Prague with a Baby

For the long Easter weekend, we decided to visit Prague for 4 nights. Prague is a beautiful European city with much to offer. It wasn’t as heavily damaged in WWII, so much of the original architecture remains. The holiday weekend made it even more special with the Easter Markets in Prague. We were excited to visit Prague with a baby!

In addition, Prague is much more affordable than some of the other major cities in Europe, making it easier to stay longer. Before having a baby, we may have only stayed 1-2 days in a city, but we’re finding now that adding a few days makes the trip more relaxed for the whole family without missing out on too much on the things to do and see.

Here’s how we spent 4 days in Prague with a baby.

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Getting To Prague with a Baby

For traveling in Europe, we try to drive or take public transportation for anything under 6 hours. For this trip, Google Maps showed Prague as 5 hours away, so we made the decision to do a road trip with our baby.

Driving enabled us to bring a little more of our own baby travel gear, but we still try to streamline packing as much as possible.

Once we got to Prague, we were happy to park our car at the hotel and not bring it out again until we left. Although, fair warning, the daily parking fees in the Prague can be quite expensive. Parking at our hotel was 800 CZK per day or 38 USD per day at the time of this writing.

Do you have an older child? Don’t miss our tips on road trips with a toddler.

Where to Stay in Prague with a Baby

For our trip, we stayed at the Hilton Prague Old Town, using points we had built up. Staying in a hotel has its pros and cons, and usually the largest con is sharing a room with baby. So, we were thrilled when we got upgraded to a room with a separate living room, something we’ve experienced more often with larger hotels in the off season.

We brought our own baby travel crib with a black out shade, but ended up not using the shade since she was in her own room. For those not looking to lug their own travel crib abroad, the hotel also offered a crib upon request. We saw one in the hallway, and it even came with its own little robe.

The staff were so nice to our baby and even offered to bring out special food during breakfast. However, she hasn’t been quite ready for solids yet so we don’t have to worry about feeding her solids while we travel.

If you’d rather book an apartment to ensure separate rooms, a kitchen, and laundry there are many options within the city.

Getting Around Prague with a Baby

We absolutely loved the walkability of Prague with a baby. Our hotel location was in Old Town and a 10-minute walk to the Old Town Square with the astronomical clock and 20 minutes to the Charles Bridge. We crushed the 10K steps a day but barely noticed as there was always something to stop and see.

Prague has a great public transportation system, but even the cute little trams couldn’t entice us from strolling along the cobblestones.

Even for our trip to Prague Castle, we skipped public transportation. Public transportation may have saved us half the time but be warned it won’t cut out the climb up the steep hill to the castle. So, take your time and enjoy the sites. You won’t be disappointed, and it gives you an excuse to dive into a delicious Trdelnik guilt-free.

Prague Travel tips with a Baby

Baby Carrier or Stroller, what works best in Prague?

We really struggled with the question of whether to use the carrier or the stroller and switched back and forth based on the planned activity. At 5 months, our baby isn’t quite ready to sit in a highchair, so we enjoy having the stroller at mealtimes, allowing us all relax while eating.

The weather was also an issue and we felt more comfortable with her in the warm stroller on chilly days. However, many of our planned activities in Prague were not stroller friendly. The downside of having all the historic infrastructure is there are lots of stairs and tight spaces. My husband ended up having to carry the stroller in several places, so be prepared if you do choose to use a stroller. Check the itinerary below for more information on what we used and when.

Eating in Restaurants

As mentioned, our baby isn’t ready for a highchair yet but almost every restaurant we went to had highchairs available. You can leave your travel high chair behind!

However, do your research in advance and secure your dinner reservations. We were surprised at how difficult it was to get into certain places and that many asked us to only stay for one hour if we didn’t have reservations.

Changing on the go

Restaurants, cafes, or the main tourist attractions were our main go to for changing on the go. Some restaurants had changing tables in the hall before the restrooms and sometimes they were in the handicap bathrooms. For places that don’t have them, we find an appropriate place and always bring a portable changing mat. 

Where to buy diapers, formula, baby food in Prague

Everything you need for baby is easily accessible in Prague. There are lots of drug stores and grocery stores where you can stock up on diapers, formula, baby food, and other items. We found several dm stores which are similar to a Walgreens or CVS and have a quality selection of baby items.

Prague Itinerary with a Baby

For our itinerary we tried to research the top things we wanted to see and stick to one major attraction per day. This gave us flexibility with our baby and avoided disappointment. We also tried to buy tickets in advance but found that most of the attractions in Prague cannot be purchased in advance. Go early and be prepared for some lines.

Here are all the best things to do in Prague with a baby:

Day 1: Easter Market in Old Town

We arrived in Prague around 3PM so this definitely was not a full day for us, but we took advantage of some unplanned time and took the stroller to the Old Town Square. There we explored the Easter Market, which is open from 10:00-22:00 for several weeks around the Easter Holiday.

