Here we come!
The magnificent capital of the Czech Republic is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in continental Europe. Its splendid classical elegance, numerous monuments to see, wonderful streets, bridges, and squares, along with a stunning castle, make it an unmissable capital—an annual destination for tourists from all over the world.
Piero: we promised our kids we’d show them all the European capitals before they’re old enough to visit them on their own…
Angela: which one are you thinking of?
Piero: I’d say let’s start not so much with the biggest ones, but with one of the most beautiful and undoubtedly most fascinating: Prague.
Angela: it’s one of the traditional European capitals. The magnificent capital of the Czech Republic is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in continental Europe. Stunning classical elegance, countless monuments to discover, wonderful streets, bridges and squares, and a breathtaking castle make it an unmissable capital, a destination every year for tourists from all over the world.
Piero: no van this time—we’ll reach Prague by plane; flights are frequent and convenient, and the airport isn’t far from the city center. We book our EasyJet flight from Malpensa in mid-morning, landing in Prague around lunchtime.
Angela: we’ll have three full days to explore the city, more than enough to visit the main attractions: Prague is perfect for walking because its historic center is compact.
Piero: for our stay, we’re lucky to have found possibly two of the nicest apartments we’ve ever stayed in: we’re talking about the Four Trees Aparthotel.
Angela: Four Trees is a modern and eco-friendly residence located in the center of Prague (the Powder Tower and Old Town Square are just a 5-minute walk away). The residence features a unique natural design in all its apartments: all materials used for finishes and furnishings are natural and environmentally friendly; every apartment offers original design interiors with warm colors and natural elements that create a relaxing atmosphere. They’re also equipped with every comfort and a full kitchen for any need.
Piero: the photos on the website had already caught our eye, and our expectations were high when booking. The reality is even better: the apartments are spacious, comfortable, clean, and well-maintained; the front desk service is precise, helpful, and efficient. The only small downside is the lack of a breakfast service: but we knew that already and came prepared.
Angela: the place we’re staying at even organized our airport transfer, for a small extra fee added to our stay: so all we need to worry about is unpacking, grabbing a quick lunch, and since we’re right in the center, we’re ready to start exploring the city.
Piero: as we said, Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic, and also its largest and most important city. Its history is unique and it didn’t begin as a single unified city. It was the capital of Czechoslovakia until 1992, the same year when Prague’s historic center was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.
Angela: Prague’s history began with the settlement of the Boii, a Celtic tribe from whose name the word Bohemia derives. They occupied the area where Prague now stands. In the 11th century, Prague became the residence of the dukes of Bohemia, giving birth to the Old Town. In the 13th century, conflicts with the German populations led Otakar II to found a second city: the Lesser Town, or Malá Strana in Czech. In the following centuries, a third and even a fourth Prague town were founded, and it wasn’t until 1784, under Joseph II, that Prague was officially unified into a single city. In the 16th century, Ferdinand I was crowned King of Bohemia, and until 1918, Prague’s fate was closely tied to Austria and the Habsburg dynasty, even serving as an imperial capital.
After the Defenestration of Prague on May 23, 1618, when two imperial representatives were thrown out of the royal palace windows, Ferdinand I decided to move the capital to Vienna. From that moment, the relationship between Prague and the Austrians deteriorated until 1848, during the so-called Springtime of the Peoples, when the Czechs, like other peoples of the Austrian Empire, rebelled for their autonomy. The uprisings were suppressed with bombardments by imperial troops.
With the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a new state, Czechoslovakia, was founded in 1918 with Prague as its capital. In March 1939, Prague was invaded by Nazi troops, which turned it into a protectorate. After World War II, a new chapter began in Czechoslovakian history with the rise of the communist regime.
Czech nationalist pride led, in 1968, to an attempted uprising against Soviet communism: this was the famous Prague Spring, which was quickly crushed by USSR intervention. In 1989, taking advantage of the Soviet crisis, a non-violent revolution known as the Velvet Revolution took place in Prague, through which the Czechs gained independence from the Soviet Union. Since then, November 17 has been celebrated as the national holiday of the Republic. In 1993, after Czechoslovakia split into two separate states, Prague became the capital of the Czech Republic.
