Prague is one of the most visited and most beautiful cities in Central Europe. It is filled with incredible colours, churches, synagogues and architecture. Around every turn is something wonderful. We travelled there with the three kids who were from 10 to 15 years old and we had a great time. There were an incredible number of fun things to do in Prague.
There are thousands of things you could do in Prague but we’ve narrowed it down to fifteen wonderful sights. So check out our top 15 fun things to do in Prague, Czech Republic!
No. 1 Fun thing to do in Prague: Visit Prague’s Old Town Square
Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock
Prague’s Old Town Hall is up front and center in Prague’s Old Town Square.
The astronomical clock is one of the most popular landmarks in Prague, and understandably so. It is located on the Old Town Hall Tower and the oldest part of the clock dates back to 1410.
When the clock strikes on the hour, for 45 seconds the apostles appear and other figures along side the astronomical clock are set in motion. The skeleton rings and rotates an hour glass.
Prague’s astronomical clock is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world so it’s not surprising that hundreds gather to watch it strike the hour. Unfortunately, during our visit, the clock was away for much needed restoration and was temporarily replaced by an LED screen.
It certainly wasn’t the same but it was still nice to see how the clock normally works.
Along with seeing it from below, you can purchase tickets to tour the clock tower itself. It’s worth going up to see the clock a little closer when it returns from restoration.
Jan Hus Statue
The statue commemorating Jan Hus sits proudly in the center of Prague’s Old Town Square.
Jan Hus, a historical symbol of the Czech Republic, was a Catholic priest who stood up to the Catholic church for oppression of the Catholic people in the 1400s. He strongly opposed the pope of the day and the view that one could pay for forgiveness of sins. They say he was the founder of the first protestant church even though he was a Catholic himself. Jan Hus was ultimately excommunicated but continued to preach at Bethlehem chapel (see below) and was rector of Prague University. Tired of his continual battles with the Catholic church and the increasing number of Czech followers, he was faced trial and was burned at the stake. His followers, the Hussites, fought against the Catholics for approximately 20 years in the, aptly named, Hussite Wars. Check out our upcoming post on our visit to the town of Tabor to learn more.
St. Nicholas Church
Contrary to Our Lady upon Tyn church, St. Nicholas Church was once a catholic church but is now a Hussite church. It’s known for is wonderful acoustics and is often used for concerts. Mozart played the organ here.
#18 Town Square
Have a look at the light orange house at #18 in the square. Albert Einstein once lectured here!
Church of Our Lady before Tỳn and the Ungelt
The Church of Our Lady before Tỳn was a Catholic church at the time of Jan Hus. It then became the head of the Hussite movement and was a Hussite church. When the Habsburgs won and the Hussites lost, the church became Catholic once again and remains so to today.
The entrance to the church itself is through the archway between the two restaurant awnings. We didn’t have time to visit but I’ve heard it’s beautiful so definitely worth exploring.
If you look closely, the golden halo on Mary used to be the Hussite’s golden chalice that was melted down when the Catholics took back the church.
The Ungelt can be found behind the Church of Our Lady before Tỳn. The peaceful courtyard, at one point the commercial center of medieval Prague, now holds many outdoor restaurants and cafes.
Located at the geographic center of Europe, people converged on Prague to sell their wares including art, cloth and spices in medieval times. To protect the selling area, there are only two entrances/exits to the courtyard. Sellers would need to go to the ungelt (old german for ‘customs’) before leaving the courtyard to get a slip indicating that their taxes were paid.
The house at number 642, At the Black Bear, dates back to 1428. Remember, like Nerudova U (I’ll tell you about this later), houses at that time didn’t have numbers. They were known by something close to their front door. Can you guess what was near the door for house number 642? Yes, a black bear …. and it’s still there!
House ‘At the Black Bear’
No. 2 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Explore the Charles Bridge
Prague’s Famous Bridge
Prague’s Charles Bridge is truly beautiful. It’s a pedestrian only bridge that crosses the Vltava River from Old Town to Mala Strana (Lesser Town). It’s architecture is mostly gothic with 30 statues adorning the sides. It’s definitely one of the top photography spots in Prague.
