Prague Tourism - Travel to Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

Prague's great misfortune is its incredible beauty. What remained for years a perfectly preserved city full of Gothic spires and amazing, if deteriorating, Art Nouveau apartment buildings in the city center suddenly opened to a flood of international tourists after 1989. Before Prague could sort out what it wanted to become after years of Communist mismanagement, it had to handle an influx of young people in search of some mythological "Bohemian" lifestyle. An article about the foundation of legendary English-language weekly Prognosis called "Wild Wild East" in Details magazine supposedly inspired this migration, but who on earth moves 5000+ miles away on the strength of a mere magazine article? That having been said, those who came have stayed because it is the people who made Prague charming over and above its fine architecture and cheap beer. The effort Czechs will expend on behalf of their friends, new or old, is quite different from what Americans are accustomed to expect. It takes connections to get things done in this city, and personal relationships are more important as a result.

Understand Prague Tourism

Prague may be beautiful, but pollution often hovers over the city thanks to its location in the Vltava River basin. Many Praguers have a small cottage (which can range from a shack barely large enough for garden utensils to an elaborate, multistory dwelling) outside the city. There they can escape for some fresh air and country pursuits such as mushroom hunting and gardening. These cottages, called chatas, are treasured both as getaways and ongoing projects. Each reflects its owners' character, as most of them were built by unorthodox methods. There were no Home Depots under communism. Chata owners used the typically Czech "it's who you know" chain of supply to scrounge materials and services. This barter system worked extremely well, and still does today. Chaty (pl. of chata) are also sometimes used as primary residences by Czechs who rent out their city-center apartments for enormous profit to foreigners who can afford to pay inflated rent.

Get into Prague

Travel to Prague By Plane

Travel to Prague By Train

Prague has two international train stations: Hlavn� nádraz� (central station, abbreviated Praha hl.n.) and Praha Holešovice (Holešovice station). From Berlin, a train reaches Prague in 5 1/2 hours.

Travel to Prague By car

Travel to Prague By Bus

Eurolines connects Prague to major European cities.

Travel to Prague By Boat

Get around in Prague

Public transportation in very convenient in most of the areas visitors are likely to frequent. There are three main subway lines, and numerous bus and tram (streetcar) lines. Purchase a seven day transfer ticket for 250 crowns at any tobacco shop; date stamp this the first time you ride and you are good for a week. Tickets are not checked upon boarding, but undercover police frequently make the rounds asking to see your ticket. Even though freeriding seems easy in Prague, you should invest in the cheap ticket; staying more than two days in Prague will guarantee that you will be checked.

Public transport continues at nights.

Eat - Travel to Prague

Vepro-knedlo-zelo, better known as pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, roast duck, carp at Christmastime, palacinky (thin crepes, usually filled with fruit and topped with whipped cream), bramborak (garlicky potato pancakes), smazeny syr (fried cheese - like a giant mozzarella stick, except made of Edam) served with boiled potatoes, parek v rohliku (long, thin hot dogs with crusty rolls and mustard), svickova na smetane (beef sirloin with a creamy root vegetable sauce, served with a tablespoon of cranberry-like sauce and whipped cream, usually with the infamous Czech bread dumplings - knedliky - on the side), gulas (like Hungarian goulash, but thinner and served with knedliky).

Spa wafers from Marianske Lazne and Karlovy Vary (major spa towns in Western Bohemia better known by their German names of Marienbad and Karlsbad) are meant to be eaten while "taking the waters" at a spa, but they're good on their own, too. Don't expect many fresh vegetables unless in the countryside - peppers, tomatoes and cabbage are the most commonly seen side dishes, usually pickled.

Drink

Pubs abound throughout Prague, and indeed are an important part of local culture. A green sign hanging outside an establishment indicates excellent Czech beer is to be had inside. Most pubs serve only a small selection of beers. Locals seldom pay more than 25 crowns for a half liter glass, while tourist traps often charge 50 crowns or more.

See important Czech beer-related information at the Czech Republic page.

Roxy has raunchy and less raunchy club nights, experimental cinema and (though currently not available) free internet access when buying a coffee.

