Top 10 Best Places to Visit in Prague
Prague has risen to prominence as a leading European tourist destination in the last decade. On the one hand, this is a wonderful thing, because this beautiful ... read more...city deserves all the attention it can receive. However, it is possible that your romantic mini-break rich with culture will be shared with one or more stag dos. Learn more about the top 10 Best Places to Visit in Prague that you should not miss.
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Charles Bridge is a medieval stone arch bridge that spans the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction began in 1357 under the supervision of King Charles IV and was completed in the early 15th century. Until 1841, Charles Bridge was the sole way to cross the Vltava River, connecting Prague Castle with the city's Old Town and surrounding environs.
The bridge is flanked by thirty saint statues, including the martyred St John of Nepomuk. Visitors have rubbed the plaques at the base of his star-crowned picture until the etched woman and dog gleam gold, based on various traditions promising good luck. This road follows the old royal route that kings took during their coronation procession from Old Town to Prague Castle. Today's multitudes crossing the Vltava River compensate for a lack of reputation. Caricature artists, photographers, and jewelry vendors surround the walls, hawking their products to passing tourists. Be prepared to dodge selfie-takers who pause without warning, or pay a small charge to climb the bridge towers for a less hectic view.
Google rating: 4.7/5.0
Address: Karlův most, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 774 971 993
Official site: https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/93/charles-bridge-karluv-most?back=1 -
Prague Castle ranks 2nd in the list of best places to visit in Prague. The Gothic St Vitus Cathedral dominates the Prague Castle backdrop, and its stained glass windows (including one by Alphons Mucha) are worth venturing inside to admire. Prague Castle is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality, Czech Republic, that was erected in the 9th century. It is the official residence of the Czech President. The castle served as the seat of authority for Bohemian kings, Holy Roman emperors, and Czechoslovakian presidents.
There are guided tours available to take people through individual chambers, but a free solo ramble through the gardens is often just as enjoyable. A few favorite stops along the road include the tiny dwellings of Golden Lane, the Romanesque façade of St. George's Basilica, and the manicured landscapes of the South Gardens. Every day at noon, the castle guards at the gates are changed. Exploring every nook and cranny of these massive fortified grounds would require an entire trip, so do your research ahead of time to narrow down your interests.
Google rating: 4.7/5.0
Address: Hradčany, 119 08 Prague 1, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 224 373 368Official site: https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/31/prague-castle-prazsky-hrad
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The Žižkov Television Tower is a transmitter tower in Prague that was built between 1985 and 1992. Designed by architect Václav Aulick and structural engineer Ji Kozák, it rises far over the city's traditional skyline from a hill in the district of ikov, from which it derives its name. The tower exemplifies high-tech architecture.
Many visitors recognize the rocket-shaped monument with the baby sculptures crawling up the sides (courtesy of controversial Czech sculptor David ern). Most people are unaware of the entertainment possibilities available within. An observation platform provides a different perspective than the usual Old Town or Malá Strana vistas. Oblaca offers fine eating in a restaurant or bar atmosphere, with excellent service and presentation. The One Room Hotel is a huge suite amid the stars that offers a one-of-a-kind place to stay. And, of course, seeing the tower from afar, lit up at night in the Czech flag's red, white, and blue colors, is completely free.
Google rating: 4.4/5.0
Address: Mahlerovy sady 1, 130 00 Praha 3-Žižkov, Prague, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 210 320 081
Official site: https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/103/prague-tv-tower-zizkov-television-tower -
Wenceslas Square ranks 4th in the list of best places to visit in Prague. It is one of the principal city squares and the heart of the economic and cultural communities of Prague's New Town. Many historical events took place there, and it is a popular location for protests, celebrations, and other public meetings. It is also the location with the most foot traffic in the entire country.
This broad rectangular core of New Town is guarded by a large monument of St. Wenceslas on horseback (the patron saint of the Czech Republic). Václavské námst (the Czech equivalent) continues to draw crowds of public protest and civil disobedience as a public center of historical revolution and resistance. Jan Palach publicly set himself on fire in 1968 to protest the Communist repression. Residents gathered here in 1989 to jingle their keys in the air as a symbol of Czechoslovakia's freedom in the Velvet Revolution. A guided walking tour will enhance the experience by explaining the personal stories that these stones have witnessed.
Google rating: 4.0/5.0
Address: Wenceslas Square, New Town, Prague 1, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 224 240 876
Official site: https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/182/wenceslas-square-vaclavske-namesti -
The Spanish Synagogue is the most recent synagogue in Prague's Jewish Quarter. It was built in 1868 for the local Reform congregation on the site of the 12th-century Altschul, the oldest synagogue in the Prague ghetto. The Spanish Synagogue was named after Alhambra's iconic Moorish interior architecture. The structure was planned by Josef Niklas and Jan Blsk, and the interior (from 1882-83) by Antonn Baum and Bedich Münzberger.
This house of worship's stunning interior of stained glass and gold designs stands proudly in the face of historic atrocities. Because Hitler creepily planned to preserve the area as a "museum of an extinct race," the synagogues and streets of Joefov were largely spared the destruction that Central Europe experienced during WWII. The exhibits and presence of the Spanish Synagogue remind visitors to look beyond the dark stories of the twentieth century and into the deeper roots and rich artistic accomplishments of Jewish communities in Bohemia and Moravia, with a particularly extensive collection of silver artifacts on display. Classical and chamber concerts are often held in acoustically arched walls.
