If your idea of the perfect birthday is a series of the planet’s most romantic strolls, punctuated by cake, beer, glorious gothic architecture, and more cake, then you’ve come to the right place. Prague is positively bursting with great activities for your special day, whether your idea of fun is stuffing your face with coffee and donuts, ogling extraordinary public art or, um, escaping a zombie apocalypse. Read on for our guide to the best things to do in Prague for a birthday…
Brunch in the Old Town
Prague’s atmospheric old town is as good a place to kick off your birthday as possible – after a frankly decadent lie-in until at least 10AM, natch. Stroll across the cobbled Old Town Square, trying not to let all those fine baroque townhouses and soaring gothic spires distract you from the growing rumble in your belly. Your destination – the legendary Cafe Mozart at the Grand Hotel Praha – is one of Prague’s most lavish brunch spots, with a delicious buffet of freshly baked breads, cured meats, cheeses, yogurts and more, all served overlooking the square’s eye-popping astronomical clock, a medieval timepiece par excellence, complete with little figures that emerge to strike the bell every hour. Be sure to book in advance!
A Stroll Around Malá Strana
You’ll likely want to walk off that belly-busting breakfast before launching yourself into the inevitable birthday cake frenzy. Meander across the magical medieval arches of Charles Bridge then make for Malá Strana, arguably the Golden City’s most picturesque enclave. Here’s where pastel-colored baroque buildings rub shoulders with edgy street art at the Lennon Wall, and peacocks strut their stuff in the ancient Vojan Gardens. Take in the 19th-century water mill, and Czech out (sorry) the phalanx of yellow penguins and creepy giant baby sculptures in the grounds of Museum Kampa on the banks of the Vltava.
Ride the Funicular up Petřín Hill
Only the hardiest of hikers would attempt the steep ascent of Petřín Hill on foot. Thankfully, there’s a quirky alternative way to reach the gardens, mirror maze and lookout tower at its summit. We’re talking of course about Prague’s funicular railway. A feature of the city since 1891, the mini railway’s cute little carriages ferry passengers up and down the wooded hillside several dozen times daily. Having sensibly conserved your energy on the way up, you may even be feeling sprightly enough to climb the 299 steps up the Petřín Lookout Tower, for expansive views across Prague’s skyline and beyond.
Explore Prague Castle & St Vitus Cathedral
You can’t really miss Prague Castle, dominating the skyline like a great birthday cake from its perch high above the Vltava’s west bank. It’s a great place to while away a few hours on your birthday, too, as you ogle its fairytale turrets, opulent palaces and regal landscaped gardens. The gothic centerpiece of this vast complex is soaring St Vitus Cathedral, one of Prague’s most popular attractions in its own right, with over 1,000 years of history to its name. Goggle at the enormous baroque and neoclassical organ inside and grab essential Insta-perfect snaps of the colorful mosaics and striking Art Nouveau stained glass windows by 19th-century Czech artist Alphonse Mucha.
Top tip: Prague Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, and several other Prague tours and attractions, including river cruises, walking tours, and the Spanish Synagogue are included with a Prague pass from Go City, which can save you up to 50% on regular prices. Find out more and bag your pass here.
Read our complete guide to Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral here.
Run for Your Life!
Escape rooms have become ubiquitous across Europe in recent years, and Prague is certainly no exception to the rule. Grab some mates and up the birthday ante via the vast range of nightmarish situations available to thrill seekers. We’re talking fiendish medieval mysteries, outer-space shootouts, steampunk submarine scenarios and mind-melting time travel games at Mind Maze, Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter themed games plus the occasional zombie apocalypse at Questerland, and much more besides.
CAKE!
You might need to indulge in a bit of stress-eating after all that zombie-dodging and, hey, it’s your birthday, so you don’t really need an excuse to stuff your face with cake anyway. Hit up authentic neighborhood bakeries for favorite local treats like trdelnik – a sort of rolled cinnamon donut that’s practically the national dish here – classic apple strudel, and decadent palačinky: crepes stuffed with sweet fillings, then rolled up and crowned with whipped cream. As we said, it’s your birthday, so you might as well try all three of the above.
Prague National Museum
Take a deep dive into the Czech psyche at the country’s biggest and best museum. Dominating the top end of Wenceslas Square, this venerable institution has a little bit of everything to keep the birthday boy or girl entertained for a couple of hours. Marvel at huge whale skeletons and fearsome models of mammoths and saber-toothed tigers, ogle glittering rocks and jewels in the Hall of Minerals, and eye up priceless medieval tiaras and jewelry. Music buffs should make for the baroque Antonín Dvořák annex, which contains the planet’s largest collection of artifacts dedicated to the Czech composer’s life and work, including portraits, letters and even the maestro's old piano.
Beer, Glorious Beer
Supping Czech beer should be considered an essential part of the Prague experience, and there are countless sunny beer gardens and cavernous cellars in which to indulge. You can even take your fondness for the amber nectar to its logical conclusion by bathing in the stuff. Yep, you read that right: Prague is home to a number of beer spas, in which hot tubs are infused with malt, hops and brewers’ yeast, and dedicated beer pumps provide you with unlimited liquid refreshment during your one-hour slot. Pro-tip: practice saying ‘happy birthday’ in Czech before you get sloshed, not after. It’s ‘všechno nejlepší k narozeninám’, just in case you were wondering.
A Birthday Dinner with a Difference
Sure, themed dinners are a bit tacky, but boy can they be good fun! In Prague, it’s all about medieval banqueting, traditional folklore, live music and hearty lashings of goulash and pork knuckle. So don your best sackcloth party outfit and make for authentic candlelit haunts like U Pavouka and U Krále Brabantského for the win. And don’t spare the birthday mead! Not classy enough for ya? Hit up the rather more austere State Opera House for world-class performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, and other such legendary ballets and operas of yore.
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