Best Time to Visit Prague

Spring: slow start, then green

March is still grey and chilly, with short days and little sun. April is the turning point. Days are mild and the parks fill up. Petřín Hill and Letná are good places to enjoy it. Easter brings the Easter markets to Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, so expect crowds around then.

May looks good on paper, but it's the first month with a lot of rain. Showers come on about half the days. They're often short, though, and the city looks its greenest. Prague Spring, the classical music festival, runs from mid-May into early June. Tickets for the big concerts go early.

Summer: warm, busy and sometimes wet

June to August are the warmest months, and our scores rate all three Excellent. July and August are the hottest, tied at 26°C. You'll get long evenings, beer gardens in Riegrovy sady and swims in the Vltava river area, plus boat trips under the bridges. Afternoon thunderstorms are common, so keep a museum in mind. The National Museum or the Klementinum library tours work well.

This is high season. Charles Bridge is packed by mid-morning. If you hate crowds, go at sunrise or after dark. Czech school holidays run through July and August, but the city's crowds come mostly from abroad.

Autumn: the sweet spot

September is our top pick. It's still warm enough for a T-shirt at midday, with cooler evenings and much less rain than summer. The crowds ease a little too. Walk up to Prague Castle, then wander Vyšehrad above the river without squeezing past tour groups.

October is cooler and greyer but still pleasant for city breaks. Look for hearty pub food such as svíčková, beef in a creamy vegetable sauce with dumplings. By November, it's damp and dim, with very little sun.

Winter: cold, cosy and cheap-ish

December to February is the low season, apart from Christmas and New Year. It's cold, often foggy, and the sun barely shows. In December, the Christmas markets in Old Town Square make the chill worth it. Try trdelník (a sweet rolled pastry) or hot mulled wine.

January and February are the quietest and cheapest months. If you're happy with museums, concert halls and warm pubs, you'll have the city fairly to yourself. Don't expect many photos with blue skies.