards are valid for 4 days once they are activated and provide the holder with entrance into almost all of the city’s main attractions, plus a few lesser-known ones.
Additionally, you could spend a day exploring the beautiful fairy-tale-like medieval city of Česky Krumlov that is located about a three-hour bus ride from Prague. Other popular day trip options include visiting Kutna Hora or Karlovy Vary.
Explore the beautiful castle, climb the distinctive round tower, take a stroll through Old Town and the main square, or you can even opt to rent a canoe and drift down the Vltava River for an hour or two. Alternatively, it’s also possible to take an organised day tour from Prague.
Entertainment Prices in Prague
Entertainment prices in the Czech capital don’t have to eat in too much to your overall trip to Prague cost. In fact, you’ll find it is also affordable, particularly in the less touristy areas.
The cost of beer in Prague, for example, is incredibly inexpensive. Quality, local beers can be found at most places for just a couple of euros, and a nicer cocktail for just a few more. Expect a beer close to the city centre cost around €2.50 and around €2 the further from the centre you get.
There are so many cool and interesting bars in Prague, many of which feature live music or other interesting live shows, and many don’t charge a cover fee. There are plenty of bars and clubs in Prague that host a huge variety of live music performances, ranging from indie-alternative to classic jazz, so if you love seeing live music, make sure to take advantage of the incredible scene in Prague.
All that being said, a night of bar hopping in Prague will end up being significantly less damaging to your wallet than going out in many other major European cities.
As I mentioned earlier, many hostels will take their guests out to popular bars and clubs most nights for no additional cost, but if you aren’t staying in a hostel and still want to experience a pub crawl, expect to pay about €25. If going on a pub crawl doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, then there are plenty of other ways to experience Prague’s nightlife including Czech beer tours.
Additionally, Prague is well known for putting on amazing opera performances in beautiful, ornate venues. If you are a fan of opera and able to splurge a bit on a ticket for a performance at the National Theatre (around €40 per ticket), you absolutely will not regret it. Seeing a show at the National Theatre is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Is Prague Expensive? Average Prices in Prague
So, for everyone who has found themselves wondering how much a trip to Prague will cost, we can now break it down into some realistic estimations of how much you can expect to pay per day, assuming you’re splitting the costs between two people and opting to adhere to a mid-range budget.
Accommodation: €20-75 / night
Transportation: €2-10 / day
Food: €10-20 / day
Activities: €10-15 / day
Entertainment: €5-10 / day
Overall, you can expect to spend around €47-130 per person per day on a trip to Prague in which you stay in a private hotel room, eat at both nicer and more casual restaurants, do a few tours, visit a few museums, and go out to experience the nightlife.
Of course, this is just a guide, and you can absolutely cut costs by staying in hostels or cooking some of your own food. If you want to experience Prague on a tight budget, you absolutely will have no trouble finding accommodation and food/drink options to keep you going throughout a stay in Prague.
Keep in mind, that this average cost doesn’t include any pre-trip expenses such as flights to Prague or travel insurance. For travel insurance, World Nomads offers flexible and simple travel insurance policies with coverage for more than 150 activities that you can buy or extend while on the road.
SafetyWing is another good option if you’re travelling in Prague on a budget. They offer affordable and flexible travel medical insurance policies. Click here to get a quote from SafetyWing.
As you can see, Prague definitely lives up to its reputation for being an inexpensive travel hotspot for adventurous travellers. This beautiful city is extremely accessible for many different types of budgets and has so much to offer in terms of scenery, architecture, culture, and entertainment.
Hopefully this budget guide has helped you plan your travels and given you a good idea of how much a Prague trip costs so that you can make a visit to this incredible city as soon as possible!
So is Prague expensive? It doesn’t have to be! If you’re planning a trip to Prague or have a question about the prices, let us know in the comments!
Great information,well worth the read
Could you give me any idea when is the best time to go to Prague for xmas market,etc please.
Thankyou
The Christmas markets are open till New Years, but I would recommend to visit it during December (let’s say middle of December would probably be the best)