Prague Sights

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Individual listings can be found in Prague's district articles

• Prague Castle www.hrad.cz. The biggest ancient castle in the world, according to the Guinness World Records, which rises above the city offering beautiful views of the areas below. Also on site is the St. Vitus Cathedral with its lookout tower, the Castle Picture Gallery www.obrazarna-hradu.cz, several palaces and museums and the beautiful Royal Garden, among other attractions. You can also watch the Presidential Guard, and the changeover of the guards on duty on the hour. The entrance for St. Vitus Cathedral is free, but the queue may be long (1 hour). A Prague castle ticket is 350 CZK and audioguide a further 350 CZK. This is a large amount for an audioguide, but it lets you skip the St. Vitus queue. Do not confuse this Prague Castle which dominates the city and is in the Hradčany area with prague-castle.blahutovo.czPrague Castle Blahutovo which is in the Kbely suburb.

• Charles Bridge www.prague-guide.co.uk/articles/charles-bridge.html— One of several bridges over the Vltava. Its construction started in the 14th Century and it is one of Prague's most beautiful attractions. Over the day it is a bustling place of trade and entertainment.

The Astronomical Clock

• The Old Town (Staré město)— Prague's historic centre. Includes numerous historical buildings and monuments, most notably the famed Astronomical Clock (Orloj), the pure GothicTýn Church, the mural-covered Storch building, and the Jan Hus monument. Nearby, the Estate Theatre is a neoclassical theatre where Mozart's opera Don Giovanni was first performed. The old town features many historical churches (St. James Church, Church of Our Lady before Tnem among others) and some other interesting historical buildings like the Old Town Hall.

• Josefov— The historical Jewish ghetto. Interesting for its well preserved historical synagogues, unique in the entire world. The Old New Synagogue (Czech: Staronová synagoga) is Europe's oldest active synagogue. It's rumoured to be the resting place of the famed Prague Golem. Another interesting synagogue is the Spanish Synagogue, a highly ornamented building of Moorish style. Other attractions are the old Jewish Cemetery, which is the oldest in Europe, and Kafka's house. The Old New Synagogue is NOT a part of the Jewish museum, so it's recommended to buy a combined pass to all Jewish attractions www.jewishmuseum.cz which costs 480 CZK.
• New Town (Nové město)— The new town was constructed as an extension of the old town at the 14th Century. Nonetheless, despite its oldness, most of it was modernized. The main attraction here is the Wenceslas Square, which has many stalls, shops and restaurants. At the top of the square is the National Museum which is well worth a look (see below). Midway down this historic Boulevard, one finds trendy discos and Art Nouveau hotels, as well as quaint parks and arcades, while just off the beaten path are some wonderful panoramic views (Henry Tower), romantic restaurants, Narodni, and the dazzling, Disney-colored Jubilee Synagogue.

• The Lesser Town (Malá strana)— Across the Vltava from the city centre and leading to the castle, this quarter also offers beautiful streets and churches (of which St. Nicholas Church is the most renowned). The Lennon Wall which used to be a source of irritation to the communist regime is also found here, near a Venetian-like canal with water wheel and close to the Charles Bridge.
• Loreta www.loreta.cz. A beautiful Baroque convent in the Lesser Town.

• Strahov Monastery www.strahovmonastery.cz. A monastery on the mountain. Worth a visit for both its picture gallery and its notable Renaissance library.

Frank Gehry's Dancing House

• Prague Dancing House (Fred and Ginger Building)— One of the most fascinating architectural expressions of Prague. Accessible from Karlovo náměstí metro station.

Elephant in Prague Zoo

• Vyšehrad www.praha-vysehrad.cz. A nice castle well worth a visit.

• Petřínská rozhledna www.petrinska-rozhledna.cz. A smaller version of the Eiffel Tower on the top of a hill. Climbing the tower costs 100 CZK for a standard ticket or 50 CZK for discounts.

• Prague Giant Metronome— A huge monument erected in order to replace the Stalinistic monument that preceded it.

