Skip to content

Prague with Kids: A Bird’s Eye View

Prague is known as the “Golden City of a Hundred Spires”. Seeing it from above makes that nickname even more evident. Our first activity in Prague was cruising the Vltava River as an orientation. But, we also like to see a city from above for another perspective. We decided to climb the 287 spiral steps to the top of Prague’s most dominant spire – St. Vitus Cathedral. We saw more than a panoramic view of one of the most scenic cities we’ve ever visited.

Prague skyline

St. Vitus Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece and the largest church in the Czech Republic. I had never heard of St. Vitus but have since found out that he was a Sicilian martyr who is the patron saint of Bohemia, dancers, comedians and actors. The cathedral is located inside the Prague castle complex along with museums, galleries, churches and the seat of the country’s president. It is Prague’s top attraction so expect crowds during busy tourist season.

Prague St Vitus Cathedral front

Construction of the cathedral started in 1344. But, due to many circumstances like architects dying, wars, and fires, the cathedral was finally completed in 1929. It took almost 600 years to complete but what a magnificent piece of architecture inside and out.

St Vitus Cathedral Clock tower

The tallest of St. Vitus’ towers is the clock and bell tower at 96.5 m (317 feet) and where the lookout gallery was located. This was also known as the Great South Tower. Looking up, 287 steps suddenly felt so daunting.

St Vitus Cathedral clock tower

My kids raced ahead of us to the top counting the steps to make sure there really were 287. You know, in case all the other tourists and officials miscounted. They had so much energy and were so enthusiastic about going up. It really does help to do strenuous activities in the morning after a hearty breakfast. Or maybe it was all the nutella and syrup from breakfast that fueled all that.

St Vitus Cathedral with kids

The steps were narrow, winding and seemed to go on endlessly. It was also enclosed in tight spaces with a couple of windows in between. This may not be a good idea for anyone suffering from claustrophobia. I was just glad there were no outdoor staircases to climb like we did in Copenhagen. I can imagine it could get pretty crowded here. We didn’t pass anyone going up but did have to step aside for people as we went down.

St Vitus cathedral tower staircase

Along the way we caught a glimpse of the largest church bell in the Czech Republic known as Zikmund. The bell weighs 15 tons and was built in 1549. It takes six people to work the bell with four of them swinging the bell and the other two to control the clapper (the tongue hanging from the bell’s center used to strike it).

St Vitus Cathedral Bell

We visited a few minutes after the tower opened at 10AM and had the lookout gallery to ourselves and another couple while the Prague castle complex and courtyard was filling up below.

Prague Castle from above

The view from the top was truly spectacular. Red roofs and spires were everywhere.

Prague view from above

Prague is one of Europe’s best preserved cities since it wasn’t heavily damaged during the wars. Walking its cobblestoned streets almost felt like stepping into the pages of a fairy tale town.

Prague view from above

We got lucky. It was such a nice and sunny summer morning in Prague during our visit and we were able to see much of the impressive architecture and colorful buildings.

Prague view from above

We loved seeing the hustle and bustle of the city and the Prague castle complex below.

Prague castle below

The kids particularly liked watching all the people below and enjoyed the feeling of being so high up.

Prague St Vitus Cathedral with kids

Petrin Observation Tower was created as a smaller version of the Eiffel Tower. It was built in 1891 for a Jubilee Expedition and is 60 m tall but sits on top of the hill. It’s a great alternative to getting another incredible view of the city which will include Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral in the landscape. Unfortunately, this was as close as we got to Prague’s Eiffel Tower.

Petrin observation tower

We spotted an American flag flying high from a garden pavilion in the middle of lush Petrin Park. This was the Glorietta and part of the terraced gardens behind the American Embassy also known as Schoenborn Palace. These gardens were not open to the public.

Prague view

Looking down gave us an appreciation of how the Vltava River cuts through the city, its bridges and the wonderful vista surrounding it.

Prague view from above

This was the “camera zoom” version of Prague’s popular Charles Bridge. It was already getting crowded with pedestrians and merchants.

Prague Charles Bridge

We were at eye level with the towers and spires and it was amazing to see the details up close. Visiting these old cathedrals really makes you appreciate what the architects and builders accomplished considering the tools they had back then.

St Vitus Cathedral tower

It wouldn’t be a grand old European Cathedral without flying buttresses supporting the towers. Despite the construction in the area, the buttresses behind the cathedral were still striking to see from above.

St Vitus Cathedral Buttress

These circular maps on the walls that showed the landscape and attractions were very helpful.

Prague St Vitus Cathedral Clock Tower map

There was also a seating area inside for those who needed a little break or rest after the climb.

Prague St Vitus Cathedral observatory inside

There were bars throughout the lookout tower but were wide enough not to obstruct the views. It helped ease my mind a bit having these bars here especially with an active 7-year-old boy who likes to climb things.

