Where to stay in Prague: the areas and hotels for a first visit

💡 The Short Version: For a first visit, stay in the Old Town (Staré Město): Rough Guides names it the best area for first-time visitors, with hotels in Gothic and Baroque buildings off Old Town Square. Malá Strana, under the Castle, is Rough Guides’ pick for families. Both are cobbled, and neither Staroměstská nor Malostranská metro station is on DPP’s step-free list, so with a suitcase check the route first. Nové Město has Wenceslas Square and the main station, Vinohrady the restaurants and bars away from the sights, and Karlín and Holešovice a metro or tram ride into the centre. There is no night metro: it runs from about 05:00 to midnight. The hotel adds the tourist tax of CZK 50 per person per night on top of the room price. Prices in Prague are in koruna (CZK), not euros.

The areas, compared

Distances are in a straight line from the hotels’ addresses; the walk is longer, and Malá Strana is uphill.

The hotels

Prices are not quoted, because they move with the date. The links go to the hotel on Hotels.com.

Old Town and Josefov

The streets round Old Town Square. Rough Guides says hotels in Gothic and Baroque buildings abound in the streets that radiate from the square, and that the former Jewish Quarter has very few beds (Rough Guides). Hotel U Prince says on its own site that it stands in a pedestrian zone, with covered parking 500 m away, so ask any hotel here where a taxi can stop and where to park. Můstek is the step-free metro station; Staroměstská is not. Hotels near Old Town Square ranks these by distance from the square.

The towers of the Church of Our Lady before Týn, on Old Town Square. Photo: Scotch Mist, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Four Seasons Hotel Prague

Veleslavínova 2a · four buildings from 1568 · rooftop restaurant MIRU · Hotels.comad

Four buildings on the Vltava, the oldest from 1568, which the hotel says stand at the crossroads of Baroque, Neoclassical, Renaissance and modern architecture. The Royal Suite is in the 16th-century Riverside Villa, and the Japanese restaurant MIRU is on the roof, with views of the Castle. It is about 460 m from Old Town Square and 480 m from Charles Bridge in a straight line.

Hotel Paris Prague

U Obecního domu 1 · Art Nouveau, built 1904 · spa · Hotels.comad

Eighty-six rooms and suites in an Art Nouveau building of 1904, owned by the Brandejs family for three generations. The Wellness & Spa has a jacuzzi, sauna and steam bath, and the Mucha Suite on the top floor looks over the Old Town to the Castle. Some rooms face the Municipal House.

Iron Gate Hotel & Suites

Michalská 19 · a building from about 1400 · 71 rooms · Hotels.comad

A building the hotel dates to the year 1400, with frescoes or painted ceilings from the 14th to the 16th century in many rooms. The Tower Suite has views of the Castle and the rooftops. Můstek metro is 4 minutes’ walk, and the Národní třída tram stop (lines 6, 9, 18 and 22) 7 minutes, according to the hotel.

Hotel U Prince

Staroměstské náměstí 29 · on Old Town Square · rooftop terrace · Hotels.comad

Twenty-four rooms on the square, with a rooftop terrace and a 360-degree view. The building’s history reaches back to the 12th century and its Baroque façade dates from the first half of the 18th. Some suites have a balcony or a square view “on request”. It is in a pedestrian zone, so the covered car park is 500 m away, and Můstek is 4 minutes’ walk.

Hotel Metamorphis

Malá Štupartská 5 · behind Týn Church · some rooms stairs only · Hotels.comad

A hotel in the Ungelt courtyard quarter behind Týn Church, which warns on its own site that some rooms on the first and second floors are accessible only by stairs. Parking is limited and needs a reservation.

Malá Strana and Hradčany

The left bank below the Castle, at the west end of Charles Bridge. Rough Guides calls Malá Strana the best area for families, a residential quarter where many lanes keep an old-world tranquillity even though the main tourist route runs through it. Time Out says it bustles with sightseers by day and has “reasonably peaceful nights” (Time Out). Hradčany, the Castle district above, can feel “tranquil and almost rural”, Rough Guides says. Both are on hills and cobbles. Malostranská (metro A) is not on DPP’s step-free list, and trams 12, 15, 20 and 22 stop at Malostranské náměstí. The Petřín funicular, which starts at Újezd, reopened on 22 September 2026 after about two years shut: see Prague public transport.