Akropolis is a more alternative club.

Do Prague

Popular pastimes

Ice hockey is hugely popular in Prague, thanks to the amazing Czech national team. During communism, hockey was closely related to politics. When the Czechs beat the Russians in the 1971 for the world title, it was national fest. Many Czech hockey and tennis players have gone on to international fame.

Drinking beer is practically a sport among men. Mushroom hunting is very common during the fall, and some great dishes show up on menus across the country as a result. Renovating the family chata (see Did You Know? below) and growing vegetables on its surrounding land is a popular summer pastime.

See Prague

Astronomical Clock

The Astronomical Clock located on a side tower of the Old Town Hall (reasonably enough, on Old Town Square) is easy to find - just wait until a few minutes before the hour and look for a large group of tourists standing around waiting for something to happen! It aslo one of the most popular gathering places in Prague.

The clock was built ca. 1410 and can be thought as example of 15th century hi-tech device, projected with paticipation of math and astronomy professor at Prague University. The mail dial is in priciple mechanical astrolabe, showing not only the current time, but also the placement of Sun and Moon in Zodiac, phase of the moon, time of sunrise and sunset, lenght of astronomical night, time in old Bohemian hours, in inequal hours and other data. From gathering crowds hardly anybody understands all data astronomical dial displays.

Then there is a slow-moving 12-month calendar with incredibly delicate, small figure paintings by 19th century Czech painter Josef Manes. Every day on the hour, the upper, glockenspiel-style section of the clock performs the same scene: Death waves an hourglass, the 12 apostles shuffle past small windows, and a rooster crows. After the hour strikes, a Turk wags his head.

Long after the Turks had ceased to be a threat in Central Europe, their use as an allegorical figure in genre paintings and other art continued. The Czechs often sided with the Hungarians in various battles against increasing imperial power as exercised by the ruling Habsburg family over their dominions, and though the Turks never occupied Prague as they did Budapest, both countries' artists used "the Turk" (a dark-complected figure, usually wearing a turban) to represent the dangers of the world, and especially threats to Christianity. In the astronomical clock, the Turk is meant to be the stranger.

There is a legend about the clock that states the original master builder of its interior clockworks was blinded by the king who commissioned it after the work was completed so the mechanic could never build such a wonderful clock for someone else.

Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge, or Karluv most, Stretched across the Vltava River between Mala Strana and the edge of Old Town's central shopping district, the current incarnation of the bridge was built by Charles IV's imperial architect Petr Parler, who is also known for his work on St Vitus Cathedral. It replaced previous Judith Bridge, destroyed by a flood.

Charles Bridge has outlived floods, disasters and heavy traffic for 600 years. It even allowed car traffic earlier in this century! It's a mystery how the bridge has survived so long - one ongoing myth says eggs were mixed into the mortar when it was built. If you believe in supernatural protection, maybe the sword of Bruncvik explains the bridge's miraculous strength. Like the English Arthurian legends, it is said Bruncvik's sword (supposedly hidden inside the bridge) will make itself available in the country's darkest hour, rising to its defense.

From an artistic perspective, the most notable feature of the bridge is the groups of statuary lining either side. Scenes from Bible and popular saints are included, such as St Jan Nepomuk and St Luitgard. Nepomuk has two legends associated with him: first, if you place five fingers in the gilded stars at the Charles Bridge statue's base and make a wish, not only will your wish come true, but you are guaranteed to return to Prague. Second, you may wonder why you see a small picture of a tongue in association with Nepomuk. Supposedly, acting as the queen's religious confessor, Nepomuk refused to repeat something she had told him in confidence to King Wenceslas IV, her husband. The unfortunate prelate was tortured, beaten and thrown from the bridge with hands tied. Some time later, during a severe drought, the river level went down enough to find Nepomuk's body. It was decomposed, as one would expect, but with one exception: his tongue was perfectly preserved, symbolizing his refusal to break the seal of the confessional.

