What is the average daily spending for a tourist in Prague (excluding hotel fees, and including just eating, visiting popular monuments, etc.)?

Mar 7, 2019 3:57 PM

 Jakub Xaver Gubáš

lives in Prague

That depends entirely on how and where you eat and where do you plan to go.

As for food, if you are a budget traveller, it is possible, if you either cook your own food or find one of the many restaurants aimed at locals, not tourists, to pay around 100czk per meal, which, if you eat 3 meals a day means 300czk/12€ spent on meals per day.

Even if you are not a budget traveler, I would highly recommend looking at the reviews for the restaurant that caught your eye before ordering. It is one of the perplexing things about Prague - in the city centre, you can find honest, good restaurants with price ranges from 100–300czk for a full meal, right next to crooked scammers who’ll charge you 100czk for a small bottle of coke, and tourists still order there and keep such dishonest people in business. Unbelievable!

How to spot a crooked restaurant:

  • If the menu does not have listed prices, DON’T ORDER! There may even be a waiter inviting you inside, do not let yourself be persuaded until you see the menu!
  • If the price of an average meal is well above 200czk/8€, and it is not some kind of upscale restaurant (e.g. the meals seem to be traditional czech cuisine, pizza or pasta), I would steer clear of that place also.
  • In pubs - “normal” lager should not cost more than 50 crowns, but craft beer may cost anything from 40–120czk.
  • Lastly, the best thing you can do is look up the reviews for a given restaurant on tripadvisor, 4square or other such sites.

Here’s a short list of budget restaurants/eateries in Old Town;

  • Havelská koruna on Ovocný trh - traditional czech cuisine, meals <100czk, with soup/drink/salads around 160czk
  • Světozor - in the passage on Vodičkova street, right next to Wenceslas square - similar to Havelská koruna, but cheaper still - possible to stay under 100czk for meal+drink
  • Einstein and U staré pece pizzerias - there are few around the city, you’ll love these if you are a student and have the ISIC student card - they offer two meals for the price of one for each ISIC your group has.
  • Sushitime - only so-so budget,but an honorable mention because I love sushi :) they offer 50% discount on sushi an hour before closing time, so if you like okay-ish sushi for very little money, I highly recommend this place.

Now for a short list of my favorite (but not so so budget) restaurants and pubs:

  • Lehká hlava - Clear Head - probably the best vegetarian restaurant in Prague - but be sure to make a reservation at least a day before if not more - they are fully booked almost all the time.
  • Art Restaurant Mánes - amazing location right on the Vltava river, and the price is not bad at all for the quality they serve.
  • Zlý Časy pub - ahh one of my favorite places on Earth. Three story bar, with 50 taps,more than 300 kinds of beer… the only downside is that it is a bit farther from the city centre, around 15 mins by tram on Náměstí Bratří Synků.

Ok now for the second part: tickets and transport costs.

First things first: read up on all the places you want to visit BEFORE you visit! A lot of money is lost due to impulse buying/visiting without any plan.

Look up goout (dot) cz for current cultural events in Prague.

The Honest Prague Guide on Youtube is an amazing source of inspiration and tips.

If you are a budget traveller (or a scrooge) look for places you can get to for free - for example, The Golden Lane next to the Cathedral of st. Vitus costs 10€ during the day, but is FREE after 5pm. Speaking of Saint Vitus Cathedral, you can get inside and see most of what there is to see for free - unless you really really want to, do not pay the ticket to get to the non-free parts - no local would, it’s not worth it.

Now for transportation and other costs:

  • Please use mass transit or UBER/Lyftago - do not use “normal” taxis if you are a tourist - many taxi firms charge triple or more the normal price if they hesr you are not a local.
  • As for mass transit, one day ticket costs 110czk/4,20€ and a three day costs 310czk/ 12,5€. Mass transit in Prague is pretty good, get familiar with it and use it - often in the city centre metro or tram will be faster than car because of the traffic. A tip: the ticket is valid not only for metro,trams and buses, but also for a ferry across Vltava and the funicular to Petřín Hill!
  • Cars - if you do not need it for some emergencies and what not, I highly discourage bringibg a car to the city centre - almost all te streets are in the so called “blue zone” - residential parking only - the garages cost around 600/23€ per night in the city centre, the traffic is bad, and you will get lost in the many narrow and crooked streets, or turn into a one way street and be forced ro run around the whole block before being able to make the turn you wanted etc. Not worth it! Stay somwhere outside, you can find guarded parking on the outskirts for 100czk per night, and use either your feet or mass transit/uber to get to the city centre.
  • One more cost that should be mentioned - be careful when changing money! Either use your credit card, or find an honest exchange place - many places either charge you fees for exchanging, or have atrocious rates! Look for a big sign saying 0% commision before entering, then look at the rates - if the exchange is below 25czk /1€ or 22czk / $1 then find another place. Do not change money right in the airport or train station, they have horrible rates. Go to the city centre. Lastly, do not change money on the street! You’ll get worthless old Belarusian rubles.

One honest exchange I always use is on the Jindřišská street next to Wenceslas square - you can always tell an honest place by the queue waiting outside ;)

So, tl;dr: you can get by in Prague with around 300czk spend on meals daily, 110 czk on transport daily, and virtually no other costs, so that brings us to a grand total of 410czk/16€ per day. Keep in mind that this is the bare minimum necessary for a comfortable stay, so unless you are really good at watching your finances, plan with at least 20–25€ per day budget. Hope this helps and safe travels. :)