How Much Does it Cost to go to Prague?

Prague is, without a doubt, one of Europe’s biggest gems when it comes to capital cities. With a rich history, plenty of museums, stunning architecture, and a reputation for affordability, there’s no doubting why this central European city has become such a popular travel destination. But, how much does it cost to go to Prague? Read on to find out.

For the purpose of this article, I’m going to suggest a one week (7-day, 6-night) itinerary to Prague. The city itself has plenty to do, plus, there are lots of great day trip options. Please note that this guide is based on the costs of a single person, so if you are a couple, make sure to double these estimates (except for hotels).

Prague trip cost

	Estimated cost
Airfare	$900
Accommodations	$570
Local transportation	$26
Attractions	$300
Food and drink	$182
Random spending	$100
Total	$2,078 USD

The above estimate is in American dollars, so please use xe.com to find out the average costs in your home currency.

If you’re Canadian, you may want to consider applying for one of the best travel credit cards in Canada to help offset your costs by collecting points. For example, the American Express Platinum Card gives you a generous welcome bonus that’s often worth more than $900 (potentially more if you transfer your points to Aeroplan or Marriott Bonvoy). There’s also the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card that has no foreign transaction fees, and it comes with airport lounge access.   

Airfare

Flying to Prague from North America is a longer flight than most European flights. It’s also not as common a route as other destinations such as Rome, London, and Paris, so not only are prices higher, but you’ll likely need to take a stopover.

There are direct flights available, but it’s typically seasonal. The most popular time to go to Prague is in the summer, but the winter is also when you see crowds. On average, you can expect to pay about $900 for the return flight.  

Accommodations

Prague has no shortage of accommodation ranging from budget hostels to luxury 5-star hotels. While the city is reasonably compact and walkable, the best areas to stay in are around the Old Town Square or Wenceslas Square. It’s easy to walk or use public transit to the main attractions from these two areas.

I’ve based this estimate on the average cost for a mid-range hotel in the city centre which is about $95/night.

Looking for some recommendations? Consider these places.

Hostels

• Hostel Downtown
• Hostel Opletalova

Mid-range hotels

• Antik Hotel Prague
• Casa Marcello

Luxury hotels

• Grand Hotel Bohemia
• Art Nouveau Palace Hotel

If you have the right credit card, you can save a fair amount of money on hotels. Americans should strongly consider the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card since you can earn up to 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and $300 back at U.S. restaurants as a welcome bonus.

Canadians should consider the Marriott Bonvoy American Express, which gives you up to 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. That’s enough points for a few free nights at some hotels, which could easily have a value of over $500.

Local transportation

Getting around Prague is fairly simple. If you enjoy walking, then by foot is the best way to see the city. There are plenty of beautiful views to take and interesting buildings and sites along the way. Prague also is very well connected by bus, tram, and metro.

If you plan on using public transportation a lot, then consider getting the 3-day pass as it has better value than individual tickets. Even if you buy it twice, if you use it a lot you will save yourself money. Plus, you can use it on the local bus from the airport to the city centre as well.

The three-day pass is only $13 so if you double that for your stay you only end up spending about $26 on public transportation.

Attractions

Prague itself has lots to see and do. Many of the highlights are free. These include Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge etc. However, there are some paid attractions that are worth your while as well including Prague Castle, museums, and a scenic river cruise.

Additionally, well you can spend the entire week exploring the city of Prague, I suggest you do at least a couple of day trips. Kutna Hora is nearby as is Český Krumlov and Bohemian Switzerland for those who enjoy hiking. History enthusiasts may also wish to go to the nearby Terezin Concentration Camp.

Many of these day trips can be done on your own using public transit. However, you can also do guided day tours as well (I’ve linked to some above), in which case you can expect to pay $50-$100 per tour. I recommend buying your tickets in advance from Klook as you can sometimes get a discount and skip the lines when you’re there.

If you decide to do a bit of sight-seeing in Prague and a couple of day tours, you will probably be able to get away with spending about $300 on attractions.

Food and drink

When it comes to food, Prague has a little bit of everything. You can easily find McDonald’s as well as traditional Czech restaurants. There are some fine dining options and, of course, street-food type snacks (definitely make sure to try the chimney cakes!).

General speaking, you can expect your daily meal expenses to look like this:

• Breakfast – $4
• Lunch – $7
• Dinner – $15

This means your daily food budget will be about $26. You can easily spend much more than what I’ve suggested, but it also wouldn’t be too hard to lower the amount you spend on food if you don’t eat out much.

Keep in mind, restaurants in the touristic areas will cost much more than smaller places. Ask your accommodation for local recommendations or walk down the side streets.

Random spending

As with all my How Much guides, I recommend having a little bit of extra cash set aside for random spending. This could be for souvenirs, for an extra day trip, for a few extra beers or whatever you want. It’s just nice to have a little extra cash on hand. For Prague, having an additional $100 for random spending should be enough.

Final thoughts

So how much does it cost to go to Prague? Based on my estimates, you can expect to pay about U.S. $2,078 to spend 1 week in Prague. Not too bad, especially when compared to other popular European capitals!

If you follow the tips above, you can cut this cost even further. Or, if this is well within your budget, you may want to treat yourself to a more upscale experience and spend a little more on accommodation and dining experiences. Whatever you decide, Prague will not disappoint. For more inspiration, check out my guides on Barcelona, Amsterdam, Italy, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Greece, Dubai, Jordan, Singapore and Tokyo.