How to Time Your Trip to Prague

Prague's architecture is so well-preserved and stunning that the downtown core feels like an open-air museum. When the filmmakers of "Amadeus" wanted to recreate Mozart's world, they simply set up shop in Prague.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Travel Clothes
• Foreign Language Phrase Books
• Local Guidebooks To The Czech Republic
• Maps
• Airline Tickets To The Czech Republic
• Travel Services
• Cameras
• Film
• Maps
• Cameras

Attractions and Seasonal Events

1. Find out why the Czech Republic is such a music-loving nation at the Prague Winter Music Festival, held the first week of January.

2. Celebrate the return of warm weather at the Prague Spring International Music Festival, which lasts two weeks or more during the second half of May.

3. Spend all the time you can in central Prague, the renaissance "Golden City," where the buildings haven't changed in more than 300 years. A good guidebook will help you dig through the centuries of history, culture and famous figures.

4. Meet people from all walks of life in one of Prague's amicable street scenes. Wander around the 14th-century Charles Bridge - which spans the Moldau River - or Wenceslaus Square.

5. Visit the solemn-looking Hradcany castle, which sits above the city. You can check out numerous museums, cathedrals and palaces, though, like Franz Kafka, tourists aren't permitted to enter the castle proper.

General Considerations

6. Expect the seasons to feature very prominently in Prague's annual climate. Summers are hot and winters are extremely cold, making late spring and early fall the nicest times to wander Prague's glorious streets. The average January low is 8 degrees F and the average July high is 90 degrees F.

7. Find out about festivals, attractions and live performances.

8. Take care of your flight, transportation and accommodations.

9. Check the weather forecast shortly before leaving, and pack accordingly.

Tips & Warnings

• Prague's magnificence is no secret. It is host to so many visitors during the warm months that it is chronically short of accommodations from April to November.