Charles Bridge

Being one of the city’s top attractions, the Charles Bridge can get really overcrowded during the peak hours. That may spoil your visit, so follow our tips to enjoy it in the best way!

• Try to visit the Charles Bridge early in the morning, before crowds arrive. With the merchants coming on place around 9-9.30am the bridge is usually quiet until around 10am. After it gets more and more crowded, with peak hours falling between noon and 3pm.

• Prefer leaving the bridge’s visit for a weekday, it’s always calmer, compared to weekends. Come mid-week to discover it when the tourists’ number is the lowest in the city.

• You should consider that right after the stroke of every hour - about 5-10 minutes later - there’s a huge wave of tourists flowing to the bridge from the Old Town Square. Many groups are waiting to see the Astronomical Clock before heading to the Prague Castle through the Charles Bridge. Try to avoid visiting the Charles bridge at this time.

• During high season you may feel a certain disgust following the crowds from the Old Town Square to the Charles Bridge via the tourist-infested and souvenir-engorged Karlova street. Know that you can cut the way (and avoid that tourist hell) through the Clementinum: enjoy a peaceful stroll through a 14th-century courtyard.

• Crowds are almost not-existent during the winter months (except for the Christmas period): prefer visiting during the low season to avoid crowds in the city and get cheaper hotel rates.

• The best time to visit Prague is during the festivals (like the Beer festival) outside of the peak periods (July, August, long weekends in May), when the weather is warm to profit from long strolls around the city and catamaran rides on Vltava. That makes May, June and September the best choice. Your trip should ideally include at least two weekdays to visit main city attractions without crowds.

Photo credits to sergejf via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

This page will give you many tips to avoid crowds in Prague as well as crowd schedules for top tourist attractions in order to plan your visits.