There are several Easter Markets around Prague but the one in Old Town is the largest. The best part is the Prague Easter Markets are free, but the food is slightly pricier than what you might find elsewhere. Most of the places accepted cash and card, but we mainly used some Czech Koruna we pulled out of an ATM upon arrival for these small transactions.

Like the Prague Christmas markets, expect to find small wooden huts, offering local delicacies and souvenirs. The most common is the beautifully decorated Easter egg. We searched all the markets during our time in Prague until we found one we liked the best.

The food stalls each focused on a specialty, Prague ham with traditional sides, sausages (bratwurst) in buns, grilled cheese with jam or garlic (spicier than we expected and delicious), and depending on the market, sometimes chicken strips and burgers.

Desserts varied, but you could be sure to always find a Trdelnik. Whether or not it’s Czech, Prague has fully embraced this hot sweet pastry, which can be enhanced with a scoop of ice cream, Nutella, chocolate and/or whipped cream. This was one of our best meals in Prague and we would often stop by the market for a snack throughout our trip.

For older children, the markets also offer special activities. Some have farmyard pens where you can feed and pet the animals and the Old Town market has a stage where you can see small local performances or participate in various crafts.

Day 2: Charles Bridge, St. Nicholas Church, and Prague Castle

This was the day we were originally planning on going to the Jewish Quarter because we knew on Saturdays the museums are closed. However, when we arrived at the ticket office (because you can’t buy online in advance), there was a sign saying that they were closed for a holiday. I should have checked the website a little better but rolled with it and decided to head towards the Charles Bridge and up to Prague Castle.

Charles Bridge is just as lovely as everyone says with interesting statues along the way. We stopped by to pet the dog for good luck, although there is a rumor that this was started by some mischievous university students in the 90s who polished the dog on the plague to watch all the tourists touch it. Either way it’s a fun way to look at all the statues and interact. Try to go early at least once to fully enjoy the bridge as it does get very crowded.

Once crossing the river, we came upon St. Nicholas Church and decided to step in. There are a few stairs at the front of the church that we carried the stroller up, but once you are inside you can easily stroll around the main floor.

Entrance was 100 CZK (5 USD) per adult and children under 10 are free. It was completely worth it as it was not as crowded and absolutely stunning. It’s the most famous Baroque church in Prague.

There is a small art exhibition on the second floor that requires you to climb a spiral staircase. They had an area to park your stroller, but we ended up just taking turns as the other continued to walk around the lower levels. If you’re not a huge art lover, you could have also skipped this part.

At first it appeared that you might get good views of the church from the balcony, but this is mainly roped off and the best views are from the main floor looking up.

Next stop was Prague castle where we found long lines waiting for us at 10AM. Once through security, which was actually pretty quick, we waited in another line to buy tickets. We went with the Family Prague Castle – Basic Circuit for 500 CZK (24 USD). Children under six are free but the Family ticket is the same as two adults.

The basic circuit does not include two of the exhibitions but four that were included took us 2-3 hours to see without much stopping. We wanted to get the audio guides to enhance the experience, but they were already sold out when we arrived. Also be warned, in order to be officially allowed to take pictures inside, you need to pay another 50 CZK (2.50 USD).

For us, this was probably our most disappointing attraction in Prague. It was very, very crowded. I would highly recommend wearing a carrier because the stroller was a nightmare here. We waited in endless lines inside and outside of buildings and felt stuck and claustrophobic and had to skip several areas, especially in the Old Royal Palace and St. George’s Basilica.

We joked that our baby was the best exhibition because so many people were interacting with her as we all waited in lines.

In the golden lane the cobblestones jutted out of the ground, which really took a toll on the stroller, and we had to carry the stroller down a narrow flight of stairs. The shops were beautiful but very small. Even if we used the carrier, I would not bring a baby into the shops for fear of breaking something. My husband and I ended up taking turns going into some of the shops.

The St. Vitus Cathedral was quite breathtaking and, because of its size, was a little easier to navigate in some parts. This was probably the only portion of Prague Castle that was ok for a stroller. Food options at the castle were abundant and they also had a small Easter Market offering food and souvenirs. Again, be prepared for tourist prices for food.

Instead, we opted to leave the castle grounds for a late lunch and found a nice Czech restaurant, U Mlynáře.  We almost couldn’t get a table, so I recommend getting a reservation in advance. This was a problem we ran into multiple times in Prague.

Day 3: Prague National Museum

This day was quite rainy, so we opted for an indoor activity with the National Museum. We were actually able to buy tickets online and opted for the Museum complex + cupola for two adults for 500 CZK (24 USD), which includes the New Building and Historical Building. Children up to 15 years-old are free.

With the barcode on our phone, we were able to enter the handicap/stroller accessible entrance at the New Building. There was a free coat check where, unfortunately, they told us our diaper bag was too big to bring in. So we shoved, some things in the bottom of the stroller and left the bag in a locker. 

Even though everything was stroller friendly within the buildings, moving from floor to floor was frustrating. There were lines for the two tiny elevators, and we found many people that could have used the stairs trying to use the elevators. When leaving, we did end up carrying the stroller down the stairs to avoid the wait, but overall the stroller worked fine for the museum.

