12 Things to Do in Prague in the summer

Summer in Prague is the high season, both for international visitors from all over the world, as well as for Czech tourists who move between cities looking to take advantage of the summer vacations.

Because of this, the city becomes a constant festive atmosphere and major activities and events overlap with each other. From festivals, big concerts, exhibitions, cinemas and even open-air shows... You will find everything for every taste.

Although Prague is known worldwide for its good beers, the truth is that good wine is also drunk in this city. Throughout September, a particular event takes shape every year to commemorate the end of the harvest season: the Vinohrady or wine festivities.

Tradition invites the celebration with burčák in copious quantities, this type of drink is a kind of partially fermented young wine that is sweet and refreshing. These events also include concerts, shows, children's activities and all kinds of food stalls with specialties from different regions of the country.

However, if you do not feel like joining the celebration, in summer you can also visit the different pubs around the capital and taste at your own pace the different drinks that Prague has to offer.

A tour through the beautiful gardens of the manor houses and palaces of the city is undoubtedly one of the best things you can do in Prague. This charming city is full of baroque buildings and gardens with Renaissance air that in summer and spring are at their peak of beauty and splendor.

Where to go

• Wallenstein Gardens: this beautiful baroque garden is open to the public every day from April to October from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. During the summer, musical performances and theatrical plays are held here. Admission is free, also to the museum.
• Vrtba Garden Prague: open from April to October from 10 am to 7 pm, it is one of the most richly ornamented baroque gardens in the city. Entrance fee: about 5€ (free for small children).
• Prague Castle Gardens: on your tour of the Prague Castle you will find two garden areas. One of them, the Great Palffy Garden located on a steep slope, offers wonderful views of Mala Strana. Admission included with your Prague Castle entrance ticket.
• Vojanovy Sady Prague: this beautiful garden area is located near many of Prague's must-see attractions, including the Charles Bridge. Admission is free, but you will have to pay if you want to climb the tower or access the labyrinth.

You can see all these surroundings on a walking tour, but I recommend you take a bike. Prague is a great city for this transport, because although sometimes you will find climbs, in general it is quite pleasant and easy to get around. Besides, it will be a more pleasant way to get to know these places without getting so tired.

The outdoor theater festival Summer of Shakespeare takes place in Prague every year since the 1990s between the end of June and the beginning of September in Prague. The event is worth attending every time you visit the city, as every year the theater group chooses a different play. The cost of admission is an average of 4.7 euros per person; you can purchase tickets on the festival's website

. Although the plays are not usually performed in Shakespeare's native language, of the thousands of foreign tourists who visit the city in summer, many take the time to attend to enjoy the talent of the committed artists who bring the characters to life.

And if you've been left wanting more spectacle, I recommend attending Prague's black light theater, a silent performance that takes place in the dark and in which the real protagonists are the lighting and the play of light and shadows. Children love it too.

A summer performance of Czech opera takes place every year in the Prague 6 district, almost always at the end of August or in the first days of September.

If you happen to be in town at this time, take the opportunity to admire the talent of the Opera V Sárce theater group. The performance is free and open to the public. Since its creation they have presented several classical works including the Czech classics Rusalka, Jacobin, the opera Libuše.

However, if you are passionate about classical music and can not attend this event or want to combine it with a similar activity, in Prague there are Mozart concerts where you can enjoy the composer's pieces live. Incredible experience, isn't it?

For information and details of the event such as performance date and the work of the year, visit the website of the Opera V Sárce theater group.

Prague from its narrow streets and viewpoints is beautiful, but fewer visitors are encouraged to see it from its rivers. The Vltava and Vltava are its two main rivers and the ones that host the cruise activities.

These are very varied, being able to find from some that last all day, to others that offer a tour only at night or during the day. The good thing is that they also usually include food, so you can get comfortable and enjoy a beautiful tour without hordes of people around, while tasting a delicious dish.

Another good part of this type of activities is that they usually include a guide, who will narrate curiosities of the monuments, as well as the history of the city. This will allow you to better understand its past and appreciate its present.

Obviously, if you go with adults you can also enjoy the largest water park in Central Europe: Aquapalace. It has an area of 9,150 square meters and the little ones will love to have fun while cooling off in the Prague summer.

But Aquapalace not only houses a water park known as WaterWorld, but you will also find inside SaunaWorld, an area with 14 different types of saunas and a Wellness Center to relax and sign up for some of their treatments.

This activity is especially recommended for people who are going to spend a lot of time in the capital or even going to spend many days touring the country. Of course, if you go with children I consider it a must because they will love it.

With the arrival of summer at the beginning of June, the season of open-air cinemas in Prague starts and will last until the end of September. If you are visiting Prague at this time and need a good plan for the warm summer evenings, you should not miss this opportunity.

Open-air cinemas are one of the favorite activities of the city's residents and also of the thousands of visitors who come to Prague every summer during the vacations.

Temporary installations are set up all over Prague and screenings are held both in the evenings at the end of the day and at night under a blanket of stars. Some are free of charge, others cost around €4.

