It’s known as the City of a Hundred Spires, with one of the best-preserved cities in Europe with one of the most beautiful historic skylines in the world. Photographing Prague is an absolute pleasure, and as a professional photographer with almost 30 years of experience, I can say that Prague ranks among my all-time favourite cities to photograph.
It’s easy to explore due to its compact size, and it doesn’t take long to find you potentially amazing Prague photos.
While many people are attracted to landmarks like the Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, and Prague Castle, many other beautiful places in Prague are also worth exploring.
In this comprehensive Prague photography guide, I’ll use my four years of living in Prague to show you the city’s best views, extraordinary architecture and hidden gems that only a local would know.
So let’s start shooting some fantastic photos of Prague.
Where To Stay In Prague
Hotel Pod Věží – superb historic hotel a few steps from one of the Charles Bridge towers and the Bridge itself
Design Hotel Neruda – gorgeous boutique hotel just down the hill from one of the main viewpoints outside Prague Castle
Art Nouveau Palace Hotel – wonderful 5-star hotel in Prague New Town, close to Wenceslas Square, trams and only five minutes’ walk from the Old Town
Hotel Hastal Prague Old Town – delightful hotel in a gorgeous quiet part of the Old Town
Plus Prague – one of the best and most popular budget hotels in Prague, just across the river from the main sights in Holešovice
Top Tips for photographing Prague
- Most Prague attractions – and places to photograph – are concentrated in a small area – the Old Town (Staré Město), Lesser Town (Malá Strana) and Prague Castle Hill (Hradčany)
- It takes a lot less time to photograph Prague than it does much larger cities like London
- The Prague skyline of church spires and domes is one of the most beautiful skylines in Europe
- You would photograph most points of interest in Prague from outside, but there are also some outstanding interiors for when the weather isn’t so good
- It’s well worth exploring some Prague destinations away from the centre, including the suburbs of Holešovice and Žižkov
- There’s an enormous variety of architecture in Prague spanning a millennium, from Romanesque to Art Nouveau Prague-style to contemporary
- The reason so many beautiful Prague buildings have survived intact is that it got through World War II almost unscathed materially
Best Photography Locations in Prague
1. Charles Bridge Prague
We’ll begin with one of the most obvious places to see in Prague, indeed probably the busiest of the tourist spots in Prague.
The famous Prague bridge is a huge draw. It spans the River Vltava and is lined with a series of statues of saints and other Christian figures.
It’s the most beautiful of the bridges in Prague, but the crowds there often make shooting there difficult.
At both ends of the Charles Bridge – Karlův Most in Czech – there is a cluster of magnificent buildings. And there are incredible views up to Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral up on the hill.
No wonder it’s one of the most popular Prague photo spots.
The popularity of the Charles Bridge presents quite a challenge to your Prague photography. The Bridge is crammed in the summer season, and even in winter, the crowds thin out a bit, but there are always plenty of people around.
So you have to work around the Prague tourist crowds as best you can.
This is the time to dig out a long lens. One of the reasons I still think the Charles Bridge is one of the best places to visit in Prague is that you can zoom in on the spires , towers and domes of Prague Old Town in one direction (east) and the, erm, spires, towers and domes of Malá Strana (Lesser Town) in the other.
This makes for some amazing compositions.
You can incorporate some of the Charles Bridge statues for added effect. Widen your view and you might get some people passing through the shot, which can sometimes be a good thing.
The Old Town Bridge Tower (Staroměstska Mostecka Věz) is a superb Prague viewpoint. It has many people’s favourite Prague view, looking over the Bridge to Malá Strana and Prague Castle. It is indeed a breathtaking sight.
However, the view from the other side is just as special, giving you a higher view of the Prague Old Town skyline than you get from the Bridge itself.
The view from the Malá Strana Bridge Tower towards the Castle is great, while the view across the Bridge to the Old Town has the Žižkov TV Tower making an appearance right above the spires and towers.
This combined Charles Bridge towers ticket covers both of these outstanding viewpoints. The Old Town one works better in the morning or towards dusk, while the Mala Strana tower is better in the early afternoon or before it closes in the evening.
See Also: Charles Bridge Prague – One Of The Most Beautiful Bridges In Europe
2. Prague Old Town Square
The Old Town Square Prague is one of the city’s popular places to visit. It’s one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, and also the venue for the best of the Prague Christmas markets held each year.
Unsurprisingly, with two of the best churches in Prague, this is where you’ll find some of the best Prague photography spots.
The Old Town Hall Tower Prague is the place to start. High above the Square you have a great view over many of the best sights in Prague. The Old Town Square – Staroměstské Náměstí in Czech – is just magnificent.
