Prague’s heart is a layered cake of history : its oldest buildings have double cellars, owing to a flood-prevention programme that buried the original streets 3 m (10 ft) beneath those existing today; architecturally, it embraces every epoch from Romanesque to the Brutalist style of the Kotva department store. Historically, the burghers of the Old Town (Staré Město ) were ill at ease with the castle, and vice versa, the town being a bastion of Protestant feistiness, and Old Town is still livelier than Hradčany – its cafés, clubs, restaurants and theatres keep the district buzzing around the clock.
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Morning
After breakfast at the Municipal House café, take a guided tour of the building, then go and climb the Powder Gate for the views next door before the caffeine wears off.
Wander down Celetná, ducking through the arcade to Štupartská and the Church of St James. If you have at least 45 minutes before the top of the hour, tour the Old Town Hall and watch the Apostles’ show on the Astronomical Clock from backstage (see Old Town Hall Features). Otherwise, shop in the Ungelt and join the crowd below the clock outside, to see the spectacle.
For lunch, backtrack to the Radegast pub for a warming plate of their famed goulash.
Afternoon
Circumnavigate Old Town Square before entering the meandering turns of Karlova and wandering leisurely past the area’s old buildings to Bethlehem Square. Have a tour of the lovely Bethlehem Chapel, then find your way back to Karlova to visit the Clementinum.
Alternately, if you’re now a little on the tired side, have a coffee at Café Montmartre before freshening up for dinner. If you’re heading to the theatre or a concert, curtains go up around 7:30pm, so it is sensible to dine afterwards.
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This antiques shop specializes in books, manuscripts and prints that look like they could have been used by 17th-century astronomer Johannes Kepler when he lived next door. Collectors will want to have their credit cards handy.
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A gorgeous view of the castle rising above Charles Bridge, and formal, Continental dining.
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The 15th-century Catholic reformer Jan Hus preached in the reconstructed chapel on the square’s north side. The original church was converted into apartments in the 18th century but had a loving restoration to its former state in the 1950s.
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A dazzlingly different kind of glass shop. Modern, fun designs in bowls and other knick-knacks, as well as T-shirts and other tourist fare.
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If you’re not already staying at the Hotel Paříž, you may be tempted to take a room just so you can have your morning coffee in this Jugendstil café. Superior service.
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The Communist secret police had their headquarters across the way. Ponder how times change over a pot of tea.
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The most civilized way to watch the Old Town Hall’s clock go through its hourly paces is from here, cappuccino in hand.
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Prague was introduced to the tango here, and the back rooms hosted cabaret during the First Republic. It still offers a good time.
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Dressed to the nines in Art Nouveau splendour, the Municipal House café glitters as a grand piano tinkles in the background. Stop in for breakfast.
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Restaurant price categories
For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
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