Bohemian crystal manufacturing

Bohemia has long been known for producing excellent crystal, as the shop windows in Old Town attest. Skip the overpriced selection there and, if time permits and the museum has sufficiently aroused your interest, go to the small and pleasant spa town of Podebrady, an hour or two to the northeast of Prague. King Jiri of Podebrady, a contemporary of Jan Zizka (see section on Zizkov below) and the only Hussite king to sit on the Czech throne, gets his name from this city (He also gave his name to a Prague metro stop - Jiriho z Podebrad - and is an important nationalist figure in Czech history, as someone who stood up against the status quo for his people and their religious freedom. See section on the Hussites). At the end of the flower-lined allee which spa-goers are meant to stroll along, very near the train station, is a factory-direct crystal store with prices a fraction of what they would be in Prague. Tours of the factory are occasionally available, but in the store there are also pictures of how the crystal is cut and shaped. Podebrady is worth half a days' trip if only to buy bargain Becherovka and crystal. There is a large equestrian statue of King Jiri in the town square, a medieval castle which now houses both a hotel school and the Charles University Czech for foreigners summer program, and the spa itself.

"Taking the waters" at a spa town

"Take the waters" by bringing your own container to fill at one of the fountains around town. Becherovka gets its name from the mugs ("Becher," in German) traditionally used at these fountains, and for the most part, tastes much better than the mildly radioactive, heavy-mineral-content water! The water here is supposed to be good for heart conditions, hence the heart-shaped flowerbeds and statues. Podebrady is much less commercial than other spa towns in the Czech Republic and therefore a better representation of Central European spa culture.

Convent of St Agnes

The Anezsky klaster is the first Early Gothic building in Prague (founded 1234) - something notable in a city filled with amazingly well-preserved examples of Gothic architecture such as St Vitus, the Charles Bridge and the Powder Tower. Over the years the complex's convent, chapels and several churches deteriorated and in some cases, were completely destroyed. After Habsburg emperor Josef II's religious reforms, the convent was shut down in 1782 and converted into lodgings for the poor.

During the National Revival period in the 1890s an Association for the Renewal of the Convent was founded as interest in all things Slavic grew. The Czechs were rediscovering their own national heritage, and what better place to start but here? An intensive archaeological excavation by Ivan Borkovsky in the 1940s uncovered several female royals' graves and those of the head abbesses. The complex was later painstakingly renovated in the 1970s after the National Gallery acquired the property and connected the various buildings together by a series of additions. This echoed the original plan of the convent itself, which was meant to be self-sufficient and contained within its own set of walls. The renovators did such an excellent job, it can be difficult to tell what is old and what is original. The refectory (cafeteria) has small display of artifacts but for full effect, just stand in the room and absorb the collective energy of several centuries. The weight of Czech history hangs heavy in this complex, more so than at the Castle. Perhaps it's because this location isn't very well known, and hasn't been overrun by the "casually interested." The convent complex itself now houses upstairs the 19th century Czech paintings of the National Gallery and occasional display of medieval art in the church spaces on the ground floor.

St Anezka, (Sv Anezka Ceska) who is pictured on the pink 50-crown banknote, is the patron saint of Bohemia and founder of the convent complex. She was a daughter of the ruling Premyslid family, but no wallflower in terms of her activism, intelligence and energy. St Francis of Assisi, after whom one of the churches in the complex is named, founded his religious order in 1209 without the sort of financial backing earlier orders had enjoyed. As communism was crumbling, the remaining religious leadership, decimated over years by Communism's anti-religious influence, lobbied the Vatican to finally declare Anezka a saint. This happened 12 November 1989, though Anezka's niece Elizabeth had started the process in 1328!

Golden Lane

Zlata Ulice, or Golden Lane, is a small alleyway located in the Castle complex that housed goldsmiths around the time of Rudolf II's reign, hence its name. It is very tiny, cobblestoned and filled with brightly-painted little houses a modern human has a hard time standing up in. (It's tough to realize just how tiny our pre-20th-century ancestors were until you go somewhere like this). Franz Kafka occupied one of the houses for a short time, and this is why most people visit Zlata Ulice. There really isn't another good reason unless you want to buy some overpriced souvenirs in the small shops now occupying the houses, or need to cut through the crowds to see the Daliborka. The Daliborka is a tower at the far end of the castle originally built under Prince Vladislav in 1496 as a part of a new fortified wall. Its first prisoner was a recalcitrant knight named Dalibor who, according to legend, played his violin very sadly here, seranading the castle residents. The thickness of the walls makes that legend a little unlikely, though! No one would have been able to hear him outside!

