OurVacays Home Trips Guides Planning Packing List About ← all trips
Prague 2024

A Travel Diary

Prague 2024

Four spring days in the City of a Hundred Spires — March 2024

103Photographs
4Days
13Places
Scroll to explore ↓

Dobry den from Prague

Four days of cobblestones and cathedrals, red rooftops and river light. We wandered the Old Town, climbed up to the castle, lost an afternoon inside St. Vitus, and crossed Charles Bridge at every hour we could. Tap any photo to enlarge it, or open the map to see where we wandered.

Four spring days in Prague, the City of a Hundred Spires, spent mostly on foot. We wandered the Old Town Square, climbed up to the castle, and lost an afternoon inside the soaring St. Vitus Cathedral.

Charles Bridge became the thing we kept coming back to — at dawn, at dusk, and every hour in between, the statues dark against the river light. Add the red rooftops, the Vltava sliding underneath, and an Easter market in full swing, and it made for a near-perfect long weekend.

This trip ran 4 days, March 27–30, 2024. Along the way we spent time at Charles Bridge, The Vltava, St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague, Old Town Square, Over the rooftops, The Easter market, Castle gate, the Battling Titans, and Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The gallery below tells it day by day, in 103 photographs.

Planning your own trip? Read Prague with kids: our 4-day itinerary & tips →

Day 1

Wed 27 Mar

Old Town Square · Over the rooftops · Prague Castle · Castle gate, the Battling Titans · St. Vitus Cathedral · Inside St. Vitus Cathedral

A Prague table
A Prague tableFirst order of business in any new city: sit down, order the thing you cannot pronounce, and enjoy it thoroughly.
Old Town Square
Old Town SquareOld Town Square, where every direction is a postcard and the pavement has seen a few centuries go by.
Over the rooftops
Over the rooftopsRed roofs all the way to the horizon. The famous Prague palette: terracotta and sky.
Over the rooftops
Over the rooftopsFrom up high the whole city looks hand-painted.
Over the rooftops
Over the rooftopsA sea of rooftops with a castle floating somewhere on the far shore.
Over the rooftops
Over the rooftopsChimneys, gables, and spires, packed in tight and glowing in the light.
Prague Castle
Prague CastlePrague Castle, less a building than a small city of its own perched above the river.
Prague Castle
Prague CastleCourtyards inside courtyards, each one quietly grander than the last.
Castle gate, the Battling Titans
Castle gate, the Battling TitansThe Battling Titans stand guard at the castle gate, mid-swing for a few hundred years now.
Castle gate, the Battling Titans
Castle gate, the Battling TitansStone giants over the entrance, making everyone below feel suitably small.
Prague Castle
Prague CastleThe largest ancient castle in the world, and it absolutely acts like it.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus CathedralSt. Vitus from the courtyard, all flying buttresses and Gothic ambition.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus CathedralCenturies of stonework reaching for the sky, gargoyles included.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus CathedralThe cathedral that took nearly 600 years to finish. Worth the wait.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus CathedralEvery surface carved, every spire competing to be the tallest thing you have ever seen.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus CathedralThe towers of St. Vitus, looming over the castle like they own the place.
Inside St. Vitus Cathedral
Inside St. Vitus CathedralInside St. Vitus, where the light arrives already stained in color and the ceiling refuses to end.
Inside St. Vitus Cathedral
Inside St. Vitus CathedralPillars rising into shadow, stained glass throwing jewels across the stone floor.
Inside St. Vitus Cathedral
Inside St. Vitus CathedralYou walk in, your voice drops to a whisper without being asked. That kind of place.
Inside St. Vitus Cathedral
Inside St. Vitus CathedralThe nave goes up and up until your neck gives out before the architecture does.
Inside St. Vitus Cathedral
Inside St. Vitus CathedralCenturies of devotion in stone and colored glass, all of it pointing skyward.
Inside St. Vitus Cathedral
Inside St. Vitus CathedralThe rose window catching the afternoon and scattering it everywhere.
Inside St. Vitus Cathedral
Inside St. Vitus CathedralInside St. Vitus, where the light arrives already stained in color and the ceiling refuses to end.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus CathedralGothic to its bones, and gloriously so.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus CathedralSt. Vitus from the courtyard, all flying buttresses and Gothic ambition.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus CathedralCenturies of stonework reaching for the sky, gargoyles included.
Prague
PragueA quiet Prague moment, somewhere between one landmark and the next.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus CathedralThe cathedral that took nearly 600 years to finish. Worth the wait.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe Vltava sliding by under a watercolor sky.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe river at golden hour, with the whole skyline showing off in the reflection.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeCharles Bridge, lined with its blackened saints, doing what it has done since 1357.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThe statues keep watch over the river, weathered and wonderful.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeCrossing the Vltava the old-fashioned way, one baroque saint at a time.
The Vltava
The VltavaBridges and water and that particular Prague light that makes everything look like a memory.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThe bridge at the quiet hour, before the crowds and the caricature artists arrive.
Prague Castle
Prague CastleA thousand years of history stacked on one hill above the Vltava.
Old Town Square
Old Town SquareThe heart of the old city, busy in the best possible way.
The Astronomical Clock
The Astronomical ClockThe Astronomical Clock doing its 600-year-old party trick, on time as ever.
Old Town Square
Old Town SquareSpires in every direction. You stop counting and just look up.
Old Town Square
Old Town SquareStanding in the middle of it all, doing slow circles like a tourist with no regrets.
Church of Our Lady before Tyn
Church of Our Lady before TynThe twin Gothic towers of the Tyn Church, looking like they were drawn for a fairy tale and then built anyway.

