On our way to Prague! Now what....?

I would at least start with a guided walking tour of the city, either with an organized tour or self-guided using a guide book or app, to get oriented. Have you read any guidebooks to get an idea of what sites you might want to visit? I loved just walking around the main square and the Charles bridge areas early in the morning before the hordes descended. If you like music, check out what performances or concerts are on the evenings you are there. I attended a concert at St Salvator church near the Charles bridge and it was a great evening.

Prague is one of the prettiest cities to walk around at night. Dress accordingly, take your camera, and visit a bar or two. You'll have a evening to remember.

Thank you both. Yes, I've read (and am still reading) some guide books, which are pretty helpful - but it's nice hearing from another tourist. 😊

Public transportation in Prague is very good. If you give the name and address of your hotel, it's possible one of our Prague experts can suggest some specific buses or trams that will be useful. Nevermind; I read the original post carelessly and now see that you've given the street name, which may be enough info.

I have a tip about the Charles Bridge: Either get up at the crack of dawn or postpone your stroll across the bridge till late afternoon (the later the better--though I assume it's bad on Friday and Saturday nights). It's a mob scene during normal sightseeing hours and a total waste of time then.

Crack o'dawn for Charles Bridge then, for sure!

Actually, I think you may need to be there long before the Crack of Dawn to beat the throngs, at least in my experience. I got there well before sunrise (late September of last year) and the bridge was already quite crowded. Dozens of Chinese couples getting formal wedding photos done (I was told Prague was in some Chinese TV show or movie, which triggered intense interest), plus hundreds of other photographers set up there trying to catch the first rays of the morning sun as it poked above the horizon. It was a zoo, and still dark out.

I do try to get up very early to take photos in popular tourist destinations, and that usually works - but this was like nothing I had ever experienced before. With the advent of intense "overtourism" we know about, I think the old "just get up early to beat the crowds" trick may not work anymore.

Get up much earlier than you think you need to, calibrate your expectations, and good luck.

I am not a morning person; I guess in Prague that was a good thing. I happened to see the east end of the bridge around the middle of the day when I was visiting a nearby museum, and it looked like people were walking shoulder-to-shoulder. It reminded me of photos of the Vatican Museums. A museum staffer said you needed to get there before 7 AM to avoid the worst crowds; I guess my "crack of dawn" interpretation was inaccurate.

We toured with Marcus of Naked Tour Guide. Others on this forum recommend Jason of Living Prague Tours. We found it helpful to tour on our first day so we could get our bearings; after that we found it pretty easy to get around in Prague. Public transit is great--depending on what you want to see you may want to purchase a three-day transit pass that is valid for trams, the Metro, and buses. If you have the Rick Steves guide, follow the tram 22 tour--you will see a lot AND rest your feet! We used praguetransport.com to arrange a taxi from the airport and were very happy with their service.

Regarding language--most Czechs working in tourism (in fact, most younger Czechs) speak excellent English. Do find a quick guide to basic courtesies in Czech--such as "Dobry den", "Prosim" and "Dekuji" (hello, please, thank you).

Cafe Louvre is fantastic for breakfast and for dinner--or for coffee and dessert. There's the Letna beer garden on a sunny afternoon. Lots of other recommendations from UncleGus on this Forum! There will be throngs of tourists on the Charles Bridge (and on the Royal Way); don't hesitate to explore nearby streets where you will find interesting sights and restaurants--and, amazingly, few crowds. Part of Mucha's "Slav Epic" is on exhibit at the Municipal House and is supposed to be quite spectacular. (We just missed it this summer...maybe next time!)

Enjoy your stay in this beautiful city!

Thank you all for the practical information. I will brace myself for the crowds on the bridge!

I would not worry about the language ,most folk will speak English and anyone under about 35 will speak it very well,always surprises me how well English is spoken in the CR.
have you had a good look at where you are staying, you will have a bit of a walk to Public transport and it may well be uphill.
Naked Tours and Living Prague tours have been mentioned and I can highly recommend both companies , Marcus who runs Naked Tours and Jason who runs Living Prague tours are both lovely guys with great knowledge of the city and do very interesting tours a bit different from many of the run of the mill tours,they are also small group tours so much more personal.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g274707-d866498-Reviews-U_Cerneho_vola-Prague_Bohemia.html
this is a little pub near where you are staying , food is limited but ok but the beer is great and atmosphere brilliant and a place I often stop in when in the area.The profits from this pub go to a school for the disabled children,so you can drink for charity.This is also the pub that Vaclav Havel took Bill Clinton too.you can see him on this video,the pub comes in around 55secs in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UWi2n7nY_s

That is very interesting about the pub! We will be sure to visit. And I will be checking with the tour operators who were mentioned.

I feel more assured now that our lack of language skills won't be a huge problem.

Thanks again to all who have responded so graciously! (I love the Rick Steves forums!)

Pleasant little coffee place. Close to the Old Town Square leave the square via Dlouha and Au Gourmand is at Dlouhá 10. You've got the choice of a nice tiled French-style interior or walk to the back of the cafe there's a little courtyard garden. Nice cakes.

The best photos I have of the Charles Bridge were taken in the evening or after the sun went down. For something many tourists overlook, there's a small park south of the bridge on the west bank of the river with some interesting sculptures. The line of yellow penguins is always good for a smile.

that's called Kampa island, great little haven and yes the penguins are real fun.