From the Tower viewing gallery you have great views over the medieval and Renaissance townhouses around the Square, and the lovely Baroque St Nicholas Church.
However, the highlight is the Church of Our Lady Before Týn (Týnsky chram in Czech). This Gothic church with its fairytale spires and pinnacles is one of the absolute top Prague attractions.
For me, it’s what makes the Square so beautiful. It looks amazing from the top of the Tower or from ground level. You can book your Old Town Hall Tower tickets directly here.
One of the most popular things to do in Prague is to see the famous Prague Astronomical Clock at the base of the Old Town Hall Tower.
Crowds always seem to be gathered to photograph it, most of all just before the hour when the clock’s figures make their appearance.
For me, the Old Town Square is close to being the best location in Prague for photography. Walk around the Square and you’ll find all kinds of cool picture ideas for Instagram.
There’s all sorts of scope for creative compositions, with elements including the Jan Hus statue, the Old Town Hall Tower itself and the archways around part of the edge of the Square.
3. Terasa u Prince – The Best Prague Rooftop Bar ?
Some of the best places to go in Prague are its rooftop bars, but there’s one that stands out above the rest. Hotel U Prince is on the corner of the Old Town Square, and its 4th-floor terrace has a bar and restaurant.
The view from the bar is outstanding, with the Old Town Hall Tower and Týn Church lined up together perfectly.
You have to pay for this particular Prague view – the minimum order is 300 CZK (12 euros) for a glass of champagne. Absolutely worth it, too.
Otherwise you can stay in Hotel U Prince, snd spend as much time on the Terrace as you could possibly want.
4. Powder Tower Prague
This medieval Prague tower has possibly the best 360° views of Prague.It’s next door top Obecni Dům (Municipal House), a gorgeous Art Nouveau concert venue (more on which shortly).
The Powder Tower has a great bird’s eye view of Obecni Dům and nearby Náměstí Republiky, but the highlight here is undoubtedly the view of the Týn Church with St Vitus’ Cathedral in the background.
The tower is one of the quieter places to go in Prague, and in winter you can have the viewing gallery to yourself to shoot this at dusk. It’s easily one of the best places to see in Prague.
5. Prague Jewish Quarter
The Jewish Quarter Prague – also known as Josefov – lies in the north west of the Old Town, close to Staroměstská station.
The Old Jewish Cemetery here is one of the most fascinating places to visit in Prague, and it’s a very moving sight.
Thousands of gravestones, many leaning or broken, are crammed into this beautiful medieval cemetery. The gravestones look wonderful when sunlight breaks through to reach them – it’s a wonderfully atmospheric place.
There are also several Prague synagogues to visit in the Josefov district. Some of them – the Old New Synagogue, Maisel Synagogue and Pinkas Synagogue – have fairly simple, beautiful interiors.
The Spanish Synagogue further along Široka is a much more ornate affair, with a striking Moorish interior.
I also suggest seeking out the stunning Jerusalem Synagogue – also referred to as the Jubilee Synagogue. It’s a little way from Josefov, and just down the hill from Praha hlavní nádraží, the main Prague railway station.
It has a wonderfully exuberant exterior, one of the best examples of Art Nouveau in Prague.
The interior is just as dazzling and bright, with vivid blue walls, layers of arches and some amazing stained glass. It’s one of the most intriguing Prague sites I’ve visited.
See Also: Jewish Prague – The Complete Guide
6. Prague City Library
As well as the stunning Baroque libraries at Klementinum and Strahov, seek out the marvellous Prague City Library (Meštská Knihovna v Praze).
It’s an outstanding library that we’ve used many times while living in Prague. It’s also one of the most intriguing places to go in Prague for photography as well.
The entrance hall is dominated by a circular tower of around 8,000 books by Slovak artist Matěj Kren. Mirrors placed inside give it the impression of being endless, just like the search for knowledge.
Many people pop in just to get a photo of it. Try it yourself. It’s on Mariánské Namesti in the Old Town.
7. River Vltava and Prague Bridges
One of the top sights in Prague is the view up the Vltava River with several Prague bridges. It’s a particularly beautiful scene at sunset or twilight.
This view of the main bridges in Prague is from Letna Park, one of the best parks in Prague.
The ‘cleanest’, least cluttered shot I found was from next to the Baroque-style Hanavský Pavilion, a restaurant and bar on the west side of the Park, close to the edge of the Prague Castle walls.
It’s a steep few minutes’ walk up the hill from Čechův Most, but a lot of people were there when I visited – unsurprisingly, it’s a very popular Prague city view.
If you love picking out different buildings around the city with a long lens, you can zoom in on several top sites in Prague from there, including the Týn Church, National Museum and Žižkov TV Tower.
