Prague is absolutely littered with incredible things to see, marvellous pieces of history spectacularly preserved and offers a glimpse into the Czech Republic's long and detailed past. There is perhaps one landmark that is an iconic part of the skyline and, at least to me, was a must-visit when exploring Prague - the stunning castle and, as we will delve into, the equally important buildings around it. In fact, it is not really the castle that draws the eyes when exploring the city, Katedrála sv. Víta or St. Vitus Cathedral's beautiful spires are what catches the eye, luckily it is all part of a single visit. The entire area of Malá Strana, or the Little side of the River, is a beautiful and historic section of a city already bathed in beauty and history!
Navigating to the castle is fairly straightforward, especially on foot as from most vantage points along the river you can see the castle in the distance! You will want to head to the North Western corner of Prague, through its old town and across the river across one of Prague's many crossings. Whichever route you end up taking, if you are coming from the centre of the city then you are looking to follow Klárov alongside the tram line up until you reach the start of Staré zámecké schody, the Old Castle Stairs - then start climbing! Public transportation in Prague is wonderful, with multiple options to get you where you need to be, as I mentioned the tram runs close to the Old Castle Stairs, disembarking at its Malostranská stop as well as the cities Underground, which disembarks at the stop with the same name. If the climb isn't your thing then you could remain on the tram until Pražský hrad, as the tram will snake its way up the hillside and deposit you just a short walk away from the Powder Bridge entrance. Such a beauty spot is a little limited in terms of car parking, so your best bet may be to park in Garáže Prašný Most, an underground car park just a little further on from the Pražský hrad tram stop.
Our journey began a little way out from the castle, having just baked as we crossed the city on a scorching summer's day, with the final river crossing having been a little too much so we were recovering how any good tourist should: with a beer at Pivovar a restaurace Vojanův Dvůr. Once our spirits had lifted and the sweat from our brows had broken, we embarked on towards the castle - a brief respite of shade in park Holubička before linking up to the Old Castle Stairs. Now, all things considered, The Old Castle Stairs isn't too bad of a climb, it is a slow gradient with moderately short sequences of steps about halfway up the hillside, but on a hot day, this can be an absolute killer! Have plenty of water and expect to be without shade or a very limited amount thrown by the walls that most people will be trying to stick to (on our return journey around lunchtime there was 0 shade here). The good news is that once you make it about halfway up, you will pass under a large archway at Černá věž, The Black Tower, and have a decent amount of shade for the remaining climb which is an easier gradient without steps. Before you make a beeline for the shade, or maybe after you've taken some time to recover/on your return journey, be sure to check out the viewpoints here, lovely views out over the city - that said, this isn't the only place you will get breathtaking views from up here...
Through the archway and up the hill, you will already have a few options for diversions along the way. There are a handful of places to explore immediately inside the walls, with options including the Lobkowicz Palace, the Museum of Holograms and the Rosenberg Palace to name a few all diverting away from the main path. How much you wish to explore here is entirely up to you, in fact, there are so many options dotted all around Prague Castle that it is entirely possible to make a full day out of this one location. We were mostly here for a (relatively) quick wander around before venturing on elsewhere in the city to see more amazing sights, so we continued onwards and upwards, and before long, in the shade of Bazilika svatého Jiří, St. George's Basilica, the square opened up and we got our first view of the gorgeous St. Vitus Cathedral.
Truth be told, I'm not a religious person, but I do love the grandeur and splendour of a good Church or Cathedral, and Prague has those in spades. St. Vitus Cathedral is probably the gem in the crown of the city, sitting high above the surroundings and being such a majestic building it's hard not to love it. We circled the inner square of the castle, in awe of the towering cathedral above (not to mention the many wonderful neighbouring buildings). Under the arch and beyond the Old Royal Palace we entered the widest point of the square, under the shadow of Velká jižní věž katedrály sv. Víta, the Great South Tower, at the time of visit the square was occupied by what I presume to be the royal guard having a display - a magical time to visit, although I do not envy those working the display, with the band playing in the blistering heat and the guard standing to attention without a lick of shade to protect them. It is something I am sure they are used to, but I must confess I am not cut out for that! Finally, beyond the square and to the cathedral's front facade, beautiful carving covers just about every nook and cranny. You can enter and explore the equally incredible interior, it does have an admission price but it is perfectly reasonable and can be purchased as a combined ticket with other attractions in one - check out the up-to-date admission prices here. Due to time limitations, we did not end up entering the cathedral, as there was just so much to see and do around the outside!
