Prague Map and planner Guide Routes ENRU

Malá Strana

Baroque palaces and steep lanes between the bridge and the castle

Malá Strana
Photograph: VitVit / CC BY-SA 4.0

Malá Strana is the quarter on the left bank between Charles Bridge and Prague Castle, laid out in the thirteenth century and rebuilt in the Baroque after the fires and wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth. It is a quarter of palaces, walled gardens and steep lanes rather than a set of attractions, and the main reason to go is to walk it. Most visitors cross it in fifteen minutes on the way up to the castle and miss nearly all of it.

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Getting there

Trams 12, 15, 20, 22 and 23 all stop at Malostranské náměstí, in the middle of the quarter; metro Malostranská on the A green line is at its northern edge, five minutes from the square. From Staroměstské náměstí it is a fifteen-minute walk across Charles Bridge and up Mostecká. The quarter is on a slope, and every route towards the castle climbs: Nerudova rises steadily and ends in a flight of steps and a hairpin, and the Old Castle Steps from Malostranská are a long straight stair.

What you see

Come off Charles Bridge through the Malá Strana bridge towers and up Mostecká to Malostranské náměstí, where the green dome and tower of St Nicholas stand in the middle of the square and split it in two. Take Nerudova uphill from the corner and read the house signs that numbered the buildings before street numbers arrived: the three fiddles, the two suns, the golden key, the red eagle. Turn off into Thunovská or Vlašská for emptier lanes and embassy gates. Back down and north, Valdštejnská leads to the Wallenstein Palace garden with its loggia, bronzes and resident owls, open seasonally and free. South of the square, Karmelitská passes the Vrtba Garden terraces and the Church of Our Lady Victorious, which holds the Infant Jesus of Prague, before Maltézské náměstí opens out towards Kampa. Lázeňská, Nosticova and Cihelná are the quietest streets of the lot.

What to pair it with

Kampa Island and the Lennon Wall are inside the quarter and take minutes to reach. Charles Bridge is at one end and Prague Castle and Petřín above it.

When to go

Before nine in the morning the lanes are close to empty and the light comes down them from the east; by eleven the castle traffic has filled Nerudova and Mostecká end to end. Evenings after the castle closes are good again, with the lanes lit and the restaurants spilling out. The walled gardens are shut for the winter and open from spring, which changes the walk considerably. Late autumn and winter dusk suit the quarter.

What is hard about it

The slope is relentless and the cobbles are large and uneven, which makes it hard going with a pushchair, a wheeled case or limited mobility; the Old Castle Steps and the top of Nerudova have no step-free alternative. The main route is heavily touristed and lined with souvenir shops, exchange booths and mediocre restaurants charging centre prices. St Nicholas and the tower charge separately for entry. Nothing here is a single destination, so visitors who want a defined sight rather than a walk often come away feeling they did not see anything.

Common questions

How long do you need in Malá Strana?

About ninety minutes for a proper loop of the squares, Nerudova and the quieter lanes. Half a day if you are also going into St Nicholas, a garden and the Infant Jesus church.

Is it better to walk up to the castle or take the tram?

Walking up Nerudova is the better experience and takes around twenty minutes uphill. Tram 22 to Pražský hrad or Pohořelec avoids the climb entirely and is the sensible choice in heat or with mobility problems.

Which streets are worth leaving the main route for?

Thunovská, Vlašská, Nosticova and Lázeňská are all a minute off the castle route and are much emptier than it.

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