8. Klementinum And Baroque Library
The Klementinum is a complex of buildings close to the Charles Bridge which was originally founded by the Jesuits in the 16th century.
They gradually expanded over the following two centuries, adding a school – which later became a university – to the site.
This included the stunning Baroque library, which is right up there with any Prague best places to visit. You can only visit on a guided tour, and it’s an absolute Prague must-see – even if you get a fairly cursory look at the Library and are forbidden from photographing it.
You also get the added bonus of access to another Prague lookout tower – the 68-metre high Astronomical Tower. Views are of the Old Town in one direction and towards Charles Bridge and Prague Castle in the other. And you can order your Klementinum tour and tower ticket here.
Across the river, the Baroque Strahov Library Prague is also hugely impressive. It’s part of the Premonstratensian Strahov Monastery, and it’s up on the hill just to the southwest of the Castle.
9. Prague Castle
A visit to Prague Castle is, of course, one of the best things to do in Prague. But how do you go about photographing it and doing it justice? There are numerous vantage points around the river, including the Charles Bridge, and the viewpoints in the Old Town.
One of the best places to shoot Prague Castle images is from next to the Karlovy Lázně tram stop, a minute’s walk beyond the building housing the mega-nightclub of the same name.
From here you get the full sweep of one of the biggest castles in the world. It looks amazing most times of day and especially dusk.
You can enter the Prague Castle precincts for free, and will usually have to undergo a bag search before being allowed through.
Your free entry will give you the run of some of the Castle and its grounds. This includes the Prague Castle Gardens which have great Prague city views, and some of the squares inside the Castle.
However, you’re missing out by not opting for one of the Prague Castle tickets, which gives you greater access. Prague Castle Tour A and B include the interiors of St Vitus’ Cathedral and St George’s Basilica, not to mention one of the most beautiful Prague streets, Golden Lane (Zlatá Ulička).
You can pre-book your Prague Castle tickets here.
Nearby you can also explore other Prague Castle sights including the lovely Baroque Loreta church and Loretanska, another beautiful Prague street.
10. Malá Strana – Lesser Town Prague
Mala Strana is on the west side of the River Vltava and the Charles Bridge, and just below Prague Castle Hill. It’s a gorgeous area, and one of the best places to go in Prague.
It’s also at the foot of another Prague hill, Petřin Hill, which is one of the best Prague viewpoints.
From Petřin Park (reached via Hellichova), climb halfway up the hill until you’re just above the treeline, from where you see possibly the best panorama of Prague, with the whole of the Old Town and Nové Město (New Town).
Climb further to the Petřin Tower, the so-called Prague Eiffel Tower, from which you get a better Prague Castle view. You can book your ticket for this here.
The most beautiful building in Malá Strana is St Nicholas’ Church, a domed Baroque beauty with an adjacent belltower that you can climb for the view. In the Cold War this was used by Communist spies to keep tabs on various embassies close by. You can also book your St Nicholas belltower ticket here.
Malá Strana also has some of the most beautiful streets in Prague, including Nerudova (leading up to the Castle), Mostecká (leading to Charles Bridge) and Na Kampě on Kampa Island.
11. Prague Metro Stations
Some underground railways – like the London Tube or Paris Metro – have become icons of the cities they serve. The same probably can’t be said of the Prague Metro.
Much of it was built in the 1980s – while the Communists still held sway – in a style that was probably meant to be futuristic that was somehow already retro.
The interiors of some of the Metro stations in Prague are fantastic, their retro-futuristic walls looking like Daleks, the arch-villains from the long-running BBC Doctor Who series. They are one of my favourite examples of late Communist architecture in Europe.
For many the metro in Prague serves the simple prosaic function of getting you from A to B, rather than being among the top places in Prague to photograph. Get yourself a 140 CZK ($6) day ticket if it’s raining and explore.
For the record, my favourite stations are Malostranská, Staroměstská and Náměstí Mírů.
12. Zizkov Television Tower
The Žižkov Tower dominates the eastern skyline of Prague, a grey retro-futuristic carbuncle seemingly put there by Communist authorities to spoil photographs of the city. At least that’s what I thought of it in 1991 when, with just a Minolta compact to my name, and it kept ruining my compositions from Prague Castle hill.
It’s best photographed from afar, when you can show it in context high above the surrounding suburb of Žižkov. However it is worth a look close in to see the crawling baby figures by David Černý, which seem to be climbing the tower from all angles.
If you choose to do so yourself, you get an unrivalled Prague panoramic view. However, it’s so high up and far away from the best of Prague sights that the compositions are nowhere near as good as some of the other Prague viewpoints I’ve mentioned.
