Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) and other Prague, Czech Republic Things to Do Tips

Just when I thought I had seen some of the most beautiful squares in Europe I saw Prague's Old Town Square and had to re-adjust my 'Top 10 Favourite Squares' list!

The heart of the city, this is a large and lively square surrounded by fabulous buildings and lined with cafes. The perfect place for people watching...though keep and eye out for pick pockets.

The buildings surrounding the square include the Old Town Hall, with it's Astronomical Clock; the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn; St Nicholas Church; and Kinsky Palace which contains an excellent collection of graphic art from the middle ages till today.

We spent quite a bit of time here, at various times of day, enjoying the way the look of the buildings changed with the light.

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Address: Staromestske namesti
Directions: Heart of Old Town

Nearest metro: Staromestska or Namesti Republiky
Website: http://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=594

The Church of our Lady before Tyn is an impressive Gothic cathedral. It is located in the Old Town Square, its towers looming dramatically above the smaller buildings.

The church is Prague's most important gothic sanctuary and is a very impressive sight - even more so at night when it is flood lit. I kept dragging Alex back in the evenings....trying to get the perfect photo.

The two prominent spires are not symmetrical...apparently they represent both the feminine and masculine sides of the world.

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Address: Staromestske Namesti 14 (In the Old Town Square)
Directions: Nearest metro: Staromestska or Namesti Republiky
Website: http://www.discoverczech.com/prague/old-town-square.php4

Prague's castle sits upon a hill, grandly looking over the city. It is the main draw card for visitors (besides the beer!!) and is a must see on anyone's itinerary.

The entrance to the castle is via the beautiful Hradcanske Square which is lined with fabulous baroque and renaissance houses.

We paid a visit to the castle first thing one morning, trying to beat the crowds...it wasn't too crowded, but still plenty of tour groups around.

There are several attractions located with the castle grounds. You can buy different priced tickets depending on which attractions you wish to visit, though it is free to enter the castle grounds - there are plenty of photo opportunities here without having to pay a cent. If you do get a ticket to enter the palace, for example, you will have to pay extra if you wish to take photos inside.

We enjoyed a look around the Royal Palace and St Georges Convent. The views from the castle over Prague are pretty special too.

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Directions: Nearest metro: Malostranska or Hradcanska
Website: www.hrad.cz

My favourite part of our visit to Prague's castle was St Vitus’s Cathedral. This magnificent gothic cathedral is one of the prominent landmarks in Prague - you can see its main towers from across the city. It is the largest cathedral in the Czech Republic.

Inside you can see the impressive High Alter and some pretty impressive painted glass windows. There is also the Chapel of St Wenceslas and the silver tomb of St John of Nepomuk.

The outside is what captivated me so much...spectacular...and the subject of a large number of photos!

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Address: Prague Castle grounds
Directions: Nearest metro: Malostranska or Hradcanska
Website: www.hrad.cz

The Golden Lane is narrow street located within the castle complex. Here you will see some small, colourful, crooked cottages that were built into the castle wall in the 16th century.

They were home to goldsmiths, hence the name of the street. Having their business located at the castle helped them to avoid paying 'guild dues' in town.

Today the cottages are filled with shops to tempt us tourists.

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Address: In Prague Castle grounds
Directions: Nearest metro: Malostranska or Hradcanska
Website: www.hrad.cz

Wenceslas Square is not so much a square...more a wide street, lined with shops and restaurants.

The best part of the square for me was the National Museum that sits at the top of the square. Pop your head in the door to see the impressive marble staircase.

You will also come across the Communist Memorial, found in front of the St Wenceslas Statue, and also the impressive Art Nouveau building of the Hotel Evropa.

Although not the grand square I was imagining, there are some interesting things to see lining the square (including a department store with clean toilets!!) and some good shopping to be had, in particular a 5 story shoe shop!

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Address: Vaclavske namesti
Directions: Nearest metro: Muzeum or Mustek
Website: http://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=605

Petrin Hill is a green oasis, on the castle side of the river. This public park is covered with forests, gardens and plenty of tourists and locals alike enjoying a stroll or a picnic. When we were there the sun was shining and it was just the perfect place to be on a spring afternoon.

To get to the park you can ride the funicular up from Ujezd or take the slow walk up the hill like we did (got to work off the beer when you can!).

At the top you will come across the Observation Tower, a mini scale model (5:1) of the Eiffel Tower which was built in 1891 for the Prague Exposition. You can climb the 299 steps to the top for great views. We chose not the climb the tower, as we found the view from the top of Petrin Hill pretty special anyway.

There is a mirror maze up on the Hill and an Observatory. When we were there a fair was on with plenty to keep the kids amused.

We also came across a small walled garden with some of the most fabulous tulips I have ever seen.

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Directions: Nearest metro: Narodni Trida or Tram stop: Ujezd (trams 9, 22), then take Funicular Railway up Petrin Hill
Website: http://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=604

The Hunger Wall is located on Petrin Hill. This 14th century stone wall was originally part of the city's southern fortifications.

It is so named as it was constructed as a public works project to feed the poor during a famine - the poor built it in return for food.

You can take a walk along the Hunger Wall and think about how fortunate you are.

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Address: On Petrin Hill
Directions: Nearest metro: Narodni Trida or Tram stop: Ujezd (trams 9, 22), then take Funicular Railway up Petrin Hill

Over 600 years old, Charles Bridge is the oldest bridge in the city. Thirty statues of saints line the bridge.

It seems like all roads lead to Charles Bridge...meaning all tourists seem to end up here at the same time each afternoon...making the bridge at times the place NOT to be if you have an aversion to crowds....not to mention a dream to pickpockets.

But early morning or in the evening the bridge can be a magical place to visit. We spent a couple of hours standing near the bridge one evening, waiting for the sun to set to try and take that elusive night shot of the bridge. How did we do?

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Address: Connecting Old Town and Lesser Town
Directions: Nearest metro: Staromestska
Website: http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/sightseeing/charles_bridge.html

Dating back to 1338, the Old Town Hall is located in the heart of the Old Town Square. It was constructed from a complex of homes that were merged and have been rebuilt over the years.

To find the entrance to the Hall, just look to the left of the large crowd of tourists waiting for the Astronomical Clock to chime.

Inside the Town Hall are the Gothic Chapel and the Hall of Mayors of the City.

But my favourite bit was a trip to the top of the 60 metre high tower, for fabulous views across the Old Town. There is an intriguingly designed elevator that whisks you up...so no energetic stair climbing required, giving wheel chair access to the top of the tower.

Great views.

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Address: Old Town Square
Directions: Nearest Metro: Staromestska
Website: http://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=596