Kids today, eh? They don’t know they’re born. Show them the seven wonders of the world and they’ll shrug before getting back to whatever’s happening on their socials. Ok ok, that may be a slight exaggeration, but anyone with modern teenagers will know that they can be notoriously tricky to please (lthough, admittedly, that can probably also be said of all teenagers since time immemorial). Here’s the good news though: Prague has plenty to keep your teens and tweens entertained, from fairytale medieval clocks to 21st-century street art, and interactive museums to sweet and sticky Czech pastries.
Dive in to discover some of our favorite teen-pleasing Prague activities and attractions, including:
- Magical medieval selfie spots
- Petřín Hill funicular railway
- Trampoline parks
- The Museum of Senses
- Escape rooms
- Segway tours
- Prague Zoo
- The Lennon Wall
Scratch Their Insta Itch
The fastest way to get your kids interested in a new city is to take them on a whistle stop tour of some of its weirdest and most wonderful sights. And believe us when we say Prague has plenty of eye candy for the Insta-addicted teen snapper. We’re talking the extraordinary 15th-century astronomical clock on the fairytale Old Town Square, a massive kinetic sculpture of Franz Kafka’s head by Czech artist David Černý, the phalanx of yellow penguins waddling along the banks of the Vltava river at Kampa Park, and the 30-or-so baroque statues emerging eerily from swirling dawn fog on medieval Charles Bridge (assuming you can drag the kids out of bed before it clears). In short, it’s parenting the 21st-century way: through social media ‘likes’. Plus you get to do some essential Prague sightseeing while you’re at it. Win-win.
Sugar Rush
Make no mistake: Prague is a prime tourist destination. And tourists mean tourist traps, of which technicolor candy stores are one of the most ubiquitous. These are unapologetically designed to lure in kids (and weary parents) in search of a sugar fix. But they’re full of overpriced rubbish, and offer nothing you can’t find back home (tip: if the store name has the word ‘candy’ in it, it’s best avoided). Instead, hit up the local bakeries for authentic treats like trdelnik (rolled cinnamon donut), apple strudel, and palačinky: crepes crammed with sweet fillings of your choice, then rolled and topped with whipped cream. Healthy they ain’t, but boy are they delish!
Bounce Off Some Energy
And if all that sugar has your kids bouncing off the walls, lean into it and take them to one of the city’s trampoline parks to let them burn off some energy for an hour or so. There are several options around town, but JumpPark is the biggest and best, with several locations, hundreds of trampolines and opportunities to join in with dodge-ball, basketball, pugil-stick dueling, and stunt-diving.
Captivating Culture for Kids
There are several fine museums to entertain teens in Prague, many with strong interactive elements that will keep them talking about their experience for weeks afterwards. Older teens will thrill to the mighty National Museum’s Miracles of Evolution exhibition, where they can ogle whale skeletons and stare into the mouth of a viper. Its glittering Hall of Minerals ups the ante, with ancient fossils and fearsome models of prehistoric giants including mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. The nearby Museum of Senses wows with optical illusions, olfactory challenges, infinity mirror disco rooms, and dizzying vortex tunnels, while the Museum of Fantastic Illusions is guaranteed to give their camera phones another serious workout.
Put The Fun in Funicular
Show us the tourist (of any age) who doesn’t get a kick out of riding the old-fashioned funicular railway up Prague’s Petřín Hill, and we’ll show you a liar. Now well over a century old, this family fave whizzes excited passengers up a steep incline through picturesque woodland, as expansive views of the Vltava and city beyond open up below. On top of the hill, you’ll find a pretty park, complete with landscaped gardens, an observatory, a mirror maze, and the famous Petřín Lookout Tower – an Eiffel Tower looky-likey with 360-degree panoramas across this city of several hundred spires.
Get Around on Two Wheels
Keep boredom at bay with a sightseeing tour via Segway, scooter or e-bike. There are many tour options (and operators) available, with most taking in the likes of the castle district, Petřín Hill, the Lennon Wall and more. So, even if your teens find sightseeing more tedious than school, they’ll likely get a kick from the experience of riding a Segway over the ancient cobbles, or overtaking foot-weary fellow tourists as they speed effortlessly uphill for the best Vltava views.
Paint The Town Red
In a city full of eye-popping public art, the Lennon Wall in Malá Strana (Lesser Town) is perhaps the most famous. Take the kids on a tour of its ever-changing graffiti – much of it relating to global and local causes relating to politics and climate change and, yes, the former Beatle for whom the wall was named – then let them leave their own mark on the city. Check local listings for (entirely legal) graffiti workshops that include training, paints, and the opportunity to create a fun public family mural.
Animal Magic
What kind of kiddo doesn’t love a zoo? Good news: Prague has one of the best in the world, a 140-acre parkland out in the northern ‘burbs that’s home to – deep breath – Indian elephants, red pandas, gorilla, giraffes, gharials, fur seals, giant salamanders, Chinese pangolins, hippos, hyenas, lions and tigers, to name just a few. We’re talking not much shy of 6,000 animals across 70 species so, yeah, it’s plain to see why this is one of the popular Prague attractions for teens.
The Great Escape
And, if all else fails, lock ‘em up and throw away the key! Like most cities, Prague has embraced the escape room concept, meaning there are several options to choose from. All you need to do is let the kids choose their theme. A malfunctioning nuclear reactor, haunted torture chamber and zombie apocalypse are likely to be most popular among older teens, but there are some fine family options too. Try the mind-melting time travel game at Mind Maze, or hit up Questerland for some of the finest Harry Potter-inspired fun in town.
Save on Things to do in Prague for Teens
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