Interesting Tidbit: The bridge’s construction is very unique. Egg yolks were mixed into the mortar to strengthen it.
During the day and evening the bridge is filled with art vendors, souvenir sellers and musical performers.
Like many European bridges, there are sections of the Charles Bridge adorned with ‘love locks’. They’ve been removed en masse from many bridges due to damage caused to these historic bridges so I’m still amazed when i see them …
Love locks on the Charles Bridge
Early vs Afternoon
As beautiful as the Charles Bridge is, beware the crowds. In mid afternoon, the crowds can be so thick that it’s difficult to walk comfortably from one side of the bridge to the other. I’ve heard that if you visit Prague in October, the crowds are much more manageable.
Charles Bridge mid afternoon
We tried to visit in the very early morning hours (for us, that was to be around 7:30am). We were late leaving the apartment so arrived much later than planned but even an 8:30am visit to the bridge is significantly better than visiting midday.
Charles Bridge early morning
Climb the towers
The bridge has three towers, two on the Mala Strana side and one on the Old Town side. Two of these can be climbed for wonderful views over Prague. It’s definitely one of our top fun things to do in Prague.
The best time to visit the Old Town tower is early in the day. I’ve read that it has the best views of the two. Unfortunately we ran out of time and didn’t get a chance to climb this tower.
Tower on the Old Town side of Charles Bridge
The tower on the Mala Strana side is said to be best later in the day.
Tower on the Mala Strana side of Charles Bridge
We visited the tower on the Mala Strana side and thought the views were wonderful!
No. 3 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Shop for Garnets
Czech Republic is known for its garnet mines. One thing I didn’t know is that any garnet over 6mm wide isn’t from Czech Republic as the largest garnet ever mined there is that size. That’s good to know when shopping!
I was told to look for Turnov Garnets and they aren’t hard to find. Many of the locations have the same style so its just a matter of choosing the location that you prefer. We were looking for a few pairs so to take advantage of the tax-free status, we wanted to buy them all in one location so the location that had all pairs was one we chose. This location was right in Old Town Square so you don’t have to wander far.
There was also a nice location we liked on Celetna street, where it meets Na Prikopa. We tried to visit the store on Dlouhaa but it was closed with no hours of operation on the window and we never made it back there.
Garnets are set in either silver, white gold or yellow gold. Obviously price will vary depending on the setting. We weren’t looking to spend a lot of money so we chose sets that were set in silver. Don’t forget to ask for a certificate of authenticity! We were automatically given them for each pair.
Here are two of the sets that we bought:
One pair for me and one pair for my mom. Sydney also bought a pair and Lucas bought a pair for his girlfriend. All were different and very pretty.
It was fun to shop for them as I rarely shop for jewellery on vacation and they are a truly Czech souvenir.
No. 4 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Havelské tržištĕ Market
This traditional market is only about a five minute walk from the Old Town Square. It’s larger than I expected and had many booths when we visited on a Saturday. You can find souvenirs, puppets and toys as well as produce, paprika and many other items.
No. 5 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Eat Trdelnik
Trdelnik, otherwise known as chimney cakes, is dough wrapped around a stick and traditionally cooked over an open fire. Our first experience was a total miss.
We ordered a trdelnik from a kiosk that were not making them on site. They were wrapped in a plastic bag next to an ice cream stand. Those working the kiosk were surprised when we told them we didn’t want ice cream, just the trdelnik and I understand why. It tasted like dry cardboard.
Basically, we bought a bare ice cream cone. In retrospect, I must have been confused with the Hungarian chimney cakes that do come bare but are rolled in cinnamon, nuts or chocolate.
Trdelnik are mentioned so often that we figured there had to be more to it than we experienced so during our time in Prague, we kept note of where the crowds were located and where the trdelnik seemed to be made on sight.
On our last night we went to a small little location in the middle of Karlova U and it was, absolutely, delicious! They made the trdelnik on sight and we had it with melted chocolate which their poured into the trdelnik itself. We then had ice cream added to it. They were sooooo good! Trdelnik definitely made it on our list of favourite Czech foods.
