From Old Town Square to Charles Bridge on foot: what is free in Prague's centre, and which tower to climb

The first stone of the bridge was laid by the emperor Charles IV himself, in 1357, on the ninth day of July, at 5.31 in the morning. The moment is said to have been chosen by his astrologers. Written out as year, day, month, hour and minute it gives 1 3 5 7 9 7 5 3 1, a row of odd numbers that climbs and comes down again.

The bridge replaced an older one that a flood had carried away in 1342, and until 1841 it was the only way across the Vltava in Prague. Every king of Bohemia crossed it on the day of his coronation, at the end of a procession that began at the eastern gate of the Old Town and wound through its streets. That line, the Royal Route, is still the walk everybody takes. It is short and it costs nothing. What takes thought is the things along it that sell tickets, above all the two towers.

The route in one paragraph

Begin at the Powder Tower, the dark Gothic gate at the edge of the Old Town. Walk down Celetná Street to Old Town Square, leave the square by the corner under the clock, cross the Little Square, and follow Karlova Street as it twists to the river. It ends at a small square in front of the Old Town Bridge Tower, and the bridge begins under the tower's arch. To this point it is about a kilometre. The bridge adds half a kilometre more. Without stops it is a walk of twenty minutes, and with them it takes half a morning.

Old Town Square: the clock is free, the tower is not

The astronomical clock on the wall of the Old Town Hall was first set up in 1410. Its upper dial shows the position of the sun and the moon, and the lower one is a calendar. On every hour from nine in the morning to eleven at night two small windows open and the twelve apostles file past. The show lasts well under a minute and is free. The crowd in front of it is the densest in the city, and pickpockets work there.

The astronomical dial of the clock, first set up in 1410. Photo: Godot13, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The ticket for the Old Town Hall covers more than a view. It includes the tower, which has a lift, the historic halls, the chapel, from which you see the apostles from behind, and the cellars under the building. The gallery of the tower looks straight down on the square.

Across the square, the church of Our Lady before Týn asks for no ticket, only a donation. It keeps limited hours and is closed on Mondays. The way in is not obvious: a passage under the arcaded houses in front of it. The astronomer Tycho Brahe, who died in Prague in 1601, is buried inside. The memorial to Jan Hus in the middle of the square was unveiled in 1915, five hundred years after his death at the stake.

Old Town Square after dark: the tower of the Old Town Hall on the left, the Týn church at the end. Photo: Diliff, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The spires of the Týn church. The way in is through a passage under the houses in front of it. Photo: Scotch Mist, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Karlova Street and the Klementinum

Karlova is narrow, crooked and lined with souvenir shops from end to end. Walk it for its shape, not for its windows. Along its northern side runs the wall of the Klementinum, the former Jesuit college, one of the largest groups of buildings in the city. Its Baroque library hall and its astronomical tower are shown only on guided tours, with a ticket, at set times.

Charles Bridge and its towers

The bridge is free and open at all hours. It is 516 metres long and stands on sixteen arches. The thirty statues along its parapets were added mostly between 1683 and 1714, and most of those you see are copies. The oldest is the bronze of St John of Nepomuk, a priest who was thrown from the bridge into the river in 1393 on the orders of King Wenceslas IV. People touch the plaque beneath it for luck, and a small cross on the parapet nearby marks the place where he went over.

There is a tower at each end, and both can be climbed with a ticket. The Old Town Bridge Tower, on the side you arrive from, has 138 steps and no lift. Its gallery looks along the whole length of the bridge to the castle. The towers at the Lesser Town end give the same view in reverse.

The bridge at sunrise, the one hour when it is empty. Photo: mendhak, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Which tower to climb

• The Old Town Hall tower has a lift, a wide gallery and the square at its foot. It is the busier of the two, and its ticket also opens the rooms of the town hall.
• The Old Town Bridge Tower is a climb on foot. Its view is the classic one of Prague: the river, the bridge with its statues, and the castle on the hill behind.

If stairs are a difficulty, take the town hall. If you want one photograph of the city, take the bridge tower.

Reading the partner's listings

• Charles Bridge with a mobile guide and tower admission is entry to the Old Town Bridge Tower with a guide on your phone. A virtual reality show is an optional extra. The listing gives few details, and the address it names is in the Old Town, not at the bridge, so read where the ticket is collected.
• The Astronomical Clock ticket with a city audio tour is entry to the Old Town Hall at a set time, with a short introduction on the spot and not a guided tour. The audio walk that comes with it goes on through the city, over the bridge and up towards the castle. It does not cover the inside.
• The Old Town and Jewish Quarter audio tours are commentary only. Tickets to the synagogues of the Jewish Museum are not part of them.
• The other audio walks follow longer loops through the centre. Bring earphones.

These are the tickets and audio walks our partner sells along this route, with today's prices:

• on WeGoTrip Museum & Attraction Tickets Charles Bridge with Mobile Guide, Tower Admission & Optional VR Experience Book on WeGoTripfrom198 kr
• on WeGoTrip Walking Tours Prague: Astronomical Clock Ticket & City Sights Audio Tour 2 hours4.1 (143) Book on WeGoTripfrom394 kr
• on WeGoTrip Cultural Tours Prague: Old Town & Jewish Quarter Audio Tour 1.5 – 2 hours Book on WeGoTripfrom155 kr
• on WeGoTrip Sightseeing Tickets Prague: Self-Guided Audio Walk Through the City’s Historic Heart 4 hours Book on WeGoTripfrom103 kr
• on WeGoTrip Sightseeing Tickets Prague: Self-Guided Audio Walk Through Old Town and Josefov 2 hours Book on WeGoTripfrom103 kr
• on WeGoTrip Sightseeing Tickets Prague: Self-Guided Audio Walk Through the Heart of the Old City 2.5 hours Book on WeGoTripfrom103 kr

Sold and delivered by WeGoTrip. You book on their site at their price; Viaqui may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

When to walk it

Before eight in the morning the bridge is nearly empty and the light comes from behind you onto the castle. From ten until dusk it is a slow river of people, with painters and musicians along the sides. If you want to watch the clock, stand well back on the square a few minutes before the hour: the figures are small and close up you see less. Current hours for the towers are on our pages for the astronomical clock and Charles Bridge.

From here

At the far end of the bridge the Royal Route goes on through the Lesser Town and climbs to Prague Castle, half an hour uphill. To the right of the bridge, on the Old Town side, the former Jewish quarter is ten minutes away. See what else there is in Prague, or open the trip planner for Czechia.

Cover photo: Ввласенко, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.