Licensed
Guide of Prague
Václav Štorek



Walks of Prague

1. Grand Tour

Old Town Hall


Do you have just a limited time for a visit to Prague? In this case the Grand Tour is ideal for you because it covers all the essential sights, legends and history of Prague. We will explore 4 historical districts. We will start in Hradčany (the Castle District) and the Prague Castle, after that we will follow the Royal Route through the Little Quarter across the Charles Bridge up to the Old Town. You will get briefly acquainted with the Jewish Town and we will finish our tour on a long boulevard called the Wenceslas Square which is a centre of the New Town.
Duration approx. 4 hrs
NB: If we start the tour at your hotel, the route will be modified accordingly.




2. Two Days in Prague

Old Town Bridge Tower
The most frequent and popular programme for both groups and individuals. The first day will be dedicated to the left bank of the river Vltava, it means to the most important monuments of the Castle District and the Little Quarter: the Strahov Monastery, a place of pilgrimage called Loretto, the Prague Castle - a seat of Czech Presidents with the Cathedral of St. Vitus and an area bellow the Castle including the Baroque church of St. Nicholas. The following day we will go across the Charles Bridge and we will spend rest of the time on the right bank of the Vltava, which means in the Old, New and in case of your interest also in the Jewish Towns. Among the highlights there are the Old Town Hall with the Astronomical Clock, Carolinum (Charles University), the Estates Theatre and the Wenceslas Square.
Each tour takes 4 hrs

3. Prague Castle

Cathedral of St. Vitus The Prague Castle is the most important monument in the Czech Republic because since the beginning it has been a seat of Czech princes, later kings and nowadays presidents. Its area is huge and it can be decribed as a city within a city. One of the highlights of the Castle is the St. Vitus´Cathedral which is a breathtaking treasury of art. First of all the stained glass windows inside are unforgettable. Of course, you will not miss the one designed by the famous Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha. Do you know what will follow when a clapper of the biggest Bohemia´s bell breaks? Do you know where the main patron saint of the Czech nation St. Wenceslas rests? A relaxing part of the tour is a walk in the Castle gardens or it can be a short break in numerous cafes.
Duration approx. 3 hrs
N.B. On Sunday morning the cathedral is closed for visitors during the celebration of masses.
Entrance fees: Interiors of the Castle (Cathedral of St. Vitus, Old Royal Palace, Basilica of St. George, Golden Lane).

4. Old Town

Astronomical Clock

This tour introduces the event-studded history of the Old Town and its most important sights. We will walk across a symbolic heart of the capital – the Old Town Square. I will describe you a complicated mechanism of the Astronomical Clock. You will hear a legend about a poor clockmaker. After that we will go through the former Jesuit complex called Clementinum towards the Charles Bridge. Later we will escape from crowds of tourist by a passage to a quite area where you can enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the city. We will mention the Bethlehem Chapel, a centre of Czech reformation, we will even get to the boundary of the New Town – the National Avenue where the Velvet Revolution started, to the lower part of the Wenceslas Square which is the real centre of Prague. Among other attractions there are the Estates Theatre associated with Mozart, the oldest University in Central Europe, richly decorated Powder Tower and a masterpiece of Art Nouveau – the Municipal House.
Duration approx. 3 hrs

5. Jewish Town

Spanish Synagogue Despite the fact that the old ghetto does not exist any more, six original synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery retain the mysterious atmosphere of the Jewish Quarter. Not only well-known Maharal – rabbi Löw lived in this district but also his servant made of clay – the Golem. Let us reveal a mystery of angels that brought stones from the Jerusalem Temple to Prague or a fate of dead children dancing in the cemetery. The history of the Prague Jews can be traced back to the 10th century. In the course of next 1000 years a lot of (mainly tragic) stories were put down on the pages of chronicles. I will get acquaint you with these turning points and crucial moments. We will have an opportunity to admire fine examples of architecture, including unique cubism and brutalism. Of course, you will not miss a native house of the most celebrated Prague writer Franz Kafka.
Duration approx. 3 hrs
N.B. On Saturdays (because of Sabbath) Jewish sights are closed
Entrance fees: Jewish Museum and Old New Synagogue

6. Hradčany and Little Quarter

Hradčany and roofs of Malá Strana

The left bank of the Vltava consisting of an originally tributary town and another royal town conceals a lot of quiet and undiscovered corners. We will walk through the New World, we will see the former centre of Italian minority, the most beautiful Prague Baroque church and the largest Baroque palace. Do you know what a plague column is or why houses in Prague have two numbers? If you choose this tour you will also see a statue of East-Gearman car Trabant standing on legs or a statue of a soap, we will explore a large artificial cave or a former observatory of the Communist State Secret Security.
Duration approx. 3 hrs

7. Vyšehrad

Slavín
Vyšehrad was the second seat of Bohemian princes and a residence of the first King of Bohemia Vratislav I. Are you fed up with masses of tourists? This is the best solution for you – a quiet, peaceful area. The Romanesque rotunda of St. Martin, the church of SS. Peter and Paul and many more sights wait for you. From the top of the cliff above the Vltava river there is a wonderful view of the Prague Castle and the Smíchov disctrict which slowly becomes a commercial centre of Prague. In the Vyšehrad Cemetery the greatest Czechs minds were buried – composers Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák, writers Karel Čapek and Božena Němcová to name but a few.
Duration approx. 3 hrs

