Prague

Where to shoot

• Charles Bridge — a 14th-century stone bridge lined with statues, most peaceful at dawn before crowds and tour groups arrive
• Prague Castle — a vast hilltop complex topped by St. Vitus Cathedral, offering commanding views over the city
• Old Town Square — a medieval plaza framed by the Týn Church and the famous Astronomical Clock
• Petřín Hill — a wooded rise with a lookout tower giving panoramic views over the spires and rooftops of the city
• The Astronomical Clock — running since 1410, with an apostle procession on the hour.
• Old Town Square — Týn Church's twin spires and the baroque St Nicholas facing each other.
• Old Town Hall tower — the rooftop view down onto the square, reachable by lift.
• The lanes behind the square — a street off the crowd and the city goes quiet.
• Charles Bridge at dawn — 516 metres, sixteen arches, and usually empty before seven.
• The Old Town bridge tower — the gothic gate at the eastern end, climbable for the view along the deck.
• The thirty parapet statues — baroque, and mostly replicas, with about a third still the Baroque originals.
• Kampa island — the quiet spit below the bridge with the best side-on view of it.
• St Vitus Cathedral — begun 1344, finished 1929, with Mucha's Art Nouveau window in the nave.
• Prague Castle grounds — the largest ancient castle complex in the world, free to walk between the paid interiors.
• St Nicholas Church, Malá Strana — the finest baroque interior in Prague, under its green dome.
• Petřín lookout tower — 63.5 metres, built in 1891, and the broadest view over the city.
• The Old Jewish Cemetery — around twelve thousand headstones on a plot that could never be widened.
• The Old-New Synagogue — completed around 1270 and the oldest active synagogue in Europe.
• A traditional beer hall — half-litres with a proper head, refilled until you signal otherwise.
• Spanish Synagogue — the most ornate of the six, in Moorish Revival style.

When to go

May to June and September offer mild weather and lighter crowds than peak summer; December's Christmas markets transform the Old Town Square, while winter otherwise brings cold, quiet calm.

What to eat

Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, goulash, svíčková, trdelník pastries, and Czech lager served in traditional pubs.

Where to stay

The Old Town and Lesser Town place visitors near the main monuments; nearby districts such as Vinohrady offer quieter, more residential stays.