Malostranské náměstí, the main square of Malá Strana, with a tram stop. Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Augustine, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Letenská 12/33 · a 13th-century monastery · Hotels.comad

The hotel says it is in a 13th-century monastery. It has rooms facing St Thomas Church and Premium Deluxe rooms with Castle views, and St Thomas beer and cocktails are served under the vaulted ceilings of the former monastery. It is about 250 m from Charles Bridge in a straight line.

Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa

Tržiště 19 · four former burgher houses · spa in Gothic vaults · Hotels.comad

Forty-six rooms and suites in four former burgher houses, with a spa whose relaxation pool and saunas are carved into 16th-century Gothic vaults. There are Family Rooms and two-storey Family Suites, and the Tower Suite looks onto St Nicholas Church.

Aria Hotel Prague

Tržiště 9 · each room themed on a composer or musician · Hotels.comad

Fifty-one rooms and suites, each themed on a composer or musician, with Vrtba Garden views from several suites. The CODA restaurant has a rooftop terrace with live piano. The secured garage is CZK 1,250 a night, about £43.

Golden Well Hotel

U Zlaté studně 4 · 16th-century painted ceiling · terrace restaurant · Hotels.comad

Suites keep an original hand-painted wooden ceiling from the 16th century and walls from the 17th. The restaurant, Terasa U Zlaté studně, has three terraces just under the Castle. Rough Guides names it best for gardens and views.

Hotel Hoffmeister

Pod Bruskou 7 · private spa with a 15th-century cave · Hotels.comad

A private spa with Roman baths and what the hotel calls a historical 15th-century cave. The underground garage is CZK 850 a night and needs booking ahead.

Hotel Pod Věží

Mostecká 2 · two houses behind the Lesser Town Bridge Tower · Hotels.comad

Twenty-eight rooms in two houses behind the Lesser Town Bridge Tower, about 100 m from Charles Bridge. The hotel says some rooms can only be reached by a lift ride and one flight of stairs.

Hotel U Tří Pštrosů

Dražického náměstí 12 · a house of 1597 at Charles Bridge · no lift · Hotels.comad

Eighteen rooms and apartments, 40 beds in all, in a house built in 1597 at the foot of Charles Bridge. The hotel says its four floors have no elevator because of the building’s historic character, and one apartment is 25 m from the main building.

Hotel Questenberk

Úvoz 15 · a palace of 1620 owned by Strahov Monastery · Hotels.comad

Twenty-seven rooms in a palace dating to 1620, once the home of Kaspar von Questenberg, abbot of Strahov, and still owned by Strahov Monastery. There is a terrace and garden, and dogs under 5 kg are accepted. It is on Úvoz, the street that climbs to the Castle.

LH Vintage Design Hotel Sax

Jánský vršek 3 · rooms in the style of the 1950s to 1970s · Hotels.comad

Rooms in the style of the 1950s to 1970s, and a Family Suite. It is about 260 m from the Castle’s Hradčany Square gate in a straight line.

MOOo by the Castle

Hradčany, round the corner from the Castle · 13 apartments · no lift · Hotels.comad

Thirteen apartments in a 16th-century building that the hotel says has no elevator and steep stairs. External parking is being rebuilt, and temporary parking is a 15-minute walk away.

New Town

The district that wraps the Old Town, round Wenceslas Square, Národní třída and Karlovo náměstí. Rough Guides calls it Prague’s busy commercial heart and a focus for hotels, and the best district to find yourself at mealtimes. Time Out says the southern end near Karlovo náměstí has a more residential feel than Wenceslas Square and Náměstí Republiky. Můstek, Muzeum, Florenc and Hlavní nádraží, the main station, are all on DPP’s step-free lists, as are Karlovo náměstí and Národní třída.

Wenceslas Square, with the National Museum at the top. Photo: Paul Korecky, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Mosaic House Design Hotel

Odborů 4 · a functionalist house of 1935 · roof terrace · Hotels.comad

A house built in 1935 in what the hotel calls the revolutionary style of functionalism. Superior rooms have green balconies, the 7th-floor Penthouse Suites look to the Castle, and the panoramic roof terrace is 26 m². It is about 1.1 km from Old Town Square.

