Top 10 things you must do in Prague

When we think about things to do in Prague, we have to bear in mind that it is a city that seems out of a story and that the options are endless. It is the capital of Czech Republic, has more than a million inhabitants and is home to incredible castles, squares, cathedrals, towers and viewpoints that allow you to see a city from a unique perspective.

This city is synonymous with culture, in fact it has become one of the most important cultural centers in the country, and above all what it has, it may not be so easy to choose where to start getting to know it. Among its monuments, its architectural riches and historical places the best option is to get organized and that is why, so that you can build your trip, we put together a list of things that you cannot know and do in Prague.

10 things to do in Prague

So that you take into account for your next trip, here we tell you 10 things you can do in Prague, from historical monuments to places where you can make wishes ????

1. Little Town Square

IF we talk about things to do in Prague, you cannot miss a visit to the Lesser Town. It is located in the heart of the Malá Strana district, and is one of the liveliest areas of the city, very busy both day and night. This is because it has restaurants, shops and different bars.

The square consists of two parts that are well differentiated, one is the lower one and the other is the upper one, and in the middle is located the well-known Iglesia de San Nicolás, surrounded by bars and houses that attract the attention of several tourists. The temple is considered one of the most beautiful baroque buildings in all of Prague. It has an interior that is decorated with frescoes and sculptures that occupy from the floor to the ceiling of the building. In addition, the best part of this church may be the views it offers when climbing its tower that has a height of 65 above the city.

This square that dates back to the Middle Ages and at first used to function as a huge market, currently it is surrounded by several historical buildings of great relevance. On the one hand, there is the Column of the Holy Trinity, also known as Plague Column, which is located inside the square and was built in 1713 to celebrate the end of illness, and is decorated with saints and angels; on the other, close to the square are the Sternberg Palace, the Kaiserstein Palace, and the Liechtenstein Palace. A must see on your list of things to do in Prague.

2. Mount Petřín

On Mount Petřín is the most famous and highest viewpoint in the entire city, known as Petřín Tower. Knowing this site, one of the favorites both by tourists and locals, is one of the things you have to do in Prague on your way there. It is a place to rest from all the movement of the city and special to take a little perspective.

This mount is a hill that is about 140 meters high and is located very close to Prague Castle. It is one of the favorite places to visit not only for its view but for all the things to see there and then we will tell you what they are:

• Petřín Tower: It is 63 meters high but being located on this mountain allows you to see the city of Prague from a height of more than 200 meters, and from there you can observe the castle, the Old Town, the river and the Malá Strana district. Its shape may be reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, it can be climbed to the top on foot or by elevator and it is one of the things to do in Prague that you cannot miss as it shows you the city in a different way.
• Mirror Labyrinth: is an incredible place for people of all ages, it is a set of convex mirrors that what they do is deform the image of the person who stands in front of them, and was part of the Universal Exhibition in Prague in 1891.
• Monument to the victims of communism: was designed in 2002, in order to commemorate the victims of the communist era between 1948 and 1989. It consists of seven figures who are coming down the stairs, and some of them are missing limbs, representing how communism affected political prisoners.

3. John Lennon Wall

Among the things to do in Prague, we recommend that you visit the John Lennon Wall, located in the Grand Priory Square. It is a mural that symbolizes love and peace with drawings and phrases made by the same people who come to see this place.

It is a wall that is on Kampa Island and an unmissable place for anyone who is a fan of the Beatles, it is also one of the most beautiful places in the city. Although John Lennon was never in the capital of Czech Republic, the importance of the wall lies in the fact that it was part of the tributes that were held around the world to celebrate the life of the musician after his murder.

On the wall people began to write song lyrics, political slogans, quotes from texts and despite having been painted white on several occasions, people again filled the wall with messages of hope, somehow related to John Lennon.

4. Old Town Square

A visit to Old Town Square is one of the things you have to do in Prague since it is one of the most beautiful not only in the city and the country, but also of the entire continent. It is usually one of the favorite places of tourists, mainly in summer, so it is not surprising that at that time of year it is full of people.

It is a meeting point, but it is also there where important events of the city take place throughout the year. Sometimes New Year celebrations are held or it becomes a holiday market both at Christmas and Easter, as well as samples of hockey and football matches.

In this place in Prague it is possible to find the statue of Jan Hus dating from the year 1915, and it is also possible to visit certain places such as the Church of Our Lady of Týn, which is nothing more and nothing less than the greatest exponent of the Prague Gothic style. It is 52 meters long, 27 meters wide and its towers exceed 80 meters high. From there you can also visit the Old Town Hall and the Astronomical Clock.

5. Astronomical Clock

Another thing that you cannot miss in Prague is to get to know the Astronomical Clock of the city, located on the south wall of the Old Town Hall. This clock is one of the favorite attractions of tourists, it was made in year 1410 and is the most famous medieval clock on the planet.

This popular watch is made up of three parts:

• Circular or Josef Mánes calendar : in this part the 12 months of the year are represented with paintings that were made by the artist Mánes, it is also possible to observe the signs of the zodiac in the center is the Coat of Arms of the Old City. This part also has four small sculptures that are a philosopher, an astronomer, a horn player and an angel.
• Animated figures: each time the clock strikes a new time, it is produces the parade of the twelve apostles in the upper part of it, this is known as “the walk of the apostles”. You can also see four additional figures that are lust, greed, vanity and death.
• Astronomical clock: also known as “astronomical quadrant”, although it indicates the 24 hours, it is there where you can see the representation of the position of both the sun and the moon in the sky.

