Old Town Square

The medieval square the city turns around, ringed by gabled houses

Area Staré Město
Type Landmark
Time needed 45m

The Old Town Square has been the market and meeting place of Staré Město since the twelfth century, and the buildings around it run from Gothic to art nouveau without a gap. The astronomical clock is on the town hall at the south-west corner, the twin black spires of the Týn church rise on the east side, and the Jan Hus monument of 1915 stands in the middle. It is the centre of the tourist city and it behaves like it.

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Getting there

Metro line A green to Staroměstská, then five minutes on foot east through the lanes. From Můstek, where lines A green and B yellow meet, it is a similar walk north. Tram 2, 17 or 18 to Staroměstská brings you from the river side. Everything in the Old Town is within fifteen minutes of here on level ground, so most people arrive on foot without planning to.

What you see

Take the square anticlockwise from the town hall. The Old Town Hall carries the astronomical clock and the tower you can climb, and on the paving in front of it are twenty-seven crosses marking the Czech nobles executed here in 1621. The Church of Our Lady before Týn is set back behind a row of houses, its spires asymmetrical when you look closely. The baroque white front of St Nicholas closes the north side, and between them the House at the Stone Bell and the Kinský Palace show you two centuries apart side by side. The Hus monument in the centre is worth reading for its inscriptions. If you climb the town hall tower, the view down onto the square and the rooftop line of gables is the best single image of old Prague.

What to pair it with

The astronomical clock is on the square itself, the Týn church faces it, and Josefov and the Old New Synagogue are five minutes north. Charles Bridge and the Clementinum lie a short walk west down Karlova.

When to go

Early morning is a different square entirely: the stalls are not up, the cafes are setting out chairs and you can see the paving. From mid-morning to late evening in season it is dense, with tour groups holding position and the clock crowd forming every hour. Evening is pleasant once the day trippers go, and the lit facades photograph well. The Christmas market fills the square through December and is the busiest it ever gets; the Easter market is smaller. Winter mornings outside market season are the quietest hours of the year.

What is hard about it

The cafes and restaurants ringing the square charge heavily for an ordinary meal, and the ones with the best view are the worst value in the city. Touts for concerts, boat trips and currency exchange work the square continuously, the Segway and beer-bike traffic is a nuisance, and pickpockets concentrate around the clock. There is almost no shade in summer and no shelter in rain. In December the market tents cover most of the open ground, so if you came to look at the square itself you will be seeing it through stalls.

Common questions

How long do you need at the Old Town Square?

Forty-five minutes to walk it, read the monument and look at the facades, plus half an hour for the town hall tower. Longer if you go inside the churches.

Is the Old Town Square free?

Yes, the square itself is open public space at all hours. The town hall tower and the church interiors are ticketed or ask a donation.

Where is the best view over the Old Town Square?

The Old Town Hall tower, which has a lift as well as stairs. The restaurant terraces on the square charge a lot for a lower and less interesting version of the same view.