June 1 is Children's Day in Czechia, and Prague takes it seriously. The castle opens its Royal Garden and Deer Moat to free games, crafts and fairy-tale theater, and the zoo lets kids in for 1 CZK on the day itself, with police-run games across the grounds. Here's what we checked, from the Castle Guard at Prague Castle to the kids' stages at Mezi Ploty.
Prague Zoo marks International Children's Day with a day of games run by the Prague city police. Kids move between stations for stilt walking, bungee running, sack races and target throwing, with a bouncy castle, face painting and a small traffic school where they learn road safety by playing.
Between stations there is the whole zoo to see, and the police Dixie band plays for the grown-ups.
Once a year, Prague Castle hands its Royal Garden and Deer Moat over to kids. Dozens of children's groups and nonprofits run games, quizzes and craft tables, alongside folk-craft demos, fairy-tale theater, old wooden carousels and sausages roasted over a fire.
Kids who collect stamps at the stations earn a small prize. It suits roughly 3 to 12; teens may find it young.
Mezi Ploty is one of Prague's most popular festivals, held inside the walled grounds of Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital, where performers with disabilities share the same stages as some of the country's best-known bands.
Stages spread across the leafy grounds mix rock, pop, theater, workshops and kids' acts like Kašpárek v rohlíku. The whole site is alcohol-free, which gives it a relaxed, picnic-day feel that suits families.
Each spring, Open House Praha unlocks dozens of Prague buildings that normally stay closed: palaces, embassies, monasteries, old waterworks, stadiums and new apartment blocks. Families wander in, follow volunteer guides and poke around spaces most locals never see.
The festival also runs a children's program, so younger visitors get their own way in. Best for curious kids who like exploring; toddlers may tire of the lines at the most popular buildings.
Prague Zoo spreads over 58 hectares of hillside in Troja, with 15 pavilions and close to 700 species. Elephant Valley holds the zoo's herd, and the Ball's Pyramid exhibit shows Lord Howe Island stick insects found nowhere else in continental Europe.
At the Children's Zoo farm, kids can walk into the sheep enclosure and hand-feed them, then visit the pond, play area and children's tram.
The largest castle complex in the world spreads across 45 hectares of courtyards, palaces and gardens on the hill above the Vltava. Kids can walk the small, colorful houses of Golden Lane, climb the St Vitus Cathedral tower, and see the Old Royal Palace and St George's Basilica.
Uniformed guards stand at the gates, and the changing of the guard draws a crowd.
June 1 is Children's Day in Czechia, and Prague takes it seriously. The castle opens its Royal Garden and Deer Moat to free games, crafts and fairy-tale theater, and the zoo lets kids in for 1 CZK on the day itself, with police-run games across the grounds. Here's what we checked, from the Castle Guard at Prague Castle to the kids' stages at Mezi Ploty.
Prague Zoo marks International Children's Day with a day of games run by the Prague city police. Kids move between stations for stilt walking, bungee running, sack races and target throwing, with a bouncy castle, face painting and a small traffic school where they learn road safety by playing.
Between stations there is the whole zoo to see, and the police Dixie band plays for the grown-ups.
Once a year, Prague Castle hands its Royal Garden and Deer Moat over to kids. Dozens of children's groups and nonprofits run games, quizzes and craft tables, alongside folk-craft demos, fairy-tale theater, old wooden carousels and sausages roasted over a fire.
Kids who collect stamps at the stations earn a small prize. It suits roughly 3 to 12; teens may find it young.
Mezi Ploty is one of Prague's most popular festivals, held inside the walled grounds of Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital, where performers with disabilities share the same stages as some of the country's best-known bands.
Stages spread across the leafy grounds mix rock, pop, theater, workshops and kids' acts like Kašpárek v rohlíku. The whole site is alcohol-free, which gives it a relaxed, picnic-day feel that suits families.
Each spring, Open House Praha unlocks dozens of Prague buildings that normally stay closed: palaces, embassies, monasteries, old waterworks, stadiums and new apartment blocks. Families wander in, follow volunteer guides and poke around spaces most locals never see.
The festival also runs a children's program, so younger visitors get their own way in. Best for curious kids who like exploring; toddlers may tire of the lines at the most popular buildings.
Prague Zoo spreads over 58 hectares of hillside in Troja, with 15 pavilions and close to 700 species. Elephant Valley holds the zoo's herd, and the Ball's Pyramid exhibit shows Lord Howe Island stick insects found nowhere else in continental Europe.
At the Children's Zoo farm, kids can walk into the sheep enclosure and hand-feed them, then visit the pond, play area and children's tram.
The largest castle complex in the world spreads across 45 hectares of courtyards, palaces and gardens on the hill above the Vltava. Kids can walk the small, colorful houses of Golden Lane, climb the St Vitus Cathedral tower, and see the Old Royal Palace and St George's Basilica.
Uniformed guards stand at the gates, and the changing of the guard draws a crowd.
