Prague 4 Day Itinerary

Start at Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) — gather at the Astronomical Clock (Orloj) on the hour to watch its mechanical procession, then climb the Old Town Hall tower for a view across the red rooftops. The twin spires of the Týn Church dominate the square's skyline.

Walk into Josefov, the former Jewish Quarter. Visit the Old Jewish Cemetery — one of the most powerful sites in Europe, with graves stacked up to 12 layers deep due to space constraints over centuries. The six synagogues (combined ticket) tell the complete history of Prague's Jewish community. The Spanish Synagogue interior is the most spectacular.

Cross to the edge of the New Town for dinner. Lokál on Dlouhá Street is one of the best places in the city for perfectly poured Pilsner Urquell alongside traditional Czech food — svíčková (beef sirloin in cream sauce with bread dumplings) is the dish to order.

Take Tram 22 up to Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) — the largest ancient castle complex in the world by area. Allow at least 2 hours. The highlight is St. Vitus Cathedral with its Gothic stained glass. Walk the Golden Lane (Zlatá ulička), the street of tiny medieval cottages once inhabited by castle guards and alchemists.

Descend through the castle gardens into Malá Strana (the Little Quarter). Walk along Nerudova Street — lined with Baroque palaces and embassies — down to Malostranské náměstí. Visit the Church of St. Nicholas, the finest Baroque church in Prague. Cross Charles Bridge at golden hour — head west to east for the best light on the Castle behind you.

Dinner in Malá Strana or back in the Old Town. U Modré Kachničky (The Blue Duckling) on Nebovidská is a beautifully decorated old Prague restaurant — excellent duck, game and Moravian wines. Book ahead.

Explore Vinohrady, Prague's most elegant residential neighbourhood — Art Nouveau apartment buildings, tree-lined boulevards and the Church of St. Ludmila on náměstí Míru. Very different in character from the tourist centre and where many expats and young Praguers live.

Walk uphill to Žižkov and climb the Žižkov Television Tower — the most controversial building in the city (designed in Communist-era style, adorned post-1989 with crawling baby sculptures by David Černý). The views from 93 metres are superb. Find David Černý's other provocative public artworks around the city — the upside-down horse in Lucerna Passage, the Kafka rotating head on Spálená.

Žižkov has Prague's highest concentration of pubs per capita. Spend the evening exploring the neighbourhood's unpretentious local bars before heading back toward the centre on Tram 9 or 11.

Take the direct train from Praha Hlavní Nádraží to Kutná Hora (1 hour, trains run hourly). Visit the Sedlec Ossuary — the famous Bone Church, whose interior decorations including chandeliers, coats of arms and garlands are made entirely from the bones of approximately 40,000 people. Extraordinary and unlike anything else in Europe.

Walk 3km into the town centre to see the Cathedral of St. Barbara (Chrám svaté Barbory) — a late Gothic masterpiece rivalling Prague's St. Vitus, built by the silver miners who made Kutná Hora one of the wealthiest towns in medieval Europe. Walk the old town lanes before catching the afternoon train back.

Return to Prague. Final dinner in the Old Town or Nové Město. Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square) is worth a night stroll — a long boulevard rather than a square, lined with Art Nouveau and Functionalist buildings. Prague Airport (PRG) is 30 minutes by Airport Express bus from Náměstí Republiky.