How to Do Prague on a Backpacker Budget: A Complete Guide (£13/Night Hostels & Hidden Gems)
There are two ways to see Prague. You can follow the tourist crowds on the expensive, air conditioned tour busses, or you can drop your bags in a hostel, grab a £3 local beer, and explore the city on foot.
I recently visited Prague to run the city’s half marathon. Running 13 miles through the empty cobblestone streets at sunrise gave me a completely unique view of the old town hotspots before the massive crowds woke up.
If you want to navigate this incredible city without breaking the bank, here is the exact budget blueprint from my time there.
Getting to Prague: The Budget Hack
If you are already interrailing or backpacking through neighbouring countries like Germany, Austria, or Poland, skip the expensive flights or trains. Instead, book a FlixBus.
You can easily secure a coach ticket into Prague for anywhere between £15 and £35!! It is ridiculously cheap, incredibly reliable, and one of my favourite ways to keep European summer travel costs down.
Arriving in the City: The Smart Transit Move
When you arrive at the airport or the main bus terminal with a heavy backpack or suitcase, skip the overpriced private transfer companies. Instead, go on your phone and order an Uber straight to the city centre. It costs £9 or under, takes you directly to your hostel door, and completely eliminates the stress of navigating transit maps when you’re tired.
When getting around Prague, my personal favourite way to do so is to walk as you get to take it all in, but if you would rather relax more, Tram 22 is the best thing for sightseeing as it takes you to all the hot spots. A 24 hour ticket is roughly £5.15 or a 90 minute ticket is about £1.70.
Where to Stay: Safestay Hostel (£13/Night)
Accommodation will eat up most of your European summer budget if you aren’t careful. During my trip, I stayed at Safestay Hostel and would definitely recommend it to any solo backpacker or budget duo.
- The Cost: Roughly £13 per night for a dorm bed.
- The Vibe: It is incredibly clean, highly social (perfect for meeting other travellers), and safe.
- The Location: You can’t beat it. It is an easy 12 minute walk to the main action, 5–10 minutes from Charles Bridge, and an easy 30 minute walk to see Prague Castle up close.
How to Eat and Drink Cheaply in the Old Town
Old Town Prague is notorious for overpricing tourist menus. However, you can eat like a king for cheap if you know where to look.
Restaurant Mincovna
I usually tell backpackers to run away from central restaurants in the Old Town square due to heavy tourist pricing, but Restaurant Mincovna is my only exception. I went here twice because the traditional Czech goulash was only £13 and absolutely incredible.
The Old Town Market Stalls
If you want variety and low prices, I would recommend heading to the markets in the Old Town. This is where I ate the majority of my meals. Even though it is located right in the tourist centre, you can grab substantial, hearty Czech and Western meals at the stalls for anywhere between £5 and £15, depending on what you feel like spending.
A really simple budget travel hack that some people don’t realise is to just look at the menu of the restaurant. If it is in the local language, you have probably found a good one! If it’s in English, they are expecting tourists to eat there.
The Ultimate Prague Budget Bucket List
You do not need a massive bank account to experience Prague’s iconic landmarks. These are some of my favourite (and mainly free) things to do when I visit –
- Charles Bridge: Do not walk this at midday when it is packed shoulder to shoulder. Go at sunset or late evening for a completely unique, moody atmosphere change.
- The Franz Kafka Rotating Head: A massive, modern mirror sculpture that spins every hour for 15 minutes between 8 AM and 7 PM.
- The Astronomical Clock: Make sure to time your walk into the Old Town Square when looking for the clock as on the hour you will hear it chime!
- John Lennon Wall: A spot you have definitely seen online. Only a 15 minute walk from the Old Town, it’s something you have to see for yourself. One thing I love about this is that all the art work and graffiti you see will be completely different the next time you visit. It’s a forever changing masterpiece.
- Dancing House: Walk along the Vltava River into the New Town to see it. It’s hard to miss and stands out from the surrounding buildings.
- National Museum: If you want some history, adult tickets are £10. The building inside is absolutely stunning and completely worth the entry fee.
- The Vltava River Nutria: Keep an eye out along the river banks near Charles Bridge and Shooters Island. You’ll see the wild Nutria (giant “water rats”) hanging out along the water. It’s a cute and unique local sight that costs nothing to see and most people walk straight past!
- St. Nicholas Church: Capitalise on this budget trick, the St. Nicholas Church located in the Old Town is completely free entry, while the version located across the river in Lesser Town charges a £5 adult fee.
Prague’s Best Kept Secret: Grebovka Park
If you want to escape the summer tourist crowds completely, I highly recommend taking a 40-minute walk out of the centre to Havlíčkovy Sady, specifically a section called Grebovka.
You’ll come across a beautiful Italian Renaissance-style park built into a hillside, it also has its own vineyard and historic pavilions. If the weather allows, it’s so nice to grab a drink and just relax after a long day of walking. It is a genuine local hidden gem that you almost never see mentioned in mainstream travel guides. It is completely free, peaceful, and entirely worth the walk.
Go Out and Explore Prague
Prague is easily one of the most incredible cities in Europe, and you don’t need a massive bank account to experience it properly. By staying in a social hostel, eating at local market stalls, and tracking down hidden gems, you can stretch your cash further and stay on the road longer.
Pack your bag, grab a cheap local beer, and enjoy the cobblestone streets. Safe travels!