No. 6 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Walk around Wenceslas Square, Prague
Once a horse market, Wenceslas Square is best known for the location where the Velvet Revolution took place in 1989.
On International Student’s Day, a few weeks after the Berlin wall fell, communist riot police forcefully suppressed a student demonstration in Prague. Within a few days, the number of protesters grew to over 500,000 and within several days, Communist leaders resigned.
Communist Budapest fell and Hungarian independence was announced in this very square.
This memorial of the Velvet Revolution is located near the square.
No. 7 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Visit Bethlehem Square
Jan Hus preached in the Bethlehem Chapel from 1402 to 1412 before he was burned at the stake in 1415 thereby making the chapel the home of the Hussite cause. It was destroyed in the 18th century and rebuilt to exact dimensions in the 1950s.
In 2015 six ‘steps’ were installed on the side of the building. Each of these steps has a stencil of a letter in the center.
This remarkable piece of art, a memorial to Jan Hus, is unremarkable for most of the year but between May and July from 2pm to 4pm (if the weather cooperates), the sun shines through the open stencil and you can see the lifetime motto of Jan Hus reflected on the wall… Za Pravdu … For the Truth.
It’s best visible on July 6th, the anniversary of the day that Hus was burned on the stake. Check out the artist’s website for more details on the memorial.
No. 8 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Find the Art Works of David Černý
David Černý is an internationally renowned Czech artist. Although I had never heard of him before our visit to Prague, I will certainly never forget his works of art. His artwork can be found throughout the streets of Prague and each one, is definitely a conversation starter. Looking for them is a super fun thing to do in Prague. My kids loved them!
Babies
These are a group of 10 crawling infants that are usually attached to the Žižkov Television Tower. During our visit, they had been removed for restoration but a few ‘extra’ babies are also found on Kampa Island. Note the bar code … we were told that it means that every person is unique.
Babies
Man Hanging Out
Sigmund Freud can be seen hanging by one hand at Husova U, near Bethlehem Square.
David Cerny’s Man Hanging Out
Look waaaaay up! He’s easy to miss.
We saw the same statue (well, a copy of the same statue) in Mikulov (check out our exploration of the Czech Republic en route to Budapest – not yet posted). Freud was to hang in Mikulov Square until the end of August 2018 but he may still be there.
Jason, our guide from Living Prague Tours, told us that this statue had also been placed in Michigan but had to be removed as the police had not been informed and bystanders believed it was an attempted suicide.
Piss
Yes, that’s the official name. This is a statue of two men peeing into a pool, that has the outline of the Czech Republic. When first installed, there was a number to which people could text a word which the statues would then spell out, using their, umm, pee.
Piss by David Cerny
Metalmorphosis
This incredible work of art usually consists of 42 moving, rotating layers that eventually align to look like Franz Kafka’s head. Unfortunately, it wasn’t mobile when we visited. Despite that, it’s huge and still striking.
Metalmorphosis
Horse
We found ‘Horse” in the atrium of Lucerna Palace, it’s supposed to be a take on the St. Wenceslas statue that can be found just nearby in Wenceslas Square. Except in the Černý version, the horse is upside down, and dead. It’s meant to be an ironic twist on the original.
David Cerny’s Horse
No. 9 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Climb the Powder Gate
The powder gate is the former wall that separated Prague’s Old town from New Town. It also housed the city’s gunpowder! It’s located close to Namesty Republicky and is Prague’s ‘formal door’ as the royal route from Vienna entered through here. As you pass through the Powder Tower, you leave (or enter) the Old Town. For entrance and hours of operation, check out the official website of Prague museums.
No. 10 Fun (and Delicious) Thing to do in Prague: Try Czech beer, fried cheese, gulas and duck with dumplings
Czech food is, in one word, incredible. Moreover, it’s incredibly inexpensive! Czech Republic is known for it’s beer so if you’re a beer drinker, definitely try it. Some of the most popular Czech food is fried camembert cheese, gulas and duck with dumplings. Our kids LOVED all three of these (we did too!).
For more details on the fantastic food you’ll find in Prague, check out our post on our favourite Czech food and our top restaurants in Prague.
