Museum of the Infant Jesus of Prague

Prague

　　The rather plain-looking Church of Our Lady Victorious (kostel Panny Marie Vítězné), built in 1613, has on its central altar a 47cm-tall waxwork figure of the baby Jesus, brought from Spain in 1628 and known as the Infant Jesus of Prague (Pražské Jezulátko, or sometimes known by its Italian name,...

Petřín

Prague

　　This 318m-high hill is one of Prague’s largest green spaces. It’s great for quiet, tree-shaded walks and fine views over the ‘City of a Hundred Spires’. Most of the attractions atop the hill, including a lookout tower and mirror maze, were built in the late 19th to early 20th century,...

Stromovka Park

Prague

　　Just west of Výstaviště, Stromovka is central Prague’s largest park. In the Middle Ages it was a royal hunting preserve, which is why it’s sometimes called the Královská obora (Royal Hunting Ground). Rudolph II had rare trees planted here and several lakes created. It’s now the preferred haunt of strollers,...

K (David Černý Sculpture)

Prague

　　Located in the courtyard of the upmarket Quadrio shopping centre above Národní třída metro station, David Černý's giant rotating bust of Franz Kafka is formed from 39 tonnes of mirrored stainless steel. It's a mesmerising show as Kafka's face rhythmically dissolves and re-emerges, possibly playing on notions of the author's...

TV Tower

Prague

　　Prague’s tallest landmark – and depending on your tastes, either its ugliest or its most futuristic feature – is the 216m-tall TV Tower, erected between 1985 and 1992. More bizarre than its architecture are the 10 giant crawling babies that appear to be exploring the outside of the tower –...

Franz Kafka Museum

Prague

　　This much-hyped and slightly overpriced exhibition on the life and work of Prague’s most famous literary son, entitled ‘City of K’, explores the intimate relationship between the writer and the city that shaped him, through the use of original letters, photographs, quotations, period newspapers and publications, and video and sound...

Powder Gate

Prague

　　Construction of the 65m-tall Powder Gate began in 1475 on the site of one of Staré Město’s 13 original city gates. It remained unfinished until the great 19th-century neo-Gothicizer Jozef Mocker put the final touches to the building in 1886. The name comes from its use as a gunpowder magazine...

Church of Sts Peter & Paul

Prague

　　There's been a church on this site for around 1000 years, though the distinctive twin steeples, a feature of the Vyšehrad skyline, were added only in 1903, following an extensive neo-Gothic makeover by architect Josef Mocker in the 1880s. The interior is a swirling acid trip of colourful art-nouveau frescoes,...

Vyšehrad Cemetery

Prague

　　Vyšehrad Cemetery is a major attraction for many visitors, being the final resting place for dozens of Czech luminaries, including Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana and Alfons Mucha. Many tombs and headstones are works of art – Dvořák’s is a sculpture by Ladislav Šaloun, the art-nouveau sculptor who created the Jan...

Petřín Funicular Railway

Prague

　　First opened in 1891, Prague’s funicular railway now uses modern coaches that trundle back and forth on 510m of track, saving visitors a climb up Petřín. It runs every 10 to 20 minutes from Újezd to near the Petřín Lookout Tower, with a stop at Nebozízek. A full-price ticket or...

Letná Gardens

Prague

　　Lovely Letná Gardens occupies a bluff over the Vltava River, north of the Old Town, and has postcard-perfect views out over the city, river, and bridges. It’s ideal for walking, jogging and drinking at a popular beer garden at the eastern end of the park. From the Old Town, find...

Golden Lane

Prague

　　This picturesque alley runs along the northern wall of the castle. Its tiny, colourful cottages were built in the 16th century for the sharpshooters of the castle guard, but were later used by goldsmiths. In the 19th and early 20th centuries they were occupied by artists, including the writer Franz...

Vyšehrad Citadel

Prague

　　The Vyšehrad Citadel refers to the complex of buildings and structures atop Vyšehrad Hill that have played an important role in Czech history for over 1000 years – as a royal residence, religious centre and military fortress. While most of the surviving structures date from the 18th century, the citadel...

Café Imperial

Prague

　　First opened in 1914, and given a complete facelift in 2007, the Imperial is a tour de force of art-nouveau tiling – the walls and ceiling are covered in original ceramic tiles, mosaics, sculptured panels and bas-reliefs, with period light fittings and bronzes scattered about. The menu ranges from American...

Divoká Šárka

Prague

　　The valley of the Šárecký potok (Šárka Creek), in the far western end of the city, is one of Prague’s best-known and most popular nature parks. People come here to sunbathe on the rocks, hike along the creek, and even swim in an ice-cold public pool from June through August...