It should be taken into account that people who wish to do so can choose to climb the clock tower of the Town Hall and also enjoy the incredible view of the city.

6. Charles Bridge

This bridge spans the Vltava River, linking the Old Town with the Lesser Town and is the most famous landmark in the city as well as the oldest. Its construction took around 50 years, having started in 1357 and finished in 1402. Today it is a pedestrian bridge with more than 500 meters long and about 10 meters wide.

Its name is due to the fact that it was King Charles IV who ordered its construction and who laid the first stone, and this new bridge had the role of replacing the Judith Bridge, the first stone bridge in Prague that was destroyed by a flood. It should be noted that it was only in the 19th century that it received the name of the person who ordered it to be built, until then it was known as “Puente de Piedra”.

Crossing this bridge on foot is one of the things you cannot miss in Prague, while enjoying the 30 statues that are located on both sides of it. Although, we warn you, most of the statues are copies, and this is because some of the originals are in the National Museum in Prague.

A typical custom of the region is make a wish where the statue of Saint John Nepomuk is located, a man who was thrown into the river in 1393 and was sanctified almost four centuries later. If you are there, what you have to do to make the wish is place your left hand on the base of the statue and, they say, it will be granted.

7. Josefov (the Jewish Quarter)

A walk through Josefov is one of the things you have to include in your list of things to do in Prague since it is one of the places with the most history of the city. There you will find medieval synagogues, shops and museums, generating a landscape in which the ancient and the modern are related all the time.

This neighborhood, whose name is a tribute to the ruler who began to integrate the Jews, arises from the union of two Jewish communities and was completely integrated into the city of Prague in 1850.

One of the places to visit without fail is the Old-New Synagogue, also known as Staronová, since it is one of the oldest synagogues in the entire continent. European. It was founded around the year 1270 and being one of the first buildings in the Gothic style that Prague had, it has survived fires, demolitions and many violent situations.

Among the places that you can visit in Josefov, and that you can incorporate the things to visit and do in Prague, are the six Jewish synagogues: in addition to the old-new, there is the high, Spanish, klausen, maisel and pinkas; the old Jewish cemetery, the town hall of the Jewish quarter, the monastery of Santa Inés and the Jewish ceremonial hall.

8. Prague Castle

If we talk about things to know and do in Prague, the Prague Castle is one of the options that you cannot miss. Not only is it one of the most iconic symbols of the city, but it also offers one of the best views of the capital of the Czech Republic.

It is made up of several palaces and buildings that are very beautiful and that are connected to each other by small streets, and it is one of the largest castles in the world. It is one of those places that you cannot miss if you want to know the history of this city from the inside. The castle was built in the 9th century, despite breaking with the medieval castle style, and was the residence of the Kings of Bohemia. Today, and since 1918, it is the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic.

Visiting the Prague Castle offers the possibility of knowing other important places in the city, such as the Saint Vitus Cathedral, the Golden Alley, the Golden Portal, the Painting Gallery, the Cathedral Tower, the old royal palace, among others.

9. St. Vitus Cathedral

Of all the religious buildings in the Czech Republic, and not only in its capital, the Cathedral of St. Vitus is the most important. In the same way, it is one of the most imposing temples in the entire European continent. It is located inside the Prague Castle and although its construction began in 1344, it was only completed in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The completion of its construction was due both to the lack of budget and to the natural disasters and wars that were happening. That is why it was only opened to the public in 1929. If ben is considered a building of Gothic architecture, it also has a combination of Renaissance and Baroque elements, due to the different architects who were working there over time.

Among the most outstanding elements of the Cathedral is the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, one of the most popular among visitors from different parts of the world ; the tomb of San Juan Nepomuceno; the royal mausoleum; and the towers, 99 and 80 meters high, to which you climb by spiral stairs and from where you can see the San Carlos Bridge, the Old City and the Little City.

Visiting this place is one of the things you have to do in Prague, no matter how long you spend in the city, and its history and what it represents goes far beyond its religious significance.

10. Alley of Gold

E l Golden Alley is one of the small streets found in Prague Castle, one of the highlights of this monument and one of the things to do in Prague that you can’t miss. The exact origin of its name is not known, but according to popular stories it is because the alchemists lived there. Then, as time passed, the street was mainly inhabited by local artisans and goldsmiths.

The alley has very colorful houses that look like something out of a children’s story, which were built in the 16th century and their purpose was to house the castle guards. Starting in the 20th century, they were used for puppet stores, glass and other typical products of the region.

One of the houses in this Golden Alley was inhabited by the writer Franz Kafka, between the years 1916 and 1917. His house was the one at number 22 on the street and the Today it is usually one of the most popular, leading to a souvenir shop.

EThese are our suggestions of things to do in Prague, which you can enjoy from both a historical and cultural point of view, and you can even make a wish! The capital of the Czech Republic is a city that amazes anyone who visits it, home to some of the most important monuments in all of Europe and with an incredible offer of things to do that are worth enjoying as soon as you get the chance.