67 Best Sights in Prague, Czech Republic

This whimsical building, one of Prague's most popular modern structures, came to life in 1996 as a team effort from architect Frank Gehry (of Guggenheim Bilbao fame) and his Croatian-Czech collaborator Vlado Milunic. A wasp-waisted glass-and-steel tower sways into the main columned structure as though they were a couple on the dance floor—the "Fred and Ginger" effect gave the building its nickname, the Dancing Building. It's notable for a Gehry piece, as it's more grounded in the surrounding area than his larger projects. It now houses a hotel and top-floor restaurant, but even if you aren't staying or eating there, it's worth marveling at the building itself, either from the near side of the river or the far.

This giant modern art hub makes up the trio of big-beast artistic institutions in Prague 7 that have seen the district christened the city's most creative, alongside the Trade Fair Palace and the Academy of Fine Arts college next to Stromovka Park. This one is arguably the most fun, from its witty slogans (emblazoned on the building and sold as postcards) to its often flamboyant modern art collection, via a discussion space located in a life-size suspended airship. Housed in a former factory, DOX is more than just a brilliant modern art gallery, though; it is also a cultural center aiming to put art at the forefront of modern ways of thinking about the world.

Looking like a freakish, futuristic rocket ready to blast off, the Žižkov TV Tower is easily visible from around the city and commonly makes it onto Top 10 World's Ugliest Buildings lists. The upper-floor observatory platform, reached by a high-speed elevator and open until midnight, gives a bird's-eye view of the numerous courtyards and apartment blocks that make up the city and has a selection of exhibits on the history and architecture of the building. There's also a bar, restaurant, and luxury one-room hotel up there. Once back down on the ground, look up its 709-foot gray steel legs at the bronze statues of babies crawling on the structure, which were created by local provocateur artist David Černý.

It's advertised as the most beautiful library in the world and delivers on the hype. The origins of this massive, ancient complex date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, but it's best known as the stronghold of the Jesuits, who occupied it for more than 200 years beginning in the early 1600s. Though many buildings are closed to the public, the resplendent Baroque Library is a hidden gem featuring fabulous ceiling murals that portray the three levels of knowledge, with the "Dome of Wisdom" as a centerpiece. Next door, the Mirror Chapel is a symphony of surfaces, with acoustics to match. Mozart played here, and the space still hosts chamber music concerts, as does the library itself if you're lucky. The Astronomical Tower in the middle of the complex offers stunning 360-degree views of Staré Mĕsto and was once used by game-changing astronomer Johannes Kepler and afterward functioned as the "Prague Meridian," where the time was set each day. Nowadays, you can visit the complex and glimpse the beauty, as well as some historic astronomical instruments, only on guided tours, which run every half hour. There is no elevator to the Astronomical Tower rooftop and the steps are steep, so you may want to avoid this section if you have walking difficulties.

If you've had your fill of Romanesque, Gothic, and baroque, this church offers a startlingly modernist alternative. Designed in 1927 by Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik—the same architect who updated Prague Castle and who almost single-handedly designed the modern city of Ljubljana—the art deco edifice of this church resembles a luxury ocean liner more than a place of worship, topped by a tower with an enormous glazed clock. The effect was purposeful, as during the 1920s and 1930s the avant-garde imitated mammoth objects of modern technology. The interior decor is equally striking, particularly the altar, overlooked by a 10-foot-high gilded figure of Christ, flanked by six Czech patron saints. It's hard to miss the structure, which looms as you exit the Metro.

While the front door (with a view of the interior) is open 9 to 5 every day, entrance is allowed only 45 minutes before and after mass.

This large, shady park offers a pretty view of Prague's bridges. From the enormous concrete pedestal at the center of the park—now occupied by a giant working metronome, which some say is marking time since the 1989 Velvet Revolution—the world's largest statue of Stalin once beckoned to citizens on Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square) below. The statue was blown up in 1962, just seven years after it was completed. In nice weather, there's a large and popular beer garden at the park's eastern end and Czechs and expats playing games on the grass. Walk east along Milady Horákové ulice after exiting the Metro or take the tram, or head up the hill from Staré Mĕsto if you want some exercise. At the back of the park, toward the home of the football club Sparta at the Generali Arena, there's a huge open space that is often used for the Czech Republic's largest protests (it's even bigger than famous Wenceslas Square), including those heralding the end of communism in 1989.

Located at the eastern edge of Karlín, this giant metallic female figure is the latest creation from Prague's master of modern sculpture David Černý, perhaps best known for the faceless babies climbing Žižkov TV Tower. Standing more than 24 meters high and weighing 35 tons, the figure is hugging—or seemingly holding up—the side of a modern apartment block. Take a stroll around to see other Černý artworks in a similar style, including giant arms and legs "propping up" elements of the building. For a uniquely strange experience, come at midnight to see Lilit's head rotate 180 degrees.

