Things to Do in Prague
Places to Visit in Prague
Old Town Square
The Astronomical Clock Tower, which moves every hour and is surrounded by crowds taking photos. The Kinsky Palace of the National Gallery. The St. Nicholas Church where I attended a classical music concert. The charming building known as The West House. Kafka’s former residence with decorative elements called “The House at the Minute.”
Republic Square
Especially dazzling at night with its majestic theater/concert hall, Smetana Hall. I haven’t been inside, but it looks quite artistic and appealing. Also, there’s the 15th-century Prague Gate, Prašná brána. There’s also the Palladium shopping center, which has many brands, supermarkets, and cafes.
Close to this square, Passage of Czech Design was one of the places that both surprised and delighted me. Although it’s a classic passage, its windows resemble a museum. Works of artists are displayed with short introductions. I loved some of the paintings and thought they were on par with what we saw in modern art museums, as some of the artworks are even in museum collections. If you want to buy a painting for your wall, prices and information on how to reach it are available.
Wenceslas Square
This was one of the places that stood out most to me from 2010. It’s a square lined with flowers, with shops on both sides of the street, and people taking photos. However, due to some roadworks, the square had lost much of its charm. It’s nice to photograph the National Gallery lit up at night, but otherwise, there isn’t much of an ambiance. Of course, if you want to shop at chain stores like Primark, H&M, etc., you can come here, but I didn’t like the general atmosphere and the people hanging out on this street much.
There’s also an interesting lamp at the bottom of this street, possibly unique in its kind, called the Cubic Lamp (Cubic Lamb). I don’t think it’s a must-see, but I’ve left a photo above if you want to consider seeing it. Behind this lamp, under the church, there’s also a beer garden that I don’t think would be suitable for hot weather but could be enjoyable in cooler weather.
Prague Castle
When heading to Prague Castle, you will most likely cross Charles Bridge, one of the famous bridges with the most statues. The view of the houses after crossing the bridge is also beautiful, so don’t rush up to the castle immediately.
Here, after crossing the bridge and turning right, I came across a gallery with beautiful works. If you want to buy an oil painting of Prague, there are many options here.
You can enter the open areas of Prague Castle for free, but entering the buildings inside the complex or visiting the famous Golden Lane is paid. When we visited in the past, it seemed that not everything was paid. Honestly, I’m not sure if it’s necessary to see the interiors; I didn’t buy a ticket. I finished the castle by walking through the garden section and passing in front of each building.
If you start from below and climb up, you’ll find two buildings of the National Gallery (Schwarzenberg and Sternberg Palaces) in Hradčany Square. The exterior decorations of Schwarzenberg Palace are especially interesting.
Strahov Monastery
The Strahov Monastery is located a short walk from the Hradčany Square side of the castle. The most interesting part of the complex is undoubtedly its library. After entering the complex’s garden, you can buy tickets for the places you want to visit at the first entrance on the left. Visiting the garden and resting is free. I only bought a ticket for the library. There were comments about the staff being quite rude, but I didn’t experience such a situation. They might just seem more grumpy due to their age.
The first of the two rooms in the library, the “Philosophical Hall,” feels like you’re in a Harry Potter movie. The other, the “Theological Hall,” feels more like a library turned into a church. It’s a bit disappointing to only see the rooms from the outside, but still, it’s worth a visit for book and library enthusiasts.
It’s also enjoyable to exit the Strahov Monastery from the other side and descend while enjoying the greenery and views of Prague.
There is also a restaurant within the complex.
Municipal Library of Prague
This library is more famous for the “Idiom Installation,” which is created by stacking books at the entrance, rather than for its library. Although the queue for photos isn’t very long, there is a queue in front of the library. I entered through a door without a queue and took photos from the back, and I could also peek inside. If you don’t plan to take photos, you can visit without waiting in line.
Synagogues
The synagogues in Prague are also worth seeing from a tourist perspective. The Spanish Synagogue is said to resemble the Alhambra Palace, although I couldn’t examine it in detail due to the presence of police. The Jerusalem Synagogue was also an impressive building from the outside. Besides these, there are other synagogues with different architectures like the Old-New Synagogue, Maisel Synagogue, Klausen Synagogue, and Pinkas Synagogue, located in the Jewish Quarter. Tours are even available for this area.
Classical Music Concerts in Prague
I was considering attending a classical music concert in Prague, but unfortunately, I couldn’t buy tickets in advance. When I arrived, concert tickets were being sold in front of the St. Nicholas Church in Old Town Square. Moreover, the artists were from the conservatory and the National Theatre. You can also pay with a credit card in front of the church, and ticket sales continue until the concert starts. The inside of the church is nice but don’t expect it to be very grand. I was happy to be seated at the front, but it was a bit disappointing that even the mezzo-soprano’s performance seemed distant, making it feel like a music broadcast in the church. They played pieces by Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart. In the last 1-2 pieces, they came down to the stage. I should also mention that the seating in the church wasn’t very comfortable. The concert lasted about an hour, which was good; anything longer might have been boring.
Besides this, you can also buy tickets for the Lobkowicz Palace either combined with a palace tour or separately. Concerts are generally held here around midday, as far as I understand.
Additionally, there are concerts and performances at various churches and Smetana Hall. Visiting Smetana Hall could be nice, as it looked grand inside.
Buildings in Prague
In Prague, you will find beautiful houses, hotels, and buildings no matter which way you turn. Therefore, it doesn’t make much sense to insist on visiting specific places, but if you want to see beautiful houses outside Old Town, I think the houses around Riegrovy Park and Bezručovy Park are very charming. There were some nice houses at the intersection of Chopinova and Vozova with Slavíkova streets. The photo below is from the houses I took while wandering these streets. Houses behind the Pisek Gate and Villa Bilek are also among the buildings to see.
Aside from classic beautiful houses, you can see the Rondocubistic House at Kamenická 811/35 if you’re in the area. However, I don’t think it’s worth a visit just to see the house unless you have a special interest in architecture. Also, if you like Dutch architecture, you can see Salvátorská 931/8 in the center, but I must say it doesn’t have much of an interesting aspect.
When it comes to the Dancing House, don’t think there’s a house that actually dances—unfortunately, there isn’t. The name comes from the house’s interesting postmodern architecture that looks like it’s dancing. However, as someone who loves dancing, I couldn’t find a house that resembles dance movements. Architecturally, this postmodern structure might attract those interested in architecture, but if you don’t have much time, I don’t think it’s worth pushing yourself to see it.
David Černý’s Works
David Černý’s works include Hanging Man, a man hanging from a pole on the top of a building; Crawling Babies, the giant crawling babies right behind the Kampa Museum; Rotating Head, a rotating head of Franz Kafka near the Dancing House, which is quite interesting; and finally, I saw the embryo. Among these, I think I liked the Rotating Head the most, and the embryo was my least favorite.
You can also visit my articles on Museums in Prague and Park and Gardens in Prague.