Dancing House Hotel

Jiráskovo náměstí 6 · Frank Gehry’s Dancing House · Hotels.comad

A hotel in the Dancing House that Frank Gehry designed in 1996, with the Ginger & Fred restaurant and terrace on the 7th floor and suites facing the Castle. Rough Guides says the suites in the building’s two towers are among the capital’s most desirable hotel rooms.

BoHo Prague Hotel

Senovážná 4 · rooms of 34 m² · library, spa and gym · Hotels.comad

Rooms of 34 m² that take up to three or four guests, and suites of 51 m², with a library, spa and gym. It is about 620 m from Old Town Square. Rough Guides names it best for style-meets-spa.

Hotel Élite Prague

Ostrovní 32 · 80 rooms in a building from the late 14th century · garage · Hotels.comad

Eighty rooms (Standard, Deluxe and Junior Suite) in a building the hotel dates to the late 14th century, with its own garage. Pets are not allowed. The city tax is paid at reception.

Grandium Hotel Prague

Politických vězňů 12 · Family Suite with two bedrooms · own garage · Hotels.comad

A hotel with a two-bedroom Family Suite and its own garage, about 460 m from Wenceslas Square. Pets are not allowed.

Miss Sophie’s Downtown

Melounova 3 · budget boutique hotel · 5 minutes from the main station · Hotels.comad

A budget boutique hotel that puts the main station 5 minutes’ walk away, with metro C and several tram lines close by. One top-floor room has a terrace and Castle view, reached by a design staircase. Parking is CZK 600 a night.

Vinohrady and Žižkov

East of the New Town. Rough Guides calls Vinohrady the neighbourhood of restaurants and bistros, “full of atmosphere and historical charm” though “somewhat dingy in places”, and Žižkov a working-class district with a “vast number of local pubs”. Time Out says Vinohrady has cafés, green spaces and an LGBTQ-friendly bar scene, and calls Žižkov grittier, a base for a second trip. Both are 2 km or more from Old Town Square, so the metro or a tram is part of every day.

Townhouses facing the park on Náměstí Míru, Vinohrady. Photo: Daniel Baránek, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Hotel Anna

Budečská 17 · built 1892 to 1895 · breakfast buffet included · Hotels.comad

A neo-classical building with Art Nouveau interiors, a hotel since 1993, with a breakfast buffet included. A garage 300 m away is available on request, and Náměstí Míru metro (line A) is near.

Le Palais Art Hotel Prague

U Zvonařky 1 · 72 rooms · art by Czech and international artists · Hotels.comad

Seventy-two rooms in a restored 19th-century building, with art by Czech and international artists. The garage is EUR 25 a night. The Zvonařka and Bruselská tram stops are close, with I. P. Pavlova (line C) and Náměstí Míru (line A) on the metro. The seasonal nostalgic tram line 23 starts at Zvonařka.

Czech Inn

Francouzská 76 · a design hostel · dorms and private rooms · Hotels.comad

A design hostel in a restored 19th-century building, with a bar, dormitories and private rooms. The hostel’s own route from the airport is trolleybus 59 and metro A to Náměstí Míru.

Hotel Theatrino

Bořivojova 53, Žižkov · 73 rooms · tram stop 1 minute away · Hotels.comad

Seventy-three rooms in what the hotel calls a quiet residential area, with a tram stop 1 minute away and the nearest metro a ten-minute walk.

Karlín, Florenc and Holešovice

North of the centre, where the New Town meets the river. Rough Guides calls Karlín off the radar and one of the city’s most dynamic areas since the floods of 2002, with coffee roasters and views from Vítkov Hill. Time Out calls Holešovice a former industrial neighbourhood whose warehouses and factories have become spaces for artists. The hotels here are larger, in modern buildings, not period houses.

Hotel Royal Prague

Thámova 36, Karlín · 196 rooms · barrier-free rooms · Hotels.comad

A hotel of 196 rooms with barrier-free rooms that have an alarm and roll-in showers. Křižíkova metro (line B) is 50 m away, and tram 8 stops nearby. Rough Guides names it best for comfort in Karlín.

