Castles · Tour
The Gate to Hell in Front of the Foreign Ministry, After Dark
Three hours on foot at night, from the Old Town up to the castle, when the crowds have gone home. The thread is the reign of Rudolf II, who drew scientists, astronomers and men who called themselves magicians to Bohemia, and under whom alchemy, astronomy and magic were not yet separate trades. Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler both worked here; the house Brahe lived in during 1600 is on the route, and so is the question of how he died. The legends come with the streets they belong to: the Golem at the Old-New Synagogue, and the Devil's Bible, the Codex Gigas, at Strahov, where the monks brewed beer for their patron St Norbert and the Swedish army carried off the treasure. Both stories turn up in Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets. In front of the Czernin Palace, now the foreign ministry, there is the spot said to have been a gate to hell, and where that story came from. At the castle: the Mihulka powder tower, which mattered to Rudolf's alchemists, St Vitus, built over a thousand years, St George's with the tomb of St Ludmila, the Golden Lane with nobody in it, the Daliborka tower, and the oldest vineyard in Prague. One thing to get right: the meeting point is Týnská 627/7, not Týnská ulička 627/8.
What's included
- Professional English or German speaking guide
- Small-group walking tour
Itinerary
The map could not be loaded. Please try again in a moment.
Týnská 627/7, Staré Město
Note the address carefully: the meeting point is in front of the house at Týnská 627/7, not Týnská ulička 627/8.
Mcgee's Trips & Tickets
The tour begins in front of the building at Týnská 627/7, Prague 1.
Staromestske namesti
The alchemists of Prague, and what they took themselves to be doing.
Church of Our Lady before Tyn
The Church of Our Lady before Týn, one of the most striking churches in the city.
Kinsky Palace
The Kinský Palace, a Rococo building now part of the National Gallery.
Jan Hus Monument
The Jan Hus monument. Hus became a figure of dissent and of resistance to whoever was in power.
Parizska Street
The spending at Rudolf II's court, and the question of who was paying for it.
The Old-New Synagogue
The Old-New Synagogue and the legend of the Golem, the best known of Prague's legends and one of the sources behind Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets.
Pass by the most impressive part of Jewish Ghetto
Past the most striking part of the former Jewish quarter.
See one of the original four faculties of Charles…
One of the four original faculties of Charles University, in its historic building.
Rudolfinum
The Rudolfinum, the neo-Renaissance concert hall and cultural centre.
Manesuv Most
Charles Bridge at twilight. Charles IV consulted the leading astrologers on when to lay the foundation so the bridge would last, and it has. This is also the best place to photograph the whole castle at once.
Malostranske namesti
A tram from here up to the castle district.
Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe: what brought them both to Prague under Rudolf II, and whether Brahe was murdered.
Strahovsky Klaster
The Strahov Monastery, its library, and the brewery where the monks made the holy beer dedicated to their patron St Norbert. Here too the Devil's Bible, the Codex Gigas, and the treasure taken by the Swedish army.
Strahov Monastery Brewery
The monastic brewery, going back to the 12th century. The holy beer can be bought here.
Cernin Palace
The Czernin Palace, now the Czech foreign ministry. In front of it is the spot said to have been a gate to hell, and the guide traces where the story came from.
See the exterior of this pilgrimage destination with its…
The exterior of the pilgrimage church with its treasury, and the legend of the Santa Casa, the house where Jesus was born.
The oldest Capuchin monastery in the Czech Republic
The oldest Capuchin monastery in the country. It was resented by Prague's Protestants from the day it opened, Tycho Brahe among them, whose observatory stood not far off.
Novy Svet
What remains of the Baroque ramparts, and the only timbered house left in historic Prague. Past the house where Tycho Brahe lived and worked in 1600.
Prague Castle
Prague Castle at night.
Garden Na Baste
Climb to the middle of the garden and stand in the centre: the acoustics carry a voice further than anywhere else here.
Mihulka Powder Tower
The Mihulka powder tower, which along with the Summer Palace was one of the buildings that mattered most to the alchemists under Rudolf II.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St Vitus Cathedral, and a building programme that took a thousand years to finish.
St. George's Basilica
St George's Basilica, where St Ludmila, one of the first Christian martyrs in Bohemia, is buried.
Golden Lane
The Golden Lane, its small houses painted in bright colours, with no crowds in it, and the legends of the alchemists and the prisoners who lived here.
Daliborka
The late Gothic Daliborka tower, built as a prison. The legend has it holding a knight, Dalibor of Kozojedy, who had risen against serfdom.
Walk through the oldest vineyards in Prague that was…
The oldest vineyard in Prague, said to have been worked by Duke Wenceslas, the patron saint of the country. It is a piece of ground in the middle of the city that has kept its original form.
Malá Strana, Prague 1
Next to the entrance to the metro line A, by the tram stop.
Not included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- No entry into interiors or buildings; exterior tour only.
- Tram ticket is not included
Good to know
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Show 7 moreShow less
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- This tour does not enter the interior
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Children up to 6 years of age are free of charge
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: de, en.
Reviews
Loading reviews…
