One Day in Prague

Here is a map of the route.

Here is a 1-day tour of Prague. You will need a good guidebook to look up details about what you will see along the way. I use the Prague guidebook by Eyewitness Travel Guides, but there are lots of good guidebooks. Before you start the trip, buy a day pass for all Prague public transportation -- bus, tram, and metro. Then you can just hop on and off at will without having to worry about tickets during your time in Prague.

Start your tour at the Museum Metro Station (Muzeum). Go up on the balcony of the museum and have a good look around the Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti) area. Look inside the museum, but do not pay to go in or spend much time there. Start walking down Wenceslas Square, using your guidebook to see what you are interested in.

Walk down the right side of Wenceslas Square to Jindrisska Street (Jindrisska Ulice). Take a right and go about two blocks. On your right you will come to a post office (Posta). Go inside and look around, and then return to Wenceslas Square. Continue down Wenceslas Square to Na Prikope Street and take a right.

Walk down Na Prikope Street to the Powder Tower (Prasna Brana) and Municipal House (Obecni Dum). Have a look inside the Municipal House. Go through (under) the Powder Tower and walk along Celetna Street to Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti). Use your guidebook here to see what you are interested in. Definitely visit the Tyn Church and the St. Nicholas Hussite Church. Be sure to be in front of the Old Town Hall on the hour for the chiming of the famous Astrological Clock. I would recommend going up in the Old Town Hall Tower for a beautiful view of Prague. The entrance is through the tourist information office to the left of the Astronomical Clock.

From Old Town Square follow Karlova Street to Charles Bridge (Karluv Most). Karlova Street meanders so watch the signs (and other tourists). When you get to Charles Bridge, go up in the first bridge tower for a short film about the bridge and a magnificent view of the river area. Remember as much as you can from the film, many of the names will pop up again in the Prague Castle.

Cross the Charles Bridge and continue on Mostecka Street away from the bridge. Take the second left on Karmelitska Street and walk a couple of blocks to Karmelitska 9 (on the right-hand side) to the Church of Our Lady Victorious (Kostel Panny Marie Vitezne) to see the Prague Infant Jesus (Prazska Jezulatko or il Bambino di Praga in Italian).

After seeing the infant Jesus, continue on Karmelitska Street (the name will change to Ujezd Street). On the right-hand side, you will come to the Ujezd Station for the Petrin Funicular Railway (Lanova Draha). The funicular uses the same metro/tram/bus tickets as any other Prague public transportation, so if you have your day pass you are all set, you do not need an additional ticket.

Once you are at the top of the funicular railway take a right and walk to the Petrin Observation Tower (the mini-Eiffel Tower, called Rozhledna in Czech). Go up the 199 steps for beautiful views of Prague. There are several other nice sights in Petrin Park, use your guidebook to see what you are interested in.

At the top of Petrin Park, follow the Hunger Wall (Hladova Zed) to the Strahovsky Monastery (Strahovsky Klaster) and the Loreto Church (Loreta). Follow the signs; the wall will be on your right as you follow Strahovska Street slightly downhill. Use your guidebook to see the interesting sights around the area of the Strahovsky Monastery and the Loreta Church, both are worth the price of admission.

The Strahovsky Monastery has many nice sights, including a special library and the Church of Our Lady. There is a nice view of Prague from just below the Strahovsky Monastery if you did not go up in the Petrin Observation Tower. From the Strahovsky Monastery follow the signs or other tourists to the Loreta Church. The Loreto Church bells are special if you are in the area around the top of the hour.

From the Loreta Church walk down the hill to the Prague Castle (Prazsky Hrad). Follow the signs and the other tourists. On the right hand side before you get to the castle is the Sternberg Palace which houses the National Gallery’s collection of European art with many by Old Masters.

At the Prague Castle use your guidebook to see what you are interested in, but be sure not to miss the St. Vitus Cathedral and the Golden Lane. Make sure you exit the castle the way you entered, do not follow everyone else down the Old Castle Steps to the Malostranska metro station. Instead, walk down Nerudova Street to the Church of St. Nicholas (Kostel Sv. Mikulase); you’ll enjoy Nerudova Street much more.

Use your guidebook to see the interesting sights on Nerudova Street. On the bottom of Nerudova Street on the right is the Church of St. Nicholas. It is worth going in for a look, but it will not seem as impressive as it might otherwise because you will have the St. Vitus Cathedral fresh on your mind. Exit the church and continue back down to the Lesser Town Square (Malostranske Namesti).

From Malostranske Namesti head toward the Charles Bridge and visit the part of the Lesser Town on either side of the Charles Bridge along the banks of the Vltava. Explore the old squares, palaces, churches, and Kampa Island.

This finishes your one-day tour of Prague. You have seen more than most people see in a week, congratulations!