No. 11 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Explore the Houses on Nerudova Ulice
Nerudova Ulice is a steep street that leaves from Mala Strana Namesti to Castle Hill. House numbers were introduced in Prague in 1770. Before that the houses were recognized by their signs which often indicated the people that lived there or the profession operated in the building. I did a list of house numbers and symbols before we left home and we went in search of them. I gave the kids the house number and they had to guess the symbol. There are a few we never did find but the search was definitely a fun thing to do in Prague.
Here are a few we found.
#38 At the Pendant Parsnip
#27 At the Golden Key
#11 At the red lamb
#12 At the Three Fiddles (the home of violin makers)
When you visit, you can also look for:
#43 red lobster
#28 golden wheel
#47 two suns
#15 three lilies
#43 green lobster
#28 golden wheel
No. 12 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Visit Kampa Island
Kampa Island is found between Charles Bridge and Legions Bridge on the Mala Strana side of Prague.
It’s a beautiful park area in the middle of a crowded city. It would have been a great place to relax with a picnic.
Our guide, Jason, pointed out the high-water mark where the Vltava River flooded in 2002. There are now breakwaters in place to hold back a flood should it occur again.
Look for the small rectangular plaque to the left of the door and between the windows. This indicates the height of the flood water. Incredible!
I mentioned earlier the art work of David Cerny. David Cerney created three Babies for display on Kampa Island. These are the same babies as those created to climb the TV tower. These are so much larger than they appear from most pictures.
Babies
No. 13 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Leave a Message on the Lennon Wall
Our kids had read about the Lennon Wall on Kampa Island so it was a must-see location for us and worthy of its one ‘top sight’ listing.
The Lennon Wall was always a location for graffiti and written protests but on the day that John Lennon died, it became so much more. The day after Lennon’s death, the wall was filled with lyrics, graffiti and messages of peace. It was painted over by night and by day it would reappear. While no original messages from the 1980s still exist, it is an interesting place to visit. It gave hope to those craving freedom in Communist Prague.
The wall technically belongs to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which allows the art to remain and doesn’t discourage visitors. Caiden really wanted to add a message so I brought several colours of Sharpie markers on our walking tour.
He decided to sign his name and draw a heart and a peace sign.
No. 14 Fun Thing to do in Prague: Explore Prague Castle
Prague Castle area is huge and includes many buildings. Tickets are good for 48 hours but you can only enter each sight once. We chose Circuit B (St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St. George’s Basilica, Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower). We also purchased a separate ticket for the tower of St. Vitus. Other options are available and you can check them out on the official website for Prague Castle.
Castle Square and the courtyards
If you arrive via the Castle stairs as we did on our tour of the outside of Prague Castle with Jason, you’ll arrive at the castle gardens.
The castle walls are to the right and a beautiful view of Prague is to the left.
Such a beautiful view over Prague from the gardens.
If you arrive at the castle via Nerudova Utlice, as we did on our second day, you’ll arrive first at Castle Square.
It was the focal point of medieval power.
Notice the white and yellow palace?
The archbishop’s residence
It’s the home of the archbishop. Look for the coat of arms with three white goose necks in a red field above the doorway. This is the coat of arms of the archbishop.
The black monument in the middle of the square is a plague column. These can be found throughout the Czech Republic. It’s a token of gratitude to Mary for having saved those living in the area from the plague at a time when parts of Europe were devastated by it.
Note the guards at the main gate. The changing of the guards takes place every hour at every gate to the castle. Beware! When marching they stop for no one. Make sure you hop out of their way!
To the left of the guards is a security gate that leads to the second courtyard. This is the main entrance where they’ll scan your tickets.
Once inside, to the left of the chapel, there is a green awning with a golden winged cat. This marks the entrance to the offices of the Czech president.
Office of the Czech President
The next passageway brings you into the Third Courtyard where St. Vitus Cathedral is located.
The area in front of the church is small so its difficult to get a photo of the entire church!
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus was 13 years old when he died. He actually never visited the Czech Republic. It is said that a piece of his arm bone was found by King Wenceslas and the church was built around it.
