Whistle stop tour of Prague... and other Prague, Czech Republic Things to Do Tips

Charles Bridge, the Castle, Wenceslas Square, Josefov and Stare Mesto are all a given on a trip to Prague. Here's a few other places you might want to check out -

1. Prague TV Tower - the ugly looking metal thing blighting the city's horizon. Once you get up close to it, it's even more impressively monstrous. The scene is made even more bizarre by the huge black babies crawling on it. The view from the platform is stunning. Take the metro to Jiriho z podebrad.

2. Olsany Cemetary - a beautiful old cemetary. Good for a quiet walk with a hangover. You'll find Franz Kafka here. Take the metro to Zelivskeho.

3. Novy Svet - beyond the castle, you'll find charming old cobbled streets away from the tourist crush.

4. Petrin Hill - topped by the minature eiffel tower, Petrin hill is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle. Can be very romantic, no matter what the weather.

5. Hlavni Nadrazi - fans of faded opulence and rusted metal should head for the train station. Beware of the tramps though - stand still too long, and it turns into a scene from Night of the Living Dead.

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Address: All over Prague.

The Square, Vaclavske Namesti, is the heart of city life. A broad boulevard about half a mile long, everything passes through it on the day to day grind. It was here in 1989 that a quarter of a million Czechs gathered to usher out the Communist regime. Near the steps of the Museum lies a memorial, looking like a half-submerged headstone. This marks where 'Torch Number One' Jan Palach set himself alight in protest of Soviet rule.

Now the square is buzzing, alive, vivid, vulgar, flanked by fast food restaraunts, fashion boutiques, change counters, populated by people of every nationality, as well as the beggars, hare krishnas, prostitutes and ticket touts. Yet beneath all this post-communist bedlam, sitting on the steps of the museum with St.Wenceslas marching stridently above it all, it's still possible to sense that resonance...this is the place where it all happens.

Wenceslas Square pretty much sums up Prague as a whole - that peculiar combination of beauty and sordidness, majesty and tack.

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Address: Vaclavske namesti
Directions: Metro line C station Narodni muzeum or line A station Mustek.
Website: http://www.vaclavak.cz/

Angelo Maria Ripellino, in his book "Magic Prague", recalls and old prophecy that "Czechs on the [Charles] bridge will one day be rarer than stags with golden horns." Welcome to Karluv Most, 2005! When it was built, so the legend goes, they mixed in eggs to give it extra strength...lucky they did, because the famous old Charles Bridge takes enough foot traffic across it each day to submerge the QE2.

Most Czechs I know, and indeed everyone I know who lives in Prague, avoid crossing Charles Bridge during the day unless they absolutely have to. I wouldn't recommend anyone to visit it during the day, unless you're a pickpocket, looking to hook up with a Japanese backpacker, or simply must have your caricature drawn.

However, visiting late at night will leave you will Charles Bridge pretty much to yourself, and can be an unbelievably romantic stroll, with the Castle illluminated in the sky above you and an exhilarating view of the Vltava and riverside Prague. If you can stay awake long enough or get up early enough, dawn is probably the best time. Seeing it's statues mysteriously shrouded in mist, then watching the city come to life around you in purple dawnlight in unforgettable.

The best view of the bridge, funnily enough, isn't from Charles Bridge. There are good views to be had along the water front on Kampa Island, and Legii Most (one bridge down next to the National Theatre) is a great viewpoint to see the Bridge and it's environs all in one eyeful. My recommendation is from the water - forget the ferry tours, hire yourself a rowboat and check it all out from the middle of the Vltava. Just don't go too close to the weir...those things aren't built for white water!

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Address: Karluv most
Directions: Connectiong Old Town and Lesser Town