Prague in autumn is wonderful. The golden autumn colours and low light bring another dimension to this incredibly beautiful city.
Whether you want to explore the Prague autumn colours or cosy up indoors, our guide to Prague in autumn shows you how and where to make the most of the city at a wonderful time of year.
The autumn colours in Prague begin to appear in October and linger into early December, with late November probably the best time to see them, especially around the main Prague parks.
It’s also a great time to sample Czech cuisine, which is ideal for warming you up during the colder months.
So pour yourself a cup of cocoa – or a glass of svařák, or mulled wine – and enjoy.
Prague In Autumn – Which Month?
Prague autumn weather differs markedly from month to month, as do the autumn colours you’re likely to see.
Prague weather in September can be beautiful. The temperature drops noticeably from August, with some cold, occasionally misty mornings, particularly where we used to live, on the Vltava river in Prague.
You still get days in the mid 20s Centigrade (around 70-75 °F), but you tend to get more days around 15°C.
The first of the autumn colour appears on the trees towards the end of September, and the red berries are out around this time as well.
Prague weather in October is a little cooler, as it progresses inexorably towards winter. You get more days around the 10-15°C mark. October weather in Prague is often cloudy, with plenty of dry grey days.
Autumn in Central Europe is also very dry compared with the UK, especially autumn in Wales, where rain is never far away.
You’ll usually find the pop-up cafes around the parks in Prague staying open until the middle of the month, sometimes a little later, depending on the temperature.
You’ll have noticed the pattern emerging by now – Prague in November weather is cooler still, with night-time temperatures sometimes dropping below freezing and plenty of cloudy days.
November is the best time to see fall colours in Prague – and if you happen to be there on a sunny day, the city and its parks look magical.
Where To Stay In Prague
Fairmont Golden Prague – superb riverside setting at the northern end of the Old Town, the restored former Intercontinental, one of the most prestigious hotels in Prague
Hotel Pod Věží – wonderful hotel next to one of the Charles Bridge towers (see image above) – one of the best hotels and locations to stay in Prague
Hotel Questenberg – boutique 17th-century Baroque palace just below Strahov Monastery with unforgettable views over Petřin Hill and the city
Monastery Garden Prague – gorgeous historic hotel in a quiet part of the Old Town close to St Agnes Convent
Best Prague River Cruises And Tours
Panoramic Vltava River Cruise – the classic one-hour cruise below the Old Town, Prague Castle and Charles Bridge
Prague Evening Sightseeing Cruise – following a similar route to the daytime cruise, only this time enjoying the magic of the city lit up at dusk
Prague 2-Hour Vltava River Cruise – the longer river cruise option, taking you as far as the Vyšehrad fortress
What Is There To Do in Prague In Autumn
1. Visit Charles Bridge At Sunrise
If you’re keen on photographing Prague, you will no doubt have seen images of sunrise on the Charles Bridge and thought, ”I want one of those.” Well, autumn is one of the best times to get it.
If you stand roughly halfway across the Bridge, the sun rises right behind the Prague Old Town skyline and the churches of St Francis of Assisi and St Salvator.
The buildings and statues on the Bridge are in silhouette at this time of day, and look incredible.
But give it the full treatment and get there over an hour before sunrise and watch the sky (hopefully) work its magic.
2. Explore Letna Park
Letna Park Prague sits atop the ridge across the river from the Old Town, bordering the suburb of Holešovice on its other side. Most points of interest lie along the ridge overlooking the city, including the brilliant Letna Park beer garden.
This is open during the warmer months, reliably until the end of September, but if the weather in Prague in October is good it can stay open later – we were pleasantly surprised to find them open around October 20th a couple of times.
Further along the ridge, the Prague Metronome sits on the site of the detested statue of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, which was blown up in 1962 – this is now a popular area for skaters, scooters, skateboarders and more.
Continue around 300 metres further to the Baroque-Art Nouveau Hanavsky Pavilion, where you can also enjoy a beer outside.