Lokál

Prague

　　Take a classic Czech beer hall (albeit with cool retro-modern styling), excellent tankové pivo (tanked Pilsner Urquell), a daily-changing menu of traditional Bohemian dishes and throw in some unusually smiling, efficient, friendly service and you have Lokál. The combination has been so successful that the place is always busy and...

Riegrovy sady

Prague

　　Vinohrady’s largest and prettiest park was designed as a classic English garden in the 19th century, and it’s still a good place to put down a blanket and chill out. The bluff towards the back of the park affords photo-ops of Prague Castle. ...

Museum of Czech Cubism

Prague

　　Though dating from 1912, Josef Gočár’s House of the Black Madonna (Dům U černé Matky Boží) – Prague’s first and finest example of cubist architecture – still looks modern and dynamic. It houses an exhibition of the Museum of Decorative Arts' collection of cubist furniture, ceramics and glassware, as well...

Astronomical Clock

Prague

　　Every hour, on the hour, crowds gather beneath the Old Town Hall Tower to watch the Astronomical Clock in action. Despite a slightly underwhelming performance that takes only 45 seconds, the clock is one of Europe's best-known tourist attractions, and a 'must-see' for visitors to Prague. After all, it's historic,...

Grand Cafe Orient

Prague

　　There's food here, but most come to Prague’s only cubist cafe to sip a brew as an excuse to admire the unique styling, which includes everything from teaspoons to lampshades. The Orient was designed by Josef Gočár in 1912 and was restored and reopened in 2005, having been closed since...

Náplavka Farmers Market

Prague

　　Stretching along the embankment from Trojická to Výtoň, this weekly market makes the most of its riverside setting with live music and outdoor tables scattered among stalls selling freshly baked bread, organic locally grown vegetables, homemade cakes and pastries, wild mushrooms (in season), herbs, flowers, wild honey, hot food, Czech...

Kavárna Slavia

Prague

　　The Slavia is the most famous of Prague’s old cafes, a cherrywood-and-onyx shrine to art-deco elegance, with polished limestone-topped tables and big windows overlooking the river. It has been a celebrated literary meeting place since the early 20th century – Rainer Maria Rilke and Franz Kafka hung out here, and...

Wenceslas Square

Prague

　　More a broad boulevard than a typical European city square, Wenceslas Square has witnessed a great deal of Czech history – a giant Mass was held here during the revolutionary upheavals of 1848; in 1918 the creation of the new Czechoslovak Republic was celebrated here; and it was here in...

National Monument

Prague

　　While this monument's massive functionalist structure has all the elegance of a nuclear power station, the interior is a spectacular extravaganza of polished art-deco marble, gilt and mosaics, and is home to a fascinating museum of 20th-century Czechoslovak history. 　　Although, strictly speaking, not a legacy of the communist era –...

Municipal House

Prague

　　Prague’s most exuberantly art-nouveau building is a labour of love, with every detail of its design and decoration carefully considered, and every painting and sculpture loaded with symbolism. The restaurant and cafe here are like walk-in museums of art-nouveau design, while upstairs there are half a dozen sumptuously decorated halls...

Strahov Library

Prague

　　Strahov Library is the largest monastic library in the country, with two magnificent baroque halls dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. You can peek through the doors but, sadly, you can’t go into the halls themselves – it was found that fluctuations in humidity caused by visitors’ breath were...

Prague Jewish Museum

Prague

　　This museum consists of six Jewish monuments clustered together in Josefov: the Maisel Synagogue; the Pinkas Synagogue; the Spanish Synagogue; the Klaus Synagogue; the Ceremonial Hall; and the Old Jewish Cemetery. There is also the Old-New Synagogue, which is still used for religious services, and requires a separate ticket or...

Prague Castle

Prague

　　Prague’s most popular attraction. Looming above the Vltava's left bank, its serried ranks of spires, towers and palaces dominate the city centre like a fairy-tale fortress. Within its walls lies a varied and fascinating collection of historic buildings, museums and galleries that are home to some of Czechia's greatest artistic...

Charles Bridge

Prague

　　Strolling across Charles Bridge is everybody’s favourite Prague activity. However, by 9am it’s a 500m-long fairground, with an army of tourists squeezing through a gauntlet of hawkers and buskers beneath the impassive gaze of the baroque statues that line the parapets. If you want to experience the bridge at its...

St Vitus Cathedral

Prague

　　Built over a time span of almost 600 years, St Vitus is one of the most richly endowed cathedrals in central Europe. It is pivotal to the religious and cultural life of Czechia, housing treasures that range from the 14th-century mosaic of the Last Judgement and the tombs of St...