Day 2

Thu 28 Mar

St. Nicholas Church · Church of Our Lady before Tyn · Wenceslas Square & the National Museum · Prague · The Dancing House · A Prague street

St. Nicholas Church
St. Nicholas ChurchSt. Nicholas, baroque and unbothered, glowing in the afternoon light.
Church of Our Lady before Tyn
Church of Our Lady before TynOur Lady before Tyn, presiding over the square as it has since the 14th century.
A Prague table
A Prague tableFuel for a day of walking. Prague does not believe in small portions.
Wenceslas Square & the National Museum
Wenceslas Square & the National MuseumWenceslas Square, with the National Museum keeping a stately eye over the lower end.
Wenceslas Square & the National Museum
Wenceslas Square & the National MuseumLess a square than a grand boulevard, history stacked along both sides.
Wenceslas Square & the National Museum
Wenceslas Square & the National MuseumThe National Museum at the top of the hill, monumental and proud.
Prague
PragueThe city in an off-guard instant, which is usually when it is at its best.
Prague
PraguePrague has a way of being photogenic even when you are not trying.
The Dancing House
The Dancing HouseThe Dancing House, where the architecture decided to loosen up and have a little fun.
The Dancing House
The Dancing HouseTwo towers caught mid-waltz on the riverbank. Prague does whimsy too.
A Prague table
A Prague tableProof that we did, in fact, stop occasionally to eat.
A Prague street
A Prague streetA side street going about its quiet business, cobblestones and all.
A Prague table
A Prague tableA small, delicious intermission between cathedrals.
A Prague table
A Prague tableWhatever this was, we would order it again without hesitation.

Day 3

Fri 29 Mar

The Powder Tower · The Vltava · Charles Bridge · The Easter market

A Prague table
A Prague tableGoulash in a bread bowl: the correct answer to a cold spring afternoon.
A Prague table
A Prague tableCzech portions are an act of generosity bordering on a dare.
The Powder Tower
The Powder TowerThe Powder Tower, the old gateway into the city, dark and Gothic and grand.
The Vltava
The VltavaDusk on the river. The city lights come on one window at a time.
The Vltava
The VltavaStill water, soft sky, and the towers lined up like they posed for it.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe Vltava doing what it does best: holding the whole city upside down in its reflection.
The Vltava
The VltavaSwans, weirs, and a skyline of spires along the water.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe river bends through the city and takes the best views with it.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe Vltava sliding by under a watercolor sky.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe river at golden hour, with the whole skyline showing off in the reflection.
The Vltava
The VltavaBridges and water and that particular Prague light that makes everything look like a memory.
The Vltava
The VltavaDusk on the river. The city lights come on one window at a time.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThirty saints, one ancient bridge, and a view in both directions you will not forget.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeCobblestones underfoot and statues overhead. The classic Prague walk.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThe towers at the bridge's end, framing the old town like a doorway.
The Vltava
The VltavaStill water, soft sky, and the towers lined up like they posed for it.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeSoot-darkened saints against a bright spring sky.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeCharles Bridge, lined with its blackened saints, doing what it has done since 1357.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThe statues keep watch over the river, weathered and wonderful.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeCrossing the Vltava the old-fashioned way, one baroque saint at a time.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThe bridge at the quiet hour, before the crowds and the caricature artists arrive.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThirty saints, one ancient bridge, and a view in both directions you will not forget.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeCobblestones underfoot and statues overhead. The classic Prague walk.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThe towers at the bridge's end, framing the old town like a doorway.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeSoot-darkened saints against a bright spring sky.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeCharles Bridge, lined with its blackened saints, doing what it has done since 1357.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThe statues keep watch over the river, weathered and wonderful.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeCrossing the Vltava the old-fashioned way, one baroque saint at a time.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThe bridge at the quiet hour, before the crowds and the caricature artists arrive.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThirty saints, one ancient bridge, and a view in both directions you will not forget.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeCobblestones underfoot and statues overhead. The classic Prague walk.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeThe towers at the bridge's end, framing the old town like a doorway.
Charles Bridge
Charles BridgeSoot-darkened saints against a bright spring sky.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe Vltava doing what it does best: holding the whole city upside down in its reflection.
The Vltava
The VltavaSwans, weirs, and a skyline of spires along the water.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe river bends through the city and takes the best views with it.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe Vltava sliding by under a watercolor sky.
The Vltava
The VltavaThe river at golden hour, with the whole skyline showing off in the reflection.
The Easter market
The Easter marketThe Easter market in full swing, all painted eggs, woodsmoke, and fairy lights.
The Easter market
The Easter marketStalls and string lights under the spires. Spring in Prague has a soundtrack of its own.

Day 4

Sat 30 Mar

The Easter market · Prague

A Prague table
A Prague tableTrdelnik, ice cream, and zero regrets.
The Easter market
The Easter marketHand-painted eggs the size of your imagination, glowing in the evening.
Prague
PragueOne more frame of a city that kept handing them to us.
Prague
PragueThe everyday texture of Prague: stone, spires, and soft northern light.
Prague
PragueA quiet Prague moment, somewhere between one landmark and the next.
A Prague table
A Prague tableFirst order of business in any new city: sit down, order the thing you cannot pronounce, and enjoy it thoroughly.
Prague
PragueThe city in an off-guard instant, which is usually when it is at its best.
Prague
PraguePrague has a way of being photogenic even when you are not trying.

Where we wandered