Prague family holidays and breaks

Little princesses fed on a diet of Disney will find Prague's fairy-tale atmosphere a dream come true, while clanking trams and parade-ground soldiers will keep their brothers happy during family holidays or breaks.

Compact, largely traffic-free, and with cafés on every corner, Prague’s centre is easily navigated by those with kids in tow (although the stiff pull up to the castle is a challenge for the littlest ones; see below for how to cheat). Despite rising prices, the city remains easy on the pocket too. 

15.00

Today

23°C
75°F

Flying Time	2 hours
Timezone	GMT +2
Local Currency	Czech Koruna

What to do

Start by taking tram 22 from the centre of town up to Prague Castle – the route takes in some of the city's prettiest streets before dropping you near the top of the hill. The castle, the world's biggest, is great for kids of all ages. Arrive a few minutes before the hour for the hourly changing of the entrance guard – a choreographed confection straight out of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Within the castle walls, vaulted Vladislav Hall is sure to fire up a child's imagination: it has a sweeping staircase down which mounted knights used to enter. The castle is also home to the old-fashioned Toy Museum, with a mammoth collection of everything from tin soldiers to china dolls, none of which you can touch.

Wend your way downhill through pretty gardens to the famous Charles Bridge. A good diversion here is guessing the identities of the 30 parapet statues (try to find the one of St Wenceslas as a boy with his grandmother). The bridge is invariably thronged by wannabe artists, and a two-minute portrait or caricature makes for a fun family memento.

On the far bank, Old Town Square is Prague’s architectural highlight. Guidebooks make a big deal of the astronomical clock, with its mechanical figurines who parade hourly. But – whisper it quietly – it's all a bit dull. It’s much better just to wander the surrounding streets – the whole district is as pretty as a film set, which is what it often becomes. Find out from the tourist office if there's anything currently on location and wander over to have a look – older children and teenagers will love the Hollywood bustle and seeing the behind-the-scenes secrets of how a film gets shot.

When you're done with the sightseeing, it's just a few steps to the outrageously decadent Obecni Dom, a wildly over-the-top temple of Art Nouveau housing the city hall. The ground-floor houses a grand palm-court café serving afternoon teas with huge ceremony but fair prices.

Finish the day with an hour's cruise (or longer cruise) on the River Vltava, watching the city-centre sights pass by from a different angle. If that’s too easy, you can burn off a few calories by hiring a rowing boat from the docks opposite the National Theatre on Slovansky Island.

When it comes to letting off steam, small children enjoy the well-kept playground on Kampa Island, two minutes’ walk from Charles Bridge. For bigger kids, the top choice is Petrin Hill: you can zip up on a dinky funicular, and at the top you'll find, aside greenery, an old-fashioned mirror maze and pint-size Eiffel Tower (giving the city's best views).

Further from the centre is Prague Zoo. Fully renovated after the floods of 2002, it’s now regarded as one of Europe’s best. Its reputation rests on its breeding herd of wild Przewalski’s horses, but children of all ages enjoy spotting their favourite animals in well-tended, spacious enclosures. Younger kids also love hands-on contact with smaller animals in the petting zoo set around a traditional farmyard.

If it rains, Prague has some diverting – or just plain kooky – museums to ward off boredom. Outside the centre, trains, planes and automobiles fill the Boys Own zone that is the National Technical Museum, which also has a coal-mine in the basement. But the award for oddball excellence must go to the Museum of Miniatures, full of objects you never knew you needed to see – and therefore of huge interest to children: a grasshopper playing a violin, a flea wearing shoes and a whole camel train passing through the eye of a needle (don’t worry, there are a lot of magnifying glasses as well).

For day-trips from Prague, see our Central Bohemia destination guide.

Where to stay

Prague now offers every conceivable type of accommodation at prices to suit all budgets. Boutique hotels and updated coaching inns have the most character; most are in Mala Strana and the Stare Mesto (Old Town). On family holidays with younger kids, hotels in the more modern buildings of the Nove Mesto (New Town) and around Wenceslas Square can be more practical. Most hotels from mid-range upwards can organise babysitting, though it's best to email or call in advance.

Search for family-friendly hotels in Prague. The luxurious Four Seasons offers all kinds of amenities for children, including personalised booklets with tips and information and a game with prizes, while the Kempinski Hybernská boasts some of Prague's biggest guestrooms, some with handy kitchenettes.

See also our feature Green Places to Stay with Kids in Europe for the Chateau Mcely in a picturesque village 70km outside of Prague.

When

Prague is prettiest in spring, although mid-winter frosts and snow make the cobbled streets sparkle deliciously too. But summer is the best time to come here on family holidays: life moves outdoors and there's a Mediterranean air to the pavement cafés and strolling street-life. Kids can range widely in the parks and everyone can enjoy open-air boat rides and long, light evenings. Temperatures rise a few degrees higher than in Britain (in contrast, it's noticeably crisper in winter.) As in the UK, rain can fall at any time of year.

How

Most UK airports offer direct flights to Prague, which take around 2hrs. Intense competition between low-cost carriers – including easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair – makes Prague one of the cheapest European cities to reach. Traditional airlines such as British Airways and Czech Airlines are usually more expensive but offer free advance seat selection and checked-in baggage, as well as greater legroom, which is especially good if you’re balancing infants on your lap. Search for deals with British Airways and Expedia.

Public transport from the airport involves a bus–metro transfer. Easier options are taxis or the Cedaz mini-bus hotel shuttle. The 20km trip to the city centre takes 30-40mins.

Older children might find rail an adventurous (as well as a green) alternative to flying. Fast Eurostar services through Brussels allow an afternoon departure from London and breakfast arrival in Prague, saving a night in a hotel. Overnight travel is by comfortable German sleeper. See Man in Seat 61 for timetables, fares and advice.

Eat

While facilities such as baby-changing tables and children's menus are thinner on the ground in Prague than at home, with a little ingenuity they can be tracked down or improvised, and the locals are always happy to help.

Stodgy is the most honest way of describing Czech food – it’s usually a classic Central European mix of meat and potatoes, with dumplings and sometimes sauerkraut thrown in. The cuisine is hardly likely to be the highpoint of family holidays, but the flavours are inoffensive to picky young palates and menus are usually in English. Czech beer, of course, is in a different league.

Cafés and bars shade into each other imperceptibly, but you're not going to walk into a stag-nighters' haunt by accident. One major grouse is the universal prevalence of smoking; in summer the answer is to sit outside. 

Cost

EasyJet flights from London start at around £50 (less during special promotions). Equivalent British Airways flights cost from £100. Hotel prices are around two-thirds what you'd pay in the UK and normally include a Continental breakfast. Mid-season rates apply in July and August. Christmas and Easter are peak rate.

Sit-down meals are £5–10 except at the fanciest places. A half-litre of beer costs less than £1 at bars serving locals, double that in places aimed at tourists.

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