Mala Strana, what to see in the Prague Castle district and surroundings

During your Prague visit, after crossing the river Vltava by Charles Bridge on your walk to the Prague Castle, you will enter the Mala Strana neighborhood.

There you will find a baroque district of busy streets and squares with several buildings and monuments that we loved.

The first thing to keep in mind is Little Country This is the district that extends along the bank of the Vltava River opposite the Old Town, the true historic centre of the city of Prague, or in other words, its outskirts.

But it is true that it is quite important because in this area is the Prague Castle, so although it is not the oldest center, it does have great historical value.

Where is it and what to see when visiting the Mala Strana district?

If you come from Prague Old Town, you cross the Charles Bridge and you go through below two adjoining towers of Mala Strana, you arrive directly at the Mostrecka Street.

This is the street that gives us access to the Mala Strana central square, which is surrounded by cafes and restaurants and is a bit of the heart of the neighborhood and a point from which the area is distributed.

Lesser Town Square

From this street you can see the tower and dome of the church in the central square. Church of St. Nicholas, a baroque masterpiece, whose interior, I can tell you in advance, is worth visiting.

At Mala Strana Square is also located Kauniz Palace, from 1775, a rococo building which was the seat of the embassy of the former Yugoslavia.

This square is divided into two parts, with the aforementioned church of San Nicolás located in the center of the square, and in the eastern part, you can see a large plague column built in 1715.

At nerudova street This is where you can go up to the grounds of Prague Castle.

Along the same you will find a succession of buildings with facades of great beauty, among which the following stand out: Morzin palace, current embassy of Romania, and the Thun palace, which is the Italian embassy.

As it is a very interesting neighborhood with many places to see, I am going to indicate several very different corners that you may want to visit in Mala Strana.

Church of Saint Nicholas of Mala Strana

The most outstanding monument that you will find on your visit to the Mala Strana neighborhood, during your  trip to Prague, is the one mentioned above Church of San Nicolás.

It is not the only one with that name in Prague, because in the central area Old Town Square There is another church with the same name, in the northern part of the same, already on the way to the Josefov Jewish Quarter.

La Church of Saint Nicholas of Mala Strana It is a large building architecture unequivocally baroque, which was built between 1703 and 1761.

It is the greatest exponent of baroque in Prague, and its interior contains statues, frescoes and paintings made by the most famous artists of the time.

Although the tower and, above all, its large dome are what will most attract your attention on the outside of this church, it is its interior that will really surprise you.

As you enter the central nave of the church, if you turn back, inside the main façade you can see the large baroque organ which dates back to the year 1746.

As a curiosity, this organ was played by the same Mozart on a visit he made to Prague in 1787.

But, apart from the numerous statues that you can see in the church, the highlights inside are its enormous dome and the pulpit.

La dome of the Church of Saint Nicholas of Mala Strana, which was completed in 1751, displays frescoes by the artist Franz Palko that illustrate “The Celebration of the Holy Trinity”.

In turn, the pulpit, Built with artificial marble, it dates back to 1765, and in its very ornate baroque decoration the golden cherubs stand out.

Here you can consult the information with the Visiting hours and entrance fees for the Church of St. Nicholas.

John Lennon Wall, monument to pacifism

El John Lennon Wall It is a place that for music lovers has become an essential point to see in Prague.

In fact, it is one of the reasons that attracts most tourists to the Mala Strana neighborhood, although I can tell you in advance that it has been deteriorating over the years.

It is a different place that has become an icon of the city, but it has nothing to do with its well-known and very beautiful monuments and medieval streets.

This wall full of graffiti with graffiti and lyrics of the songs of the Beatles and, above all, with an image of John Lennon, seems to have emerged after the violent death of the Liverpool artist in 1980.

After his death, the aforementioned image of John Lennon, an artist who at that time was an icon of freedom for the youth of countries subjected to the communist regime, as was the case of the Czech Republic.

And along with his image, protest texts.

Although the paintings and texts were erased, each time this happened, they soon reappeared, and the authorities were in no way able to prevent this from happening.

El John Lennon Wall It became a monument to freedom of expression and pacifism, and today, it is a highly visited corner by tourists traveling to Prague.

Church of the Infant Jesus, the most venerated church in Prague

Do you know that in Prague there is a place of great Christian veneration with a image of the Baby Jesus coming from Spain?

I am referring to the one known as Church of the Infant Jesus in Prague, a place of great pilgrimage among Catholics, sponsored above all by the fame of miracle worker that this small image of the Baby Jesus.

In reality it is about the church of Santa María de la Victoria and San Antonio de Padua, which you can find in one of the main axes of the aforementioned Prague neighborhood, the Carmelita Street (Karmelitska), whose origin dates back to a Carmelite convent created in 1620.

The Spanish origins of this image of the Baby Jesus They date back to the 16th century, and were in the possession of those who were ambassadors in Prague of the Kingdom of Spain, the Count of Treviño and Dukes of Nájera.

This small wax image came into the possession of the princess Polixena Lobkowitz, who, given the difficulties that the Carmelites of the newly founded convent had to survive, gave it to them so that they could “honor it” and thus “not lack anything.”

From there began the fame of a protective and miraculous image that surrounds the Infant Jesus of Prague to the present day.

When you walk into the Church of the Infant Jesus in PragueOn the right side of the building you will find the aforementioned image in a sumptuous corner, more like an altar.

And don't be surprised to find dozens of faithful who have the Baby Jesus as the focus of their attention and veneration.

