Prague tourist trail

• Essentials
  • Overview
  • Basics
  • Getting there
  • Getting around
• City sights
  • Top sights
  • Tourist trail
  • Offbeat sights
  • Nearby trips
• Things to do
  • Eating out
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• Planning
  • When to go
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Tourist trail

There's much else to see in Prague besides visiting the Castle, the New Town and the Charles Bridge.

While Wenceslas Square may slightly disappoint there's much else to enjoy in, for example, Mala Strana.

You can even imagine you're out in the Czech countryside when wandering over hilly Petrin Park.

Prague Mala Strana

Just across the Charles Bridge from the Old Town is Mala Strana on the Vltava's left bank, a delightful area of parks, winding streets, churches and many cosy cafes and restaurants.

The city's largest green space, the hilly Petrin Park rises above Mala Strana. Topped with a very poor man's replica of the Eiffel Tower (Eiffelovka), the park can be reached by a funicular, built in 1891. There's plenty of woodland, orchards and parkland to wander in relative peace. The views of Hradcany, the castle and cathedral spires, are a delight and the park is in striking contrast to the bustling city below.

Attractions include the Strahov Monastery; a labyrinth of distorting mirrors in the Mirror Maze; the impressive rose gardens; the onion-domed church of St Laurence and an old wooden Ukrainian church. Struggle up the 299 steps of the Eiffelovka Observation Tower for even wider views.

Prague Wenceslas Square

Neither a square nor very attractive, Wenceslas Square in not what you expect, given its fame and the architectural gems everywhere else in Prague.

It's less Gothic and more McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts. Its main claim to fame is as the scene of historic gatherings, notably to celebrate the overthrow of Soviet communism.

A memorial to the Czech hero Jan Palach, who set himself alight in 1969 in protest at the suppression of the 'Prague Spring', is in front of the National Museum at the southern end of the broad boulevard. Nearby is an imposing equestrian statue of St Wenceslas.

Look beyond the fast-food frontages and you spot some fine buildings such as the Art Nouveau Hotel Europa and the huge Palac Lucerna, now a shopping mall.

Prague Jewish Cemetery

An estimated 200,000 are buried in the crumbling Old Jewish cemetery. The last burials were in 1787. The oldest grave, that of the poet Avigdor Kara, dates from 1389. Space was so restricted in the Jewish ghetto, now the Josefof area, that the dead were buried in layers.

You can get a fine view of the cemetery from the windows of the Museum of Decorative Arts which has exhibitions of crystal, porcelain, fashion and carving.

The oldest synagogue in Europe is next to the cemetery. To the east of the Josefof area is St Agnes' Convent, part of the National Gallery with displays of 14th century art.

Prague Loreto

A baroque Loreto is a replica of the Italian Santa Casa in the Marché - the site in Italy where Mary's house in Nazareth is said to have been transported by angels. While the tale may stretch faith to its limits, Prague's Loreto is said to be the best of many imitations.

The local area, between Petrin Hill and the western entrance to the Castle area, is well worth exploring with its quaint lanes and stylish residential streets.

• Apartments Prague- Many Prague apartments with a high standard of comfort - good special deals
• Private-Prague-Guide.com- Private guided tours in Prague and the Czech Republic.
• Czech Tourist Office- Visit a country of famous composers and create a symphony for the senses