The Top 10 Sites to Visit in Prague

Prague is an ancient city, full or architectural wonders, and many fascinating places to spend your time. To see everything properly, you’ll need at least several days. If you’re only in the city for the weekend, or a short period of time, this list (while not exhaustive) will help you narrow down some of the best places to visit.

Prague Castle is a fairytale citadel overlooking the Vltava River. Cobblestone lanes twist through and around the castle grounds. Inside this ‘city within a city’ you’ll find St Vitus Cathedral, the Basilica of St. George, the Old Royal Palace and the celebrated Golden Lane. The complex is quite massive, and is considered the largest of its kind in the world. The architectural styles range from Romanesque to Gothic. You could easily spend an entire afternoon here.

St Vitus Cathedral is the tallest structure you’ll find inside the castle ground. It’s visible from Charles Bridge, as well as many other points around the city. St Vitus is a magnificent church, which took hundreds of years to build, with chapels, crypts, and a mausoleum for some of Bohemia’s most important kings. Enter the church via the large bronze doors, just beneath the western façade.

The Golden Lane, a row of small and radiant looking houses tucked up against the castle’s northern wall, was built in the 15^th century to house marksmen, and later on, artists and craftsmen. The famous Czech writer, Franz Kafka, lived at number 22. The name of the lane comes from the alchemists who used to reside there.

The Old Town Square is, as the name would suggest, in the heart of the Old Town. Here you’ll find the Old Town Hall, the Astronomical Clock, the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, the Church of St. Nicholas and a central monument to the Czech religious reformer Jan Hus.

Old Town Hall’s most recognizable feature is its 70-meter tower, and the astronomical clock built into an exterior wall of the tower. Hundreds of years ago, the town council decided to blind the clock maker Hanus, in order to keep him from divulging the clock’s mechanical secrets, or so the legend goes. Every hour on the hour the clock chimes and then opens up, allowing twelve carved figures of the apostles to emerge from its doors and circle about.

Karlův Mos, or Charles Bridge, connects the Lesser Town with the Old Town, and offers a panoramic view of Prague Castle, Letna Park and several other bridges spanning the river. Construction started in the mid 14^th century, under the orders of Charles IV. Two guard towers mark the entrances on either side. If you walk across, you can survey some 30 statues of various figures from Czech history (like Cyril and Methodist) lining the stone edges. Most of the statues on display are replicas. The originals are now housed in the National Museum for safety.

The first documented Jewish community was established in Prague in the 10^th century. Several centuries later, the predominantly Jewish district of Josefov emerged. The community was eventually walled in, to protect its citizen from the various anti-Jewish pogroms taking place throughout history. Unfortunately, the walls weren’t always successful, although the community managed to survive for hundreds of years.

You can visit the Jewish Museum for a taste of Jewish art, or wander around the Old Jewish Cemetery (the oldest in Europe) where the deceased are buried on top of one another in massive stacks. There are several Synagogues scattered about the quarter, foremost among them being the Spanish Synagogue, which is a hodgepodge of architectural styles, combining Christian, Jewish and Moorish motifs.

Castle roosts high atop a cliff, looming over the Vltava River. Much of the original castle and fortress are now in ruins, but the grounds still offer a quiet sanctuary for weary travelers. With its sweeping vistas over the city, Prague Castle and the Vltava, Vyšehrad is a very impressive site to visit. The castle’s most distinguishing features are the two towers rising up from the Church of St. Peter and Paul.

There are also underground passages for you to explore, known as a casemate, built by the occupying French forces in the mid 18th century. The casemate, later improved upon by the Austrian and Prussian armies, was primarily used for storage (rather than firing guns). The departing Prussians tried to blow the structures up, but were thwarted when the fuses on their gunpowder barrels were yanked out at the last second.

This former horse market is now a thriving commercial center, full of restaurants, discos, shops, statues and tourists. The square (although it’s really more of a boulevard) takes its name from the giant statue of St. Vaclav (St. Wenceslas) sitting astride his horse at the top of the main avenue. Come nightfall, Wenceslas Square really come alive. During the holiday seasons (Christmas and Easter), markets open up here selling food and all kinds of decorations. It can be a very festive place.

Petrin Hill, with its alluring gardens and steel observation tower, is yet another vantage point from where you can gaze upon Prague’s numerous bridges and towering spires. The hill is situated in the Malá strana (the Lesser Town), south of Prague Castle. The summit can be reached by a steep footpath, or if you prefer, by funicular. You can catch the funicular at the base of the hill on Ujezd Street. In the autumn and spring, Petrin Hill overflows with blossoming flowers and trees, as well as couples walking hand in hand through the park.

Petrin Tower rests at the top of the hill. It resembles a miniaturized version of Paris’s Eiffel Tower. Built for an exhibition in 1891, the tower is 60 meters high, and offers magnificent views across the entire city.

These two streets, located in different parts of the city, offer tons of charm. And let’s face it, in a city so full of charm, that’s got to count for something.

Celtna Street is the more commercial of the two streets. This pleasant thoroughfare links the Powder Tower with Old Town Square. Celtna is stuffed to the brim with cafés and souvenir shops catering to the masses flowing down its length. It’s an old street boasting many historical buildings, including the House of the Black Sun, where Mozart stayed while in Prague, the House of the Black Madonna, which is an amazing spectacle of Cubist architecture, and the House of the Three Kings, where Franz Kafka lived for a time while he penned some of his first works of fiction.

Nerudova Street is a cobblestone lane rising up from the valley of the Lesser Town to the heights of Prague Castle. The path is steep, but there are plenty of cafés and restaurants along the way where you can rest before you continue your ascent. This scenic passage was named after the writer Jan Neruda, who lived at the house ‘At the Two Suns.’ As you might have guessed, houses back then were given symbols instead of numbers. Thus you’ll past by ‘At the Golden Cup’ and ‘At Three Black Eagles,’ as well as Thun Palace, a pretty Baroque edifice housing the Italian Embassy, and Morzin Palace, home to the Romanian Embassy. It’s a strenuous walk, but you’ll be well rewarded by all you get to see.