The vestibule of St. Vitus is free to enter but beyond that, a ticket is required. This is the Czech national church where kings were crowned and buried. With a ticket, you can pass through the turnstile on the left.
This is the view from the vestibule area of St. Vitus Cathedral. To go beyond this you’ll need a ticket.
The Alfons Mucha stained glass window is beautiful. It was designed by Mucha and put together by others. It tells the life story of Wenceslas.
As you travel around the cathedral, the floor slopes where the church was built in two stages.
Don’t miss the carved relief of Prague near the alter. Look for Tyn Church and St. Vitus Cathedral which was half built at the time. Notice the chalice at Tyn Church. As I mentioned earlier, the chalice was later melted down to become Mary’s halo when the Catholics took back the church from the Hussites.
To the right of the alter, notice the Royal Oratory. This box, supported by vines, is said to connect to the king’s apartment and allowed him to attend mass.
Look at the intricate vines
The biggest and most beautiful of the cathedral’s numerous side chapels is the tomb of St. Wenceslas. It contains the tomb of Wenceslas and is where Bohemia’s kings were crowned.
The tomb of St. Wenceslas is to the right hand side. The door to the crown jewels is in the corner behind it.
Its walls are adorned with gilded panels containing semiprecious stones. The chandelier is beautiful. It also houses the crown jewels. The entrance to the crown jewels has seven locks, a key for each lock is given to seven powerful Czech people, including the Czech president. All seven keys are required to open the special chamber. Interesting!
Tower of St.Vitus Cathedral
As you leave the cathedral, the door to the tower is to the left as you leave. You need a separate ticket to climb the tower and its well worth it.
The climb is 287 steps to the observation deck at the top. This is not an easy climb so if you struggle with stairs, beware. Aside from the steepness of the steps they incline in a tight spiral which I found quite dizzying.
The tower holds the Czech Republic’s largest bell. It’s not rung regularly and to do so, requires six people. There is an old legend about the bell: whenever its clapper cracks, the land will be hit by a disaster. The last time this happened was in 2002. Two months later the worst flood in 100 years hit Prague.
The view is beautiful!
Overlooking Mala Strana with the Charles Bridge in the distance
Overlooking Mala Strana with Petrin Hill in the distance. Does Petrin Tower look familiar?
The spires of St. Vitus from the top of the tower. Such beautiful architecture!
Old Royal Palace
The highlight of the Old Royal Palace is the Vladislav Hall. It is large and majestic. At one time it was filled with market stalls, letting aristocrats shop without needing to go into town. At other times it held jousts.
Notice the no photo sign? If you plan to take photos you need to purchase a special ticket. You purchase it at the same time as your tickets and the price is very small so well worth it.
To the right is the Czech Office. During Hapsburg rule, two governors used to oversee Czech Republic. In 1618 protestants threw the two governors out the window, an act called defenestration. This was the start of the Thirty-Year War.
The staircase to and from Vladislav Hall was built to allow horses to enter the room. No stairs!
St. George’s Basilica
St. George’s Basilica dates back to the 12th century and was the burial place of Czech royalty before St. Vitus Cathedral was built. The wooden ceiling is simply beautiful.
Golden Lane
Golden Lane used to be home to the castle servants and craftsmen. The remaining 11 cottages are now small shops which really are very tiny and busy, but cute.
Between numbers 23 and 24, there is an entrance door. Follow it up the stairs to corridor that follows along top of all the houses. It is lined with armor and weapons and mid way through, our kids were able to take turns shooting a cross bow. Super cool! They all thought this was one of the most fun things to do in Prague.
No. 1 Memorable Thing to do in Prague: Explore Josefov (Prague’s Jewish Quarter)
Most of our list includes fun things to do in Prague. While enjoyable to learn the history of Prague’s Jewish Quarter, it’s uncomfortable to call it a fun activity. It is, however, one of the most memorable things we did during our visit to Prague and as such, it definitely needs to be on list of the top things to do.
Prague’s Jewish Quarter didn’t face the destruction that other cities faced in World War II. In other cities, the areas where Jewish people lived prior to being taken by the Nazis were destroyed.
