15 Unique Things to Do in Prague (Updated 2023)

Posted: 2/13/2023 | February 13th, 2023

Prague is considered one of Europe’s hottest cities. Owing to its gorgeous medieval structure, it has developed a status as one of many continent’s must-see locations.

Unfortunately, its reputation means it will get packed through the summer time. In 2019, almost seven million vacationers descended on Prague, a metropolis of simply 1.three million individuals!!!! And the crowds have now returned post-COVID.

But, whereas Prague could also be battling overtourism, the town has rather a lot to provide intrepid (and repeat) guests who need to see one thing apart from the identical outdated highlights.

For instance, do you know that a couple of hundred years in the past, a gaggle of Czech architects determined to apply Picasso’s Cubist fashion to structure and that scattered round Prague is a small handful of Cubist buildings, together with a Cubist café?

Or that there are continually revolving, doorless elevators in Prague that you’ve to hop in and out of?

To provide help to deepen your go to and get off the crushed path, right here is my checklist of the perfect distinctive issues to do in Prague to provide help to see one thing totally different:
 

1. St. Jacob the Greater Church

The Church of St. Jacob the Greater will get neglected as a result of it sits in the shadow of Týn Cathedral on Old Town Square. But, for the curious who do enterprise inside this 13th-century basilica, should you search for simply inside the doorway, you’ll see an object hanging from a sequence.

It’s a withered hand on a meat hook.

As the story goes, a thief tried to steal some priceless jewels from a statue of the Virgin Mary on the altar. As he laid his hand on the jewels, the statue reached out and grabbed him. And it might not let go.

Some parishioners — lots of whom belonged to the Prague Butchers’ Guild — amputated the hand of the thief and Mary instantly dropped it. As a lesson (and warning) to potential future thieves, they hung the hand up in the church and, a number of centuries later, it’s nonetheless there.

If you’re taking a ghost strolling tour of Prague, you’ll cease right here to hear all about this grizzly story.

Malá Štupartská 635. Open Tuesday-Sunday 9:30am-4pm. Admission is free.

2. Charles Square

One of the most important squares in Europe, Charles Square sits in New Town (Nové Mesto). It was initially a cattle market the place in addition they offered fish, wheat, and charcoal. And, for one week a 12 months, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who made Prague the capital of the empire throughout his 14th-century reign, held an annual relics present right here (relics have been spiritual objects of essential significance). Now, it’s a ravishing sq. few individuals go to however is a superb place to people-watch.

three. Bethlehem Chapel

Located on a nice and intimate sq. in Old Town (Staré Mesto), this was the place a person named Jan Hus preached to parishioners in the early 15th century — in Czech, not in Latin as was required on the time. This was thought-about radical. Hus was one of the vital charismatic preachers in Prague. He attacked the pomp and circumstance of the church and papacy, which he stated was designed to exclude commoners.

Be certain to observe the simplicity and lack of icons. The structure was very a lot in line with Hus’s philosophy of how one ought to worship God.

Betlémské nám., bethlehemchapel.eu. Open day by day 9am-6:30pm. Admission is free.

four. Vítkov Hill

Hike up to this hill east of Old Town and also you’ll be rewarded with a wonderful view. But there’s another excuse to go to: it’s topped by the world’s largest equestrian statue. The man on the horse is one-eyed General Jan Žižka. After the pope had Jan Hus (talked about above) burned on the stake in 1415, individuals like Žižka took up his trigger. He fashioned a military, and shortly sufficient, warrior-crusaders representing the Pope have been marching into Bohemia (the western half of in the present day’s Czech Republic) to attempt to quash his reform-minded insurrection. About a thousand of Žižka’s males defeated a military of Catholic crusaders — some say there have been 20,000 of them. The Hussites, as they known as themselves, have been finally defeated by the Catholics, however Žižka’s spirit stays on Vítkov Hill.

Prague is second solely to New Orleans in having the very best variety of pubs per capita, and Žižkov has about 300 of them, the very best density in Prague. Do your self a favor and go on a pub crawl right here.

5. Infant of Prague

If you’re a fan of spiritual historical past, one spiritual oddity price searching for out in Prague is a child doll on show contained in the 16th-century Church of Our Lady Victorious in the Malá Strana neighborhood. The Infant of Prague (typically referred to in Italian as Il Bambino di Praga) was introduced to the town by King Ferdinand in 1628.

