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For almost all visitors to Prague, this spectacular Gothic bridge, crossing the Vltava from the Old Town to the castle complex, remains their most memorable image of the city, long after they have returned home.

A more than welcome respite from the tiny, generally crowded streets in the city below is Prague’s sprawling park, looking down over spires and rooftops. Enjoy the views all the way up the hill by taking the funicular train.

The 19th-century Czech writer and poet Jan Neruda (1834–91) lived in the “House of the Two Suns”, at the top of the street that now bears his name. Lined with former palaces, Nerudova leads uphill from Malostranské náměstí, its many winding side streets leading visitors up to Prague Castle. Traditionally an artists’ quarter, the street is worth exploring for its many craft shops and galleries. It is also home to one of the most concentrated collections of historic house signs in the city (see House Signs).

Prague hippies and the secret police once waged a long-running paint battle here, as the latter constantly tried to eradicate the graffiti artists’ work. The original artwork, created by a Mexican student after Lennon’s assassination, has been painted over many times (see Czech Hippies Painted the John Lennon Wall), but the so-called John Lennon Peace Club still gathers annually at this self-made shrine to sing the former Beatle’s songs and praises.

The hectic traffic that now detracts from the beauty of Malá Strana’s main square seems historically fitting – in the past it has been witness to innumerable destructive fires, revolutions, including the 1618 defenestration (see Prague’s Third Defenestration), and executions during the days when a gallows stood here. St Nicholas’s Church and the adjoining Jesuit college dominate the centre of the square, while lovely Neo-Classical palace arcades and restaurants line the perimeter. One of the most important buildings is the Směmovna palace, once the headquarters of the National Assembly, and now home to the Chamber of Deputies.

Jesuits constructed this stunning example of Baroque architecture in the early 18th century, on the site of a former Gothic church. It was designed by the acclaimed Baroque architects, father and son Christoph and Kilian Dientzenhofer, while other prominent artists adorned the interior with exquisite carvings, statues and frescoes. Visitors can see examples of the interior’s painstaking reconstruction which took place in the 1950s, and enjoy spectacular views from the clock tower (see Church of St Nicholas).

The tiny Čertovka (Devil’s Canal) that separates Kampa from Malá Strana was once the town’s “laundry”, milling area and, in the 17th century, home to a thriving pottery industry. A popular park now covers the island’s southern end (see Kampa Island) while the northern half is home to elegant embassies, restaurants and hotels. Much of the island was submerged during the 2002 flooding and many buildings had to be repaired.

The Knights of Malta once had an autonomous settlement here, and the square still bears their name. The area is dominated by beautiful Baroque palaces, and the 12th-century Church of Our Lady Below the Chain – so called for the Marian portrait inside that hangs beneath chains from the Judith Bridge, the precursor to Charles Bridge.

More popularly known as the Church of the Infant Jesus of Prague, Prague’s first Baroque church (1611) got its name – and its Catholic outlook – after the Battle of White Mountain. Visitors stream in to the church to see the miracle-working statue of the Christ Child.

Malá Strana has many green pockets, but Vojan’s gardens top them all for their romantic charm. Tulip beds, flowering fruit trees and the occasional peacock add to the fairytale atmosphere (see Vojanovy Sady).