Prague, Czech Republic: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic, known for its Gothic churches, Baroque palaces, historic squares and neighbourhoods shaped by centuries of religious and political life. The best things to do in Prague include exploring Prague Castle, walking through the Old Town and Malá Strana, and discovering the city’s churches, monasteries and museums. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Prague with 890 narrated places.

What to See in Prague

Prague’s landmarks are spread across several historic districts. These are some of the most important places to include in your visit.

Saint Vitus Cathedral

Saint Vitus Cathedral is the defining church of Prague Castle and the most important Roman Catholic church in the Czech Republic. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Prague and a major example of Gothic architecture.

A church dedicated to Saint Vitus stood on this site from the tenth century. Construction of the present three-aisled cathedral began in 1344, after the Prague diocese became an archdiocese. Work was interrupted by the Hussite Wars, and the western section was completed much later, after construction resumed in 1873. The cathedral was solemnly finished in 1929.

The building itself reveals this long history: the eastern section belongs to the medieval Gothic campaign, while the western section and its two-towered façade were completed centuries later. The cathedral is 124 metres long and 60 metres wide, while its Great South Tower rises to 96.6 metres.

Lobkowicz Palace

There are two palaces named Lobkowicz Palace in Prague’s historic centre, so their settings are important.

The Baroque palace in Malá Strana was designed by Giovanni Battista Alliprandi and is now home to the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Within the Prague Castle complex, another Lobkowicz Palace is the only privately owned building there. It houses the Lobkowicz Collections and Museum, displayed across twenty-two galleries.

The museum’s collection includes paintings, decorative art, military and hunting objects, musical instruments, original manuscripts and early printed works. The palace first opened to the public as the Lobkowicz Palace Museum on 2 April 2007.

Church of Our Lady before Týn

The Church of Our Lady before Týn, or Týn Church, rises above Old Town Square with its distinctive Gothic silhouette. Its two towers reach 80 metres, and each spire is crowned with eight smaller pinnacles arranged in two layers.

The church has served as the main church of this part of the Old Town since the fourteenth century. Construction continued from the middle of the fourteenth century into the first decades of the sixteenth. From the square, the façade appears partly concealed by surrounding buildings, including the Týn School, creating the impression that the church is emerging from the Old Town.

Malá Strana Square and Smiřický Palace

Malá Strana Square brings together several historic buildings, including Smiřický Palace, also known as U Montágů. The palace forms part of the complex used by the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament.

Originally Renaissance, it was later rebuilt in the Baroque style. Four wings surround a central courtyard, with polygonal turrets marking the corners. The palace contains offices, while meetings of the Chamber of Deputies take place in the nearby Thun Palace. Smiřický Palace is protected as a cultural monument and, as part of the Parliament complex, as a national cultural monument.

Church of Our Lady of the Snows and the Franciscan Monastery

Close to Wenceslas Square, the Church of Our Lady of the Snows is an impressive fragment of an unfinished project. Founded in 1347 on the initiative of the future Emperor Charles IV, it was intended to serve as a coronation church and rival Saint Vitus Cathedral in size.

Construction stopped during the Hussite Wars, leaving only part of the original plan. Even so, the surviving vault rises to about 34 metres. The complex includes the presbytery and cloister, while the interior contains The Annunciation to Mary, painted in 1724 by Václav Vavřinec Reiner.

The Franciscan Monastery beside the church preserves another important part of the site’s history. Its origins go back to a fourteenth-century Carmelite monastery.

St. Giles’ Church

St. Giles’ Church in the Old Town is closely connected with the adjacent Dominican monastery. Its architecture brings together Romanesque foundations, a Gothic church and later Baroque changes.

The church was rebuilt several times between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries and consecrated on 4 May 1371. In 1625, it was donated to the Dominican order, which has continued to serve the church and monastery. The later Baroque remodelling gives the three-aisled building its present monumental character.

