From the picturesque Old Town Square we will walk through the area of the former Jewish quarter to the amazing Charles Bridge that will bring us to the magical Lesser Town and the Prague Castle – an ancient symbol of the Czech lands.
Although many of the original buildings of the Prague Jewish Town have vanished, there are still a number of historical gems remaining and we can see most of them. We will walk past the tomb of Rabbi Jehuda Liva ben Bezalel (Rabbi Loew or the Maharal) in the Old Jewish Cemetery. We will learn about Jewish worship and history in the interior of the Old-New Synagogue thank to many objects enshrined in this oldest extant synagogue in Europe. We can also descend to the original mikveh from the 16th century. The neighbouring Pinkas Synagogue serves as the memorial to the victims of the Shoah together with the exhibition of children’s drawings from the Terezin-Ghetto. At the end of our tour we will be impressed by the Moorish style Spanish Synagogue and its splendid interior inspired by the Alhambra in Spain.
In the heart of this part of historical Prague, the Old Town Square with its magnificent astronomical clock on the Tower of the Old Town Hall will engage your interest as well as the medieval merchant’s courtyard Ungelt and the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. Seeing the exterior reliefs of the Church of St. James the Greater is an unforgettable experience too.
Did you know that the St. Wenceslas’ statue – the patron saint of the Czech land has a twin (although much younger and a little less “stately“ than the one on the Wenceslas Square)? We will see both of them and don’t be surprised that the one in Lucerna palace is sitting on a horse that is upside down. We can pass through the “Svetozor“ passage popular with the Praguers for its favourite ice cream and “chlebicky“ – little open sandwiches. You will certainly be impressed by the Church of Our Lady of the Snows and probably curious to see the Estates Theatre, where the premiere of the opera „Don Giovanni“ conducted by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself took place in 1787. The Powder Gate, as well as the Art Nouveau Municipal House, a place where not only the artwork of Alfons Mucha can be seen, will be without any doubt highlights of our tour.
If your guidebook enticed you into walking along the Royal Route, I can accompany you and make sure you avoid the crowds. The classical Royal Route, taken by Czech kings in a procession to their coronation in the St. Vitus’ Cathedral at the Prague Castle, starts by the Powder Gate. Although the kings proceeded through Celetna street to the Old Town and the Little Square, we can adjust our path while making sure you see all the highlights of the Royal Route such as: the Astronomical Clock, the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle and many more.
We will walk through the quarter that creates the ever-present backdrop to the Czech capital: the Castle district. We will start off in the Strahov Monastery or the Loreto Church and will continue to the Prague Castle complex including St. Vitus’ Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St. George Basilica and the Golden Lane. The Hradcany Square terrace, from which Prague’s views are breathtaking, will be inviting you to discover another part of Prague.
The Petrin lookout tower also has unforgettable views of Prague. The Petrin hill served by funicular from Ujezd may be an attraction for children, as well as the mirror maze hidden in the Strahov Gardens inviting for a quiet stroll.
The Church of St. Nicholas as one of the “must sees“ of the left bank part of Prague has the potential to captivate your interest, as well as the Vrtba baroque garden - the jewel of all Prague gardens. The Infant Jesus of Prague resting in the Church of Our Lady Victorious attracts tourists from all over the world and the Wallenstein palace with its enormous garden is definitely also worth seeing.
You wouldn’t probably consider a garden to be a place offering a bird’s-eye view of historical sites, but Prague is actually the case. We can escape the crowds and learn about the history of Prague gardens reflecting the history of “the city of a hundred spires“. By your choice we can visit the South Gardens of the Prague Castle connected to the Palace Gardens below Prague Castle, the Petrin Hill gardens, Wallenstein Gardens or the Vrtba garden.
All the tours can be fully customised. Depending on the address of your hotel, which is a starting point, the sequence may vary. Duration (3 to 6 hours) and activity level of all tours can be also modified according to your wish by using public transport to get closer to the Prague Castle. We will only peek into most churches if not agreed otherwise when possible. We can also stop for a coffee or lunch.
Get to know the history of Prague and its most beautiful places through the riveting story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We will walk from the Strahov monastery through Thunovsky palaces and the House of the Golden Unicorn in the Lesser Town, over the Charles Bridge to Clementinum, Clam-Gallas palace, House of the Three Golden Lions, the Estate Theatre, through the Old Town Square to finally complete our tour in Convict and Pachta palace.
The dilemmas and predicaments of modern life inherent in Kafka’s writings contrast with the cheering presence of Prague today. We can however track Kafka’s traces thank to numerous addresses linked to Franz Kafka’s family. The Old Town will be the scene of our experiment to get closer to the turn of centuries.
