The best budget hotels in Prague, including colourful courtyards and breakfasts all day

Fusion Hotel is a hop, skip and jump from Wenceslas Square. From the in-your-face reception area (neon signs, faux handwriting on the black walls, an Instagram ‘Wall of Fame’) to the rooms and public areas, the interiors here are bold, contemporary, and occasionally a bit eye-rolling. Installations, artworks and design elements come mostly from local Czech artists, while the concrete floors in the rooms and corridors lend the place a coolly industrial feel. There’s an almost bewildering assortment of rooms, from singles and themed doubles to dorms and apartments; one room has a huge bed that can sleep up to six people.

The hotel, handily positioned near Wenceslas Square, is set inside a building that originally belonged to the Orthodox church of Czechoslovakia (ask to see the small secret chapel). Overall it’s trendy and boutique in style with an in-house gallery that showcases local artists. The in-house wellness facility offers a range of treatments and guests can get a 50 per cent discount voucher for the biggest gym in central Prague (off-site). The hotel’s industrial-chic lounge-restaurant area, ROOM, serves Spanish tapas and Mediterranean meze and, surprisingly, breakfast is offered until 11pm.

Vinohrady, in which Louren Hotel is located, is one of the city’s most popular neighbourhoods; though close to the centre it has a more local ambiance. The hotel, heralded by a fairly grand 19th-century façade, forms part of a residential block along a main street. The equally impressive lobby, all imposing columns and wood heavy, light-coloured décor, gives off a fairly stately aura that’s reinforced throughout the rooms. The 27 rooms are comfortable, spacious and modern. All are decked out with chairs and desks and subtle but welcoming colour schemes. Breakfast – served in an elegant room that’s all cream curtains, oil paintings and white tablecloths – spans English and continental items.

From the uniformed doorman that greets guests at the entrance, to the lobby’s black-and-white marble floor and mirrored walls, the hotel creates a classy first impression. It was opened by the Art Deco Imperial hotel across the road but is every bit as sophisticated. The 106 rooms and suites have also been designed and furnished by Czech designer Katerina Kovalovska and feature top-notch furnishings with interesting colour schemes. The hotel’s Next Door restaurant is a major draw for the hotel, run by the same celebrity chef as the Art Deco Imperial’s restaurant (Zdeněk Pohlreich).

The hotel is situated between Old Town Square and Wenceslas square, meaning there are bars, shops, theatres, cafés and museums on the doorstep, in pretty much every direction. Being set inside a historical building that’s been reconstructed many times in subsequent centuries gives the hotel oodles of character. Furnishings tend towards the modern, including pieces of contemporary art. A pillow menu and newspapers are available on request, as are free laptop rentals and room service, restaurant bookings and a laundry service. There’s a good terrace for people-watching and occasional DJs at weekends.

The quiet and attractive location of Hotel Sax, characterised by elegant Baroque buildings, is ideal for exploring the Mala Strana district. Designed by local architects Nadi Sádovská and Jaromír Pitzinger, the hotel interior is a feast of curves and colours inspired by post-war pop culture. This theme runs through the entire place, from the posters and optical illusions in the lobby bar to the cute and comfortable rooms, which feature an assortment of funky furnishings like vintage bedside lamps and Eames easy chairs. The main lobby and bar area get plenty of natural light thanks to a glass atrium and features abundant chairs and sofas for relaxing, as well as a jukebox.

Miss Sophie’s is on a quiet street in Prague’s New Town. Although outside of the busy city centre, it’s still well located: Wenceslas Square and the National Museum are a five-minute walk away. The hotel occupies a 19th-century Art Nouveau building but has been decorated with a fresh, modern design courtesy of Czech architect Olga Novotná. The hotel has 16 rooms, which are divided into three twins, seven doubles and six triples. They feel smart and fresh and are all decorated in the same tasteful and little touches like potted plants and vintage lamps.

An intimate bolthole close to Charles Bridge with nine suites all located on the top floor of the historic rococo Gromling palace, built in 1786. All are decked out with handsome parquet flooring and wooden beams as well as loft spaces across the attic-shaped roofs, kitchenettes with free tea, cookies and coffee. Windows give small but scenic glimpses of the surrounding rooftops. The only available meal on site is breakfast: a small buffet spread of fresh breads, cold meats and cheese slices, boiled eggs, jam, mueslis, yogurts and juices. The streets around the hotel have abundant lunch, dinner, snack and drinking options.

The ‘House at the Big Boot’ has built its reputation on solid word of mouth recommendations over the years and is one of Prague’s most charming and well-run bed and breakfast abodes. Facilities include a charmingly old-fashioned breakfast room and cellars that are used as clubroom. There’s free tea and coffee available during the stay (with room service), and always someone around to help with sightseeing and restaurant recommendations.
Everything about this three-storey building is welcoming and homely. Rooms are equally characterful, if simple, and the maze-like interior adds to the charm.

The hotel is tucked away on a pleasant cobbled street on the main street that leads to Charles Bridge, which is right outside the front door. Historic elements like the original house sign on the hotel façade, historic timbered ceilings on the third floor and original beams in the attic rooms add charm. It’s a small and intimate hotel, so amenities are pretty limited, stretching to a computers with internet on the first floor plus laundry and dry cleaning services. The eight rooms continue the hotel’s savvy merging of minimalist modern furnishings with traditional features like timbered ceilings.

Set on a quiet cobbled street in the New Town, this quirky but classy hotel is set in a two-storey, cream-coloured house that has a long and rich history going back to the late 14th century. The 79 rooms are mostly of the Standard category and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but mostly have the same mellow-yellow colour schemes with wooden floors, beams. In the hotel itself, guests can find a comfortable lobby-bar that serves up frothy cappuccinos and homemade desserts and snacks during the day, and wine and cocktails in the evening. The garden, with well-trimmed hedgerows, flowerbeds and a statue, is a lovely touch in pleasant weather.

The Salvator has a decidedly different aesthetic to most traditional Prague hotels. Arranged around a central courtyard, its maze-like interior is usual for the area, but the owners have swapped the usual Baroque extravagances for a blend of modern boutique décor interspersed with cheerful bursts of Mediterranean colour like the rose-coloured walls in reception. The ground-floor La Boca has oodles of character thanks to colourful tilework on the floors and walls supported by vibrant posters, murals and table coverings. It serves the same menu of Spanish and Argentinian cuisine and in summer there’s a popular grill menu.