Kounický Palace

Kounický Palace, also called Kaunický Palace, stands on Mostecká Street in Malá Strana. This Baroque building is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

It is also known by historic names including At the Golden Spur, At the Silver Fox and At the Silver Pike. Its position on one of Malá Strana’s historic streets makes it a useful landmark when exploring the district’s palaces.

Břevnov Monastery

Břevnov Monastery is a Benedictine monastery in Prague’s Břevnov district. According to tradition, it was founded in 993 by Bohemian Duke Boleslaus the Second and Saint Adalbert, Bishop of Prague. It was the first male Benedictine monastery in Bohemia.

The complex includes the Basilica of Saint Margaret, monastic buildings, the prelate’s residence and a monastery garden. The surviving structures date from the eighteenth century and are Baroque in style. In 1993, on its thousandth anniversary, Pope John Paul the Second elevated the abbey to an archabbey.

Žofín Palace

Žofín Palace stands on Slavonic Island in the Vltava River. This Neo-Renaissance cultural centre dates from 1885 and hosts concerts, balls, conferences and exhibitions.

The island is also known as Žofín, a name associated with Archduchess Sophie. Both the palace and its setting add a cultural and architectural dimension to Prague beyond the medieval centre.

Spanish Synagogue and Robert Guttmann Gallery

The Spanish Synagogue is one of the most distinctive buildings in Josefov. Its Moorish Revival design, created by Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann, gives it a character unlike the surrounding historic buildings. Completed in 1868, it is the youngest synagogue in Josefov and stands on the site of the Old School, or Altschul.

The building is administered by the Jewish Museum in Prague. Beside it, the Robert Guttmann Gallery occupies a former Jewish hospital building added to the synagogue complex in 1935. The gallery opened in 2001 and was named after Robert Guttmann, a Jewish naïve artist and committed Zionist.

St Thomas’ Church

St Thomas’ Church is an Augustinian church in Malá Strana, near Saint Nicholas’ Church and Prague Castle. The Augustinian monastery complex was founded by Wenceslaus II in 1285, with construction continuing until 1379.

The original church was Gothic, but it was damaged during the Hussite Wars and struck by lightning in 1723. K. I. Dientzenhofer led its reconstruction between 1727 and 1731, creating the Baroque-Gothic building seen today. Inside, ceiling frescoes in the nave and dome were created by Václav Vavřinec Reiner.

Strahov Monastery and the Basilica of the Assumption

Strahov Monastery contains the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, a Baroque church founded in 1140 by members of the Premonstratensian order. Its earliest form was a Romanesque-Gothic canonical church before later rebuilding gave it its present Baroque character.

The monastery complex offers an opportunity to explore Prague’s religious history through its buildings, church and setting.

Church of the Holy Saviour

The Church of the Holy Saviour, or Saint Salvator, is a Protestant church in Prague’s Old Town, close to Old Town Square. It stands among Salvátorská, Kostečná and Dušní streets and is protected as a cultural monument.

Its location makes it a natural stop when walking between the Old Town and Josefov, especially alongside the city’s synagogues, churches and historic streets.

Explore Prague with a Self-Guided Audio Guide

A Prague self-guided walking tour lets you explore without joining a group or following a fixed timetable. Neywo’s Prague audio guide includes 7 walking tours, 1 bus route and 1 bike route, with narration available in 11 languages.

The walks range from 0.99 km and 87 minutes to 3.98 km and 115 minutes, with between 9 and 12 narrated stops. They cover Old Town Square, Josefov, Malá Strana, Prague Castle and Hradčany, Charles Bridge and the Klementinum, Wenceslas Square and Charles Square, and Vyšehrad.

The bus route covers 3.5 km in 15 minutes with 12 stops, travelling from Josefov to Malá Strana. The bike route follows the Vltava bridges for 4.3 km in 22 minutes and includes 8 stops.

Download Neywo and explore Prague at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, with no group and no schedule.