Prague

Prague is one of Europe’s most complete historic cities. The castle above the Vltava, the Charles Bridge, Gothic spires, Baroque palaces and Art Nouveau cafés compose a skyline that came through the twentieth century almost intact — a city whose music, quiet courtyards and old taverns reward slow exploration.

Prague grew from four historic towns on either bank of the Vltava. On the left bank, the castle district of Hradčany and the Lesser Town, Malá Strana, climb towards St Vitus Cathedral; on the right, the Old Town gathers around its square, the Astronomical Clock and the twin towers of the Týn Church, with the Jewish Quarter of Josefov and the broad avenues of the New Town beyond.

Charles Bridge, begun under Charles IV in 1357 and lined with Baroque statues of saints, joins the two halves. Charles made Prague the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and founded its university, and the city has kept its weight in music ever since: Mozart conducted the premiere of Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre, and Dvořák and Smetana fill the Rudolfinum and the Municipal House, a monument of Czech Art Nouveau.

Spring is Prague’s finest season. The Prague Spring International Music Festival opens each May on the anniversary of Smetana’s death with his cycle Má vlast, the orchards of Petřín Hill flower above the Lesser Town, and the terraced Baroque gardens below the castle open for the year. September and early October are similar: mild, golden and far less crowded than high summer.

July and August bring the largest crowds to the Old Town Square and the bridge, which is best crossed at dawn. Winter is cold and often grey, yet it holds the city’s most atmospheric weeks: Christmas markets on the Old Town and Wenceslas squares, concerts in candlelit churches, and the opera and ballet seasons of the National Theatre and the State Opera in full swing.

Prague’s finest hotels sit close to the river and the castle. Four Seasons Hotel Prague joins Baroque, Neoclassical and Renaissance buildings on the Old Town bank, facing the castle across the Vltava; and Mandarin Oriental, Prague occupies a former Dominican monastery in Malá Strana. The Augustine, set around the Augustinian monastery of St Thomas below the castle, has left Marriott and is to reopen as a Kempinski in 2027.

LVXVRY books both through Four Seasons Preferred Partner and Mandarin Oriental Fan Club — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges each programme attaches to the stay. Rooms with castle views are limited and should be requested early, particularly for the Prague Spring festival and the Christmas season.