Prague's historic core is genuinely small — you can cross it in half an hour — and that is exactly the problem. The entire visitor load of a major European capital funnels through a handful of streets, so the difference between a good trip and a frustrating one is largely a question of when you show up.
Two days covers the castle side and the old town properly. A third turns it into a real trip: the neighbourhoods outside the centre are where the city stops performing for visitors, and they are twenty minutes away by tram.
Because the core is so compact, Prague rewards planning by hour more than by area. The same square is a different place at eight in the morning and at two in the afternoon.
The river splits the city into two halves that feel completely different, joined by a bridge that is itself one of the busiest points in the country.
Prague has a real winter and a genuinely crowded summer, and the shoulder months in between are noticeably better than either.
Long days without peak density
Warm enough for the terraces, long light, and the old town still passable if you start early. September is marginally the quieter of the three.
Cool, cheap and much emptier
Fewer people by a wide margin, and the city looks better under low autumn light than under high summer sun. Bring a layer; the mornings are cold.
Christmas markets, and everyone who came for them
The markets are genuinely good and genuinely packed, and prices in the centre rise accordingly. Days are very short, which limits how much you can see.
Cold, dark and almost empty
Properly cold and with little daylight, but the old town is briefly a normal place again and prices are at their lowest. Good for a short, interior-heavy trip.
Maximum crowd in minimum space
The weather is fine; the density is the issue. The Charles Bridge and the old town square are at their worst, and the centre's prices peak with them.
Two or three days in Prague is inside the free version: one destination, up to three days, no account.