Piero: today, Prague is known as the City of a Hundred Spires, the Stone Dream, or the Golden City; or perhaps the “magical and cursed city,” as Kafka once called it. More simply, it’s a wonderful city, full of charm and captivating elegance. Its churches, castles, and palaces bear witness to its millennia-long history, blending different eras and architectural styles: from medieval to baroque, from gothic to rococo, from renaissance all the way to remarkable examples of art nouveau. Its almost surreal atmosphere wraps around you and enchants you at every corner, in every alley, on every square: Prague is rightly considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. So let’s get ready to explore it: here’s our plan:
Discovering the Old Town
The Old Town is the heart of Prague’s historic center, with its square overlooking some of the city’s most important buildings, such as St. Nicholas Church, the Town Hall with the astronomical clock, and the Church of Our Lady before Týn. This square is linked to some of the most important events in the country’s history. And from here begins our discovery of Staropramen...
Angela: after lunch, we dedicate our first afternoon to an initial walk through the city.
Piero: our tour begins at the Powder Tower (Prašná Brána), which is just a stone’s throw from our apartment. Standing 44 meters tall, the tower dates back to 1475 and is one of Prague’s most important late Gothic monuments. It served as the ceremonial entrance to the Old Town (Staré Město), where the coronation processions of Bohemian kings once passed through. It’s called the Powder Tower because it was once used to store gunpowder.
The Old Town Square
Angela: from here, we head to the heart of Prague’s historic center: the Old Town Square, where some of the city’s most iconic buildings face each other—such as St. Nicholas Church, the Town Hall with its astronomical clock, and the Church of Our Lady before Týn.
Piero: some of the most important events in the country’s history are tied to this square, and at its center stands the statue of Jan Hus, a symbolic figure of Czech nationalism and a forerunner of the Protestant Reformation.
Angela: St. Nicholas Church is a beautiful example of Baroque architecture, perhaps unique for this style at these latitudes. Its dome has a diameter of 20 meters, while its highest point reaches 49 meters. It is the oldest church in the Old Town; it’s definitely worth visiting inside for the ceiling and vault frescoes and the sculptures decorating the walls.
Piero: one of the main attractions of the square is definitely the monumental astronomical clock — a must-see every time the clock strikes the hour! The clock, located on the facade of the Town Hall, dates back to the Middle Ages, with additions made over the following centuries, and features a very complex mechanism that still works perfectly today. All its components carry strong symbolic meaning, and its charm is enhanced by a veil of mystery surrounding its inventor, who never revealed the mechanism’s secrets to anyone. Essentially, it is divided into three parts:
at the top, there are two small windows on either side of a golden rooster that open every hour from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., starting the procession of the apostles;
the central part is purely astronomical, showing all the information about the positions of the sun and moon, surrounded by the zodiac signs, with the earth at the center according to medieval worldview;
the round dial at the bottom represents a kind of calendar, depicting the twelve months of the year, each inside a medallion.
A special detail: on the sides of the two lower dials are highly significant figures; next to the astronomical dial stand the four figures representing the seven deadly sins: the skeleton symbolizing death, the Turk indicating lust and pleasure, a vain man holding a mirror symbolizing vanity, and a traveler with a bag of money representing greed. These figures also move along with the apostles’ procession. Beside the calendar dial below, there are figures representing science and wisdom: a wise man holding a book symbolizing philosophy, an angel with sword and shield representing theology, a second wise man with a telescope symbolizing astronomy, and a last wise man symbolizing mathematics or history.
Angela: it’s a marvel to watch, if it weren’t for the windstorm that day…
Piero: another iconic monument of the square and Prague is the Church of Our Lady before Týn, with its famous Gothic spires dominating the square. The two bell towers are about 80 meters tall and have the unique feature of being slightly different from each other—one slimmer and shorter than the other—metaphorically representing feminine and masculine beauty. Unlike other majestic churches, it doesn’t reveal its full grandeur because it’s partially hidden behind a cluster of houses built right against the walls. For this reason, you can admire its impressive beauty only from a considerable distance. Finding the entrance isn’t easy: it’s accessed through a hidden alley starting from the square. It’s worth visiting the interior, which houses a rich artistic heritage of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque works.
Angela: da non perdere ancora Palazzo Kinský, un edificio rococò testimone di molti eventi storici di Praga e oggi sede della Galleria Nazionale. Kafka vi ha studiato quando qui vi era un importante liceo e, il 25 febbraio 1948, sul balcone del palazzo, tenne il suo discorso Klement Gottwald, dando così inizio all’era comunista in Cecoslovacchia.
Angela: not to be missed is Kinský Palace, a rococo building that witnessed many important historical events in Prague and today houses the National Gallery. Kafka studied here when it was an important high school, and on February 25, 1948, Klement Gottwald delivered his speech from the palace balcony, marking the beginning of the communist era in Czechoslovakia.