Rampaging Swedish troopers — who went on a wild frenzy in Prague in the 1630s — threw the doll in a pile of trash and it was misplaced. That is, till seven years later, when a priest was milling concerning the mountain of trash and heard a voice saying, “Psst. Psst. Have pity on me, and I will have pity on you. The more you honor me, the more I will bless you.” Ever since, the Infant has been again in its chapel in Our Lady Victorious.

Today there’s a cult of worship of the Infant of Prague in Catholic communities all around the world. In Ireland, for instance, it’s notably auspicious for a soon-to-be bride to be given a miniature reproduction of the doll.

Karmelitská 9, pragjesu.cz. Open Monday-Saturday 9:30am-5:30am, Sunday 1pm-6pm. Admission is free.

6. Paternoster Elevator

Nicknamed “the Elevator of Death,” the Paternoster is a sort of carry that doesn’t have a door — and it doesn’t cease at flooring. There are a handful of them round city however the one that’s most simply accessible is in Prague City Hall in Old Town.

Head by way of the entrance doorways and stroll the lengthy hallway to the again of the constructing. There you’ll discover the slow-moving carry. Jump in (fastidiously) and benefit from the experience. If you don’t get off on the highest flooring, don’t have any concern: the elevator merely revolves in a loop, and shortly sufficient you’ll be going again down.

Prague New City Hall, Mariánské nám. 2, praha.eu/jnp. Open Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. Admission is free.

7. Petrín Tower

In 1889, a gaggle from the Club of Czech Tourists went to Paris to see the World Exposition. They have been awestruck by the brand new Eiffel Tower so the impressed Czechs went again house and raised sufficient cash to erect the same tower on Petrín Hill, close to the middle of Prague.

Petrín Tower isn’t precisely a duplicate of the Eiffel Tower, however you’ll be able to simply acknowledge that the tower was closely impressed by the Eiffel Tower. Visitors in the present day can trudge up the 299 stairs to get a surprising view of Prague.

Petrínské sady 633. Open day by day 10am-8pm. Admission is 150 CZK.

eight. Alternative Prague Walking Tour

I really like strolling excursions. They cowl a number of floor and might get you off the vacationer path with the assistance of an professional native information. This Alternative Prague strolling tour will introduce you to among the metropolis’s finest avenue artwork and illuminate what occurred through the Velvet Revolution in 1989. You’ll additionally go to a steampunk underground membership, discover hidden cafes, see secret group theaters, and even study an underground crypto-anarchist hacker institute!

If you need to get a style of the varied distinctive communities and artists on the margins of Prague, this tour shouldn’t be missed.

Tours final three hours and value 623 CZK per individual. You can e-book your tour right here.

9. Cubist Architecture

Between 1911 and 1914, a small group of Czech architects determined to see what it might be like in the event that they utilized Cubism — often discovered in work, similar to in the early-20th-century work of Picasso — to structure. And so up went a couple of buildings which can be stunning, odd, and placing. You can stroll across the Vyšehrad neighborhood, about two miles south of Old Town, and discover a few of these buildings.

One different centrally situated Cubist web site it is best to hunt down is on Jungmannovo námestí (Jungmann Square), simply off the underside of Václavské námestí (Wenceslas Square). It’s not solely essentially the most stunning Cubist lamppost in the world — it’s the solely Cubist lamppost in the world.

To be taught extra concerning the Cubist fashion, you’ll be able to take the Art Nouveau and Cubist Architecture strolling tour. It’s three hours and covers all the primary highlights.

Ovocný trh 19, grandcafeorient.cz. Open day by day 8am-10pm. Admission is free.

10. St. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral

On October 28, 1941, two Czech paratroopers who had been dwelling in exile in Great Britain covertly parachuted into Prague underneath the quilt of evening. Their purpose was to assassinate high Nazi official and head of the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia Reinhard Heydrich. The secret mission was known as Operation Anthropoid.

On May 27, 1942, Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubiš ambushed Heydrich’s automobile, spraying Heydrich with a bathe of bullets. Heydrich died a couple of days later, the one high Nazi official to be assassinated.

After that, the Nazis needed vengeance, so that they went on a manhunt round Prague. The paratroopers went into hiding in the crypt of the medieval-era Cathedral of St. Cyril and Methodius for 3 weeks. Unfortunately, somebody snitched on them, and shortly sufficient, the Germans had the church surrounded. But as soon as they lastly broke into the crypt, they discovered Gabcik and Kubiš lifeless from self-inflicted bullet wounds.