Through the arch, we stopped off at the Museum Shop to replenish water supplies before entering the Second Courtyard of Prague Castle with its central Kohlova kašna, Kohl's Fountain. Connected to the event in the first square a portion was cordoned off, with towering police officers protecting very important-looking people. This is to be expected, of course, as Prague Castle is the residence of the president of the Czech Republic. Here is a handful of additional displays such as the Imperial Stables, Picture Gallery and plenty of other things to see. But we were on our walking tour, if you entered the same way as us you may be able to leave via the northern gate here onto Prašný Most, the Powder Bridge to get a view of Prašná věž, the Mihulka Powder Tower.
We continued across the second courtyard and out into the Fourth courtyard of Prague Castle, this area is a little more tranquil with an array of conifer trees and a connecting walkway out to look over the green spaces beyond. Continuing through you will leave to what would likely be considered the front of Prague Castle - a large open square surrounded by, you guessed it, simply stunning old buildings as well as statues and some more incredible views over the rest of Prague. Before you rush to snap photos of the views check out the Matyášova brána, Matthias Gate, which has a changing of the guard ceremony around midday, although we were lucky enough to see mounted guards leaving from the palace beyond. Then across the square and to the views beyond, if you fancy a further climb then the neighbouring Petrin Tower is hard to beat (plus, you get the splendour of Prague Castle in your photos!), but this area is a close second. With clear uninterrupted views across the river and to Prague beyond, picking out all of its wonderful landmarks it is the perfect place to wrap up your tour of the amazing castle and cathedral. That said, we loved the castle so much that we of course couldn't help but circle back through it, pick through some of the alleys and streets we missed on the way up and retrace our steps back down the Old Castle stairs.
Prague castle and its neighbouring structures have such a rich and deep history, far more than I could ever cover here, but I'd like to give you the broad strokes and then perhaps a tour when you visit can fill in the rest. The first established building on the site of Prague Castle was the Church of the Virgin Mary in 870, with the Basilica of Saint George and the Basilica of St. Vitus by Vratislaus I and his son St Wenceslaus in the 10th Century. The ruins of the Church of the Virgin Mary were destroyed sometime around the 13th century and exist only as ruins under modern administrative buildings. King Ottokar II of Bohemia extended the buildings and fortifications, establishing the Royal Palace, and the initial Basilica of St. Vitus was to be replaced by a vast gothic church that would take six centuries to build. The castle went uninhabited during the Hussite Wars up until the 15th century when King Vladislaus II Jagiellon began the process of rebuilding the castle. The 16th century would see more destruction as the result of a fire, but the Habsburgs would start building some of the Renaissance-style structures. The castle once again saw damage during the Bohemian Revolt following the Third Defenestration of Prague of 1618, leaving large areas of the castle in a poor state and many of its treasures looted by Swedes during the Battle of Prague, the final act of the Thirty Years' War. It would take until the latter part of the 18th century for major reconstruction to take place on the castle under the reign of Empress Maria Theresa. The castle would be established as a presidential home by 1918, and multiple renovations took place including at the New Royal Palace and gardens. During the Nazi occupation of World War II, the castle became the headquarters of high-ranking SS officer Reinhard Heydrich until his assassination. Following World War II the castle became the house of the communist Czechoslovak government until the Czechoslovakian split of 1993 when the castle would become the seat of the head of state as it has remained to this day.
It should go without saying, especially to those who visit Love Our Adventures, that I absolutely loved Prague Castle. Not only is it an awe-inspiring sprawling complex of palaces and historical buildings all dotted around a phenomenal Cathedral, but its beautiful green spaces and amazing views make this the perfect day out in its own regard. Then, if you're hungry for something more to do, you're in Prague! Beautiful buildings and amazing experiences are just a stone's throw away. If you find yourself in the city and in need of something to do then I would put Prague Castle at the top of your to-do list.
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