In Prague, while many were transported to Terezin, a transport camp, or directly to Auschwitz or other extermination camps, the Jewish ghetto remained relatively untouched. The reason? Hitler wanted to preserve the Prague ghetto as a museum of an “extinct race”. In fact, Jewish artifacts from the Czech Republic and beyond were gathered in Prague for this purpose.
The Star of David on the Jewish Town Hall in Josefov
The Jewish Museum of Prague has several different tickets that can be purchased. All museum areas and synagogues are closed on Saturdays, the Jewish sabbath. The tickets are good for one week and allow one entrance to each location.
If tickets are purchased in advance, they must be printed. We ran into an issue where I printed the only document emailed to me, which, as it turned out, wasn’t actually a ticket. We were told that this happens occasionally and they were very helpful but it did take about an hour to fix as we had to go to a different location. The bottom line is, if you purchase in advance, make sure you print a document that has a bar code for entrance. If you don’t receive the bar code, give them a call before you leave home so that you don’t have to deal with it while on vacation.
We only had a half day to visit the Jewish Quarter so we weren’t able to visit most locations covered by the ticket. You need at least a full day to visit all the synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery. We didn’t visit the Maisel Synagogue, interior of the Spanish Synagogue or Klausen Synagogue. We also didn’t have a ticket for the Old-New Synagogue. We would have loved to have had the time to visit all of these. Because we didn’t, I haven’t included descriptions below but if you have time, I really recommend visiting them all.
Pinkas Synagogue
Prague’s Pinkas Synagogue was built in the 1500s and used for worship until 1941. After World War II, it was transformed into a memorial for those who were killed in the Holocaust. The walls of the main floor are inscribed by hand with the names of over 77,000 Czech victims along with the town where they lived, their date of birth and the date of their disappearance.
On the second floor, there is a collection of paintings. But these aren’t ordinary paintings. These are incredible paintings by the children of Terezin.
Most of Czech Republic’s Jewish population were taken from their homes during the second World War. Many were transferred to Terezin. The Jewish people were told that this would be a ghetto, outside the city limits, where they could govern themselves, set up their own schools, etc. That was far from the true reality. Terezin was a Nazi transport camp.
The Nazis had taken a pre-existing Czech military fortress, intended to house a few thousand, and transported over 150,000 people there, primarily Jewish Czechs. This was not an extermination camp but over 33000 died here due to terrible conditions of overcrowding, malnutrition and disease. For those that did not die in Terezin, most were eventually transported to extermination camps elsewhere.
Terezin was also used as a ‘show’ ghetto for the Nazis. The Red Cross visited during the war to check the conditions of the camp. An intense beautification would take place prior to the officials’ arrival. Its intent was to show how wonderful the Nazis were treating the Jewish people. Prior to the arrival of the Red Cross, many people were sent to extermination camps so that the overcrowding was not visible. Those that took part in the beautification project were also killed. The officials of the Red Cross were duped. So much so that Hitler decided to use Terezin for a propaganda film. It was produced by a Jewish actor and director. He and the cast were sent to Auschwitz directly after filming.
Of all the Jewish people taken to Terezin, 15000 were children under age 15. Less than 150 of these children survived. Many Jewish scholars and teachers had been sent to Terezin and while they were there, they continued to teach the children in secret. One such artist and educator, Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, secretly taught art to the children. Before she was taken on rail transport to her death, she hid some of the children’s paintings in a suitcase under a bunk. They were found after the war. These paintings are now protected and hung on the second floor of the Pinkas Synagogue in memory of the children lost at Terezin.
Each painting includes the child’s name, their date of birth and their date of death. A few stated that they survived. Very few.
For those travelling to Prague with children, there are many really good children’s books describing Terezin and the children of Terezin. We took a few out of our public library prior to our trip to Prague so that the children had an understanding of what took place prior to our visit.
Old Jewish cemetery
You enter the cemetery from the Pinkas Synagogue and leave by the Klausova Synagogue. There is no separate ticket for the cemetery itself but is included with the Jewish Museum ticket.
