Old Town Bridge Tower

The Gothic gate at the Old Town end of the Charles Bridge

Area Staré Město
Type Viewpoint
Time needed 30m

The Old Town Bridge Tower is the Gothic gate at the Old Town end of the Charles Bridge, built in the late fourteenth century as part of the bridge works associated with Peter Parler. It is both a defensive gate and a piece of royal display: the east face, towards the city, carries carved figures of Charles IV and Wenceslas IV flanking St Vitus. You can climb it, and the view straight down the length of the bridge is the reason to.

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Getting there

Metro line A (green) to Staroměstská, then four or five minutes on foot south to the bridge head. From the Old Town Square it is a walk of about seven minutes west along Karlova, which is narrow and crowded for most of the day. Trams 2, 17 and 18 stop at Staroměstská as well. The entrance is at the foot of the tower on the Old Town side; inside, it is a spiral staircase of a few dozen metres' climb to the gallery.

What you see

Before you go in, look at the east facade: three tiers of sculpture, with the two kings seated above the arch, the bridge's patron saints above them, and a frieze of kingfishers and knotted cloths that was Wenceslas IV's personal badge. The west face is blank, its carving shot away during the Swedish siege of 1648. Inside, the staircase passes a chamber with a small display on the bridge, its builders and the tower's long use as a gaol and as a place where the heads of the Czech lords executed in 1621 were displayed on the parapet for years. At the top, the open gallery runs round all four sides. The view east is the roofscape of the Old Town with the Týn church towers; the view west is the classic one, the full span of the bridge with its statues in file, the Lesser Town bridge towers at the far end and the castle and St Vitus's on the ridge above.

What to pair it with

The Charles Bridge itself begins at your feet, and the Lesser Town bridge towers stand at the other end. The Klementinum and St Salvator's are a minute away on the Old Town side, and the Old Town Square with its astronomical clock is a short walk east.

When to go

Early morning, before about eight, is the one time the bridge below is close to empty, and the tower opens early enough in season to catch some of that. Sunset gives the best light on the castle but the gallery is busiest then and the space is tight. Mid-afternoon in summer is the worst combination of heat, queue and crowd. Hours are longer in summer and shorter in winter, so check before you go.

What is hard about it

The climb is a narrow stone spiral with no lift, and there is no step-free alternative; people pass in both directions on the same stair, which is awkward. The gallery at the top is a small walkway and fills quickly, so photographing the bridge can mean waiting your turn at a corner. Entry is ticketed and sold per tower, so doing this and the Lesser Town tower means two tickets. The exhibition inside is slight. And the view, good as it is, is of a bridge that will be solidly full of people in almost any daylight hour you choose.

Common questions

How long do you need at the Old Town Bridge Tower?

Half an hour, including the climb and time on the gallery. The sculpture on the east face is worth five minutes before you go in.

Which bridge tower has the better view?

This one looks along the bridge towards the castle, which is the view most people want. The taller Lesser Town tower looks back towards the Old Town and sits higher.

Is there a lift?

No. The only way up is the spiral staircase, which rules it out for anyone who cannot manage several flights of narrow stone stairs.