Botanique Hotel Prague

Sokolovská 11, Florenc · 214 rooms · pets welcome · Hotels.comad

Two hundred and fourteen rooms, a garage and free EV charging. It has no pool or spa of its own, only reduced entry to the Hilton’s health club, and it takes pets.

Mama Shelter Prague

Veletržní 20, Holešovice · 238 rooms over ten floors · Hotels.comad

Two hundred and thirty-eight rooms over ten floors, with a large terrace. The hotel calls it a five-minute tram ride to the Old Town.

Smíchov, Dejvice and the airport

South-west and north-west of the centre, and the airport. Anděl metro station (line B) is step-free.

Vienna House by Wyndham Andel’s

Stroupežnického 21, Smíchov · 231 rooms · at Anděl metro · Hotels.comad

A hotel of 231 rooms at Anděl metro station, about 2.2 km from Old Town Square.

Grand Hotel International Prague

Koulova 15, Dejvice · built 1952 to 1956 · a listed monument · Hotels.comad

A socialist-realist hotel built from 1952 to 1956, which the hotel says is listed as a Czech cultural monument, with 278 rooms. Dejvická metro (line A, step-free) is 5 minutes’ walk, and the hotel puts the centre two kilometres away. Parking is paid and cannot be reserved.

Courtyard by Marriott Prague Airport

Aviatická 8 · at the airport · Hotels.comad

A hotel at the airport, for an early flight. Trolleybus 59 and bus 100 run from the terminals to the metro: see Prague Airport to the city centre.

Before you book

• The tourist tax is extra. Prague charges CZK 50 per person per night (about £1.75), for each started day except the day of arrival. Children under 18 are exempt. The hotel collects it, and several hotels say on their own sites that it is paid at reception, not in the room rate (Prague 1 district office; Prague 9 district office; Hotel Élite).
• From the airport, trolleybus 59 to Nádraží Veleslavín and metro A reach Hradčanská, Malostranská and Staroměstská; the Airport Express bus (CZK 200) goes to the main station. Prague Airport to the city centre compares them with a taxi.
• At night, the metro stops at about midnight. Night trams 91 to 99 meet at Lazarská, near Národní třída, and the fare is the same as by day (PID).
• Step-free metro: the stations nearest the Old Town and the Castle, Staroměstská, Malostranská and Hradčanská, are not on DPP’s step-free lists, nor are Náměstí Míru and Náměstí Republiky. Můstek, Muzeum, Anděl, Karlovo náměstí, Národní třída, Florenc and Hlavní nádraží are (DPP).

Hotels near Old Town Square lists the closest hotels with their distances. For what to book before you go, and how far ahead, see what to book before you go in Prague. To fit the sights to your days, see 3 days in Prague and Prague in one day. For the fares, see Prague public transport, and for the way in, Prague Airport to the city centre. With a night to spare, Prague ghost tours and the medieval dinner and classical concerts in Prague compare the evening options, and where to eat in Prague lists the restaurants. Best time to visit Prague gives the weather by month, Prague Christmas markets the December dates, and the Prague Visitor Pass guide says when the pass pays back.

Common questions

What is the best area to stay in Prague for a first visit?

The Old Town (Staré Město). Rough Guides calls it the best area for first-time visitors, with hotels in Gothic and Baroque buildings in the streets off Old Town Square. Malá Strana, under the Castle, is the alternative, and Rough Guides names it the best area for families.

How much is the tourist tax in Prague?

CZK 50 per person per night, about £1.75, charged for each started day except the day of arrival. Children under 18 are exempt. The hotel collects it on top of the room price, so it appears at the desk, not in the Hotels.com total.

Is there a metro at night in Prague?

No. The metro runs from about 05:00 to midnight. From about 00:00 to 04:30 nine night trams (91 to 99) run every 30 minutes, every 20 on Friday and Saturday nights, and meet at Lazarská near Národní třída. Night buses 907 and 910 run to the airport.

Do Prague hotels under the Castle have lifts?

Few say. Hotel U Tří Pštrosů says on its own site that its four floors have no elevator, MOOo by the Castle says its historic building has none, and Hotel Pod Věží says some rooms can only be reached by a lift ride and one flight of stairs. Ask any other hotel before you book.