Malá Strana and Surroundings
Malá Strana is a city within the city, unchanged through the centuries. The neighborhood has a unique charm, both popular and aristocratic, where street performers and Baroque palaces coexist: these two opposite souls have lived side by side ever since Viennese aristocrats left the district to return to Austria, and the poor of Prague reclaimed it.
Angela: we dedicate the second day in Prague to exploring Malá Strana, the Little Quarter.
Piero: it’s like a city within a city, unchanged over the centuries since its founding in the Middle Ages. It’s a continuous flow of cafés, pubs, breweries, and street artists—often down on their luck—who help create a bohemian atmosphere. In Malá Strana, many embassies are housed in the Baroque palaces along Nerudova Street. The neighborhood has a charm that’s part popular, part aristocratic: these two opposing souls have coexisted ever since Viennese aristocrats left the area to return to Austria, and the poor of Prague reclaimed it. This is perhaps the only district that has remained original, unlike many others in Prague affected by urban renewal. Houses and palaces still bear the names and symbols used in the Middle Ages, derived from the professions of their inhabitants or chosen natural and religious symbols: deer, unicorns, eagles, keys, and violins.
Karlova
Angela: so, we start from Staré Město, the Old Town, exactly at the Powder Tower, heading towards Karlova: it’s the narrow, winding street that connects the two historic districts of Prague.
Piero: Karlova was the street the imperial procession had to cross to reach the castle on coronation day. Today, the street is a succession of beautiful Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque palaces, interspersed with cafés and souvenir shops: The Golden Serpent, Prague’s first café; Karlova Crystal, a shop selling Bohemian porcelain, jewelry, and chandeliers; and finally, the House at the Golden Wells, with its stunning Baroque stuccoes.
Angela: Karlova ends at the square that leads to another symbol of Prague: Charles Bridge! It’s the bridge over the Vltava River, which flows through Prague and connects Malá Strana and Staré Město.
Charles Bridge
Piero: at the two ends of the bridge stand two towers: the tower on the Old Town side is newer than the one on the Malá Strana side, which dates back to the 12th century. Construction of the bridge began in 1357 by order of Charles IV, with the precise intention of connecting the two main cities that gave rise to modern Prague, replacing the previous footbridge made of tree trunks that was destroyed by floods. Originally called the Stone Bridge, it was completed in 1402 by the architect Parler, famous in the city also for designing St. Vitus Cathedral and the Castle, which we will see shortly. At the center of the square leading to the bridge stands a statue of the ruler who commissioned it. The edges of the bridge are decorated with thirty Baroque statues of saints: particularly notable is the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk. This Prague bishop opposed the oppression of King Wenceslaus IV, who had him imprisoned, tortured, and thrown off the bridge with a stone tied to his feet. Tradition holds that touching the statue brings good luck for 10 years!
Angela: the bridge rests on sixteen arches and is just over five hundred meters long. Both the bridge and the entire city of Prague are surrounded by myths and legends that have long fascinated enthusiasts of the esoteric. Its first stone was laid by King Charles IV at 5:31 a.m. on July 9, 1357; this is a special curiosity because, when written in the order year, day, month, and time, it forms a sequence of odd numbers from 1 to 9 that first rise and then fall—a pattern believed to have esoteric significance. Since the 18th century, the bridge has been illuminated by the same oil lanterns, which make its atmosphere even more magical and mysterious.
Piero: crossing the bridge is a wonderful experience and allows you to savor the beauty of the city from a truly unique perspective!
Malà Strana
Angela: we arrive at Malá Strana, a wonderful maze of streets that are easy to explore on foot but with the risk of getting lost. We reach the main street, Nerudova, to admire its beautiful palaces.
Piero: a fun fact: the street is named after Jan Nepomuk Neruda, the writer of “Tales of Malá Strana”, from whom the more famous Neruda—the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda—was inspired when choosing his pseudonym.
Angela: we reach the main square of the neighborhood, where you’ll find St. Nicholas Church (another one!), the Lichtenstein Palace, easily recognizable by its blue color and home to the Music Academy, and also the Radnice, the old Malá Strana Town Hall, dating back to the time when Prague was still divided.
Piero: at the center of the square stands the Column of the Virgin, built as a thanksgiving by the survivors of the terrible plague that struck the city at the beginning of the 18th century.
The Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral
Angela: from here, we move towards two other symbols of Prague: St. Vitus Cathedral and the Castle.
Piero: St. Vitus Cathedral is the largest and most important cathedral in Prague, where the coronations of Bohemian kings took place. This building is also thanks to Charles IV, and its construction, which lasted about 600 years, was only completed in 1929. Inside, it houses the head of Saint Luke the Evangelist, which Charles IV himself acquired during a trip to Italy.
