Page 15 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Prague

GREA T D A Y S IN PR A GUE  13

5 days in Prague Afternoon Head to the Gothic pp88–9) and Pinkas Synagogue
New Town Hall (see p155), where (see pp86–7) contain memorials
Hussites defenestrated their to Prague’s Holocaust victims.
• Admire St Agnes of Catholic overlords in 1419. Off
Bohemia Convent Charles Square (see pp150–51 ), Afternoon Explore the Old
• Take a trip to Charles IV’s a former medieval cattle market, Town (see pp62–81). Start at the
breathtaking country is the Cathedral of St Cyril and Powder Gate (see p66) and walk
retreat, Karlštejn Castle St Methodius (see p152), where down Celetná Street (see p67).
Czech partisans fought with Turn off for the Church of St
• Listen to a Mozart opera
at the Estates Theatre German troops in 1942. The grand Gall (see p73) and Bethlehem
National Theatre (see pp156–7) is Chapel (see p77), where Jan Hus
a cultural treasure where historic preached. Charles Street (see
Day 1 operas by Smetana are staged. p80), lined with Baroque and
Morning Tour Old Town Square Renaissance façades, leads to
(see pp68–71), taking in the Gothic Charles Bridge (see pp136–9).
steeples of the Church of Our
Lady before Týn (see p72), Kinský Day 4
Palace (see p72) and the Old Morning Journey by train to
Town Hall (see pp74–5), where Charles IV’s imposing Karlštejn
the Astronomical Clock (see p76) Castle (see p169). Don’t miss the
delights crowds on the hour. Ride Chapel of St Catherine, the walls
the metro to the Little Quarter of which are decorated with gems.
(see pp122–41) and ascend the
Old Castle Steps to Prague Afternoon Back in the city,
Castle (see pp98–9), the historic browse the designer shops on
heart of Bohemia. Explore the Národní třída, and then enjoy an
Old Royal Palace (see pp106– evening at the Estates Theatre
107), visit the Romanesque St (see p67) or Rudolfinum (see p86).
George’s Basilica (see pp100–
101) and St Vitus’s Cathedral Day 5
(see pp102–105). Then, visit the Neo-Classical elegance of the Estates Morning Wander the Little
treasure of St Vitus’s Cathedral Theatre, where Don Giovanni had its debut Quarter (see pp122–41) and the
in the nearby Chapel of the Wallenstein Palace and Garden
Holy Cross. Day 3 (see p126). On Little Quarter
Morning Immerse yourself in Square (see pp124–5) is the
Afternoon Set opposite the the spirit of medieval Bohemia Baroque Church of St Nicholas
castle complex, the Baroque at St Agnes of Bohemia Convent (see pp128–9). Close by, pretty
Sternberg Palace (see pp112–15) (see pp94–5), which is packed Nerudova Street (see p130) is
houses the National Gallery’s Old with 13th–16th-century paintings lined with intriguing house signs.
Masters. Walk up to the opulent and sculptures. Next, marvel at
17th-century shrine of The Loreto the Old-New Synagogue (see Afternoon Take the funicular
(see pp118–19), then make your pp90–91) and the pseudo- railway up Petřín Hill (see p141)
way to New World (see p116), a Moorish Spanish Synagogue to see the Observation Tower
charming street of cottages where (see pp92–3) in the Jewish (see p140). Enjoy the views, then
royal astronomers and goldsmiths Quarter (see pp82–95). Nearby, stroll back to the city via Petřínské
once lived. Take tram 22 to the the Old Jewish Cemetery (see Park (see p141).
Strahov Monastery (see pp120–
21), whose ornate library holds
thousands of obscure tomes.
Day 2
Morning Spend your morning
exploring the New Town (see
pp142–57). Wenceslas Square
(see pp144–5) showcases early
20th- century architecture and
high lights found here include the
Art Nouveau Hotel Europa (see
p147). The National Museum
(see p147) has had a complete
refit, while the Mucha Museum
(see p147) features the early
work of Art Nouveau avatar
Alphonse Mucha. A tram in the Little Quarter, where buildings have been largely unchanged since the 1700s

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