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New Town (Nove Mesto)
Founded in 1348, which tells you what ‘new’ means here. Wenceslas Square, the main station, and more hotel rooms per euro than anywhere else this central.
Nove Mesto is the practical choice. It wraps around the southern and eastern edge of the Old Town, it has the highest concentration of mid-range hotels in Prague, and everything in the historic centre is within a fifteen-minute walk.
What it does not have is atmosphere. The streets are nineteenth-century boulevards rather than medieval lanes, Wenceslas Square is a wide commercial thoroughfare with a statue at the top, and the blocks near the station are the shabbiest part of central Prague.
- Best for
- Value in a central location, groups, short stays
- Avoid if
- You want the picture-book Prague outside your door
- Nightly price
- The best central value
- Metro
- Mustek, Muzeum, Namesti Republiky, Karlovo namesti
- Noise
- Moderate to high near Wenceslas Square
What it is actually like
Functional. This is where Prague does its business and its shopping, and it empties out in a way the Old Town never does. The upper end of Wenceslas Square, around the National Museum, is grand; the lower end is fast food and currency exchange.
Do not change money here. The kiosks on and around the square advertise ‘no commission’ and build the margin into a deliberately bad rate. Czech law lets you cancel an exchange within three hours if you keep the receipt — see the exchange guide.
Eating here
The weakest of the central districts, with a lot of chains and tourist-facing places near the square. The streets toward the river and around Karlovo namesti are better, and you are ten minutes from anywhere in the Old Town.
For an evening meal it is worth the two metro stops to Vinohrady — the line runs from Muzeum.
Getting in and out
The best-connected district in the city. Four metro stations, the main railway station, and the Airport Express terminus at Hlavni nadrazi — though at 200 CZK in 2026 the bus-and-metro combination is better value. See airport to city centre.
- Metro A and B both cross here
- Airport Express terminates at Hlavni nadrazi
- Most night trams pass through Lazarska or Vodickova
Who should book here
The New Town is for people optimising rather than romanticising. If you want a proper room, a lift, air conditioning and a ten-minute walk to Charles Bridge for meaningfully less than the Old Town charges, this is where that exists. Groups do particularly well here, because the hotels are large enough to have several rooms on the same floor.
It is the wrong choice if the point of the trip is atmosphere. You will walk to the postcard rather than waking up in it, and the immediate surroundings are a working European city centre like many others.
The southern part of the district, around Karlovo namesti and toward Vysehrad, is calmer, cheaper and still on the metro. It is the New Town’s best value and the part visitors rarely look at.
| Compared with | New Town wins on | The other wins on |
|---|---|---|
| Old Town | Price, room size, metro access | Atmosphere, being inside the sights |
| Vinohrady | Walking distance to the centre | Food, quiet, value |
| Zizkov | Location and comfort | Price |
New Town is the sensible compromise: central enough to walk, cheap enough not to hurt.
Skip-the-queue tickets and guided walks for these dates — compare times and prices before you go.
Frequently asked questions
Is the New Town a good area to stay in Prague?
It is the best value if you want to be able to walk to the Old Town. You are trading charm for price and space, which on a two-night trip is often the right trade.
Is Wenceslas Square safe?
Yes, though the lower end attracts pickpockets and aggressive touts at night, and the streets behind it hold most of the city’s strip clubs. Walk with the usual sense.
Where is the Airport Express bus?
It terminates at Hlavni nadrazi, the main railway station, at the eastern edge of the New Town. At 200 CZK it costs more than four times the 46 CZK bus-and-metro route.