10 Best Sights in Prague, Czech Republic

The hype about Old Town Square is completely justified. Picture a perimeter of colorful baroque houses contrasting with the sweeping old-Gothic style of the Týn Church in the background. As the heart of Staré Mĕsto, the majestic square grew to its present proportions when Prague's original marketplace moved away from the river in the 12th century. Its shape and appearance have changed little since that time. During the day the square pulses with activity. In summer the square's south end is dominated by sprawling (pricey!) outdoor restaurants; during the Easter and Christmas seasons it fills with wooden booths of holiday vendors. At night, the brightly lit towers of the Týn Church rise gloriously over the glowing baroque façades. The square's history has also seen violence, from defenestrations (throwing people from windows) in the 15th century to 27 Bohemian noblemen killed by Austrian Habsburgs in 1621; 27 white crosses embedded in the square's paving stones commemorate the spot.

Cross the tree-lined ravine known as Jelení příkop (Stag Moat) and you'll enter the castle through the northern entrance, emerging into the Second Courtyard. It was built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries under Rudolf II, who amassed an impressive collection of fine and decorative art, scientific instruments, and other treasures. The bulk of this was either looted by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War, removed to Vienna after Rudolf's death, or auctioned off during the 18th century, but artworks that survived are displayed here. The Obrazárna (Picture Gallery) is currently closed for renovation, so a selection of highlights can be found in the nearby Císařská konírna (Imperial Stable).

Except for the view of the spires of St. Vitus Cathedral, the courtyard offers little for the eye to feast on. Empress Maria Theresa's court architect, Nicolò Pacassi, remade the Second Courtyard in the 1760s, and his attempts to impart classical grandeur meant a loss of earlier Gothic and Renaissance styles. This main sight here today is the Kohlova kašna (Kohl's Fountain), which was created in 1686 and restored in 2020. Look for the Eagle of the Holy Roman Empire at the top.

With its fabulous mixture of baroque and Renaissance houses, topped by Prague Castle itself, this square had a prominent role in the film Amadeus (as a substitute for Vienna). Czech director Miloš Forman used the house at No. 7 for Mozart's residence, where the composer was haunted by the masked figure he thought was his father. The flamboyant rococo Arcibiskupský palác, on the left as you face the castle, was the Viennese archbishop's palace. For a brief time after World War II, No. 11 was home to a little girl named Marie Jana Korbelová, better known as former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright.

This square began life as a cattle market, a function chosen by Charles IV when he established Nové Mĕsto in 1348. The horse market (now Wenceslas Square) quickly overtook it as a livestock-trading center, and an untidy collection of shacks accumulated here until the mid-1800s, when it became a green park named for its patron. Glassy, modern buildings clash with surrounding older architecture, but it's quite representative of Prague's past and present united in one spot.

This charming square is flanked on the east and south sides by arcaded houses dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Czech government resides partly in the gaudy yellow-and-green palace on the square's north side, partly in several buildings behind the square and towards the river. The huge bulk of the Church of St. Nicholas divides the lower, busier section—buzzing with restaurants, street vendors, clubs, and shops, including an unfortunately prominent Starbucks—from the quieter upper part. There are weekend markets, too. 

Take the stairs on the left of the Charles Bridge as you approach Malá Strana (making sure to peek at the lucky soul who has a balcony overlooking the bridge), and you will come upon one of the most picturesque little squares in Prague. This understated square has a few spots for a beer, a couple of hotels, a regular market, and a wonderfully chill, almost local feel considering how central it is. If you double back on yourself and go under the bridge, that vibe continues with a kid's playground with a stunning view directly onto the Charles Bridge.

The main entrance to Prague Castle from Hradčanské náměstí is certain to impress any first-time visitor. Going through the wrought-iron gate, guarded at ground level by uniformed Czech soldiers and from above by the ferocious Battling Titans (a copy of Ignaz Platzer's original 18th-century work), you enter this courtyard, built on the site of old moats and gates that once separated the castle from the surrounding buildings and thus protected the vulnerable western flank. The courtyard is one of the more recent additions to the castle, designed by Maria Theresa's court architect, Nicolò Pacassi, in the 1760s. Today it forms part of the presidential office complex. Pacassi's reconstruction was intended to unify the eclectic collection of buildings that made up the castle, but the effect of his work is somewhat flat.

At its eastern end of the courtyard is Matyášova brána (Matthias Gate). Built in 1614, this stone gate once stood alone in front of the moats and bridges that surrounded the castle. Under the Habsburgs, the gate survived by being grafted as a relief onto the palace building. As you go through it, notice the ceremonial white-marble entrance halls on either side that lead up to the Czech president's reception rooms (which are only rarely open to the public).

Try to arrive on the hour to witness the changing of the guard; the fanfare peaks at noon with a special flag ceremony in the First Courtyard.

The contrast between the cool, dark interior of St. Vitus Cathedral and the pastel-shaded Pacassi façades of the Third Courtyard is startling. Noted Slovenian architect Josip Plečnik created the courtyard's clean lines in the 1930s, but the modern look is a deception. Plečnik's paving was intended to cover an underground world of house foundations, streets, and walls from the 9th through 12th centuries and was rediscovered when the cathedral was completed; you can see a few archways through a grating in a wall of the cathedral. Plečnik added a few features to catch the eye, including a granite obelisk to commemorate the fallen of World War I, a black-marble pedestal for the Gothic statue of St. George (a copy of the National Gallery's original statue), and a tucked-away entrance to his Bull Staircase leading down to the south garden. This courtyard also provides the best view of St. Vitus Cathedral's Last Judgment mosaic, as well as access to its South Tower viewpoint.

This "square"—more of a very long, very thin rectangle—was first laid out by Charles IV in 1348, and began its existence as a horse market at the center of Nové Mĕsto. Today, it functions as the commercial heart of the city center and is far brasher and more modern than Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square). Throughout much of Czech history, Wenceslas Square has served as the focal point for public demonstrations and celebrations. It was here in the heady days of November 1989 that some 500,000 people gathered to protest the policies of the then-communist regime. After a week of demonstrations, the government capitulated without a shot fired or the loss of a single life. After that, the first democratic government in 40 years (under playwright-president Václav Havel) was swept into office. This peaceful transfer of power is referred to as the Velvet Revolution. (The subsequent "Velvet Divorce," when Czechoslovakia was peacefully divided into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, took effect in 1993.)

Look up when you glimpse the Marks & Spencer shop sign—during the Velvet Revolution in 1989, Václav Havel addressed the crowds from this building's balcony.

Located south and slightly west of the Charles Bridge, this square is fronted by the Grand Prior's Palace—considered one of the finest baroque buildings in the area. Though now part of the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta—the contemporary (and very real) descendants of the Knights of Malta. Alas, it's closed to the public. Opposite you'll find the flamboyant orange-and-white stucco façade of the Buquoy Palace, built in 1719 by Giovanni Santini and now the French Embassy. The nearby John Lennon Peace Wall was once a monument to youthful rebellion, emblazoned with political slogans and the large painted head of the former Beatle during the communist era in Prague. Back then, it was regularly painted over by the authorities; nowadays, Lennon's visage is seldom seen because it is usually covered instead with political and music-related graffiti. For now, you can still take a pen and add your own, but there's talk of regulations to prevent obscene daubings by inebriated tourists.