This is a better viewpoint than the Letna Beer Garden, looking back up the river with several Prague bridges – including the unmissable Charles Bridge – and the Old Town and Malá Strana, a real must see in Prague.
3. Hang out in Stromovka Park
Stromovka Park Prague is the opposite end of Holešovice from Letna, roughly 1 km away. It’s one of the best places in Prague to admire the autumn colours.
It’s a former royal hunting ground, landscaped in the style of an English country park in the 19th century around a series of small lakes, and overlooked by the partly late-medieval Governor’s Summer House.
The autumn colours in Stromovka are extraordinary, especially in the area between the lakes and the showgrounds at Vystavište Holešovice.
There are also some restaurants and cafes around the Park, and several good playgrounds – an ideal place to go if you’re visiting Prague with kids.
4. Go Fungi Foraging in Prague
Prague in Autumn means it’s time to go Fungi foraging, a popular Autumnal pastime in the Czech Republic. While living there, we started taking an interest in finding fungi for the first time, as our son spent the first autumn that he’ll remember in Europe. He has found them fascinating, and so have we.
We’ve found them popping up everywhere, from grass verges in the suburb where we lived to most parks in Prague.
We came across a profusion of them on Petřin Hill, and Stromovka also proved a fruitful hunting ground.
The Chuchelsky haj forest to the south of Prague – just across the river from where we used to live – also has plenty to of fungi to discover.
5. Visit Old Town Square
There are several reasons to head for Old Town Square Prague in autumn. The crowds of summer aren’t as overpowering, and around early October the weather is at its most pleasant, the daytime Prague temperature hovering around d the 20°C mark.
The restaurants and stalls are all overpriced, geared to making a quick koruna off tourists. But this is one time I’d be willing to pay over the odds for a drink, with the sun on the Square.
There’s no better backdrop than the spires of the superb Týn Church and the mansions around the Square.
There is also a dash of autumn colour, with trees between the Old Town Hall and St Nicholas Church, and up graceful Pařížská street towards Josefov, the old Prague Jewish Quarter.
6. Explore Hradčany – the Prague Castle District
The Castle is one of the top three attractions in Prague and a perennial draw for visitors, no matter what the time of year.
We’ve always enjoyed exploring the area because we’ve found some of the best hidden places in Prague.One of these is around the narrow Nový Svět (meaning New World), one of the most picturesque of Prague streets.
This quiet corner of the city is tucked into imposing brick ramparts, with plenty of trees close by going golden from late October onwards.
Warm up with a coffee or hot chocolate at Kavarna Nový Svět or Romanticky Hotel U Raka, a few doors down on Černinska – we did at both!
7. Chotkovy Sady
Chotkovy Sady are one of the less-known gardens in Prague, a small park just below the Prague Royal Garden.
They share a common feature, with the Renaissance Queen Anne’s Summer Palace, one of the most beautiful buildings in Prague, presiding over the bottom end of the Royal Garden and top of Chotkovy Sady.
It’s a wonderful place to experience autumn in Prague, with the trees full of colourful foliage into late November, with rarely seen views of Prague Castle from one side.
Take tram 22 to Kralovsky letohradek, cross the street, the entrance is just down the hill on the left.
8. Břevnov Monastery
Břevnov Monastery (Břevnovsky kláster) is a stunning Baroque monastery complex in the western suburbs of Prague, a few tram stops beyond Hradčany.
It makes a wonderful half-day trip from Prague city centre, and in autumn looks magnificent from across the pond outside the complex, with the rich autumn colours.
The beautiful Baroque church is dedicated to St Margaret (Sv Markéta) and it’s known to locals as ‘Markéta’. You can tour the church – designed by Prague’s Baroque master Kilian Ignaz Dietzenhofer – on weekend days, and explore the grounds and Garden for free.
There’s also an on-site brewery, believed to be the oldest in the Czech Republic. I can tell you unequivocally that they produce some of the very best beer in Prague, and indeed the country.