St Vitus Cathedral view

Prague is such a photogenic city rich in history. Seeing it from a birds-eye view will definitely give you a different perspective and even more appreciation of just how beautiful this city is. Climbing St. Vitus clock tower was worth every step and one we highly recommend with or without kids.

Prague from a window

Visiting St. Vitus Cathedral Clock Tower Tips and Basics

  • The tower is a separate entrance from the Prague Castle complex and St. Vitus Cathedral. Entrance is at the side of the cathedral. Get tickets from the desk inside the tower.
  • Ticket Prices for adults and kids for the lookout tower: 150 Kc ($7.80 US/5.8o Euro). 20% discount with Prague City Card.
  • Use the restrooms beforehand (especially the kids). It’s a long climb up with no facilities at the lookout gallery. Restrooms are by the cathedral’s main entrance.
  • Bring binoculars if you can. We wished we had one. It would have been fun to see things up close.
  • Bring water/juice/snacks for the family. You’ll need it after the climb. There are no concession stands at the gallery.
  • Go early in the morning or later in the evening to beat the tourist crowds.

*Have you seen Prague from above? What are your favorite cities to see from a bird’s eye view?

[stextbox id=”black” bgcolor=”b0c4de”]  If you liked this post, please get the latest posts and updates free.  Follow me on Twitteror Facebook.  Thanks! [/stextbox]

Pin it for later!

A Bird's Eye View of Prague

44 thoughts on “Prague with Kids: A Bird’s Eye View”

  1. It seems they love narrow stairways in Europe! That shot from St. Vitus reminded me of the narrow stairway from the Tower of Pisa.

    Great post, as always :)

  2. 600 years to complete! that is amazing. Thanks for the wonderful views, both looking up and looking down. I have no problem looking straight over the side of buildings to take photos – whereas my husband stands back and clutches the edge. I love looking at life going along below. Gorgeous buildings and stunning views. Thanks! Have a great week.

    1. Thanks Jill! It was amazing it took them so long to complete it. I don’t have a problem with looking over the side too but those bars certainly made me feel a lot better :)

  3. Fabulous view! We didn’t go up the tower of the cathedral — I think it was too late in the day when we visited. But after seeing your pic, I may not have wanted to. I’ve climbed to the top of many bell towers, but this one looks too claustrophobic for me. It really is amazing that they were able to design and build these amazing structures back then.

  4. Prague has long been on the list of the cities I’d most like to visit, and your photos have only added to my itchy feet! What an amazing view from the tower. Thanks for taking me on a little journey this morning :)

  5. Hi Mary,
    Wow, the lucky adopted siblings had such big beautiful smiles even after climbing 287 steps! Well, with those amazing views I’ll have a big smile, too. Thanks fot taking me back to one of my favorite cities. I so love the view of Prague from above; I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. You’re photos captured its magnificence.
    Some other cities I love to view from above are Florence from the Duomo, Rome from Capitoline, Rio de Janeiro from Sugaloaf and La Paz from the hills.

    1. Don’t we all wish our kids had that level of energy most of the time? Prague is such a beautiful city that it really does need to be seen from different viewpoints. That cathedral is one of the most beautiful we’ve seen.

  6. I love climbing up towers to see amazing vistas and this one is pretty amazing, definitely worth all the steps…besides you get rewarded with those views!

  7. Your photos are stunning, Mary!
    Each time I see of photos of Prague they show how beautiful it is. One day I’ll visit.
    Bet it was worth the climb to get that dizzying view down from the cathedral.

  8. It was a lovely day when you took these photos. Spectacular views. As soon as I
    read about the fifteen ton bell I immediately thought how do they move it to make
    a sound – so I was glad that you told us. :)

  9. How we have missed visiting Prague when we’ve been all around it is beyond me. We do haveit on our list of places to go and you have whetted the appetite.

  10. What a marvelous way to see the city. I love all the red roofs and how architecturally stunning the city appears to be at quite literally every turn. I wonder if there is a time in Prague when it isn’t busy! You must have been thrilled to finally get a sunny day while in Europe too.

  11. These photos are absolutely gorgeous (and it looks like your kids had a blast)! I loved seeing Prague from above, especially because of the lovely, lush Bohemian landscape that surrounds the city. I would love to one day take a hot air balloon over a city. My favorite city from above is Barcelona. I love how the city stretches into the sea.

  12. Just to think, this is the general area of where my mom’s folks came over to the US from in the 1870s. Love to get there some time.

  13. It’s funny, I’m not scared of heights Mary, but a couple of those photos gave me a sense of vertigo! Prague is so pretty to walk around, but it really does look magnificent from up above, and there doesn’t look to be anywhere better than St. Vitus for it (Unfortunately I didn’t go to the top, but I got a pretty incredible view from Petrin Hill for free!). I think my favourite birds-eye view is Reykjavik because of the colourful houses and ocean scenery.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.