Prague

Prague

Prague has the rare quality of a city that was never significantly bombed or bulldozed. Its medieval street plan, its Gothic churches, its Baroque palaces and its Art Nouveau buildings survived the 20th century more or less intact. Walking through the old town is to walk through a thousand years of European history still standing upright.

The Czech capital sits in a bend of the Vltava River, nestled between seven low hills in the heart of Bohemia. It has been the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire under Emperor Charles IV and Rudolf II, and the capital of Czechoslovakia before becoming the capital of the Czech Republic in 1993. Each period left behind buildings, and Prague has kept almost all of them.

The city is divided by the Vltava into several historic quarters. On the left bank, Hradcany contains the castle complex. Below it, Mala Strana, the Lesser Town, is a neighbourhood of Baroque palaces and narrow streets. On the right bank, Stare Mesto, the Old Town, is the medieval heart of the city, and Nove Mesto, the New Town, was laid out in the 14th century by Emperor Charles IV and is "new" only in comparison to what preceded it. Eighteen bridges cross the Vltava within the city, of which the Charles Bridge is the oldest and most famous.

Charles Bridge, built between 1357 and 1402, with Prague Castle rising behind it

The City

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle complex in the world, covering an area of nearly 70,000 square metres on the hill above the left bank of the Vltava. It has been the seat of Bohemian princes, kings, emperors and presidents since the 9th century and remains the official residence of the Czech head of state. Within its walls are the Gothic St Vitus Cathedral, the Romanesque St George's Basilica, the Old Royal Palace, several museums, a gallery and the Golden Lane, a row of tiny colourful houses built into the castle walls that once housed castle guards and artisans and where Franz Kafka lived for a period between 1916 and 1917. The castle gardens, among the finest in Central Europe, offer panoramic views across the city below.

Charles Bridge

The Charles Bridge is the oldest bridge in Prague and one of the most iconic in Europe. Construction began in 1357 under Emperor Charles IV and the bridge was completed in 1402. It replaced the Judith Bridge, built in the 12th century and destroyed by floods in 1342, and remained the only crossing of the Vltava in Prague for more than 450 years until 1841. The bridge is 516 metres long and rests on 16 arches, with 30 Baroque statues of saints lining the parapet, most of them installed between 1683 and 1714. The originals have been moved to the National Museum for preservation and replaced with replicas on the bridge. Walking across the Charles Bridge at dawn, before the crowds arrive, is one of the great experiences of any European city.

Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock

The Old Town Square is the historic heart of Prague, surrounded by buildings ranging from Romanesque to Baroque that have accumulated over eight centuries of use. The twin-towered Gothic Church of Our Lady before Tyn dominates the eastern side. The Old Town Hall, incorporating a structure from the early 14th century, carries the famous Astronomical Clock, or Orloj, on its southern face. The clock has been operating since 1410 and is one of the oldest working astronomical clocks in the world. On the hour, a procession of the Twelve Apostles appears in windows above the clock face, and a skeleton representing Death strikes the bell. It draws a considerable crowd even when the mechanism is well known in advance.

Josefov, the Jewish Quarter

Josefov, the former Jewish ghetto enclosed within the Old Town, contains six synagogues, a town hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery, one of the most atmospheric places in the city. The cemetery was the only burial ground available to Prague's Jewish community from the 15th century to 1787, and because expansion was impossible within its confined boundaries, the graves were stacked in layers, some containing 12 separate burials one above the other. The result is a densely crowded landscape of thousands of tilted headstones, moss-covered and pressed together, that is quietly extraordinary. The Spanish Synagogue, built in 1868 in a Moorish Revival style, is one of the most beautiful interiors in Prague.

Wenceslas Square

Wenceslas Square is not a square in the traditional sense but a long boulevard, 750 metres in length, running through the heart of Nove Mesto. It is named after the patron saint of Bohemia, and a statue of St Wenceslas on horseback stands at its upper end in front of the National Museum. Wenceslas Square has been the stage for several of the defining moments of Czech history: it was here that Czechoslovakia's independence was proclaimed in 1918, that the Soviet invasion was resisted in 1968, and that the Velvet Revolution unfolded in 1989. The National Museum at its head is currently undergoing renovation but the building itself is architecturally exceptional.

Mala Strana and the Baroque Gardens

Mala Strana, the Lesser Town, occupies the left bank of the Vltava between the Charles Bridge and the castle hill. Its streets are among the quietest and best-preserved in Prague: Baroque palaces converted into embassies, garden walls dripping with wisteria, and the green dome of St Nicholas Church, the finest Baroque church in Prague, rising above the rooftops. The terraced gardens climbing the southern slope of the castle hill are open to visitors and offer changing views of the city as you ascend. The Wallenstein Garden, the first Baroque garden in Prague, built by the Habsburg general Albrecht von Wallenstein in the 1620s, is a peaceful and largely overlooked retreat a short walk from the Charles Bridge.

Beer and Food

Czech beer has a legitimate claim to be the finest lager in the world. The pilsner style of brewing was invented in the Czech town of Plzen in 1842 and the unfiltered, unpasteurised tank beer served in Prague's traditional pubs has nothing in common with its exported equivalents. U Fleku, a brewery and pub operating on the same site since 1499, serves only its own dark beer and is one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Europe. Lokale, a small chain of modern Czech pubs, serves tank Pilsner Urquell at its best alongside straightforward Czech cooking: svickova, the classic braised beef in cream sauce, is worth ordering. Prague's food culture has improved enormously since the 1990s and the city now has a range of restaurants that extends well beyond the traditional.

The Dvorak and Smetana Connection

Prague is the home city of Antonin Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana, two of the most important composers of the 19th century. Smetana's Vltava, the second movement of the symphonic cycle Ma vlast (My Homeland), is a musical portrait of the river that runs through the city and is one of the most immediately recognisable pieces in the orchestral repertoire. The Smetana Museum occupies a neo-Renaissance building on the banks of the Vltava near the Charles Bridge. The concert halls of Prague, particularly the Municipal House, built in 1912 in an extraordinary Art Nouveau style, offer performances throughout the year at prices that remain significantly lower than equivalent venues in Western Europe.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Journey to Prague

The Paris to Prague route on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express departs Paris Gare d'Austerlitz in the afternoon, travels overnight through France, Germany and Austria, and arrives in Vienna the following morning where the train makes a midday stop before continuing north to Prague in the late afternoon. Prague's main station, Praha Hlavni Nadrazi, was built in 1909 in the Art Nouveau style and, after restoration, is one of the most beautiful railway stations in Central Europe: a fitting arrival point for the world's most celebrated train.

Prague Practicalities

• Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (Prague Main Station) is the VSOE arrival point, close to the centre of Nove Mesto and a short walk or taxi ride from most hotels
• Vaclav Havel Airport Prague is approximately 17km west of the city centre
• UK citizens do not currently require a visa for the Czech Republic. Always check the current position at gov.uk before travel
• The currency is the Czech Koruna. The Czech Republic is a member of the EU but does not use the euro. Credit cards are widely accepted but cash is useful for smaller restaurants, pubs and markets
• Prague has an excellent metro system with three lines, supplemented by trams. A tram ride through the city is one of the best ways to get a sense of the different neighbourhoods
• The old town is compact and best explored on foot. The castle hill is a 20-minute walk from the Charles Bridge or accessible by tram or the 22 bus from the city centre
• Prague is extremely popular and the Old Town Square and Charles Bridge can be crowded in summer. Early morning visits to both are strongly recommended
• Spring (April to June) and autumn (September to October) are the best seasons, offering good weather and fewer visitors than the summer peak