The Old Town, Charles Bridge and the Jewish Quarter

This route covers the eastern bank in about four hours at a gentle pace, longer if you go inside the synagogues. Start early: Charles Bridge before 8am, the Jewish Quarter when its sites open, and the Old Town Square in the late afternoon when tour groups have moved on.

Stop 1: Charles Bridge

Start on the bridge while it is still quiet, then climb the Old Town Bridge Tower at its eastern end for a view straight along the parapets to the castle. The statues, towers and photo spots are covered in our Charles Bridge guide.

Stop 2: Karlova street to the Old Town Square

Karlova winds from the bridge to the square and is the most crowded street in the city, lined with souvenir shops. Walk it once, then use the side lanes. The square itself opens out with the Gothic Týn Church on one side, the Baroque St Nicholas Church on another, and the memorial to the reformer Jan Hus in the middle.

Stop 3: The astronomical clock

The Orloj on the Old Town Hall dates from 1410. Its dials show the position of the sun and moon and the signs of the zodiac, and on the hour the twelve apostles parade past two small windows while a skeleton rings a bell. The show lasts under a minute. Watch it once, then go inside the town hall and take the lift up the tower for the best view over the square.

Stop 4: Josefov, the Jewish Quarter

A few minutes north, along the elegant Pařížská street, is the former Jewish ghetto. Most of its houses were demolished around 1900, but the synagogues survived, partly because the Nazis planned a museum of what they intended to be an extinct people. The Jewish Museum in Prague now cares for them:

• The Pinkas Synagogue: walls covered with the handwritten names of almost 80,000 Czech and Moravian Holocaust victims, and upstairs, drawings by children held at Terezín.
• The Old Jewish Cemetery: used until 1787, with layers of burials and around 12,000 gravestones tilting in every direction.
• The Spanish Synagogue: a Moorish-style interior covered in gilded patterns.
• The Maisel and Klausen synagogues and the Ceremonial Hall, with exhibitions on Jewish history and customs.

One museum ticket covers these sites. The Old-New Synagogue, built around 1270 and the oldest active synagogue in Europe, needs a separate ticket. Everything closes on Saturdays and Jewish holidays; check the museum website before you go.

Stop 5: The Powder Tower and Municipal House

Finish at the eastern edge of the Old Town, where the dark Gothic Powder Tower stands beside the Art Nouveau Municipal House. Its café is a grand place to sit after a long walk. From here, the castle side of the river is covered in our castle and Malá Strana guide, and dinner suggestions are in our food and beer guide.