Angela: entering through the main portal, you’re struck by the cathedral’s brightness, thanks to the large and colorful stained-glass windows, each 14 meters high. Don’t miss the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, which houses the relics of Prague’s patron saint.
Piero: the cathedral is located within the castle complex, which stands on one of the nine hills that make up the Czech capital. Construction began in the 9th century, and it is one of the largest castles in the world. Although it dates back to the medieval period, it doesn’t have the typical fortified appearance of castles from that era: instead, it consists of a series of beautiful palaces and buildings, surrounded by small, charming streets. Its greatest splendor was reached during the reign of Charles IV and continued uninterrupted while Prague was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Since 1918, it has been the residence of the President of the Republic.
Angela: the visit to the castle begins at Hradčanské Náměstí, the square where you’ll find the main entrance gate: the two large statues on either side faithfully depict the Gigantomachy. Beyond the gates lies the courtyard of honor, where every hour you can witness the changing of the guard. Not to be missed is the Golden Lane, a small and enchanting alley within the castle grounds, lined with colorful houses that were once occupied by goldsmiths. Also worth a visit are the Old Royal Palace, the Basilica and Convent of St. George, and all the towers that complete this magnificent castle. The entire complex is truly vast, and to explore it properly, you would probably need an entire day.
Josefov: the Jewish Quarter
Piero: after lunch, we make our way back to the Old Town, this time taking the castle staircase and crossing Charles Bridge once again. We now head towards Josefov, the Jewish Quarter, which is located just a short distance from the Old Town Square.
Angela: it's one of the oldest districts in Prague and owes its name to Emperor Joseph II, who was the first to abolish discrimination against Jews starting in 1781. The presence of Jewish communities in Prague dates back to the 10th century, which is why the Czech capital is historically considered one of the oldest and most important Jewish centers in Central Europe. What we are visiting today is the “renovated” version of the Jewish ghetto, transformed at the end of the 19th century, when Art Nouveau houses replaced many of the Baroque and Gothic buildings. Before that, the ghetto was a tangled system of narrow alleys, tiny dead-end streets, and crude, decaying houses, where the Jews of Prague lived for centuries, forced to wear a yellow hat if they wanted to leave the ghetto and enter other parts of the city.
Piero: there are many synagogues in the quarter: the Spanish Synagogue is stunning, with its Moorish-style decorations; then there’s the Old-New Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Europe still in use; the Pinkas Synagogue, which houses a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and an exhibition of drawings made by the children of the Terezín ghetto; and finally, the Maisel Synagogue.
Angela: a fun fact: according to legend, the Old-New Synagogue holds the Golem, an anthropomorphic figure from Jewish and medieval tradition. The Golem I’m talking about is said to have been created by Rabbi Loew, a highly respected figure within Prague’s Jewish community. The story goes that the rabbi hid his creature in the attic of the synagogue and, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, had the external stairs leading to the attic removed.
Piero: our final stop in the ghetto is the Jewish Cemetery, which—along with the Old-New Synagogue—is the oldest and most significant testament to the history of the quarter. Over time, as many as 12,000 tombs have been placed here, because even in death, Jews were not allowed to leave the ghetto. As the centuries passed, the cemetery expanded as much as possible, but eventually the tombs had to be stacked one on top of another. A path winds through the gravestones, allowing visitors to get a closer look. The most important—and most visited—grave is undoubtedly that of Rabbi Loew.
The Dancing House
Angela: at this point, we’re really tired! The day has been full of things to see, and we’ve walked more than ten kilometers on foot! We need to recharge with a good beer for us and a hot drink for the kids. We choose a special spot to refresh ourselves: the Dancing House, which on the top floor hosts an elegant café as well as a beautiful panoramic terrace.
Angela: this is a building constructed in the 1990s on a riverside plot left vacant after another structure was destroyed during the bombings of World War II. Originally, it was called Fred and Ginger (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) because the building vaguely resembles a dancing couple. According to its main sponsor, Czech president Václav Havel, the house was supposed to host cultural initiatives; in reality, it houses some multinational companies and commercial activities. The building is very different from Prague’s typical style, but perhaps for this reason, it’s worth a visit.
Piero: so, we relax on the top floor with another good beer and, above all, enjoy the splendid sunset view of the city from the panoramic terrace: absolutely unmissable! Tired, we end our day here.
Angela: but first, an idea comes to us: having now visited most of Prague’s wonders, we decide to dedicate part of our last day to visiting the Terezín concentration camp. We purchase the voucher online, which includes round-trip transfer from the town and an on-site guide in Italian. There are several options to choose from, all of which are certainly good. The cost is affordable, the visit lasts half a day, and the organization is well done.
