Prague

Why Prague works

Prague Castle, the largest ancient castle complex in the world by area, has overlooked the Vltava River since the 9th century and today houses the Czech president alongside St Vitus Cathedral, its Gothic spires visible from across the city and its stained glass including a window designed by Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha. The Charles Bridge, built in 1357 and lined with 30 Baroque statues, connects the castle district to the Old Town across the Vltava, thronged by day with street performers and portrait artists but atmospheric at dawn before the crowds arrive. The Old Town Square's Astronomical Clock, mounted on the Old Town Hall since 1410, still performs an hourly mechanical show of the Twelve Apostles, drawing crowds who gather beneath its medieval zodiac dial. Prague emerged from Soviet-era communism with its historic core almost entirely intact — unlike Warsaw or Dresden, it avoided major wartime bombing — giving it one of Europe's best-preserved combinations of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture across a compact, walkable centre. The Jewish Quarter (Josefov) holds Europe's oldest active synagogue and a medieval cemetery with layered tombstones. Beer culture runs deep — the Czech Republic has the world's highest per-capita beer consumption, and Prague's traditional pubs serve Pilsner Urquell and dark lagers for a fraction of Western European prices.

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