Prague river cruises compared: Prague Steamboats' 360 CZK hour, GetYourGuide's cruises from £10.45, and the dinner and jazz boats

💡 The Short Version: A one-hour cruise costs about 300 to 550 CZK. Prague Steamboats’ own 55-minute cruise is 360 CZK (10% off online), and it goes through the Mánes lock twice and up to Vyšehrad, from pier 2 at Rašínovo nábřeží. GetYourGuide’s one-hour cruises run from £10.45 to £19.16 and leave mostly from Čech Bridge. Prague Steamboats’ hourly timetable ended on 28 September; from 29 September to 1 November it runs on Saturdays and Sundays only. Dinner cruises are £44.47 to £67.31 and the jazz boat £41.75. The Prague Visitor Pass includes the Prague Venice, Prague Boats and River Boats one-hour cruises. Or book a tour: the 50-Minute Sightseeing Evening Cruisead (from £15.34, GetYourGuide) has 43,022 reviews.

The tickets, compared

Prague Steamboats’ prices are from its cruise pages, converted at about CZK 28.8 to the pound. GetYourGuide prices are its lowest “from” prices, and where a price is marked down the usual one is shown. Prague Steamboats gives 20% off to over-65s, students and groups of 20 or more, and a child fare for ages 3 to 14; under-3s travel free.

• Prague Steamboats’ price is the face price. It sells online with a 10% discount and at the box office on pier 2, where card payment is preferred. The family ticket is sold only at the box office.
• The GetYourGuide cruises are tied to one boat, a date and a time. Most carry free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
• Prague Steamboats runs the historic steamboats Vltava and Vyšehrad.

How to buy

• Prague Steamboats: on its website, with the 10% online discount, or at the box office on pier 2, Rašínovo nábřeží, between Jirásek Bridge and Palacký Bridge.
• GetYourGuide: pick a date and time. The Prague Boats listings say a full departure moves you to the next one, which for the day’s last sailing is the next day, and that the busiest evening departures are between 20:00 and 22:00. Scan the QR code at the boat; there is no voucher to swap.
• The Prague Visitor Pass: show the active pass at the operator’s ticket office and collect a ticket.

Tours worth paying for

These are the cruises that differ in a way a reader can use. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.

The most-reviewed cruise, in the evening

From £15.34 · 4.2 stars from 43,022 reviews · 50 minutes

Prague: 50-Minute Sightseeing Evening Cruisead is run by Prague Boats from Dvořákovo nábřeží 901, by Čech Bridge. The boat is air-conditioned, with a roof over the sundeck, free Wi-Fi and an audio guide in Czech, English and German. It passes the Rudolfinum, Charles Bridge, Kampa Island and the Castle. Large bags are not allowed. Free cancellation.

A one-hour cruise on a classic boat

From £13.04 to £14.48 · 4.1 stars from 9,471 reviews · 50 minutes

Prague: Panoramic Vltava River Cruisead is run by Premiant City Tour on the boat Classic River, from pier 17 on Dvořákovo nábřeží beside the Štefánik Bridge. Food and drinks cost extra. The audio guide is online in 24 languages, so bring headphones and join the boat’s Wi-Fi. Free cancellation.

A quiet electric catamaran

From £15.34 · 4.3 stars from 2,857 reviews · 50 minutes

Prague 50-Minute Sightseeing Cruise on an Electric Catamaranad is Prague Boats’ 100% electric boat, from Čech Bridge, with a glass-enclosed lounge that is heated in winter and an open upper deck. Commentary is in Czech, English and German, and coffee, beer and snacks are sold on board. It is wheelchair accessible. Free cancellation.

Into the Devil’s Channel

From £18.74 · 4.5 stars from 2,869 reviews · 45 minutes

Prague: 45-Minute Sightseeing Cruise to Devil’s Channelad is Prague Boats’ cruise with a live guide in Czech and English, boarding at Čech Bridge. The channel is the old mill race between Malá Strana and Kampa, and the Grand Priory Mill stands on it. In winter the boat is closed-top and heated. At some water levels the channel cannot be entered, according to Prague Steamboats. Free cancellation.