If you visit Prague with children during the summer season you should visit the city's Botanical Garden and the annual exhibition of exotic butterflies. The attraction takes place from mid-June until almost the end of July.

It's equal parts fun and educational. Inside the space you will encounter an average of 50 species of butterflies and approximately 5,000 pupae. Each year the tour presents a central theme, revealing to the public questions such as: why some species have shiny wings, what are their mating habits, how they orient themselves, stages of the life cycle and many other questions.

The exhibition is usually held in the Fata Morgana greenhouse of the Prague Botanical Garden, located in the Troja area. This greenhouse is a suitable garden environment with exotic vegetation and the humid temperature of the rainforest. The entrance fee is approximately €6.5.

Summer is synonymous with celebrations and many outdoor festivals that seek to take advantage of as much as possible before the arrival of winter in Prague. As a result you will find in the city some of the best music festivals not only in Prague but in all of Central Europe. Here are two events you should attend.

Bohemia Jazz Fest

Inaugurated in 2005, this important festival with the best of jazz makes a tour of the most important cities in the Czech Republic exhausting a calendar of presentations that takes almost the entire month of July.

In the city of Prague, the inaugural concert of the tour takes place in one of the most important locations of the city: the Old Town Square in Staré Mesto. If you are in town this month, visit the official Bohemia Jazz Fest website for information on the performance schedule and ticket prices.

Rock for the People

Since 1995, one of the most awaited events in the music scene takes place in the first half of July, the RfP or Rock for the People festival. Since 2005 the festival has been held in the small town of Český Brod, located 30 minutes from Prague.

The event lasts four days and features an impressive calendar of performances and includes the most prominent figures of local, international and classic rock. Since its foundation, artists such as Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Massive Attack, Killers and many more have performed. The calendar of presentations, dates and ticket prices are published on the official Rock For People website

.

In addition to good beer, Czechs are known worldwide for their affinity and love for classic cars. The country boasts some of the most amazing collections in the world and they are showcased at multiple events.

Every year in summer, between July and August in Prague, the "1000 miles of Czechoslovakia" race takes place. This race has two characteristics that distinguish it from any other event you might find in other cities: it commemorates the old races that took place in the 1930s and you will find more than 100 teams that make up a large collection of cars from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.

The race follows the route from Prague to Bratislava through the mountainous region of Pezinok. However, the rally's opening event includes a one-day exhibition of the participating classic cars at the Old Town Square in Staré Mesto. Head there to admire the well-preserved cars, some of which are over 100 years old. For details about the event, visit the official 1000 Miles of Czechoslovakia website

.

Traditionally in early summer, in the first days of July, the annual world skate competition Mystic Sk8 Cup takes place in Prague. It is one of the oldest skateboarding events in Europe and a must if you love or admire this complex discipline.

It brings together the most prominent skateboarding professionals who attend the tournament with the intention of demonstrating their talent and claiming the winning title. The event takes place over three days, with an intense program that includes: skateboarding competition, live music concerts, exhibitions, graffiti spaces, food stands and much more.

The event takes place in the famous Prague skatepark Mystic Skatepark Štvanice. For details about the exact dates and program of activities I recommend to check the Skate Mystic Sk8 Cup website before the trip.

Ladronka Fest is the name given to the largest festival of leisure activities in Central Europe. It is a free event whose aim is to introduce participants to the practice of a series of sports activities, being one of the most anticipated events in Prague of the season.

If you are in Prague on vacation it is worth enjoying the Ladronka Fest due to the diversity of activities it integrates. Various groups present live music shows in the open air, you will find a large number of Czech food stalls and spaces dedicated to sports such as golf, rugby, climbing, ski simulators and much more. There are also live performances of various martial arts.

For a detailed itinerary of performances, dates and activities visit the official Ladronka Fest website.

Climate

Prague is a city that stands out for its continental climate; this translates into extremely cold winters and hot summers with a little humidity. The hottest month of the whole season is July with a historical average of 24 degrees Celsius, although in some particularly hot summers it was as hot as 30 degrees Celsius in this month.

What to wearTraditional summer clothes, cool and comfortable, will be ideal for walking the streets of the city. As a general rule in Prague it will not be as hot as in Spain, unless there is a heat wave; this means that shorts, skirts, and cool dresses will be great for you. For the days you will be walking around the city give priority to cool and breathable fabrics made of materials such as linen and cotton. In addition to cushioned shoes for walking the cobblestone streets, don't forget sunscreen, sunglasses and an umbrella for the rain.

Although rated among the best times to go to Prague it is necessary to admit that in terms of tourist influx, visiting Prague in these months is synonymous with large influx of tourists in every corner of the city mainly due to the traditional vacation period. It corresponds to the high season of the year, but if you have already made your decision, the best month is June, when the avalanche of tourists is not yet in the city.

Another factor to take into consideration is that some things in Prague during this time can be a bit more expensive than usual, so consider extending your budget for things like accommodation.