Prague on both banks of the Vltava

182 breweries · 70 venues

Prague, the Czech capital, spreads across both banks of the Vltava River, and its historic centre, made up of the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992. Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, it is a townscape of burgher houses, palaces and towers that has escaped large-scale demolition, and many of its finest monuments date from the 14th century and the reign of Charles IV.

Prague Castle was most likely founded around 880 by Prince Bořivoj of the Přemyslid dynasty, and it has been a symbol of the Czech state for more than a thousand years: first the seat of Bohemian princes and kings, and since 1918 the seat of the president. Inside its grounds you can see the Old Royal Palace, St Vitus Cathedral, St George's Basilica and Golden Lane, whose construction began under Emperor Rudolf II. Charles IV, who made the castle an imperial residence for the first time, also founded the university in 1348, one of the earliest in Europe, and it was in its milieu that the ideas of the Hussite movement, the first steps of the European Reformation, took shape. Other names linked with the city include Jan Hus, the architect Petr Parléř, Johannes Kepler, Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák and Václav Havel.

Below the castle, Charles Bridge replaced the Judith Bridge, badly damaged by floods in 1342. Charles IV laid its foundation stone on 9 July 1357 at 5:31 a.m., a date and time that read as a rising and falling row of numbers, and the bridge was finished in 1402; it took the name Charles Bridge only around 1870. Thirty statues and sculptural groups line it, the oldest being St John of Nepomuk from 1683. Across the river, the Old Town Hall was founded in 1338, and the astronomical clock on its tower, built by Mikuláš of Kadaň in or before 1410 and perfected by Master Hanuš at the end of the 15th century, still shows the twelve apostles every hour from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. In Letná Park, a giant metronome installed in 1991 stands where a huge monument to Stalin stood until it was blown up in 1962.

Prague's public transport covers metro lines A, B and C, trams, city buses, trolleybuses, ferries and the Petřín funicular, and within the city it all works as a single fare area. The metro runs roughly from 5 a.m. to midnight. Single tickets last 30 or 90 minutes with unlimited transfers, though they are not valid on the funicular or the airport express; 24-hour and 72-hour tickets also cover the funicular. Paper tickets must be validated once, on first use, and tickets bought in the official app are cheaper. From the airport, trolleybus 59 links to metro line A at Nádraží Veleslavín, bus 100 to line B at Zličín, and the AE airport express, which has its own fare, to the main railway station on line C.

Start the morning at the castle, whose grounds open early: the guard changes every hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a ceremonial change and fanfare in the first courtyard at noon. Spend the afternoon crossing Charles Bridge to the Old Town Square, timing your arrival for the apostles on the hour. In the evening, head up to the metronome for views over the Old Town, the river and its bridges, or look back at the castle, which is floodlit every day from dusk until midnight, and until 1 a.m. in the tourist season.

Beer runs deep here. The pilsner-style lager was born in the Czech lands, Czechs regard their beer culture as a living national treasure, and beer has been brewed at Břevnov Monastery since 993.

Prague is a world-class beer destination, so plan several days and pace yourself. With 182 breweries and 9 brewpubs where the beer is poured steps from the tanks, every neighbourhood seems to have its own brew. Add 15 craft beer bars for long evenings and 44 bottle shops for taking a few favourites home, and you will still leave with a list for next time.