10 Top Things to Do in Prague

Charles Bridge (Karluv most) was commissioned by King Charles IV in 1357 and served as the only crossing over the Vltava River until 1841. The 516-metre stone bridge is lined with 30 Baroque statues, the most famous being the bronze figure of St. John of Nepomuk - touch the plaque beneath it and local tradition says you will return to Prague. At each end, Gothic bridge towers frame the crossing: the Old Town Bridge Tower on the east bank is one of the finest Gothic structures in Europe, and its observation gallery (100 CZK / EUR 4) gives a straight-line view down the bridge toward the Castle.

During daylight hours in high season, the bridge carries a thick stream of tourists, portrait artists, and souvenir vendors. The atmosphere is livelier than peaceful, but the bridge remains a must-see for its engineering, its statues, and the river-and-castle panorama it offers. Crossing the bridge on foot takes about 10 minutes without stops.

Old Town Square (Staromestske namesti) has been the civic centre of Prague since the 10th century, when it served as a marketplace at the crossroads of European trade routes. The square is ringed by architectural landmarks: the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Tyn with its distinctive twin spires, the Baroque St. Nicholas Church, the Rococo Kinsky Palace, and the medieval Old Town Hall. A monument to religious reformer Jan Hus stands at the centre, unveiled in 1915 on the 500th anniversary of his execution.

The square is free to access and filled with activity throughout the day - street musicians, cafe terraces, and seasonal markets (Christmas and Easter). The surrounding streets radiate outward in a medieval pattern, each offering a slightly different character. Celetna leads east toward Powder Tower, Parizska runs north through the luxury shopping strip toward the Jewish Quarter, and narrow lanes south lead to the river.

The Prague Astronomical Clock (Orloj) was first installed on the Old Town Hall tower in 1410, making it the oldest astronomical clock still in operation. The clock face displays three different types of time - old Czech time, standard Central European time, and Babylonian time - alongside an astronomical dial showing the position of the sun and moon against the zodiac. Every hour from 9am to 11pm, the Procession of the Twelve Apostles appears through small windows above the clock face, drawing crowds that gather in the square below.

The show itself lasts about 45 seconds and is, honestly, a bit underwhelming by modern standards - but the clock's mechanical complexity and 600-year survival make it remarkable. Climbing the Old Town Hall tower (250 CZK / EUR 10) rewards you with the best elevated view of Old Town Square and the Tyn Church spires. The small museum inside explains the clock's mechanism in detail.

Josefov, Prague's Jewish Quarter, preserves one of Europe's most significant collections of Jewish heritage sites. The neighbourhood dates to the 10th century and was the birthplace of writer Franz Kafka. Six synagogues - including the Old-New Synagogue (Staronova), the oldest active synagogue in Europe, built around 1270 - and the Old Jewish Cemetery survive. The cemetery contains approximately 12,000 tombstones layered up to 12 deep, as expansion was impossible within the ghetto walls.

A combined ticket (200 CZK / EUR 8) covers entry to six sites: the Maisel Synagogue, Pinkas Synagogue (with names of 77,297 Czech Holocaust victims inscribed on its walls), the Spanish Synagogue, the Klausen Synagogue, the Ceremonial Hall, and the Old Jewish Cemetery. The Old-New Synagogue requires a separate ticket (200 CZK). Allow two to three hours to visit the full circuit. Josefov also contains the most upscale shopping street in Prague - Parizska - lined with luxury boutiques.

Petrin Hill rises 327 metres on the west bank of the Vltava, covered in orchards, gardens, and forested paths. A funicular railway (valid with any Prague transit ticket) climbs from the Ujezd tram stop to the summit in four minutes. At the top, the 63.5-metre Petrin Lookout Tower - built in 1891 as a smaller replica of the Eiffel Tower - offers panoramic views in every direction. On clear days, you can see as far as Snezka, the highest peak of the Giant Mountains, 150 km to the northeast.

The tower charges 150 CZK (EUR 6) for adults. Adjacent attractions include the Mirror Maze (75 CZK) and the Stefanik Observatory (free for daytime exhibitions). Walking down from the summit through the gardens toward Strahov Monastery takes about 30 minutes and passes through some of the quietest green space in central Prague. The hill is also popular with joggers and picnickers.

Since John Lennon's death in 1980, this otherwise ordinary wall opposite the French Embassy in Mala Strana has been continuously repainted with Beatles lyrics, political messages, and peace symbols. During the communist era, Czech youth used the wall as an outlet for dissent and free expression at a time when both were dangerous. Authorities repeatedly whitewashed the wall, but new art always reappeared. Today it is the only place in Prague where graffiti is legal, and visitors are encouraged to add their own messages.

The wall changes constantly - what you see one month will be painted over by the next. It occupies a small square alongside a canal with a waterwheel, creating a surprisingly peaceful setting. The Grand Priory Square in front hosts occasional buskers playing Beatles songs. Visiting takes only 10 to 15 minutes, but the wall's history as a symbol of resistance adds weight to the colourful surface.

Vysehrad sits on a rocky hill above the Vltava River, roughly 3 km south of Old Town. Built around the 10th century, this fortress was once the rival seat of power to Prague Castle. Today it is far quieter than its famous counterpart and sees a fraction of the tourist traffic. The grounds are free to enter and include the Romanesque Rotunda of St. Martin (Prague's oldest surviving building, from the 11th century), the neo-Gothic Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the Vysehrad Cemetery where Czech composers Dvorak and Smetana are buried.

The fortress walls and ramparts offer some of Prague's best panoramic views - the Vltava winding through the city with the Castle and Cathedral skyline to the north. The casemates (underground passages) can be visited for 60 CZK (EUR 2.50). The surrounding park is a favourite of local families and joggers, with wide paths, benches, and green lawns.

Wenceslas Square is less a square and more a 750-metre boulevard, stretching from the National Museum at the top to the Na Prikope shopping street at the bottom. Named after the patron saint of Bohemia, whose equestrian statue stands at the museum end, the square has been the stage for defining moments in Czech history - the declaration of Czechoslovak independence in 1918, the Prague Spring protests of 1968, and the Velvet Revolution rallies of 1989 that ended communist rule.

Today the square is a commercial strip with shops, cinemas, and restaurants. The National Museum at the upper end reopened in 2019 after an eight-year renovation - the Neo-Renaissance building itself is worth seeing even from the outside. Entry to the main building is 260 CZK (EUR 10). The square is also a useful transit hub - Mustek metro station (A and B lines) sits at the bottom, and Muzeum station (A and C lines) is at the top.

The National Museum (Narodni muzeum) was founded in 1818 and occupies a commanding Neo-Renaissance building at the top of Wenceslas Square. The main building reopened in 2019 after an extensive eight-year reconstruction and houses over 14 million items across natural history, archaeology, music, and ethnography collections. The grand entrance hall and staircase, with marble columns and painted ceilings, are worth the admission price for the architecture alone.

General admission is 260 CZK (EUR 10). The mineralogy collection and the hall of prehistoric animals are particular highlights. A modern glass corridor connects the main building to the former Federal Assembly next door, which hosts temporary exhibitions (separate ticket, 50 to 170 CZK). The building's facade still bears visible bullet marks from the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion - a reminder of the square's historical weight.