Top 10 Attractions in Prague

Delve deeper into Prague’s beautiful east-meets-west backdrop and you’ll uncover the global significance of every stained-glass window on its Baroque cathedrals, every brick in its Soviet structures and every cobble lining its meandering medieval streets. It all has its own unique story to tell about the city’s fascinating 1,000-year history.

While the city might not be a massive metropolis, there’s still a lot to pack in if you’re only planning to visit Prague for a few days. Check out this top 10 list for the big-hitting, world-renowned things to do in Prague.

Old Town Square

You’ll uncover the beating heart of Prague at the Old Town Square. Exploring here is like stepping back in time, with the square remaining virtually untouched since the 10th century. Bustling with an ever-changing cast of vendors, artists and performers, its atmosphere is just as vibrant as its surroundings – a colorful blend of Romanesque, Baroque and Gothic architecture.

Prague’s millennium-old marketplace is home to many famous sights of its own, including the Astronomical Clock, which has been ticking for some 600 years. The Old Town Square is also a great place to grab some goulash – or one of the city’s many other mouth-watering meals – while people-watching in this most romantic of settings.

Charles Bridge

No Prague itinerary would be complete without a stroll across Charles Bridge. You’ll see why this is fast becoming a favorite Prague activity at dawn, when you might just spot doves fluttering their feathers as the sun rises over the silhouetted monuments in the distance.

As you make your way across cobbles spot-lit by charming lanterns, you’ll be basking in beauty every direction you look – whether it’s up at the striking Baroque statues lining the bridge, towards the elegant Charles Bridge Museum and Old Town Bridge Tower, or out across the rippling Vltava river, which divides Prague in two.

Prague Castle

Since entry restrictions were lifted after the collapse of communism in 1989, Prague Castle has become one of the Czech Republic’s most visited attractions – and it’s easy to see why.

Roughly the size of seven football fields, it’s the largest ancient castle in the world – and every one of its 70,000 square meters is as fascinating as the next.

From the thrones once graced by Holy Roman Emperors, to the hidden Bohemian crown jewels, this grand fortress of churches, gardens and royal residences looks like something lifted straight out of a fairytale, sitting proudly overlooking the Charles Bridge and the Vltava.

St Vitus Cathedral

As well as being one of the oldest places of worship in Europe, St Vitus Cathedral is also among the most beautiful. Part of Prague Castle, it was crafted over a period of 600 years – spanning the medieval and Baroque eras. Today it remains central to Prague’s political, religious and cultural life, housing treasures including the 14th-century mosaic of the Last Judgement, the tombs of St Wenceslas and Charles IV, and the silver tomb of St John of Nepomuck.

History aside, St Vitus Cathedral is a spectacle both inside and out. Thanks to the beautiful art nouveau stained glass windows, the interior is awash with color, while the ornate St Wenceslas Chapel is a chandelier-lit masterpiece. Outside, you’ll be blown away by its imposing stone structures, topped by spires with awe-inspiring flourishes of detail.

Prague Zoo

For a city so steeped in history and culture, you’re spoilt for choice with so many sightseeing treasures. But Prague offers an amazing experience for animal lovers, too. With more than 700 species living in Prague Zoo, including gorillas, elephants and tigers, this 143-acre attractions ranks among the world’s top zoological parks.

Ride a chairlift high above the animal enclosures, navigate your way through the steamy indoor tropical jungle, and check out the Przewalski’s horses – a beautiful breed Prague Zoo single-handedly saved from extinction.

National Gallery

For centuries, art has been used to express religious and political views in the Czech Republic. This was particularly notable during the burst of avant-garde creativity unleashed after the country gained independence in 1918. Nowhere exemplifies the country’s love for art more than the National Gallery.

Spread over four floors, here you’ll find some of the most significant works of art the country has ever produced – including perspective-shifting abstract, surrealist and cubist art from the interwar period, and spellbinding masterpieces from the Middle Ages. There’s a lot more besides, with works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Klimt adorning the walls of this Functionalist building, which some might call a piece of art in itself – as one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Lennon Wall

From gallery art to street art – the story of Prague’s Lennon Wall summarizes how graffiti galvanized the city’s dissident youth movement during Soviet rule. After John Lennon died in 1980, the Lennon Wall sprung up as an unassuming homage to the Beatles singer. It became a place for fans to demonstrate their grief by painting pictures and slogans – until the police wiped it clean in the mid-1980s.

However, the Lennon Wall soon reappeared, along with lyrics to his song ‘Imagine’, serving as a beacon of hope and peace for the city’s population. Having been painted over and re-drawn many times over the decades, its appearance has evolved from its Soviet-era beginnings – but its defiant message of freedom of expression lives on.

National Theater

Such is the National Theater’s sparkle and shine, you can see it from miles away. An illustrious building topped with a golden roof, it lights up the banks of the Vltava just as One Times Square illuminates Broadway. Having burnt down just weeks after opening in 1881, a public funding drive saw it rebuilt two years later.

Today it provides a stage for traditional opera, drama and ballet by the likes of Smetana, Shakespeare and Tchaikovsky. Inside it’s just as spectacular. Richly embellished with gold, and draped in dramatic wall-length masterpieces by Ales and Zenisek, it stands as a monument to Prague’s rich talent and cultural significance.

Petrin Hill

Sometimes, the best things in life are free – even on vacation. And what better way to familiarize yourself with Prague than by gazing out over its patchwork of winding streets, peach-hued roofs and famous spires?

Take a walk up Petrin Hill and you’ll be rewarded with one of the best views money can’t buy. Petrin Hill is one of the city’s largest green spaces – perfect for quiet, tree-shaded walks and a picturesque picnic. Petrin Hill also boasts some neat attractions, including a lookout spot, a mirror maze and a miniature Eiffel Tower – so it’s much more than just a stunning vantage point.

Wenceslas Square

While Old Town Square is a typical city square, Wenceslas Square is a broad boulevard, lighting up Prague’s New Town with throngs of hotels, restaurants and bars. But make no mistake – these soaring statues and colossal constructions have witnessed a great deal of this city’s chequered history.

A giant Mass was held here during the revolutionary upheavals against the Austrian Empire in 1848. In 1918, 70 years later, crowds gathered here to celebrate the creation of the new Czechoslovak Republic – and in 1989, the fall of communism.

As you wander between the monumental National Museum and the equally striking Prague State Opera, you’ll be retracing the footsteps of protestors from hundreds of years before – and get a tangible sense of history coming to life all around you.

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