It might be cold and snowy outside but that’s no reason to stay indoors. Czechs like to stay active all year round and in the winter ice skating is a very popular pass time! Get inspired with this list of popular outdoor and indoor ice skating rinks.
Right under the Zizkov Tower:
Yes, the tower with the faceless babies crawling on it. During the summer you can play mini golf in the small park right around the tower. During winter you can ice skate!
The rink will be open until the end of March assuming it is still cold enough. It is a brand new rink, first opened on December 25th 2015! The address is Mahlerovy Sady 1 in Prague 3, Žižkov. But you can always get off any tram in Prague 3, look up and walk towards the tower that used to be referred to as Stalin’s middle finger to the West. You can’t miss it.
The prices vary depending on time of day. The cheapest time to skate is from 9:00 until 11:00 Monday – Friday for only 60 CZK. From 12:00 – 14:00 Monday – Friday its 80 CZK, if you work in the area then it can be a nice getaway. Then it’s 100 CZK from 15:00 – 17:00 on weekdays as well as 9:00 – 17:00 on weekends. It is the most expensive in the evening. From 18:00 – 21:00 it costs 120 CZK but very worth the price if you take the beautiful lights that create a romantic and magical atmosphere into consideration.
If you don’t own skates, don’t worry, you can rent them for 80 CZK. You might need to put down a deposit too that you get back once you give back the skates.
Just Outside Old Town Square:
You’d miss it if you weren’t looking for it, but there’s a small hidden outdoor rink in the maze of streets around Old Town Square at Ovocni Trh (meaning fruit market). I’ve never been there in the summer, but I suppose there is either a seasonal market there or there used to be one in back in the Middle Ages.
The entrance is supposedly free so you just pay to rent skates. As it’s a smaller rink full of crazy children and lost tourists, you might have to wait to get your size, but it’s worth the wait. Speaking from experience, the small size of the rink is good for less experience skaters because there is less space to fall and you feel more confident with every short lap.
According to some websites it’s already closed for the year, but February is known to be the coldest and snowiest month so I’d take my chances and go look for it. It’ll be an adventure either way.
Indoor Ice Arena Nikolajka
Not far from shopping center Novy Smichov at Andel, you will find the most popular ice skating locations in Prague. It is open from the end of October until the end of April. It is usually used for training ice hockey or ice skating so the opening times are very limited. Only on weekends between 14:00 and 16:00.
It was built in the style of an old hockey arena and has a very particular atmosphere. This unique rink is located at U Nikolajky 28 and the price for unlimited skating (within the opening times) is 40 CZK. They rent skates too and have quite a large selection – but they also get a lot of visitors and those with the most common shoe sizes such as woman’s 38 should to get there right at 14:00 to get the best skates.
A Rink Right Next to the Vltava River:
Located at Kozí, Prague 1 right next to Na Františku bus stop, just a few minutes from Staromestska metro stop. The rink is 80 meters squared and is open to public from November until March. It is open from 8:00 – 17:30 Monday – Thursday, 8:00 – 19:00 on Friday and 8:00 – 18:30 on Saturday. Closed on Sunday and the times may change. The prices are 50 CZK for adults and 30 CZK for children. They rent out ice-skates and can sharpen your skates.
TIP for you: They aren’t always friendly when it comes to non-Czech speakers but just keep smiling and count your change well and you should be fine. In the summer there is a nice playground and a basketball court – they rent out balls and sell snacks and beer. Definitely worth a visit at any time of the year.
Vršovická Vodárna Year-Round Rink:
I read about this rink once in the summer and I just had to go check it out! Although I was very disappointed because I actually wanted to ice skate, I recommend that everyone check it out. It’s a tiny rink, only 50 meters squared! It is made of a special material so it’s not actually ice which allows ice skating even on the hottest August day.
In the summer the rink is filled with children with adults watching jealously from the sidelines but too embarrassed to be the only person taller than 1 meter on the rink. There is also a restaurant in the center that sells refreshments and works as a ice-skate rental place. The fee for ice skating is 50 CZK and ice skating lessons are available for all children.
You can get there by taking trams 3, 17 or 21 to the stop Bádraži Bráník. They are open every day from 9:00 until 20:00. Like I said it’s not great for skating but it’s great for a laugh and you get to explore a less common area of Prague at the same time.
Indoor Ice Arena Hvězda:
Located at Na Rozdílu 725/1 in Prague 6 right in the middle of the Dejvicka roundabout and Divoká Šárka. This rink is also mainly used for training athletes from the beginning of December until the end of April. It is only open to public on the weekends, from 17:15 until 19:15 and costs 50 CZK.
It can be hard to find but Prague 6 has a lot of hidden expat-friendly treasures and you never know what you might find if you get lost in the area. The one time I went there it wasn’t open but I had a nice walk in the green suburbs and found a nice Chinese restaurant that gave out lucky Chinese-style charms to hang up on Chinese New Year.
