Charles Bridge

The bridge connects the Old Town with Malá Strana, the castle district, so it naturally becomes the spine of most first-time visits. It's free to walk at any hour. By day you'll share it with musicians, sketch artists and tour groups; by night the statues turn into silhouettes against the castle lights.

Don't rush. The real pleasure is reading the bridge in layers: Gothic foundations, 17th- and 18th-century statuary, and the view of the Vltava framed by the Old Town Bridge Tower on one side and the Lesser Town Bridge Tower on the other.

Come at sunrise or after 10 p.m. — the bridge belongs to locals then, and the light on the statues is completely different. Midday from May to September is packed; if that's your only window, walk it from the Malá Strana side toward Old Town, against the main flow.

The changing light matters. Morning gives you the castle front-lit from the east; evening turns the Old Town towers gold. Both ends of the bridge reward a slow approach.

Most statues are 17th- and 18th-century copies; the originals are preserved in the National Museum or the Lapidárium. The most famous is St. John of Nepomuk — look for the bronze plaque beneath him, polished gold by centuries of tourists touching it for luck. The Czechs say it guarantees a return to Prague.

John of Nepomuk was thrown from the bridge in 1393, and his statue marks the supposed spot. It's also the traditional place to make a wish: touch the falling figure with your left hand and think of something you want to come back for.

The bridge is a corridor, not a destination. On the Old Town side, climb the Old Town Bridge Tower for the best rooftop view in the city. On the Malá Strana side, wander down to Kampa Island or up Nerudova Street toward the castle. Each direction gives the bridge its proper context.