• Memorial to the 1989 Velvet Revolution— A simple brass plaque at 20 Narodni. From Cafe Louvre, walk toward the river. You will enter an archway in just a few meters, look at the wall on the left.

• Prague Zoo www.zoopraha.cz/en. A large zoo in Prague.

Museums:

• Czech National Gallery (Národní galerie) www.ngprague.cz. Its most important collections are in the Sternberg Palace (up to to the Baroque), St George Convent (Czech Baroque and Mannerism) and Veletržní Palace (19th century and modern art). The first two are located near and in the castle respectively. Do not confuse them with the Castle Picture Gallery (see above) which is worth visiting on its own right.

A collection of Asian art is exhibited at the Zbraslav Castle.

• Czech National Museum (Národní muzeum) www.nm.cz. An association of various museums. The main building is at the Wenceslas Square and is dedicated to natural history. Other branches include museums of the Czech composers Dvořák and Smetana, Czech Music Museum, Historical Pharmacy Museum, Prince Lobkovicz' Collection at the Prague Castle, Czech Ethnographical Museum and Naprstek Anthropological Museum.

• Prague City Gallery www.ghmp.cz. A museum of modern Czech arts divided between several sites most of which are in the old town. Its main building is the House of the Golden Ring at the Old Town Square featuring 20th Century Czech art in a beautiful medievil edifice. 19th Century Czech art is exhibited at the Troja Castle.

• Czech Museum of Fine Arts www.cmvu.cz. 20th Century Czech art and changing exhibitions.

• Museum of Decorative Arts www.upm.cz. This 17th century palazzo-style building houses examples of historical and contemporary crafts, as well as applied arts and design.

• National Technical Museum (Národní technické muzeum) www.ntm.cz. Amazing collection of motorcycles, cars, aircraft and commercial vehicles, plus many examples of communist-era technological engineering

• Military Museum www.militarymuseum.cz. Showcases the uniforms, artefacts and maps relating to the Czechoslovak armed forces during World Wars I and II.

• Jewish Museum www.jewishmuseum.cz/en/ainfo.htm. This covers six separate places (four synagogues, the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Memorial Hall) but does not include the Old-New Synagogue, although entrance tickets can either include or exclude the last named. The Old-New Synagogue is expensive in relation to the museum but in view of its age, it's worth including it. The Memorial Hall is particularly moving with exhibits of the writings of children in death camps.

• Mozart and Dušek Museum www.bertramka.com. Dedicated to the works of Mozart.

• Prague City Museum (Muzeum hl. m. Prahy) www.muzeumprahy.cz. An absolute must-see for the incredibly detailed cardboard model of nineteenth century Prague by Anton Langweil. The detail is amazing, even down to the colour of the doorways and the design of the windowsills.

• Mucha Museum www.mucha.cz. A museum of the Czech artist Alfons Mucha.

• Kafka Museum www.kafkamuseum.cz. There is also a permanent exhibition at Kafka's house.

• The Pedagogical Comenius Museum www.pmjak.cz. A museum documenting the writings of the Czech Renaissance erudite.

• The Mueller Villa www.mullerovavila.cz/default-av.html. A work of art of the well known Viennese architect Loos from the beginning of the 20th Century.

• Jaroslav Fragner Gallery www.gjf.cz/galerie.htm. Jaroslav Fragner Gallery is oriented in temporary architecture. You can find here profiles of influential people and groups, retrospective exhibitions, thematic exhibitions, recent movement in architecture. Gallery provides lectures, seminars and publishing, regarding central Prague the JFG became a centre for architects, professional and general public, students of architecture and construction companies.

• Museum Kampa www.museumkampa.cz. A museum of modern Central European art.

• Museum of Communism in Czechoslovakia www.museumofcommunism.com. Interesting exhibits on how Communism changed Czechoslavakia.

• There are plenty of smaller museums. Among them are the Miniature Museum at the Stahnov Monastery, Toys Museum and Musical Automata Museum at the Prague Castle, Wax Museum, Torture Museum, Postal Museum and Brewery Museum at the Old Town and the Aviation Museum at Kbely.