Hvezda Summer Palace

Star-shaped and white, rising out of its meadow like a porcelain figurine, this small summer palace is located near one of the most infamous sites in Czech history. There is a small museum inside dedicated to the 18th-c nationalist writer Alois Jirasek, best known for his collection of Czech fairy tales, available as Old Czech Legends in the U.S. Hvezda's shape is unusual, but this area is known for being near Bila Hora.

Bila Hora, or "White Mountain" is where the eponymous Battle of White Mountain took place between Habsburg forces and the Czech nobility 8 November 1620, as part of the Thirty Year's War. During the early fifteenth century's Hussite rebellions, most of the Czech people abandoned the Catholic church and followed the Protestant teachings of Jan Hus and similar preachers. Despite the Czech lands' annexation by the very Catholic Austrian Habsburg family, the Czech nobility remained Protestant. When Emperor Ferdinand II violated an agreement signed by his predecessor which codified the mainly-Protestant nobility's rights, they got angry. Two Protestant churches were forcibly closed/destroyed on orders of the Bishop of Prague (Ferdinand's right-hand man), the nobility decided they'd had quite enough, and gathered at the Castle en masse. Count Thurn, the ringleader, and his assistants entered the Castle, where they were harassed by two Catholic members of Ferdinand's advisory council. In the best Czech tradition (this has happened more than once. The words 'defenestration' and 'Prague' are inextricably linked in history), Count Thurn and his friends threw the council members out a window. In a remarkably ironic twist of fate, they landed in a pile of manure and survived. What next? From a smelly pair of court lackeys to war?

Jewish Quarter

Begin at the Pinkas Synagogue, a stylistically plain building which nevertheless packs an emotional punch. 15 March 1939 Germany occupied the Czech lands, establishing the so-called Protectorate. At that time 118,000 Jews were living in the Czech lands. This included 30,000 refugees from the mostly-German Sudetenland area in Western Bohemia, the area which gave the Germans a convenient excuse to intervene in Czechoslovakia's domestic affairs after Western diplomats abandoned the country with the Munich Agreement. This agreement, in which Hitler was ceded control of the Sudetenland to hopefully appease his hunger for new lands to the east, is best known for the statement made by England's Prime Minister justifying his position: "Czechoslovakia is a far-away land of people about whom we know nothing." Expendable, in other words. This did not set a good precedent for treatment of the Jews. By 15 March 1945, only 3030 Jews remained in the entire Protectorate (2.5% of the original number). 71,000 Czech and Moravian Jews had been killed in concentration camps alone, not to mention those who were passively killed by diseases and hunger in such "model" camps as Terezin (Theresienstadt) to the northwest of Prague.

Inside the front door of the Pinkas Synagogue, inscribed in tiny red and black letters on almost every square inch of wallspace are the names of 77,297 Jews who were killed in the war. This visual representation humanizes such a number, attaching names to the statistics. In larger type at the front of the synagogue are the names of the concentration camps in which they perished: Dachau, Mauthausen, Oswiecim (Auschwitz) and others. The second floor houses a moving exhibit of children's art which is smaller than the original exhibit at Terezin but no less sad. Walk out of Pinkas and to the left, passing through to the Old Jewish Cemetery.

Old Jewish Cemetery (Stary Zidovsky Hrbitov)

On the left wall before the entrance is a plaque detailing conservation efforts (which cost 1 million crowns per year). Over 20,000 people are buried in about twelve layers of graves, stacked to save space. Avigdor Kara is the earliest known person buried here - he was a poet who lived to tell about the 1389 pogrom. A pogrom is an organized massacre of a minority group, usually Jews. In some cities they happened as regularly as clockwork, but Prague's Jews were not subjected to them as frequently as communities in other kingdoms were, because official encouragement was lacking. The reddish, grey and black tombstones are tilted at crazy angles, some covered with moss, some newly cleaned. Walking along the path that winds around the perimeter, Rabbi Loew's tombstone is about halfway through. It has a lion on it and a plaque on the wall across from it. Loew is known as the father of the Golem legend in Prague.