Terezín
A visit to the Terezín concentration camp offers the chance to explore one of the most significant sites of one of the darkest and most atrocious periods in modern history, bringing back the dramatic events that marked this small town. These places make it painfully clear what horrifying atrocities Jewish prisoners were forced to endure during the Holocaust.
Piero: an early wake-up on our last day in Prague to reach the starting point of our tour to Terezín. The journey takes about an hour (it’s 60 kilometers from Prague), and around 9 a.m. we arrive in front of the camp entrance.
Angela: the Theresienstadt concentration camp was an internment and deportation facility used by German forces during World War II. The Gestapo took control on June 10, 1940, transforming the "Small Fortress" into a prison. The town of Terezín, surrounding the fortress, became a place where many Central European Jewish artists, intellectuals, painters, writers, musicians, and a large number of children were concentrated. Nazi propaganda presented Terezín as an exemplary Jewish settlement, but in reality, it was a gathering and transit camp sending prisoners mainly to the extermination camps of Treblinka and Auschwitz. Approximately 155,000 Jews passed through Theresienstadt until its liberation on May 8, 1945; of these, 35,440 died there, while about 90,000 were deported. These are staggering numbers for a place the Nazi propaganda showcased to inspectors and the world—even through a film—as a welcoming city, a “gift from Hitler to the Jews.”
Piero: the Terezín fortress was built in the late 18th century by order of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II (an ironic coincidence, since he had eliminated discrimination against Jews…) in honor of his mother, Maria Theresa of Austria (in Czech, Teresa is “Terezín”). The structure is divided into two main parts called the "Large Fortress" and the "Small Fortress," and was designed to defend Prague from Prussian attacks coming from the north. A century later, the Small Fortress was transformed by the Habsburg monarchy into a maximum-security prison for military prisoners and political opponents of the monarchy. Among its most famous “guests” was Gavrilo Princip, who carried out the 1914 Sarajevo assassination that killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie—an event considered the casus belli of World War I.
Angela: in front of the camp entrance lies a vast and silent Jewish cemetery and a large Star of David. At the entrance of the Small Fortress, we are greeted by the Nazi motto found in most concentration camps: “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work sets you free”). Living conditions inside the enormous dormitories were inhuman: the three- or four-tier bunk beds where Jews were crammed remain, with dirt and disease being daily realities. Other parts of the camp were used as infirmaries, workshops, isolation cells, a morgue, and the infamous communal showers—which were actually brutal gas chambers used by the Nazis for mass extermination. The washbasins and communal toilets are still clearly visible, in stark contrast to the German officers’ quarters, equipped with comforts and a swimming pool. The place where executions were carried out is particularly striking, with intact soldier stations and a wall riddled with bullet holes opposite. We complete our harrowing visit by walking through an underground tunnel about one kilometer long.
Piero: outside the Small Fortress, we visit the Terezín Memorial Museum, where documents, objects, and testimonies of every kind from that era are collected.
Angela: to conclude, we visit a typical house of the ghetto, preserved intact with all the furnishings and clothes of its former inhabitants.
Piero: visiting the Terezín concentration camp allows even the kids to personally experience one of the most significant sites of one of the darkest and most atrocious periods in modern history, bringing to mind the tragic events that made this small Czech town a protagonist. The ghetto museum and the Small Fortress clearly convey the harrowing atrocities that Jewish prisoners were forced to endure in this camp during the Holocaust. The feelings we experienced during the visit were undoubtedly very strong, especially for the kids, and will help us never forget what really happened, serving as a warning for the future.
Angela: on the return trip to Prague, after lunch, we take time to reflect on what we have seen.
Piero: the beauty of the city, once we arrive at the Old Town Square, allows us to return to a cheerful atmosphere, surely helped by discovering one of Prague’s typical street sweets: the trdlo, unpronounceable but delicious!
Angela: the Bohemian pastry (I prefer to call it that) is a sort of sweet bread prepared by wrapping dough around a special roller; the outside is sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, while the inside can be filled with cream or Nutella. A true delight! We eat a couple to sweeten our day...
Piero: at this point, we are at the end of our journey.
Angela: Prague gave us three days in a fantastic atmosphere!
Piero: we discovered it is the city of a hundred towers, a magical city, a wonderful city that envelops visitors with its charm and elegance. Churches, castles, and palaces are all splendid witnesses to a great millennial history. We found how its almost surreal atmosphere captivates and enchants at every corner, every alley, every square. We are confirmed that Prague is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.