Sitting outside the castle complex, the sometimes-overlooked Loreta is home to one of Prague's greatest architectural treasures: a replica of the original Santa Casa, said to be the house in Nazareth where the Archangel Gabriel first appeared to the Virgin Mary. Constructed in the early 1620s and a place of pilgrimage for 400 years, the building is covered in spectacular stucco figures of Old Testament prophets and scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. The cloisters surrounding the casa are also home to treasures of their own, including beautiful frescoes, sculpted fountains, and soaring bell towers. Look out for the Prague Sun monstrance, an incredibly valuable golden vessel encrusted with thousands of diamonds.

Housed in a grandiose neo-Renaissance structure that dominates the top of Wenceslas Square, the National Museum was built between 1885 and 1890 as a symbol of the Czech national revival. Indeed, the building's exterior is so impressive that invading Soviet soldiers in 1968 mistook it for parliament. The holdings are a cross between natural history and ethnography and include dinosaur bones, minerals, textiles, coins, and many, many other things. There are rotating exhibitions too, and the building itself remains a pretty spectacular draw in its own right. The gift shop has lots of treasures, too, including brooches made of the museum's original parquet flooring.

This incredibly moving monument to the seven Czech and Slovak parachutists who assassinated the Nazi "Butcher of Prague," Reinhard Heydrich, in 1942, tells their astonishing story—the movie Anthropoid is based on what took place—and takes visitors into the crypt where they made their last, doomed stand against the occupying authorities, underneath the Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.

This art nouveau palace houses one of the city's many elegant pasáže, in this case a hallway studded with shops, restaurants, a beautiful grand hall, and a music club. It is also home to a gorgeous cinema and a cheeky David Černý sculpture referencing the statue of St. Wenceslas in the square outside (to give you a hint, it's often described as the hanging horse). Even better, in summer you can go onto the roof of the palace, which is a treat for two reasons: one, the makeshift bar at the top, with great views and a good vibe, and two, the chance to ride in an old-school, slightly terrifying paternoster lift to get up there.

This sometimes overlooked gallery, boasting the National Gallery's The Art of a Long Century (1796–1918), as well as the art of The First Republic (1918–38), has a real claim to being the city's best. Touring the vast spaces of this 1920s functionalist exposition hall filled to the brim with quirky, stimulating, comprehensive modern and contemporary local art is the best way to see how Czechs surfed the forefront of the avant-garde wave until the cultural freeze following World War II. Keep an eye out for works by František Kupka, credited as one of the first-ever abstract artists, and other Czech giants like Josef Čapek. Also on display are works by Western European—mostly French—artists from Delacroix to the present, with paintings by Gauguin, Picasso, and Braque an unexpected bonus. But painting is only the beginning—also occupying the many levels of the museum are collages, cubist sculptures, vintage gramophones, futuristic architectural models, art deco furnishings, and an exhaustive gathering of work from this new century, some of which is just as engrossing as the older stuff. Also, watch the papers and posters for information on traveling shows and temporary exhibits.

Buried deep within the walls of Vyšehrad Citadel, this series of long, dark passageways was built by the French army in 1742 and later improved by other occupying forces, including the Prussians and the Austrians. A guided tour leads through several hundred meters of military corridors into Gorlice Hall, once a gathering place for soldiers and now a storage site for six of the original, pollution-scarred statues from Charles Bridge. Tours start at the information center, near the Táborská brána entrance gate.

Bedřich Smetana's symphonic poem Vyšehrad opens with four bardic harp chords that echo the legends surrounding this ancient fortress. Today the flat-top bluff stands over the right bank of the Vltava as a green, tree-dotted expanse showing few signs that splendid medieval monuments once made it a landmark to rival Prague Castle.

The Vyšehrad, or "High Castle," was constructed by Vratislav II (ruled 1061–92), a Přemyslid duke who became the first king of Bohemia. He made the fortified hilltop his capital. Under subsequent rulers it fell into disuse until the 14th century, when Charles IV transformed the site into an ensemble including palaces, the main church, battlements, and a massive gatehouse whose scant remains are on V Pevnosti ulice. By the 17th century royalty had long since departed, and most of the structures they built were crumbling. Vyšehrad was turned into a fortress.

Vyšehrad's place in the modern Czech imagination is largely thanks to the National Revivalists of the 19th century, particularly writer Alois Jirásek. Jirásek mined medieval chronicles for legends and facts to glorify the early Czechs, and that era of Czech history is very much in the popular consciousness today.

Today, the most notable attraction within the fortification walls is the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, the landmark neo-Gothic church that can be seen from the riverside. Head inside to see the rich art nouveau decorations, including carvings, mosaics, and figural wall paintings. Beside the church is the entrance to Hřbitov Vyšehrad (Vyšehrad Cemetery), the final resting place of some of the country's leading artists and luminaries, including composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana.

