Travel agency Sibkraft (Prague, Czech republic)

We begin our walk at the Strahov Monastery, founded in 1140 by the Premonstratensian order. The frescoes on the ceilings and walls of its two libraries superbly set off an impressive collection of manuscripts dating from the 9th century. After sampling a beer from the monastery’s brewery, it is on to Loretanske Square and the Loreta – home of the Lesser Order of Capuchin Brothers. The edifice offers an extravagantly-detailed eighteenth century façade, the tower of magical bells tourists all over the world flock to hear, and within the cloister walls, the seventeenth-century Santa Casa, home to one of Europe’s legendary Black Madonnas. Leaving the square, we make our way along the winding street known as Nový Svet (the New World) – a true slice of medieval town life that remains one of Prague’s best-kept secrets. This historic gem captivates the spirit with its quiet, romantic atmosphere. Our final stop brings us to the grand structure known the world over as Prague Castle and the towering Gothic cathedral of Saint Vitus. Situated high above the Vltava River, the resplendent Prague Castle served for centuries as the residence of emperors and Czech kings; today the President of the Czech Republic calls it home. Within the castle’s monumental walls lies legendary Golden Lane, a miniscule alley lined with tiny cottages, where medieval alchemists labored to uncover the ancient secret of the philosopher’s stone…

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

Admission fees (not included / optional):

    Strahov Monastery — 3 euros / person

    Loreta — 4 euros / person

A huge, ancient fortress stonily ribbons the hill rising above Prague’s Mala Strana (Little Quarter). Its massive walls and towers, and the soaring spires of Saint Vitus Cathedral, are visible from almost every quarter of the city. Here legend and archeological evidence converge: this has been the seat of Bohemian royalty since the 9th century. We are at Prague Castle, or simply “Hrad”, as it is known in Czech, residence of Czech Kings, Emperors, Habsburg monarchs and now, the President of the Czech Republic. We pass through its great gates, watched over in equal measure by two fierce stone Titans and somber presidential guards, and make our way through the Castle courtyards. Up ahead we catch sight of the glorious Saint Vitus Cathedral, and take in the grandeur of this exhilarating Gothic structure. Its towers and spires, stained glass and monstrous chimeras, were constructed over many centuries by a plethora of Europe’s most renowned artists, stonemasons and architects. Beyond the cathedral lies Golden Lane, the little medieval community originally built in the sixteenth century by perhaps the most melancholic and madly acquisitive of all the Habsburg emperors, Rudolf II. Legends surround this charming, miniscule collection of cottages wherein lived court-maintained alchemists and sorcerers – and not a few infamous charlatans – in pursuit of the philosopher’s stone. Moreover, for a short time in the early years of the twentieth century, Golden Lane was home to the world-famous author of Metamorphosis and The Trial, Franz Kafka. We end our tour with a meandering stroll through the grounds and beautifully landscaped gardens of Prague Castle…

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

Admission fees (not included / optional):

    Prague Castle (St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, Golden Lane) — 11 euros / person

    Golden Lane — 2 euros / person

For over 600 years a strange spectacle has unfolded at five minutes to the hour, every hour, high above Prague’s Old Town Square. The monumental Astrological Clock on Old Town Hall’s façade springs to life: a parade of the 12 Apostles creaks by, grossly stereotypical adversaries of the Holy Roman Empire such as the Jewish moneylender and the fearsome Turk pop out of other windows; a skeleton ominously shakes his hourglass, reminding of Death and the Plague. Many legends surround this monstrously beautiful timepiece, including the dire prediction that, should the clock ever stop, the ghosts of the 27 Czech nobles, beheaded here on the square in 1620, shall rise up in that instance, and demand an explanation!

However, as legends go, the most fabulous occur just two hundred meters from Old Town Square. When we enter Josefov, the oldest and most-storied Jewish quarter in all Europe, we enter another time – literally! The hands on the Hebrew Clock on the sixteenth century Jewish Town Hall run counter-clockwise, just as the poet Apollinaire claimed. Many of the Jewish Quarter’s legends revolve around the renowned scholar and companion of Rudolf II, Rabbi Low. In one of Prague’s most enduring legends, Rabbi Low appears as a powerful alchemist who creates the notorious creature, The Golem, to protect the Jewish Quarter against the world’s evil forces.

