Things to Do in Prague

Charles Bridge at dawn

Arrive before six. The bridge is yours, plus two photographers and a runner. Dew beads on sandstone. The castle glows pink above the river. The only sound is water slapping stone piers. At seven the tour troops march in. The window is short. Worth the alarm.

Vyšehrad cemetery stroll

Locals call it Slavín: a walled garden of marble, ivy, birdsong. Dvořák and Smetana lie beneath Art-Nouveau headstones. The hill falls away to rail yards and the river. Trains clack below while crows rustle cedars. Bring a picnic. Benches face south and catch afternoon sun most of the year.

Beer spa in Žižkov

You recline in a hand-carved oak tub of dark Bernard brew, hops steaming around you. A tap of the same stuff waits within arm's reach. The room smells like a brewery mash: sweet malt, warm yeast, a hint of cinnamon from straw mats. After twenty minutes they wrap you in sheets and park you on a heated bed. You leave smelling like liquid bread for the rest of the day.

Kampa modern art museum

A 15th-century mill on the island canal holds central Europe's best post-war Czech art stash. The turbine hall still hums. You view giant canvases to a low mechanical throb. Outside, the terrace café spills onto the mill race. Ducklings paddle past while you sip dill-spiked lemonade that tastes like summer pickles.

Letná beer-garden sunset

Climb cast-iron steps from Holešovice. The city pops like a pop-up book: seven bridges, castle silhouette, trams threading glittering tracks. The kiosk sells tank-drawn Gambrinus in plastic cups. Smoke from the sausage grill drifts across the metronome. Musicians unpack guitars. The hillside hums until the lamps click on.

Staré Město - postcard lanes but expect late-night noise from pub crawls

Vinohrady: leafier, art-deco blocks, gay bars, farmers' markets on Jiřího z Poděbrad.

Holešovice: former warehouses turned galleries, cheaper than the centre, tram 12 whisks you in.

Malá Strana - baroque palaces, embassy hush, prices climb uphill

Žižkov - TV Tower views, gritty pubs where bartenders remember your name

Karlín - flood-restored avenues, edgy cafés, metro ride is five minutes