8. Architecture

Cubist lamp

Prague is a textbook of architecture. The pages of this textbook are full. That is why Prague was put on the UNESCO list of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. We were lucky the capital sufferred only minimum damage in the WWII. During this tour you will learn about the most salient features of different architectural styles. They are, in chronological order, Romanesque, Gothic styles, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, neo-Classical, Historicism – Eclecticism, Art Nouveau, Constructivism – Functionalism and examples of post-war architecture like Brutalism or Deconstructivism. However Prague offers much more – even Spanish Moorish style or Cubism. The tour concerns not only the architecture but it will be spiced with legends and put into historical context.
Duration approx. 3 hrs




9. Franz Kafka

Commemorative plaque of Franz Kafka

The most celebrated Bohemia´s writer Franz Kafka (1883-1924) lived almost all of his life in Prague. Enigmatic Kafka is considered, with James Joyce and Marcel Proust, to be a founder of modern novel. Thanks to his work the word kafkaesque exists. We will visit places where he was born, brought up, educated and worked... „Here was my secondary school, over there in that building facing us was the university, and a little further to the left, my office. My whole life -“ and he drew a few small circles with his finger „- is confined to this small circle“. Do you know that he also lived in the building of the today´s American Embassy and in the Prague Castle at a certain time?
Duration approx. 3 hrs





10. Prague Gardens

Garden on the Ramparts

During this tour we will explore Italian, French and English types of gardens. We will visit the first place in Europe where tulips were grown. We will talk not only about the garden architecture but I will also show you exotic trees like Chinese metasequoia, Paulownia tomentosa or Tulip tree.
Duration approx. 3 hrs
N.B.: This tour is possible only from April to October. In the winter season the gardens are closed to the public. Ideal time is spring when rhododendrons blossom.







11. Prague Cemeteries

Tomb of Jan Palach

Cemeteries also have their histories. On this tour we will visit 3 different cemeteries, among them the National cemetery where the most famous Czech minds were buried and the military cemetery from the WWII. I will also show you the grave of Jan Palach, a student who set himself on fire in 1969 in protest against the Soviet occupation.
Duration approx. 3 hrs




12. Prague by Night

Powder Tower

A lot of tourists claim Prague is the most beautiful city in the world. By night its picturesque streets and lanes offer a romantic atmosphere. Most of the sights are lit up. Panoramatic views of this tour are unforgettable. We will not leave out places where the film Mission Impossible was shot. Surely you will recognize the night scenes from this famous movie.
Duration approx. 3 hrs








13. Prague Bridges and Islands

Plaque on the statue of St. John of Nepomuk

The Charles Bridge is for tourists the most famous sight in the city. It is a real open-air Baroque art gallery. The Charles Bridge has spanned over the Vltava river for more than 650 years. It´s already the third bridge to stand there – the original wooden and later Romanesque Judith bridges were destroyed by flooding. We will focus on legends, a decoration of the Bridge Tower and statues. You will learn attributes of the saints and thus during your travels in Catholic countries you will be able to recognize saints depicted in monuments. You will learn how easy it can be to find out the date of creation of the statue. And of course, the life of every saint is portrayed in captivating legends. You will also see a lock chamber and the statue of the Vltava.
Duration approx. 3 hrs




14. River Cruise

View of the Vltava, Charles Bridge and Hradčany

A great attraction for visitors to Prague is the river cruise on the Vltava. Usually it takes 2 hours. Every boat has a lower deck where the food (in the form of buffet) and drinks are served. The upper uncovered deck offers a new perspective – unforgettable views of the Charles Bridge, embankments and islands. Ideal for groups. Ideal for those who want to see the city but their legs are on strike.
Duration approx. 2 hrs / various offers for groups – ask me, please.



15. Musical Prague

Estates Theatre

A Czech saying claims „every Czech is a musician“. In this tour we will follow in the footsteps of famous composers - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Gustav Mahler and others. We will focus on the main theatres and concert halls.
Duration approx. 3 hrs





16. Splendid Interiors

Interiors of the church of St. Nicholas

The Strahov Monastery shelters the largest monastery library in the Czech Republic. We will look at the Theological and Philosophical Halls, I will show you a horn of a unicorn in the cabinet of curiosities. The most impressive example of the dynamic Baroque is the church of St. Nicholas in the Little Quarter where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played the organ. The Art Nouveau highlight of Prague is the Municipal House with the Smetana Hall, where the international music festival the Prague Spring takes place, and with the richly decorated ladies´ and men´s parlours. The Mayor Hall was decorated by Alphonse Mucha.
Duration approx. 3 hrs
N.B.: The visit to the Municipal House can be operated only if there are at least 10 persons in the group
Entrance fees: Strahov Library, church of St. Nicholas, Municipal House

17. Places of Pilgrimage

Loretto

Our first stop will be a Baroque copy of the house where the Virgin Mary used to stay. So called Holy House is situated in Loretto where we will also see a treasury with monstrances. The Cathedral of SS Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert is the most important Czech church. It was a place of coronations, royal weddings and funerals. The last resting place of SS Vitus, Wenceslas, Adalbert, Sigismund and John of Nepomuk. During the Pope Benedict XVI‘ s stay in Prague his first stop was the Church of Our Lady Victourious where the miraculous wax statuette of the Infant Jesus of Prague is kept. In the small museum we will admire his dresses.
Duration approx. 3 hrs
Entrance fees: Loretto, Cathedral of St. Vitus

18. Folklore Evening

Folklore

Are you not sure how to spend an evening? The right choice is an entertaining folklore evening with Czech and international cuisine, singnig and dance. You will see folk costumes and you will learn Czech, Moravian and Slovak songs and dances. Maybe you will see some musical instruments for the first time.
Duration of the evening performance with a dinner approx. 3 hrs











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