The Jewish cemetery dates back to the mid-1400s and people were buried in the cemetery until the late 1700s. The cemetery has over 12,000 headstones but over 100,000 people buried there.
The Jewish community was only permitted occasionally to purchase nearby land to expand the cemetery so one option to overcrowding was to add soil to the top of existing graves. This was done up to 12 times. Each time the headstones were moved to the top which explains the density of headstones in the cemetery.
Our kids were fascinated by the size of the cemetery and number of headstones. They also spent quite a bit of time trying to read the inscriptions on the headstones and look for family or occupation designs such as two hands together to represent the Cohen family or scissors to represent a tailor.
Spanish Synagogue
We visited Spain a few years ago so even though we didn’t have a chance to visit the interior of the Spanish Synagogue, we wanted see the exterior which is very similar to the Moorish architecture of southern Spain.
Stumbling Stones
Throughout the Prague you’ll see stumbling stones. These are brass squares laid on the ground in front of some building entrances. These stones are in remembrance of a person who lived in the building. There is no reference as to the reason they were taken away, as the atrocities of the Holocaust did not only affect the Jewish people of Europe. The Nazis also came after homosexuals, the mentally or physically ill, gypsies and others.
These stumbling stones are truly incredible as they not only state their names, they also state their date of birth, the date they were sent away during the war, the location to where they were sent (at times, Terezin; at times, Auschwitz), and either the date of their death or a simple statement that they survived.
These are also found in Budapest and our guide there explained, one stone, one name, one person. According to Jewish faith, a person is only forgotten when their name is forgotten.
The artist Gunter Demnig created the stumbling stones and they can be found on streets throughout Europe as a reminder of voices of those that were rounded up and taken away to be exterminated.
In Conclusion:
If you’re wondering how we managed to fit all these wonderful and fun things into a 3 day visit to Prague, check out a more detailed outline of our 3 days in Prague. If you have a few more days in the Czech Republic, you’ll absolutely want to consider taking a day trip from Prague or visiting Cesky Krumlov or Tabor. There is so much to discover in Czechia!!
Have you visited Prague? Did we miss any fun things to do in Prague? We’d love to hear about them! Comment below Did you like this article? Pin it!
28 Comments
Sinjana Ghosh · September 30, 2018 at 2:15 pm
Fantastic post. Learnt a lot about Prague’s history and culture here.
Joanne · October 12, 2018 at 6:15 pm
Thanks Sinjana! It’s a wonderful city.
sue · September 29, 2018 at 9:32 pm
Love the Charles Bridge. and the views from the Towers are amazing
Joanne · September 29, 2018 at 9:50 pm
They really are! I wish we could have visited both towers. A reason to return!
Melissa Rogers · September 27, 2018 at 11:20 pm
What a lovely post! First of all, I LOVE that you highlighted the Old Town Hall Tower. I first learned about this (and its impressive 1410 creation date) when Samantha Brown from travel channel did a feature on this. It was fascinating to hear about it from someone else. The art your family was able to take in looked stunning – and I’m glad your son was able to draw on the Lennon Wall. What a lovely trip! 🙂
Joanne · September 29, 2018 at 9:47 pm
Hi Melissa. I love Samantha Brown! I used to watch her show for ages but haven’t seen it in awhile. Caiden really enjoyed drawing on the wall 🙂
Maggie · September 27, 2018 at 9:02 pm
I still haven’t made it to Prague!! It looks amazing though, and so many things to do!!! I’d love to see that clock in action, and I am ready to try some trdelnik!! Good to know you can’t just eat it plain though haha
Joanne · September 29, 2018 at 9:46 pm
Hi Maggie. It was wonderful! Lesson learned about the trdelnik. Hope others don’t try it plain! 🙂
Yukti · September 27, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Prague is my one of the most favorite city in Europe. I loved walking around the old town and especially Charles Bridge is very lively with those music performers.
Joanne · September 29, 2018 at 9:45 pm
Hi Yukti. I absolutely agree! 🙂
Eric Gamble · September 25, 2018 at 10:53 pm
Man that was a ton of places to see and do in Prague. Where do I start. Obviously exploring the famous Charles Bridge is on my bucket list. I would love to scale one of the 2 towers for those amazing views. Apparently the catholics gave up a lot of churches but I bet they are all so very beautiful in their own way inside.
