Charles Bridge

Thirty baroque statues on a fourteenth-century stone bridge

Area Staré Město
Type Landmark
Time needed 45m

Charles Bridge is a stone pedestrian bridge begun in 1357 to replace a flood-destroyed predecessor, and it carried the coronation route from the Old Town to the castle. Thirty baroque statues line the parapets, almost all of them now copies, with the weathered originals kept indoors. It is free, open at all hours, and the only way across the river that most visitors ever use.

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Getting there

From the Old Town Square it is a flat seven or eight minute walk west down Karlova, a narrow lane that bends constantly and is itself crowded. From the Malá Strana side, tram 12, 15, 20 or 22 to Malostranské náměstí leaves you three minutes from the Lesser Town bridge towers. Metro line A green to Staroměstská is five minutes from the eastern end. There is no climb to reach the bridge, but both bridge towers can be climbed for a fee and both are stair-only.

What you see

Start at the Old Town Bridge Tower, the better of the two gates, its eastern face carved with Charles IV and Wenceslas IV. Crossing westwards you meet the statues in order; the ones people stop at are the crucifix with its Hebrew inscription, the group of St John of Matha with the stone prison and its dog, and St John of Nepomuk, whose plaque is rubbed to a shine by people touching it for luck. Look over the downstream parapet at Kampa Island and the mill wheel, and upstream at the weir and the row of Malá Strana rooftops rising to the castle. At the far end the two unmatched Lesser Town towers frame the exit, and the taller one gives the best view back along the bridge deck.

What to pair it with

Kampa Island sits directly under the western end, and the Lennon Wall is five minutes beyond it. On the eastern side the Clementinum is a minute off Karlova, and the Old Town Square a few minutes further.

When to go

Be honest about the crowds: from mid-morning until early evening in any month between April and October the bridge is shoulder to shoulder, with portrait sellers and buskers taking up much of the width. Before about seven in the morning it is nearly empty and the light is on the castle. The hour after sunset is the other good window, when the lamps come on and the crowd thins. Winter weekday mornings can be properly quiet, sometimes with mist on the river.

What is hard about it

There is no quiet way to do this in daylight; at peak times crossing takes three times as long as the distance suggests and photographs without strangers in them are not realistic. Pickpocketing is a genuine problem in the crush, particularly around the statue stops where people pause. The statues you are looking at are mostly replacements, which some visitors find deflating. Both bridge towers are narrow spiral climbs with no lift, and the bridge itself is cobbled and uneven underfoot.

Common questions

How long do you need on Charles Bridge?

Forty-five minutes is enough to cross slowly, stop at the main statues and climb nothing. Add twenty minutes for one of the bridge towers.

Is Charles Bridge free to walk across?

Yes, and it is open day and night with no ticket. Only the climbs up the bridge towers are paid.

What time is best to avoid the crowds?

Early morning, before about seven, or after dark. Between ten and six in the warmer months it is continuously busy.