Prague on Foot

Prague on foot is the best way to get around the compact city centre because most sights are within easy walking distance of each other. If your hotel is in the Old Town, the New Town or the Mala Strana district, you may not need public transport at all. Prague is a safe city to get around on foot. There are no run-down or dangerous areas in the city centre that should be avoided.
Most of Prague’s historic centre is pedestrian-only and simply made for walking. However, if you want to cross the city quickly or want to visit attractions away from the centre such as Vysehrad or Troja Castle, hop on a tram or take the metro.

Prague on Foot: 5 self-guided city walks off the beaten track

1. City walk Jewish district
2. City walk from the National Theatre to Old Town Square
3. City walk from Charles Bridge to Strahov Monastery
4. City walk along Nerudova Street
5. City walk Baba neighbourhood and functionalist architecture
6. Rural walk deer moat and nature trail

1. Jewish district walk
The Jewish district, Josefov, is located between the Vltava River and Old Town Square and bisected by Parizska, a tree-lined avenue lined with top end shops like Dior, Burberry, Prada and Gucci. Highlights in Josefov are: the Jewish town hall, six synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery. Walking direction for the Josefov walk

2. Self-guided walk from the National Theatre to Old Town Square
This walk takes you to Kampa Island, almost French in character, where the main square is lined with outdoor cafes. Include a visit to Kampa museum with 20th century art and have a look at the giant babies next to the museum, similar ones climb up Zizkov Television Tower. These sculptures are made by David Cerny who is also famous for the upside down horse dangling from the ceiling in the Lucerna Passage in Prague centre. Via Charles Bridge and Karlova Street you will get to Old Town Square. Walking directions for this city walk

3. Self-guided walk from Charles Bridge to Strahov Monastry
This walk goes uphill but is not too strenuous. Sights on the way are Charles Bridge, Mala Strana Bridge Tower, St Nicholas Church, house signs in Mostecka, Nerudova and Uvoz streets. At the end of the walk is the Miniature Museum where you can see a flea with horseshoes and the smallest book in the world with thirty pages and yet only 0,9×0,9 mm. Walking directions for this walk

4. Walking along Nerudova Street
Nerudova Street is lined with Baroque mansions and palaces. This is the street with the most house signs that often tell about the people who lived in the houses. ‘At the Golden Chalice’ where once a goldsmith lived or ‘In the White Turnip’ whose former owner grew vegetables. Many house sign refer to alchemy, a science that was popular at the time Nerudova-street was constructed. The walk starts at the bottom end of Nerudova Street and ends in Uvoz Street. Find here the description of most of the house signs

5. Walking in the Baba neighbourhood
The Baba neighbourhood comprises 32 villas in functionalist style. None can be visited but all can be seen when walking through the three parallel streets. At na Babe-Street 9 in the garden next to the house stands a remarkable sculpture named ‘sputnik’, it is a children’s climbing frame. Baba was built as a model housing estate. The original plan was to build identical houses but this was abandoned. The result is that each villa is unique. Walking direction for the Baba walk

6. Rural walk in the centre of Prague
The deer moat trail is a one-kilometer walk through a natural gorge just south of Prague Castle. Sights en route are bear cages and the bear keeper’s lodge, a brick tunnel and grassland bordered by trees. This is a pleasant walk and seems far away from crowd, but is in fact close to Prague Castle. Walking direction Deer Moat.

Prague on foot

One of the best ways to see the sights of Prague is on foot. Finding your way around Prague is easy because brown-coloured street signs point to the most important sights and streets in the Mala Strana, the Old and New Town districts.

Prague is very pedestrian-friendly, but walking shoes are a must. Only if you wear sturdy shoes, can you explore the city at leisure. Do not wear high heels. Most of Prague’s streets are paved with cobble stones, true heel pincer!

Trams criss-cross the centre. Whereas cars stop at pedestrian crossings, trams do not. They always have right of way and run in two directions. Take good care when crossing the tracks as they usually travel at high speed.