You can enjoy a beer in the garden or in Klašterní Senk, the excellent Monastery Tavern across the courtyard.
9. Vrtba Garden
The Vrtba Garden (Vrtbovska zahrada) is a glorious terraced Baroque garden in Malá Strana Prague, at the foot of Petřin Hill. It’s open until the end of October, and as its grand finale for the year, it’s lit up on Hallowe’en.
10. Prague Museums and Galleries
There are a host of great museums in Prague, covering everything from chocolate to Communism and kinky to Kafka. If you have time, try to visit all the sites in the Jewish Museum in Prague, several of which are synagogues in the Josefov district next to the Old Town.
There are also many art galleries in Prague, with the National Gallery Prague the largest presence, occupying several sites around the city.
These vary from the late Baroque Kinsky Palace on Old Town Square to the functionalist Trade Fair Palace (Veletržni Palac) in Holešovice to the medieval Convent of St Agnes, back across the river in a quiet corner of the Old Town.
11. Petřin Hill and Park
There’s so much to see on Petřin Hill Prague. The hill above Mala Strana district looks over Prague Castle and the surrounding Hradčany area, and is one of the first places to head if you’re spending a weekend in Prague in autumn.
The lower slopes – comprising the Seminary Garden – are delightful in October, the many trees turning golden. Also head there if you’re visiting Prague in springtime, when they are all covered in gorgeous white blossom.
You can either take one of the many paths up the steep hill, or catch the Petřin funicular from Ujezd to the top. If you hold a day ticket or longer Prague travel pass, the trip is included within this.
At the top, there are more gardens, the Old Catholic Cathedral of St Lawrence, a mirror maze and the famous Petřin lookout tower.
The Petřin Tower is often referred to as the Prague Eiffel Tower, but it’s very much a miniature version, built two years after the original.
It’s one of the highest towers in Prague, giving extraordinary views, the best of which is over St Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle.
12. Kampa Island
Kampa Island Prague is a wonderful part of the city to explore, with some of its prettiest streets, a picturesque canal, some of the best views in Prague from the riverfront and Kampa Park, with its cool collection of statues and sculptures.
The autumn colours on Kampa tend to be gone by early November, but the Park is a joy to visit at any time, with its David Černý Babies sculptures, and the Yellow Penguins are always popular with kids.
Also check out the hobgoblin guarding the Čertovka Canal (also known as the Devil’s Stream).
The canal is a great place to stop by for a while, with a couple of the old water mills now turned into cafes.
While you’re there, check out the brilliant view of the Charles Bridge.
13. Shooters Island – Střelecky Ostrov
Shooters Island is just across the river from Kampa Island, and in recent months has become one of our favourite places to go in Prague. It’s a park below Legion Bridge (Legii Most), one of the prettiest bridges in Prague, with stairs and a lift down to river level from the bridge.
We love it for the intense autumn colours and the Cocovan coffee caravan which is there until mid-October, not to mention the views it affords of landmarks of Prague including Charles Bridge and the National Theatre (Narodni divadlo).
Our Little Man loves it for the rope bridges and obstacle course and the chance to come face to face with the local coypus (also known as nutria) who come here to be fed by the locals.
14. Traditional Czech Food
Typical Czech cuisine revolves around meat, potatoes and dumplings, and autumn is the ideal time to warm up on this hearty fare. Try svičkova, beef sirloin with dumplings, a creamy sauce and cranberries.
Or head to Pivince Štupartská on one of the side streets in Prague Old Town for their superb pork knuckle (vepřove koleno), tender pork which just melts off the knee joint. The Czech variant of gulaš is also one for the colder weather.
15. Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad is one of the best places to visit in Prague. It’s not as well-known as Prague Castle, but is of similar significance to Czechs as it’s the legendary home of the Přemyslid dynasty which ruled the surrounding region of Bohemia in the early Middle Ages.