The Čertovka, or Devil’s Channel, and its mill wheel on Kampa. Photo: Øyvind Holmstad, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

A dinner cruise with live music

From £58.79 · 4.3 stars from 7,434 reviews · 3 hours

Prague: Evening Cruise with Buffet Dinner and Live Musicad is a Prague Boats restaurant vessel from the pier near Čech Bridge. A welcome drink and the all-you-can-eat buffet of Czech and international dishes are included, other drinks are extra, and the boat is heated or air-conditioned all year. The open-top glass boat dinner cruisead (from £67.31, 4.4 stars from 7,066 reviews) has a deck with retractable glass walls and ceilings, and a route past the Dancing House and Vyšehrad.

A jazz boat

From £41.75 · 4.7 stars from 2,190 reviews · 2.5 hours

Prague: Jazz Boat, live jazz cruisead has a band that plays three sets, with time between them for dinner or a glass of wine. The three-course menu is an option. For a cheaper hour of jazz on the water, a one-hour cruise with recorded jazzad is from £10.45, 4.6 stars from 706 reviews.

What to see

The boats show much the same river, in a different order. The cruises from Čech Bridge head for Charles Bridge and the Castle. Prague Steamboats’ hour cruise from Rašínovo nábřeží goes downstream to the lock and Charles Bridge, then upstream to Vyšehrad. Its route covers:

1. The Mánes lock. The boat goes down to the lock by the Šítkov Water Tower near Žofín Island, rounds Shooters’ Island with a view of Charles Bridge and the Castle, and goes back through the lock, so you pass it twice.
2. Charles Bridge, Kampa and the Devil’s Channel. The bridge towers from below, the houses of Kampa and the “Prague Venice” riverbank. The Charles Bridge towers guide says which towers to climb.
3. The Castle skyline. The St Vitus Cathedral panorama, Strahov Monastery and the Petřín lookout tower above Lesser Town. Prague Castle tickets covers the visit.
4. The National Theatre and the Dancing House, on Rašínovo nábřeží.
5. Vyšehrad. The rock on the cliff above the river, with the church of Saints Peter and Paul. The Vyšehrad guide covers the walk.

What to skip: the Beer Cruise. It is rated 3.6 stars from 375 reviews on GetYourGuide, against 4.1 to 4.7 for the cruises above. Prague beer tours covers beer on land, and Prague food tours compared the guided meals.

Piers, timetable and rules

• Timetable: Prague Steamboats’ 55-minute cruise ran hourly from 10:00 to 19:00, daily, from 28 March to 28 September 2026. From 29 September to 1 November it runs on Saturdays and Sundays, hourly from 11:00 to 17:00. Its Devil’s Channel cruise runs daily at 10:15, 12:15, 14:15, 16:15, 18:15 and 20:15 in summer, and at 12:15, 14:15, 16:15 and 18:15 in winter.
• On board: Prague Steamboats’ hour boat has a toilet and a heated interior in winter, and sells refreshments; the Devil’s Channel boat has no toilet and no refreshments.
• Dogs: small and medium breeds travel free on Prague Steamboats’ hour cruise, on a lead and muzzled.
• Bags: large bags and luggage are not allowed on the Prague Boats cruises.
• Getting there: Čech Bridge is by the Rudolfinum. Prague public transport has the fares.

Some of the cruises are free on the Prague Visitor Pass, and the pass guide runs the sums. The Petřín Tower and funicular guide covers the hill with the lookout tower you see from the river, and the Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock guide the square a few minutes from the Charles Bridge pier. The Jewish Quarter tickets guide covers Josefov, the district beside Čech Bridge. For an evening plan, ghost tours and the medieval dinner and classical concerts in Prague sit beside the dinner and jazz boats. For the rest of the city’s bookings, see what to book before you go in Prague. 3 days in Prague and Prague in one day build the plan round the bookings. To sleep by the river, where to stay in Prague compares the areas.