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

Admission fees (not included / optional):

    Jewish Quarter (Maisel Synagogue, Klaus Synagogue, Spanish Synagogue, Pinkas Synagogue, Jewish Museum, Old-New Synagogue) — 11 euros / person

    Old-New Synagogue — 9 euros / person

Prague’s Josefov is home to many of Central Europe’s richest collections of Jewish historical and cultural artifacts. This tiny quarter, bordered by the Vltava River, contains plentiful exhibitions ranging from the centuries-old history of the Jewish people in the Czech and Moravian lands to modern Jewish art and history. The Moorish-style Spanish Synagogue is one of the most beautiful in Europe with magnificent interiors. Upon entering the Old-New Synagogue, we sense the spirit of a people who have worshipped within its ancient walls since the mid-thirteenth century. Its 700 year-old walls conjure echoes of a lively populace of craftsmen, artists and scholars. There are also poignant memorials to the terrible losses inflicted on the Jewish community throughout its long history in the Czech Lands. The Old-New Synagogue remains a defiant witness to a time of brutal pogroms, when the Jewish community was forcibly walled within the Old Ghetto. The Pinkas Synagogue, adjacent to the Old Jewish Cemetery, contains a stark stone memorial with the names of the over 77,000 Czech and Slovak Jews killed by the Nazis during the Second World War. We walk through the Old Jewish Cemetery, watched over by great rafts of rook nests high in the trees. Twelve thousand Jewish citizens were buried here between the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries. The time-chiseled Hebrew on the jumbled gravestones tells us of the vibrant lives of some of the inhabitants.

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

Admission fees (not included / optional):

    Jewish Quarter (Maisel Synagogue, Klaus Synagogue, Spanish Synagogue, Pinkas Synagogue, Jewish Museum, Old-New Synagogue) — 11 euros / person

    Old-New Synagogue — 9 euros / person

In the Middle Ages, when numbered addresses were unheard of, the citizens of Prague often distinguished their residences with house signs. Many of these fanciful signs, usually over the main entrance door to a medieval house, still exist and are in use. So on this outing we may find ourselves “At the Black Eagle”; we may meet “At the Gold Star" or "At the Bowl". As we follow the winding streets of the Little Quarter, we will seek out some of the more outstanding examples of Prague’s house signs, and learn about their fascinating history. We will take the road less traveled by tourists, the twisting back streets that reveal some of the Little Quarter’s secret treasures. Hidden behind the high, thick walls and grillwork of aristocratic palaces lie magnificent gardens. Down a dim alley are age-old canals, dripping with greenery, where aged water mills still rhythmically turn in the shadows. We finish the tour at this magical city’s most enduring image: the majestic Charles Bridge, with its massive Baroque statues disposed the entire length. Construction on the bridge began at precisely 5:31 am, the 9th of July 1357 – the date had not been chosen at random. Astrologers of the time decided on this numerical combination in order to ensure the stones would hold and the bridge would enjoy a long life. Since its completion almost 600 years ago, this magnificent structure has withstood the ravages of time, war and floods. Medieval astrologers would not have been surprised.

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

Admission fees (not included / optional):

    St. Nicolas Church — 3 euros / person

Vysehrad, the ancient fortress high on a bluff above the Vltava River, has a distinct aura of mystery surrounding it. It is the stuff of fairy tales, grand opera and myth, and although its stone foundations are real enough, its historical roots lie shrouded in the mists of time. The oldest chronicles tell us that here on this bluff the legendary Czech princess Libuse founded the city and declared it would be called “Prague” – from the Czech word, prah for “threshold”. Libuse was also a prophetess, and she predicted a great glory for the city that would “reach to the stars…” The ancient chronicles further tell us that early in the 12th century the residence of the Czech kings was transferred from Prague Castle to the ancient citadel of Vysehrad – but no one really knows why. We will travel back in time along the high bluffs of Vysehrad, following its thousand year-old ramparts and crumbling red brick walls. As we explore the ruins of its palaces and stone wells and eerie caves, perhaps the stones will reveal to us their secrets…

