Charles Bridge
Sixteen Gothic arches, thirty baroque statues, and the Vltava underneath since 1357.
Duration
30 min – 1 hr
Best time
Before 7am
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
The foundation stone was laid in 1357, on 9 July at 5.31am — a date Charles IV is said to have chosen to make a symmetrical run of odd numbers. The bridge carried all the traffic between the two banks for five centuries.
The thirty baroque statues were added from 1683. Every one you see is a copy: the originals, eaten by pollution and floods, are in the National Lapidarium. The plinth of St John of Nepomuk is polished smooth by hands.
Getting there
Between the old town and Malá Strana. Tram 22 to Malostranské náměstí to come at it from the quieter west bank.
Rules on site
From nine until dark the crossing is a solid stream and pickpockets work it in teams. Dawn is the only time the bridge is empty, and it is the best light too.
Other places in Prague
Prague CastleThe largest castle complex in the world, with St Vitus Cathedral inside it.
Astronomical ClockSix centuries of mechanism that walks the apostles past on every hour.
Josefov, the Jewish quarterSix synagogues and a cemetery where twelve thousand stones overlap across twelve layers.
Petřín HillA miniature Eiffel Tower on top of a wooded hill, with all of Prague below.