Love that Hanging man statue. It always amazes me when I see street art around the world like those Cerny statues.
As for the Trdelnik, good tip on getting ice cream! I would have probably said no to save a few cents at first and then wondered why I too was eating card board. haha
Joanne · September 29, 2018 at 9:45 pm
Hi Eric! The art of Cerny really is amazing. It’s incredible to just take a turn and see something so incredible. You’d love Prague!
Candy · September 25, 2018 at 4:30 pm
So much history and fascinating places to visit in Prague. I had no idea how old the clock was and it’s too bad you couldn’t see it since it was under repair. I’ve had a little taste Prague this year in Vancouver Canada when I had a Trdelnik, It was so yummy! I would like to try the real deal in Prague some day 🙂
Joanne · September 25, 2018 at 4:41 pm
You’re the second person who mentioned trying trdelnik in Vancouver! I’m definitely going to have to find it next time we visit.
Map Scratchers · September 25, 2018 at 6:55 am
I actually visited Prague this summer, so was really nice to read your blog and reminisce about my trip. When we were there, the clock was unfortunately covered too, so didn’t get to see it in it’s swing, but went into the museum too! I didn’t know about the house where Einstein lectured, that’s a fun fact! And didn’t know about the houses not having numbers, and using statues to name them, how cool. We did go up the towers on the Charles bridge, and can confirm, the view is stunning from there! We loved spotting the man hanging out statue, just noticed it out of nowhere haha. The jewish cemetery was really eerie I felt, and there were so many tombstones!!
Thanks for the great read 🙂
Joanne · September 25, 2018 at 4:40 pm
We may have been there the same time! Yes, the Jewish cemetery could be eerie. So many there. We learned some stories about the tombstones before we went so the kids were on a bit of exploration along with learning about the history as well. I really wish we had a chance to visit both towers!
Stephanie Taleghani · September 24, 2018 at 10:14 pm
Wow, so many fascinating and unique things to experience in Prague. I feel like the art scene is enough for anyone for come and visit. I am not quite sure how I feel about those babies, yet I must go see them for myself! Also I’ll tell my husband to be ready to go garnet shopping!! =)
Joanne · September 25, 2018 at 8:21 am
Hi Stephanie. The garnet shopping was actually a lot of fun. We learned a lot as we went from store to store. The babies are definitely unique. That bar code is a little disturbing but if you ignore that, they’re kind of cute.
Drew Hannush · September 24, 2018 at 5:26 pm
History is a little fuzzy on it, but I am either an anscestor of the astronomical clock maker or someone who built the town hall that holds it. It was a must see for me. Always draws a crowd. Hope you get to see the real thing. It is impressive! Thanks for turning me on to a few new things, like the Black Bear and Trdelnik. Also, I always appreciate quality history research. It’s makes things like the Jan Hus statue, the Old Jewish Cemetery and Wenceslas Square have so much more meaning.
Joanne · September 25, 2018 at 8:21 am
Hi Drew. That’s so cool! We were really disappointed when we realized that the clock would be under repairs when we were there but it gives us a reason to return! I have to say, the LED version was much better than I expected so at least we have an idea how it works.
Nic · September 24, 2018 at 5:56 am
Great post and some fabulous recommendations! It’s been a while since I’ve been to Prague and I would love to return to do some of the things I missed! Your photos are amazing and really make me want to go back there soon!
Joanne · September 24, 2018 at 11:11 am
Thanks Nic. I appreciate the compliment. Prague is a beautiful city. I really wish we had more time to explore as we missed so much.
Cindy Baker · September 23, 2018 at 11:34 pm
Wow, what a great list of fascinating things to do and see in Prague, many of which I hadn’t heard about before. I like the poignant historical places you noted like the brass stumbling stones. I would also want to check out the interesting art exhibits like those bar-coded babies!
Joanne · September 24, 2018 at 11:11 am
Hi Cindy. It really is an amazing city. You’d love it there.
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