Prague is a city best read like a story, and this route follows the old Royal Way from the edge of the old town, across the river on its famous bridge, and up the hill to the castle that crowns it all. It is the classic line through the city, and it makes a fine choice among self-guided walking tours because every stop leads naturally to the next. The walk runs about three and a half kilometers and finishes with a climb, so it saves its effort for the end and rewards you with the best view in Prague.

Before you set off

Give yourself around two hours at a steady stroll, plus time to wander the castle grounds up top. The one real effort is the climb from the river up to the castle at the end, so keep a little in reserve. Charles Bridge is busiest in the middle of the day, so an early start gives you the statues with room to breathe. Cobblestones cover the whole route, so wear shoes that can take it, and bring a layer, because the shaded lanes and the bridge over the water stay cool. Prague is a city of layers, gothic under baroque under modern, so keep glancing up above the shopfronts where the older facades survive. If the climb to the castle at the end is too much on the day, a tram runs up the hill from near the river, and you can ride the last stretch without missing the view. Then let the old road carry you westward.

The Powder Tower

Begin at the Powder Tower, the dark gothic gate tower that once marked the edge of the old town. This was the start of the Royal Way, the coronation route kings followed to the castle, so it is the honest place to begin your own version. The stone is nearly black with age and thick with carved detail, and you can climb it for a view down the route you are about to walk. Beside it stands a grand ornate hall that makes a striking contrast in style. Stand under the arch and look west down the street, the same line the processions took. Then follow that street as it bends and narrows toward the great square at the heart of the old town.

Old Town Square

The Old Town Square opens suddenly, a wide space ringed by pastel facades and pierced by the twin black spires of the Tyn Church. The crowd usually gathers on one side, in front of the old town hall, waiting for the astronomical clock to strike the hour and send its little procession of figures around. Time your arrival for the top of an hour if you can, then step back and look at the whole square once the show is done. This is the social heart of the old town, busy and grand and a little theatrical. Walk a slow circle to take in the church, the clock, and the monument in the middle. When you are ready, slip out of the square on the narrow lane that heads toward the river.

Karlova Street

Prague old town square astronomical clock Karlova is the winding lane that threads from the square down to the bridge, and it has carried travelers along the Royal Way for centuries. It twists so much that you cannot see far ahead, which keeps you guessing and pulls you along. The shopfronts are touristy now, but look above them at the old house signs and carved details, and duck into a courtyard or two along the way. The lane is short and it builds anticipation, the buildings closing in until you catch the first glimpse of the tower that guards the bridge. Keep following the flow of people, because everyone here is heading the same way. The street delivers you under a great gothic gate tower and out onto the river.