The ancient fortress and Basilica within have been rebuilt several times. The castle walls date from the Baroque period, while the Gothic Revival Basilica – the interior of which is a Prague Art Nouveau masterpiece – dates from the early 20th century.
The adjacent Cemetery is like a Czech Pantheon with many greats from the fields of arts, literature and more buried there.
Vysehrad is also one of the best parks in Prague, with gardens, a playground and refreshing walks around the ramparts taking you to some of the best viewpoints in Prague.
The autumn colours up there are stunning, especially along the ramparts on the side closest to the river.
17. Obora Hvězda
Obora Hvezda Prague is a short tram ride out of the city, an extensive forest park where all the main paths converge on the striking star-shaped Summer Palace (letohradek).
This is way off the beaten path Prague, where you only tend to find locals. It’s a great place to admire the Prague autumn colours, and there are also several cool playgrounds for the little ones.
Unfortunately the café next to the Summer Palace is closed after October, but there’s a very good pub and restaurant, U Holečku, on the way back to the tram stop at Sídliště Petřiny.
What Is Open Or Closed In Prague In Autumn?
Most Prague attractions remain open throughout the year, though some Prague gardens – designed to be seen in spring and summer – close after the end of September or October.
Some of the cafes in the parks around Prague also tend to close by the end of October, as do the famed Prague beer gardens.
Prague in Autumn – Final Words
I hope you have enjoyed my guide to Prague in autumn, and the images within it.
Autumn in Prague can be such a wonderful time. It’s wonderful to watch the trees turn golden, red, orange and brown. I lived in Prague for over four years, and have to say it’s one of the most beautiful times of year to see the city.
I’ve written extensively about the Czech capital, and here is a selection of my articles on Prague to browse:
Top Sights In Prague
55 Amazing Things To Do In Prague – By A Former Local
Charles Bridge Prague – one of the most beautiful bridges in the world
Old Town Square Prague – one of the most beautiful squares in the world
Týn Church Prague – stunning Gothic church with fairytale spires
Landmarks of Prague – 22 unmissable sights in the city
Jewish Prague – all Jewish sites in Prague, including those beyond the Josefov district
Hidden Gems in Prague -27 off the beaten track sights to seek out
How To Visit Prague Zoo – one of the best in Europe
National Museum Prague – the biggest, best Museum in the Czech Republic
Prague by Area
Old Town Prague – one of the most captivating old towns in Europe
New Town Prague – the modern heart of the Czech capital – but a taste of the old is never far away
Malá Strana Prague – the enchanting Baroque ‘Lesser Quarter’ below Prague Castle
Kampa Island Prague– the most beautiful and intriguing of Prague’s islands
Vltava River in Prague– everything there is to see along the river in the Czech capital
Žižkov Prague – the former working class renegade and artists’ hangout, as quirky as ever, with some of the best pubs in Prague
Holešovice Prague – Prague 7, one of the best modern areas to explore in the city
Themed Articles On Prague
Churches in Prague – 20 wondrous churches from St Vitus Cathedral to a modernist masterpiece in Vinohrady
Communist Prague – 18 Fascinating Places To Explore
Sunsets In Prague – the 10 best places to see them
Prague Streets – the city’s most beautiful streets
Prague World War 2 Sites – including the Heydrich Assassination Site and more
Parks and Gardens In Prague
Prague Parks – green escapes, riverside walks, beer gardens and more
Letná Park – one of the largest city parks, with superb views over the city
Stromovka Park – former royal hunting grounds in Holešovice
Petřin Hill – outstanding hillside park with some of the best walks in Prague
Obora Hvězda Prague – another former royal hunting ground, a forest park with Renaissance palace in the west of Prague
Prague Gardens – the stunning formal gardens of Prague
Vrtba Garden – glorious early Baroque terraced garden in Mala Strana
Petřin Hill – outstanding hillside park with some of the best walks in Prague
Divoká Šárka Prague – a rocky wilderness with hikes, bike rides, swimming and much more