You can go to this church in the present day and nonetheless see the Nazi bullet holes in the outside partitions. You also can take a World War II strolling tour that covers this story — and far more round Prague.

Resslova 9a, katedrala.information. Open Tuesday-Saturday 8am-5pm, Sunday 8am-2pm. Admission is free.

11. Prague Metronome

If you’re crossing the Charles Bridge and look to the north up the Vltava River towards Letná Park, you’ll be able to see an enormous metronome. As odd as it’s, it’s not as bizarre as among the different issues which have been in that spot. For instance, in 1955, Communist authorities erected the world’s largest statue of Josef Stalin.

Stalin fell out of favor a couple of years later, and in 1962 the monument was blown up. In 1991, Prague erected the 75-foot functioning metronome in the identical place. Its designer, Czech sculptor Vratislav Karel Novák, envisioned the monument as representing “the relentless passing of time.” A plaque on the base of the construction reads, “In time, all things pass.”

If you go to the metronome in the warm-weather months in the present day, there’s an out of doors bar promoting beer and cocktails, generally a DJ is spinning tunes, and there’s all the time a gaggle of skaters hanging round.

Letná Park. Open 24 hours. Admission is free.

12. Day Trip to Bohemian Paradise Geopark

Bohemian Paradise Geopark is a UNESCO-listed panorama and residential to gorgeous geological formations which can be tens of millions of years outdated. The deep pine forests and rocky panorama have been in style with painters and artists for hundreds of years. There are additionally a handful of historic lodges and different buildings right here too, some that date to the Middle Ages.

Just one hour away from Prague by automobile, day trippers can go to the park to take in the gorgeous panorama, hike, see native folks villages, and benefit from the surroundings away from the crowds of the town.

Tours from Prague usually final eight hours and embody visits to native artisan outlets in addition to lunch in a small native restaurant in the park.

Day excursions from Prague price round four,000 CZK. You can e-book your tour right here.

13. Žižkov TV Tower

This 700-foot tower was erected in the latter half of the 1980s, and there have been rumors that the Communists constructed it to block out radio transmissions from the West. Locals have hated the construction since day one.

It wasn’t till Prague allowed well-known Czech artist David Cerny to set up ten large crawling black infants on the shaft of the construction that public opinion started to soften a bit. It’s price getting an up-close take a look at it. You also can get an incredible vista of Prague should you take the elevator up to the viewing platform.

Mahlerovy sady 1, towerpark.cz. Open day by day 8am-midnight. Admission is 300 CZK and you may get your ticket right here.

14. Sapa Praha

Prague has a big Vietnamese group. That’s as a result of, through the 41-year Communist interval, the Czechs took in a number of visiting Vietnamese change college students (Vietnam was additionally a Communist nation). That implies that there are a plethora of (nice) Vietnamese eating places in Prague.

If you need to dive in, the perfect place is known as Sapa, also called “Little Hanoi.” Even Anthony Bourdain made a degree to go to this massive market complicated when he filmed a TV episode in Prague. It has a number of low cost items on the market, however the true cause to come right here is to eat at one of many glorious northern Vietnamese eating places.

Libušská 319/126, sapa-praha.cz. Open day by day 8am-6pm. Admission is free.

15. Franz Kafka statue

Around the flip of the final century, the Prague-based Kafka Society held a contest for a brand new statue of Franz Kafka that might be erected in the middle of Prague (Kafka was born in Prague and was a significant contributor to 20th-century literature). Many of the entries have been related, that includes the German-speaking Jewish author standing on a pedestal. But Czech artist Jaroslava Rona did one thing extra artistic together with his entry: he had Kafka sitting on the shoulders of a headless man sporting a go well with, an allusion to his quick story “Description of a Struggle.”

Not solely did Rona’s surrealist sculpture win the competitors, however the Kafka Society’s annual prize to writers can be a small model of the statue. You can see the unique on show in the Jewish Quarter, the place Dušni and Vezenská Streets meet.

Vezenská and Dušni Streets. Open 24 hours. Admission is free.

***

Prague is a magical vacation spot price taking the time to discover. While the primary highlights are spectacular, to me, the town really comes to life when you get off the vacationer path and expertise Prague’s much less visited, extra obscure sights.

Even should you go to in the hectic summer time months, you’ll discover far fewer crowds at Prague’s offbeat sights, making certain a extra stress-free (and extra genuine) go to.