Google rating: 4.5/5.0
Address: Vězeňská 1, 110 00 Staré Město, Prague 1, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 222 749 211
Official site: https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/690/jewish-museum-in-prague-spanish-synagogue-spanelska-synagoga -
MeetFactory is a non-profit contemporary art center in Prague, Czech Republic. It is divided into four divisions (music, theatre, gallery, and artists-in-residence), with the remainder of the program focusing on multidisciplinary and educational programs related to contemporary art. MeetFactory was started in 2001 by David Černý.
This industrial, graffiti-styled warehouse nestled beside a set of train tracks shelters a group of international music, theater, and visual arts innovators. Artists from all over Central Europe are drawn to the studio residency program. At all times, the sounds of outdoor cinema, theatrical performances, and a general sense of creativity float through the air. This difficult-to-define space's declared aim includes encouraging communication across diverse artistic genres, sponsoring unique work on multidisciplinary and experimental platforms, and opening an exchange between contemporary artists and the general audience. The on-site bar keeps residents and visitors hydrated with specialty coffee, Club Mate, and Matuka brewery beer.
Google rating: 4.4/5.0
Address: Ke Sklárně 3213/15, 150 00 Praha 5-Smíchov, Prague, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 251 551 796
Official site: http://www.meetfactory.cz/en/ -
Museum Kampa ranks 7th in the list of best places to visit in Prague. This is a modern art gallery in Prague, Czech Republic, that exhibits work from Central Europe, particularly Czech artists. The pieces are from the private collection of Jan V. Mládek's wife, Meda Mládek. The museum opened in 2003 and is located on the eastern side of Kampa Island on the Vltava River.
Jan and Meda Mládek, the husband and wife founders from Poland and then Czechoslovakia, began collecting local art in the late 1960s while residing in the United States. Under Communist authority at the time, artists were struggling to develop and sell their work. The museum was constructed from an old mill and opened in 2003. Mládek's personal collection is displayed with works by Central European painters from the second half of the twentieth century. The museum is dedicated to displaying artistic expression created during the terrible periods of struggle and tyranny that characterized the region prior to the turn of the century.
Google rating: 4.4/5.0
Address: U Sovových mlýnů 2, 118 00 Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 257 286 147
Official site: https://www.museumkampa.cz/en/ -
The Lucerna Music Bar is a concert venue located within the Lucerna Palace. It is placed inside a pedestrian corridor, or "passage," in architectural jargon, that joins Vodikova and tpánská streets near historic Wenceslas Square in Prague's New Town (Nové mesto). Lucerna Music Bar is one of the Lucerna Palace venues participating in the Prague International Jazz Festival and the AghaRTA Prague Jazz Festival.
Since the early twentieth century, this underground music venue has entertained the Prague population. This mid-sized concert stage, which began with theater and cabaret concerts in the 1920s, today attracts international bands ranging from hip-hop titans to local favorites during the week. On Fridays and Saturdays, an all-ages throng fills the stage and dance floor for the 80s and 90s party with DJ Jirka Neumann, a local favorite who has been spinning since the millennium began. Weeknight shows range from early evening curtains to an 8:00 pm start time, with the box office open from 9:30 am. A well-stocked bar with reasonably priced beer, wine, and spirits keeps the audience lubricated and energetic.
Google rating: 4.3/5.0
Address: Vodičkova 36, 110 00, Prague, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 224 217 108
Official site: https://musicbar.cz/en/ -
The National Museum (Národn Muzeum) in Prague, which recently completed a seven-year renovation, is spread across several locations and houses numerous important collections representing a wide range of fields, with literally millions of items covering mineralogy, zoology, anthropology, and archaeology, as well as the arts and music. There are around five million specimens in the entomology collection alone. It was founded in the early 1800s and moved to its current location in 1891, making it the Czech Republic's oldest museum.
The archaeological display, with its enormous collection of 1st and 2nd-century Roman items, as well as several Bronze and Early Iron period finds, is a particularly enjoyable feature. Another museum worth seeing is the superb National Technical Museum (Národn technické museum), which recounts the great technological breakthroughs made by the country, featuring exhibitions of machinery and equipment created here throughout the years, ranging from vehicles to aircraft.
Google rating: 4.4/5.0
Address: Václavské námestí 68, 110 00 Nové Město, Prague, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 224 497 111
Official site: https://www.nm.cz/ -
The Roman Catholic St. Vitus Cathedral (Katedrala St. Vita), located within the grounds of Prague Castle, is the Czech Republic's largest and most important Christian church. It is the home of the Archbishop of Prague, as well as the tombs of countless saints and three Bohemian kings. The cathedral was begun in 1344 on the site of a Romanesque rotunda completed in AD 925 and took more than 525 years to finish, resulting in a mix of current Neo-Gothic and 14th-century Gothic styles, as well as Baroque and Renaissance influences (be sure to keep an eye out for the impressive gargoyles adorning the exterior of the cathedral).
Interior highlights include exquisite stained glass windows depicting the Holy Trinity, a 1370 mosaic (The Last Judgment), and the St. Wenceslas Chapel (Svatovaclavska kaple), which features a spectacular jewel-encrusted altar with over 1,300 valuable stones. The Czech royal jewels are also noteworthy, albeit they are only displayed once every eight years on average. Make the ascent to the cathedral's 97-meter main tower for spectacular views of Prague. Visitors are also welcome to attend church services at the cathedral.
Google rating: 4.8/5.0
Address: III. nádvoří 48/2, 119 01 Praha 1-Hradčany, Czech Republic.
Phone number: +420 224 372 434
Official site: https://www.katedralasvatehovita.cz/en