You could easily spend all day at this museum with exhibitions including, Windows into prehistory and the Miracles of evolution with many life-size models, Halls of Minerals, and History, showcasing Czech history until WWI. Some of the exhibits are interactive and they have a children’s relaxation zone, the Mouseum, in the New Building that we missed, but looks great for older children.

We spent 3 hours in the Historical building and thoroughly enjoyed our visit, especially when we went up to the cupola and enjoyed the views of Prague with a limited number of people.

For this section we left the stroller where they were restricting the number of people and used the carrier to climb the two flights of stairs and look around. We headed out around lunch time as the selections at the cafes were quite limited.

The museum is located at the front of St. Wenceslas Square, where there was another Easter Market, shopping and restaurants. I would recommend heading here for lunch instead.

Day 4: Astronomical Tower and Jewish Quarter

We arrived at opening at 9AM to the Astronomical Tower in Old Town Square with only the carrier to climb one of the many towers in Prague.

We didn’t realize it, but there was actually an elevator, so we purchased two tower tickets with elevator access for 400 CZK total  (19 USD). The views were quite nice above the square and was one of our favorite things we did in Prague. The ticket also gives you access to the historical halls and chapel, which are small but interesting. It also gets you access to the underground but we were a little confused on this and missed out.

After leaving the tower, we headed back to the hotel for brunch at Zinc, an experience not to be missed if you are staying at the Hilton. I made reservations via email in advance, where they asked if we were celebrating any special events. Sunday was my husband’s birthday, and they had a small cake prepared for him with his name. They traditionally bring these celebration cakes out at the end and were nice enough to box it up for us after we had already filled up at the buffet.

After brunch we grabbed the stroller and headed to the Jewish Quarter. We bought tickets to the Jewish Museum in Prague at the ticket office and explored the exhibits which are spread out in several synagogues within a few blocks of each other.

Unfortunately, the stroller was a big mistake. The small buildings were quite crowded and included several stairs. Without the stroller we would have thoroughly enjoyed the informative and moving exhibitions. Plan for at least 2-3 hours and be prepared for being inside and outside waiting in lines.

What to Pack for Traveling with a Baby to Prague

Baby Carrier

A comfortable baby carrier for travel for both you and the baby is crucial for getting around Prague. We used our Ergobaby Omni Breeze for the first time on this trip. We had been using the BabyBjörn Mini but, in the last month or so, it really started killing our neck and back. We were looking for something with more support for all the walking and this worked perfectly.

It’s definitely more complicated to get on and off by yourself than the mini but so worth it. Plus, I’m sure it will get easier the more times we use it. Our baby definitely loved it and fell asleep several times in the carrier. We always had it with us, even if we were using the stroller.

Lightweight Travel Stroller

If you bring a stroller, make sure it’s small and lightweight that will fit in restaurants and can be carried up the stairs. Check the weather and make sure to bring any additional gear for the stroller, like a muff, rain cover, and/or sun shade.

We used the Babyzen Yoyo2 6+. This infant travel stroller is lightweight and can easily fold up (without any accessories attached or anything stored underneath). However, be warned it doesn’t have the suspension or large wheels that larger strollers would have. We like to take it a little slower on the cobblestones and try to avoid any large ruts that could stop the stroller in its tracks.

Diaper Changing Mat

Some places did not have a changing station, so make sure to tuck a diaper change mat in the diaper bag.

Layers for Baby

Early April means unpredictable weather in Prague. We checked ahead but also dressed the baby in layers, including a fleece suit that was easy to peel off when we went into heated buildings.

Sound Machine

We have this WavHello SoundBub that has several options for sounds and can be hung on the side of the crib with the clip. It helps our daughter go and stay asleep even with any city or hotel noises. This is a must for getting baby to sleep on vacation.

Baby Travel Monitor

We have the Eufy Baby Monitor and clip mount. We liked having this baby travel monitor when she was in the separate room and the ability to check the temperature.

The last two hotels have been much warmer than we expected, around 75 F. We were really surprised about this since outside temperatures were around 50 F and we turned off any heating in the hotel room. Having the monitor helped us see if the cooling system was working (it didn’t as most buildings do not turn on the A/C until summer months) or if opening a window for periods of time helped cool it down. It then helped us make decisions on how to make the baby comfortable for the night.

Portable Fan

Which is why, even in the colder European spring, you might want to think about bringing a portable fan. For warmer months, this could be used with the stroller during the day.

Travel Crib

If you’re coming from the US, I would recommend checking with your accommodations to see if they offer a baby crib. However, if you’re interested, we have the Maxi-Cosi Swift and love that is lighter weight and how easily it unfolds and packs back up.

Final Thoughts on Prague with a Baby

We found Prague to be a wonderful city to explore with a baby. We loved that we could walk everywhere and found the stroller perfect for this. We did find some things to do in Prague frustrating with the stroller. Having a lightweight stroller you can carry and a baby carrier for the places that aren’t accessible with a stroller is a must!

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