Discover Prague

About Prague

Prague is one of the few major European capitals that came through the 20th century with its medieval and baroque core almost completely intact — no Allied bombing campaign, no postwar wholesale demolitions — and the result is a city that genuinely looks like the storybook. The 14th-century Charles Bridge connects the Old Town to Malá Strana across the Vltava, its 30 baroque statues making one of the most atmospheric walks in Europe, especially at dawn before the day-trippers arrive. Old Town Square is anchored by the strange and wonderful Astronomical Clock (1410, the oldest still in operation), which sets its apostles in motion every hour, and the twin spires of Týň Church. Up on the hill, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle complex in the world by area, with the soaring Gothic St Vitus Cathedral and the brightly painted craftsmen's lane of Zlatá ulička — Franz Kafka briefly lived at number 22. The Jewish Quarter (Josefov), the moving Jewish Museum and Old Jewish Cemetery, the Art Nouveau Municipal House, and a serious craft-beer scene fed by Czech pilsner culture round out a long weekend.