The Golem

In 1580 Rabbi Loew, a scholar whose knowledge of the esoteric Kabbala interpretations of Hebrew scriptures was matched only by his leadership skills, decided the Jewish ghetto needed a protector who could be vigilant around the clock. These were dangerous times - the non-Jewish community believed Jews kidnapped and murdered Christian babies for use in their religious ceremonies, and accusations had reached a fevered pitch. The good rabbi decided to make a human-like figure from Vltava River mud which, Frankenstein-like, could be brought to life. Instead of the stereotypical lightning-bolt mad scientist laboratory scenario, the Golem was brought to life with a slip of paper in its mouth, on which a magic formula was written. One Sabbath Rabbi Loew forgot to deactivate the Golem and the monster went crazy, destroying the house and half the ghetto before his 'parent' got home in time to deactivate him.

The Spanish Synagogue, so-called because Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain at the end of the 15th century built a previous synagogue on this site, is a wild combination of neo-Renaissance and Moorish-Spain style. Think the Alhambra crossed with a Victorian wallpaper store, with some Islamic geometric and floral flourishes thrown in for good measure. The predominant color is red, which lends a regal aura to the interior, but there are also multiple shades of green and blue. The background behind the altar is blue covered with gold stars, visually implying the intercession of the deity in the holy space of the building, drawing one's eyes upward to the vast ceiling.

The Jewish Quarter lends itself to exploration, contemplation and a deeper understanding of what Prague's Jews have endured throughout the centuries. Paradoxically, Hitler is to thank for the Quarter's continued existence - he intended to create an "Exotic Museum of an Extinct Race" here after the end of the war.

Municipal Hall

Obecnàdum

The Obecnàdum, or Municipal Hall, was built near the Powder Tower (a storage place for gunpowder and a major trade route entry into the city) on a site called King's Court where once a royal residence stood. In 1901, the Prague Civic Society made a proposal to city authorities to build a center for Czech official and social events. As happened so many other times in recent Prague history, the Czechs were trying to balance the grand buildings erected by the German-speaking community of Prague with suitable edifices of their own. The "German House" (now co-opted and renamed Slovansky dum, or Slavic House, on Na prëope street) and a German casino were enough to make the Czechs want a place of their own.

Lovers of Art Nouveau should bless the memories of the Prague Civic Society's officials, because the Obecnàdum would become one of the most beautiful examples of Art Nouveau in Prague, filled with artwork by the best Czech artists of the day. Neo-Baroque, neo-Renaissance, Western and Oriental influences – all combined with traditional Czech Art Nouveau. This is what makes the Obecnàdum unique among many beautiful examples of Art Nouveau public buildings in Prague. While the exterior is impressive, the interior is both finely crafted and educational. Almost every prominent living Czech artist worked on the Obecnàdum. Painters Mikolas Ales, Vaclav Jansa, Alfons Mucha, Jakub Obrovsky, Jan Preisler, Josef Wenig, Karel Spillar, Max Svabinsky, Josef Ullman, Frantisek Zenóek, and the sculptors Josef Maratka, Josef Vaclav Myslbek, Karel Novak, Ladislav Saloun, Frantisek Uprka, Bohumil Kafka and Cenek Vosmë carved out an astounding backdrop for the many historical events that would transpire here. Though their contributions are not conspicuously noted, in some cases (such as Alfons Mucha's Mayoral Hall) it is obviously which artist decorated what room.