    Individual English speaking guide (3 hours) — 50 euros

Admission fees (not included / optional):

    Vyšehrad - (church of St. Peter & Paul, the casemates) — 5 euros / person

Wenceslas Square is a long, huge, bustling boulevard of shops, bars, theatres and passageways. It is the one place in Prague that never seems to sleep. Yet, the square also has a weighty air about it. Here many of the great events in modern Czech history have unfolded. The boots of Nazi soldiers marched along its cobbled avenue in 1939. The caterpillar tracks of Soviet tanks thundered through in 1968. Here in 1918 Tomas Masaryk declared the First Republic and, in 1989, thousands of demonstrators gathered on Wenceslas Square to usher in the “Velvet Revolution” and send Communism packing. This walk takes us along its broad avenue, punctuated with grand buildings in an array of architectural styles – from Empire and Art Nouveau to Cubism and Constructivism. We move on to The Powder Tower, one of the medieval gateways to Old Town. We stop at the Neoclassical Estates Theatre, where Mozart first premiered Don Giovanni, and the venerable Karolinum, the oldest of the many buildings today known as Charles University, founded in 1348 by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV. Finally, we visit the sights of Old Town Square, dominated by the massive Jan Hus Monument at its center…

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

The Royal Road passes through the whole of medieval Prague from the Powder Tower to Prague Castle. For centuries this was the route taken on Coronation Day by the new king in his royal carriage, accompanied by a solemn procession of royal guards, nobles and aristocrats, and high-ranking members of the Church. The entourage alighted at Saint Vitus Cathedral, where the royal regalia were in the ready to crown the new king and invest him with his powers. Today we will follow in the footsteps of kings along this 400 year-old route, and view what their royal eyes looked upon…

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

This is a thoroughly entertaining tour built around the antics of the Czechs’ most beloved buffoon and boozer, known the world over as The Good Soldier Schweik. Our inspiration for the tour comes from Jaroslav Hašek’s hilarious satire of the same name, set in the dying days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the First World War. We will visit the pubs and taverns connected with Good Soldier Schweik’s numerous misadventures. And there is no better place to start than at “U Kalicha” (The Chalice), his favorite watering hole! It was here, under a fly-spattered portrait of Emperor Franz Joseph, that Schweik, abruptly caught up in the turmoil of World War I, began his absurd wanderings. Schweik’s ghost still hovers about the pub, and the Emperor’s portrait is still there, flies and all…

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

Optional activity:

    Lunch in the brewery "U Kalicha" (2 course menu + 1 beer) — 15 euros / person

Perhaps it is the mysterious play of light and shadow on the city's "hundred spires"; or the multitude of conquering invaders and strange deaths during its 1200-year history; that gave rise to the numerous ghost stories of Prague. Let‘s unravel the untold past of the Czech capital with a walk around night Prague. It's easy to lose the sense of real time in the gleam of yellow lanterns and to believe in the existence of creatures form the other world – ghosts. Let's listen to their stories and maybe if we have luck we will meet some of them! Perhaps you'll find the inhabitants you never see, a roving assembly of phantoms that includes priests, kings, commoners and a famous 20th century novelist, to be the most intriguing. There are those that bestow upon Prague the dubious distinction of being the most haunted city in Europe. Whether that is true or not, we dare you to find out!

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

Behind the high stone walls of Prague Castle are one of the Little Quarter’s finest treasures, and the pride of Prague – the Royal Gardens. Although just off the crowded tourist pathways, the gardens remain a world apart. To encounter them is to enter a timeless world of emerald silence. Since the Baroque epoch Europe’s finest sculptors, landscapers and architects have had a hand in creating the horticultural delights, cultivated lawns and splashing fountains which greet our eyes. The Royal Gardens are a soothing break from the hectic city noise, always alive with the changing seasons and immaculately kept up. The artistic expressiveness of the Royal Gardens is a verdant symphony.

    Individual English speaking guide (4 hours) — 60 euros

Admission fees (not included / optional):

    Prague Gardens (Ledeburg Gardens, Palffy Gardens, Kolowrat Gardens, Fürstenberg Gardens, Valdštejn Gardens, Vrtbovska Gardens) — 8 euros / person