Traces of the citadel's distant past can be found at every turn and are reflected even in the structure chosen for the visitor center, the remains of a Gothic stone fortification wall known as Špička, or Peak Gate, at the corner of V Pevnosti and U Podolského Sanatoria. Farther ahead is the sculpture-covered Leopold Gate, which stands next to brick walls enlarged during the 1742 occupation by the French. Out of the gate, a heavily restored Romanesque rotunda, built by Vratislav II in the 11th century, stands on the corner of K Rotundě and Soběslavova. It's considered the oldest fully intact Romanesque building in the city. Down Soběslavova are the excavated foundations and a few embossed floor tiles from the late-10th-century Basilika sv. Vavřince (St. Lawrence Basilica, closed to the public). The foundations, discovered in 1884 while workers were creating a cesspool, are in a baroque structure at Soběslavova 14. The remains are from one of the few early medieval buildings to have survived in the area and are worth a look.

On the western side of Vyšehrad, part of the fortifications stand next to the surprisingly confined foundation mounds of a medieval palace overlooking a ruined watchtower called Libuše's Bath, which precariously juts out of a rocky outcropping over the river. A nearby plot of grass hosts a statue of Libuše and her consort Přemysl, one of four large, sculpted images of couples from Czech legend by J. V. Myslbek (1848–1922), the sculptor of the St. Wenceslas monument.

Built in the late 17th century for the Czech nobleman Count Šternberg, this sprawling summer residence, modeled on a classical Italian villa, had the first French-style gardens in Bohemia. Inside, rich frescoes that took more than 20 years to complete depict the stories of emperors. Outside, there's plenty of pomp and ceremony, with a red-and-white baroque façade and a sweeping staircase adorned with statues of the sons of Mother Earth.

The château is closed from November through March.

The original church was built at the end of the 14th century, and the Czech religious reformer Jan Hus was a regular preacher here from 1402 until his exile in 1412. Here he gave the mass in "vulgar" Czech—not in Latin as the church in Rome demanded. After the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, the chapel fell into the hands of the Jesuits and was demolished in 1786. Excavations carried out after World War I uncovered the original portal and three windows; the entire church was reconstructed during the 1950s. Although little remains of the first church, some remnants of Hus's teachings can still be read on the inside walls.

Not far from Zoologická zahrada v Praze (Prague Zoo), the public garden has a path in a greenhouse that first takes you through a semidesert environment, then through a tunnel beneath a tropical lake and into a rain forest; you end up cooling off in a room devoted to plants found in tropical mountains. Sliding doors and computer-controlled climate systems help keep it all together. The impressive Fata Morgana, a snaking 429-foot greenhouse that simulates the three different environments, has been drawing large crowds since it opened in 2004. There are lots of other areas in the huge outdoor gardens to explore, too, including beehives, a Japanese ornamental garden, and hilly areas with good views. The trails, including a scented trail and a nature trail, are pleasant as well. And don't miss the vineyard.

This is the main thoroughfare connecting Old Town Square and Náměstí Republiky; it's packed day and (most of the) night. Many of the street's façades are styled in the classic 17th- or 18th-century manner, but appearances are deceiving: nearly all of the houses in fact have foundations that, astonishingly, date back to the 12th century. Be sure to look above the street-level storefronts to see the fine examples of baroque detail.

This building, designed by Josef Gočár, is a shining example of (relatively) modern Czech architecture amid Staré Mĕsto's historical splendor. In the second decade of the 20th century, young Czech architects boldly applied cubism's radical reworking of visual space to architecture and design, with the characteristic geometric lines and sharp angles of the building's exterior the result. Once a department store, there's now a permanent Czech cubism exhibition inside and a café. Its name---House at the Black Madonna---comes from the 17th-century sculpture that still sits on the building's northeast corner.

A peaceful green space in the heart of the city, the Franciscan Garden was established by monks from the nearby Carmelite Monastery to grow herbs and spices back in the 14th century, around the same time as Nové Mĕsto itself was founded. It remains a small oasis, with benches shaded by rose bushes, low hedges, a playground, and fruit trees and herb gardens that refer back to its original function. There's also a very cute café in the corner, Truhlárna, which does excellent cakes.

It is fitting that the monument to Franz Kafka in Prague, located close to his birthplace, has a suitably surreal, Kafkaesque feel, depicting a small Kafka-like figure riding on the shoulders of a giant, empty suit. It was inspired by one of his short stories and created by sculptor Jaroslav Róna in 2003, and it now stands proudly on the corner of Dušní. Check out the base for the tiny tribute to arguably his most famous work, The Metamorphosis. There are other highlights for Kafka fans in Josefov, too—for example, his birthplace, on the corner of Maiselova and Kaprova, is marked with a bust.

