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Castle Hill, top to bottom

Start at the Castle and walk downhill to Charles Bridge. Take tram 22 to Pohořelec first if you want to avoid the climb.

7 stops, about 44 minutes of walking, about 3 km. The Old Castle Steps (121 steps) are an alternative way down.

Map of the route Castle Hill, top to bottom with the 7 stops numbered in order
The route and its stops. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

1 Prague Castle

Hradčany and Prague Castle · Czech name: First Courtyard and Matthias Gate

You are at the entrance to Prague Castle, the largest ancient castle complex in the world, about 570 metres long. The fighting giants on the gateposts are copies. The First Courtyard was laid out in the 1750s and 1760s for Empress Maria Theresa. The Matthias Gate ahead was built in 1614 and is considered the oldest early baroque gate in the city. The guards change at noon, and there is a larger ceremony with fanfare.

2 Saint Vitus Cathedral

Hradčany and Prague Castle · Czech name: Katedrála svatého Víta

Saint Vitus Cathedral was begun in 1344 and finished in 1929, which is 585 years of building. It stands where Prince Wenceslas founded a round church around the year 930. Inside are the tombs of Bohemian kings and the splendid chapel of Saint Wenceslas. The main tower is about a hundred metres high. Walk round to the south side to see the Golden Gate, with a mosaic of the Last Judgement from the 1370s.

3 Golden Lane

Hradčany and Prague Castle · Czech name: Zlatá ulička

Nobody is sure why Golden Lane has its name. Goldsmiths, alchemists and golden uniforms are all suggested. What we know is that the tiny houses were built from 1597 for the castle's gate marksmen, in the arches of the fortification wall. Later, goldsmiths and poor people lived here. Franz Kafka stayed at number twenty-two in 1916 and 1917. Some of the houses are furnished to show who lived here, and one belonged to the fortune-teller Matylda Průšová.

4 Nerudova Street

Malá Strana (Lesser Town) · Czech name: Nerudova ulice

Nerudova climbs from Lesser Town Square to the castle and was part of the coronation route. The houses are named after signs above the doors, such as the Two Suns and the Three Fiddles, because Prague had no house numbers until 1770. The street is named after the poet Jan Neruda, who lived at the Two Suns. The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda took his pen name from him. Palaces here are now embassies. It is steep and cobbled.

5 Saint Nicholas Church, Malá Strana

Malá Strana (Lesser Town) · Czech name: Kostel svatého Mikuláše

Saint Nicholas in the Lesser Town is often called the finest baroque church in Prague. Three generations of one family built it between 1704 and 1755: Christoph and Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, and Anselmo Lurago. The dome is about seventy metres high, and the nave ceiling carries a huge fresco of Saint Nicholas. Mozart played the organ here in 1787. In the communist era the bell tower was used by State Security to watch nearby embassies.

6 The Lennon Wall

Malá Strana (Lesser Town) · Czech name: Lennonova zeď

The Lennon Wall began in December 1980 as a memorial after John Lennon was shot. People painted his portrait and wrote lyrics and peace messages, and in April 1981 the secret police painted it over. It was repainted again and again, and became a symbol of resistance. It belongs to the Knights of Malta, and in 2019 it was redesigned with about thirty artists. Please do not add paint without checking the current rules.

7 Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge and the River · Czech name: Karlův most

Charles Bridge was begun in 1357 by Charles the Fourth, after a flood destroyed the older Judith Bridge in 1342, and it was finished around 1402. It is 516 metres long, with sixteen arches, and until 1841 it was the only bridge in Prague. The thirty statues were added between 1683 and 1714. It was called simply the Stone Bridge until 1870. Cars were banned in 1965. Come early in the morning for the best experience.

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