Old Town Square/Jan Hus monument

That striking man standing atop a patina-green metal mountain in the center of Old Town Square is not Jesus, though he resembles him. It's Jan Hus, the great Czech religious reformer whose Hussite movement caused as much, if not more, friction within the Christian community as Martin Luther. (See sidebar). But Hus himself was a learned man, the rector of Charles University in Prague (one of the first universities in Europe, and still the largest in the Czech Republic). The statue was erected on the 500th anniversary of his death (6 July 1915). Hus preached in the Bethlehem Church in Old Town and was himself not particularly radical, unlike some of the sects who followed him. He believed in Bibles written in the worshiper's language, in the importance of faith instead of a clergyman's intermediation with God - in other words, concepts which threatened the status quo. He was summoned to the Church's Council of Constance in Switzerland by representatives of the emperor, and given a letter of safe conduct to get there and back. Like every member of his family (the Habsburgs) before and after him, the emperor was rabidly Catholic. After Hus refused to repent for his so-called sins and come back into the Church, he was burned at the stake, despite the promise of the emperor.

The Hussites

Depending on the sect, Hussites could be incredibly radical and forward-thinking for their time. Some sects, such as the Taborites, named after the town of Tabor where they lived, even advocated communal property, free love and the abolition of marriage! No wonder they got into such trouble. Hussitism threatened the Catholic status quo and for a time, Catholic rulers around Europe feared the Hussites almost as much as the Turks. The difference was that the Hussites were an "enemy from within." It was visually easy to tell a Turk from a Western European but not so the Hussites. Though their religious beliefs were similar to those of fellow Protestant Lutherans, for the Hussites religion became important as a national rallying cry against foreign (read: Catholic) oppression. This was the first time the Czechs chose to take a stand against those who wanted to enforce cultural values on them. The end result was the Battle of Bila Hora (see section on Hvezda above) and years of Catholic domination that was more thoroughly enforced here than elsewhere as a means of rooting out what the rulers saw as heresy and the Czechs viewed as freedom.

Panelaks

Entering Prague on the train, particularly from the southeast, one sees the infamous panelaks, or giant concrete housing blocks. Czech and Slovak housing blocks have a very surreal quality to them - driving past the Brno suburbs late at night is visually reminiscent of the movie Blade Runner. Bratislava’s bloated, huge panelak complex, Petrzalka, was as infamous as Chicago’s Cabrini-Green for housing a virtual social underclass. Czech writer Iva Pekarkova’s novel Truck Stop Rainbows does an amazing job of expressing the particular sort of inhumanity panelaks are known for breeding. If someone lives in a building that is an exact copy of all the others for miles around, so alike that even residents get lost, what does that bode for the community living there? In a particularly ironic twist, the real-life panelaks are crumbling as quickly as the communist regime that built them: literally falling apart at the seams.

Petrin Hill

Due to a housing crunch, most young Czechs don't move out of their parents' house until they marry (sometimes long after!) This lack of privacy leads to some very public displays of affection - what you see on the metro or trams won't compare to what you’re likely to encounter on Petrin Hill. This hillside slopes down from the Castle and Strahov Monastery to Mala Strana and Malostranske namesti metro station. It affords an amazing view of the city on a clear day, and in springtime the trees are all in bloom. This is possibly the nicest place to kick back with a bottle of wine and your significant other to watch the sun set over the city. Just be careful not to trip over the modesty-lacking couples who will probably already be there. In a city filled with apartment buildings and only a handful of single family houses (almost all in the diplomats' favored housing area, Dejvice, and priced far above the average Czech family's wage) parks take on a greater importance. Petrin has a miniature Eiffel Tower that offers a nice view over Prague and its suburbs. The most famous "inhabitant" of the park is a statue of poet Karel Hynek Macha, at whose feet lovers leave wreaths every spring in honor of his romantic poem Maj.

Zizkov Television Tower

Famously built by the communists in order to jam foreign radio signals the most hideous building in Prague offers spectacular views of the city. The cafe at the top is a great place o grab a coffee and enjoy the view. Lookout for the giant metallic alien babies that have been added to the tower.

Sleep - Prague Tourism

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

There is a restaurant in the old city where you will have one unbelievable traditional Czech experience. The restaurant is called U Fleků. In order to really have an adventure at this place it is best to be surprised and so most of the details will be left out of this description. I recommend simply that you avoid this place if you don't drink because not drinking is not an option with these people. Also the price may be a bit high compared to other restaurants. Your final tab may be around €20 including a copious amount of alcohol.