13. Dancing House Prague
The Dancing House (Tancici Dum in Czech) is one of the most famous buildings in Prague, and probably the best-known example of modern Prague architecture. It’s on a riverside site at the end of the Jiráskuv Bridge, and was partly designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, who was responsible for the later Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.
The Dancing House should be on any Prague what to see list. Gehry nicknamed it Fred and Ginger, and from some angles the building does look like two dancing partners, one with the arms around the other’s waist.
It’s also well worth climbing up to the roof bar, ordering yourself a beer air glass of wine, and enjoying the view of the river and promenade, and the Prague Castle in the distance.
Twilight is a great time to photograph the Dancing House, with the light trails from the traffic and passing Prague trams adding dynamism to the shot. Otherwise, late spring or summer evening light is ideal as well.
Photographing Prague – Final Words
Prague is a wonderful city to photograph. The historic centre of Prague is relatively small, but even after living there for four years, I would still see new photo ideas every time I hop on a tram or go for a walk.
I used to travel around the city with my son a lot, and we would often choose different angles and heights to observe on our tram journeys – sometimes it would be at eye- or street-level, other times towards the upper storeys of buildings that we passed. Whenever we went out we would always see something new, even after all that time living in the city.
I suggest that you use this Prague photography guide as a starting point and clock up plenty of miles exploring the back streets and many hidden gems in Prague along the way.
Having lived in Prague for more than four years, I’ve written extensively about the city and the Czech Republic. Here’s a sample of other articles on Prague and the country to inspire you:
Top Sights In Prague
55 Amazing Things To Do In Prague – By A Former Local
Charles Bridge Prague – one of the most beautiful bridges in the world
Old Town Square Prague – one of the most beautiful squares in the world
Týn Church Prague – stunning Gothic church with fairytale spires
Landmarks of Prague – 22 unmissable sights in the city
Jewish Prague – all Jewish sites in Prague, including those beyond the Josefov district
Hidden Gems in Prague -27 off the beaten track sights to seek out
How To Visit Prague Zoo – one of the best in Europe
National Museum Prague – the biggest, best Museum in the Czech Republic
Best Day Trips From Prague – 22 great trip ideas by a former local
Prague by Area
Old Town Prague – one of the most captivating old towns in Europe
New Town Prague – the modern heart of the Czech capital – but a taste of the old is never far away
Malá Strana Prague – the enchanting Baroque ‘Lesser Quarter’ below Prague Castle
Kampa Island Prague– the most beautiful and intriguing of Prague’s islands
Vltava River in Prague– everything there is to see along the river in the Czech capital
Žižkov Prague – the former working class renegade and artists’ hangout, as quirky as ever, with some of the best pubs in Prague
Holešovice Prague – Prague 7, one of the best modern areas to explore in the city
Themed Articles On Prague
Churches in Prague – 20 wondrous churches from St Vitus Cathedral to a modernist masterpiece in Vinohrady
Communist Prague – 18 Fascinating Places To Explore
Sunsets In Prague – the 10 best places to see them
Prague Streets – the city’s most beautiful streets
Prague World War 2 Sites – including the Heydrich Assassination Site and more
Parks and Gardens In Prague
Prague Parks – green escapes, riverside walks, beer gardens and more
Letná Park – one of the largest city parks, with superb views over the city
Stromovka Park – former royal hunting grounds in Holešovice
Petřin Hill – outstanding hillside park with some of the best walks in Prague
Obora Hvězda Prague – another former royal hunting ground, a forest park with Renaissance palace in the west of Prague
Prague Gardens – the stunning formal gardens of Prague
Vrtba Garden – glorious early Baroque terraced garden in Mala Strana
Petřin Hill – outstanding hillside park with some of the best walks in Prague
And here’s a selection of places to visit further afield around the Czech Republic:
- Best Day Trips From Prague – your first steps to discovering the rest of the Czech Republic
- Telč Czech Republic – A Gorgeous UNESCO World Heritage Town
- Kutná Hora Bone Church – the stunning art of the Sedlec Ossuary
- Things To Do In Kutná Hora – World Heritage town that grew rich on silver mining in the Middle Ages
- Czech Republic in Winter – avoid the crowds in the low season
- Things To Do In Litoměřice – gorgeous Renaissance and Baroque town on the River Elbe
- Visiting Terezin Concentration Camp – the infamous Theresienstadt Ghetto, the Nazis’ ‘model camp’ for Jews they then murdered in the gas chambers
- Mikulov – A Beautiful Moravian Wine Town Near The Austrian Border
- Mělník – wonderful wine town with castle just north of Prague
- Things To Do In Mariánské Lázně – also known as Marienbad, a splendid Bohemian Spa town