Prague Infant Jesus Museum

In the church you can also visit the small Museum of the Infant Jesus in Prague, where there are various costumes and objects, paintings, sculptures, etc... related to the venerated image.

Los museum hours They are, from Monday to Saturday, from 9,30:17,30 a.m. to 13:18 p.m., and on Sundays, from XNUMX p.m. to XNUMX p.m., and admission is free.

Finally, I point out that a significant date to visit this church is the day that the Festival of the Infant Jesus of Prague, every first Sunday of June.

And, of course, you won't miss souvenirs, which you can buy in any religious souvenir shop near the church.

The narrowest street in Prague with a curious traffic light

The truth is that this is one of those things that becomes fashionable because of how curious it is, and Instagram works its magic and makes it go viral.

Actually, there are many people who do not know what it is in the Mala Strana neighborhood where this street is located with a curious traffic light that has become famous thanks to said social network.

I can tell you in advance that it is a visit that can be done in a moment because it has no further history, as it is a very narrow street that goes down to the river, where they have placed a traffic light to regulate the passage.

But it is not a normal street, it is actually the entrance to a bar and the street is closed during the bar's opening hours, and if you are not going to consume, just to gossip, and you are in high season, you may even have problems seeing it.

In short, one of those visits that if you have doubts about whether it is worth doing in Prague, in our opinion, you can skip it.

Hradcany district, palaces and museums next to Prague Castle

Already leaving the Mala Strana neighborhood, when you go to the castle you will have to go up a steep street that leads to the castle, which is what the aforementioned fortress is called. A must see in the Czech capital.

This Prague uptown known as hradcany, which in the past was one of the autonomous cities that made up the current capital.

In front of the monumental complex of Prague Castle You will find yourself in a large square from whose viewpoints you will have a splendid panoramic of the city of Prague.

What will catch your attention the most are its imposing palaces.

You will see the Schwanzenberg Palace, built in 1563 in Italian Renaissance style, which currently houses the Military History Museum.

In turn, the archiepiscopal palace It is also of Renaissance origin, although in 1694 it was remodeled.

At the back of it is the Martinitz palace formed by a group of Gothic houses from the 16th century.

National Gallery in Prague, the largest art collection in the Czech Republic

Finally, the Sternberg palace, which is accessed from the side of the archiepiscopal palace, is a building from the year 1700 where you can now visit the National Gallery in Prague which brings together the largest art collection in the Czech Republic.

In this high area of hradcany also highlights the Loreto square, where you can see the Czernin palace, from 1679, which is now the headquarters of the ministry of foreign affairs.

Near the square you will also find the Strahov monastery, an elegant baroque complex from 1698, where you can visit the old library, where the following stand out Philosophy and Theology rooms.

The Loreto Sanctuary and its baroque façade

Now, the building that will undoubtedly catch your attention the most is the The Loreto Sanctuary.

Also know as Loreta, it is a sanctuary that was built in 1626 as a replica of the Sanctuary of the Holy House of the Italian town of Loreto, and which throughout history has been an important place of pilgrimage of Czech Catholics.

You will find it in front of the aforementioned Czernin Palace, but you will have no problem identifying it. The Loreto.

As soon as you see the building, you will be struck by the imposing baroque façade, its most outstanding architectural element, a masterpiece of baroque art.

The main door is truly spectacular, with a large balustrade on which are placed two statues of saints.

And above this central area of ​​the façade rises a large baroque tower which houses a chime with 27 Dutch bells manufactured in 1624.

When you cross through the baroque door on the façade of The Loreto, you will see that you are actually visiting an architectural complex.

You will have entered a porticoed courtyard and right in front of you will be what is actually the original building of the sanctuary.

This small building is a replica of the aforementioned Holy House of the Virgin Mary from the aforementioned Italian city of Loreto, one of the 50 replicas that were built in Bohemia and Moravia after the defeat of the Protestants in 1620.

Behind this replica is the small one church of the nativity, which was built in 1734, and whose interior walls are covered with numerous skeletons.

Here you can check the Loreto visiting hours and entrance fees.

Petrin Hill Tower: How to climb it for panoramic views of Prague

En Prague You have numerous places from which to enjoy Panoramic views of the medieval city.

Thus, in addition to being able to do it from the Castle gardens or from nearby Letna Park, there is another place that offers us a very different panorama: the Petrin Tower.

La Petrin Hill It is located to the west of the city, next to the neighborhood of Little Country after crossing the río Moldava from the medieval city.

At the top there is a tower that tries to emulate the Paris eiffel tower.

With a height of 63 meters, the Petrin Tower rose on the occasion of the Showroom from 1891, although it has been in its current location only since 1932.

How to get on the Petrin Funicular

To Climb the tower You can do it well using a funicular which began operating in 1891 for this purpose, or on foot along a winding and somewhat demanding route.

Because it is under renovation, the Petrin funicular is out of service from September 2024 to summer 2026.

When it works, you should know that you have to take it in the passage of  U Lanové Dráhy, which is reached from the Ujezd Street, and here you can check the Updated information for taking the Petrin funicular.

So now you have no other option but to walk up, which will take you between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on your physical condition.

Once you reach the top of the Petrin Hill, you will find the Frederick Observatory and church of St. Vavrinec (San Lorenzo), next to the metal tower where the panoramic viewpoint is located.

Finally, to reach the top of the tower you have to climb 299 steps, and then at the panoramic viewing platform of the tower you will have spectacular views of Prague, including the only superior views of the Castle y St. Vitus Cathedral.

Here you have all the information with Visiting hours and entrance fees for Petrin Tower.