If your visiting Prague, stopping by the Old Town area is a must. This area is where you can find the Charles Bridge, Churches, the market, and the Astronomical Clock! It has been around since the 10th century and is still as active as ever and has a lot to offer.
As usual we used the Rick Steve’s Prague book and did the self guided Old Town walk, we did shorten it a bit to get to the Eating Prague food tour but seen the rest later on as we walked back to our B&B.
The Astronomical clock is a popular attraction in the area. You can watch the glockenspiel show at the top of the hour each day. It was a little underwhelming but we can say that we saw it. It’s also possible to purchase tickets to go to the top of the clock tower for great views of the city, best on a clear day, or to see the clock in action behind the scenes.
We chose to visit the top of the tower to get an overlook of the city area, it was a bit foggy that day but it just adds to the character 😉 It was 250 CZK ($10) for our family of 4.
If you walk up or down you can read signs with info about the clock and see photos of the damage, signs are in English as well. We walked up and then took the elevator back down.
Then we went to see Tyn Church, which I’ve heard reminds people of something out of a Harry Potter film, and I can see why. You can visit it for donations only, and photos are not allowed in the church. There is also a restroom located here in the alley just before the church.
We went in Nov so they were setting up for the Christmas Market that started on Saturday. We did visit it but it wasn’t anything that was super impressive, it was actually a bit underwhelming but we can say that we’ve done it. It was neat that the Christmas Market was overlooked by Tyn Church. More info/photos in an upcoming post.
You can also find Choco Cafe in the Old Town area, which I highly recommend stopping at for a tasty treat.
When leaving the Old Town area you can use the Charles Bridge to get you over to Little Quarter and up to Castle Quarter as well. Towers on each end are able to be climbed, but only worth it on a clear day.
Old town is a neat, quaint little city center that is still lively after all these many years. Walking through you can feel the history as you see all the fantastic buildings and cobblestone walkways.
Know Before You Go
What: Old Town – Prague, Czech Republic
How To Get There: 5 min walk from Charles Bridge area, it was a 10 min walk from our B&B, you can also take a taxi or use the tram if you don’t want to walk.
Parking: We parked at our hotel for the several days there and walked everywhere, this city is accessible by walking and everyone is fairly close!
Cost: Free to walk around. Fees if you want to climb the clock tower or see behind the scenes, or climb the Charles Bridge tower. Donations for the churches.
Traveling with little kids: Strollers are ok here in the main areas, may be tight trying to go into the church, etc.
How long: Plan on at least 1 hour to walk around the area, more if you plan to visit each of the sites.
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