Arguably Prague's prettiest park, Havlíček Gardens is best known for its Italian-style grotto and its rows of verdant vineyards. But it also manages to pack in plenty of other attractions, from placid lakes to cascading fountains, and expansive green lawns to narrow woodland trails. It also has two excellent drinking and dining options: the charming garden café Pavilon Grébovka, which serves sweet and savory breakfasts, tasty lunches, and all-day snacks (there's also a grill in summer); and the hilltop gazebo wine bar Viniční Altán, which offers stunning views of the surrounding area. Getting to the park involves a short walk, either from tram stop Krymská (five minutes) or Metro stop Náměstí Míru (10 minutes).

You can't just wander into this building as a member of the public, but while you're in the area, it's worth paying attention to the outside. The hall was the creation of Mordechai Maisel, an influential Jewish leader at the end of the 16th century. Restored in the 18th century, it was given a clock and bell tower at that time. A second clock, with Hebrew numbers, keeps time counterclockwise. Now a Jewish Community Center, the building also houses Shalom, a kosher restaurant. The restaurant is open to the public for walk-ins during the week, and for Shabbat lunch or dinner if you book, but there are probably better options for dining in this quarter if you don't keep kosher.

This is the place to come for entrance tickets, guided tours, audio guides with headphones, and tickets to cultural events held at the castle. You can wander around the castle grounds, including many of the gardens, for free, but to enter any of the historic buildings, including St. Vitus Cathedral, requires a combined-entry ticket (valid for two days). There are three ticket options, but the best value is "Circuit B", which, allows entry to St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, and the Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower. This will provide enough quality time in the castle for most, but if you want to add on Rosenberg Palace as well as a permanent exhibition on the history of the castle called The Story of Prague Castle., opt for "Circuit B" instead. The historical buildings are open until 5pm from April to October, and until 4pm otherwise. If you just want to walk through the castle grounds, note that the gates close at 10pm every night.er and at 11 pm the rest of the year, and the gardens are open from April through October only.

Prague's largest island is circled by the narrow Čertovka streamlet and filled with beautiful, historic buildings. The name Čertovka, or "Devil's Stream," reputedly refers to a cranky old lady who once lived on Maltézské náměstí. During the historic 2002 floods, the well-kept lawns of the Kampa Gardens, which occupy much of the island, were underwater, as was much of the lower portion of Malá Strana. Evidence of flood damage occasionally marks the landscape, along with a sign indicating where the waters crested. These days, the green space is a lovely, calm place to avoid crowds, even on the hottest days. Don't miss another of leading Czech public artist David Černý's works in the middle of the island, too: giant crawling babies with what look like barcodes in place of their faces.

This square began life as a cattle market, a function chosen by Charles IV when he established Nové Mĕsto in 1348. The horse market (now Wenceslas Square) quickly overtook it as a livestock-trading center, and an untidy collection of shacks accumulated here until the mid-1800s, when it became a green park named for its patron. Glassy, modern buildings clash with surrounding older architecture, but it's quite representative of Prague's past and present united in one spot.

This baroque synagogue, right by the entrance to the Old Jewish Cemetery, displays objects from Czech Jewish traditions, with an emphasis on celebrations and daily life. The synagogue was built at the end of the 17th century in place of three small buildings (a synagogue, a school, and a ritual bath) that were destroyed in a fire that devastated the ghetto in 1689. In the more recent Ceremony Hall that adjoins the Klausen Synagogue, the focus is more staid. You'll find a variety of Jewish funeral paraphernalia, including old gravestones, and medical instruments. Special attention is paid to the activities of the Jewish Burial Society through many fine objects and paintings.

Another of Charles IV's gifts to the city, the Benedictine monastery sits south of Charles Square. It's often called Na Slovanech (literally, "At the Slavs"), which refers to its purpose when established in 1347. The emperor invited Croatian monks here to celebrate mass in Old Slavonic and thus cultivate religion among the Slavs in a city largely controlled by Germans. A faded but substantially complete cycle of biblical scenes by Charles's court artists lines the four cloister walls. The frescoes, and especially the abbey church, suffered heavy damage from a raid by Allied bombers on February 14, 1945; it's believed they may have mistaken Prague for Dresden, 121 km (75 miles) away. The church lost its spires, and the interior remained a blackened shell until a renovation was begun in 1998; the church reopened to the public in 2003.

Near the river between Pařížská and Revoluční ulice, in the northeastern corner of Staré Mĕsto, this peaceful complex has Prague's first buildings in the Gothic style. Built between the 1230s and the 1280s, St. Agnes's Convent provides a fitting home for the National Gallery's marvelous collection of Czech and Central European Gothic art, including altarpieces, portraits, and statues from the 13th to the 16th century. There is an interesting collection of contemporary Czech sculpture in the gardens, too, which are free to enter and open year-round.