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Prague with Kids: Sights and Rituals on the Charles Bridge

Sometimes, there are certain things in a city you just have to do no matter how many reviews call it a tourist trap. The Charles Bridge is one of Prague’s most popular attraction so we knew we had to spend some time here. Though, it is more than just a bridge. This 14th century, pedestrian, stone bridge crosses the Vltava River and is a big activity hub. Crossing this bridge is a multi-sensory experience.

Charles Bridge Prague
Construction on the bridge was ordered in 1357 by King Charles IV (who the bridge was later named for). The 502 meter (1600 ft) long bridge was completed in 1402. Originally known as Stone Bridge (Karluv most), it was built to accomodate four carriages at one time since it was the only permanent structure that linked the two sides of the river for three centuries. Cars passed through here until 1965.

Charles Bridge Prague
This is now the main pedestrian route that connects Prague’s Old Town area with the Lesser Town (Malá Strana) where Prague Castle is located. As you can imagine, it gets pretty crowded here as tourists try to maneuver their way through vendors and artists among other things.

Charles bridge vendors

There was no shortage of sketch artists and cartoonists here for that special souvenir from Prague. Some of them were quite talented too.

Charles Bridge artist

We bravely crossed the bridge after visiting Prague Castle in mid-afternoon. It is anchored on both sides by beautiful bridge towers.

Charles Bridge lesser town tower
We entered through the arch in between Judith Bridge Tower and Little Quarter Bridge Tower. The towers are open for climbing but we didn’t get the chance to go up. The taller Little Quarter tower has been here since 1464.

Charles Bridge lesser town tower

Before walking through the main parts of the bridge, we looked over one of the side walls and found this charming small canal with a water wheel. If you’re walking through the bridge, take your time and look out and you may get some pleasant surprises.

Charles Bridge water wheel Prague

We also stopped long enough to enjoy the views of the Vltava river and all its activity below. Turning our backs from the bridge and focusing on the river almost made us forget all the hustle and bustle behind us.

Prague Vltava River
The bridge is also one of the best places to enjoy the beautiful buildings and spires with Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral looming over it.

Prague skyline
The 30 sandstone statues that adorn both sides of the bridge are its main attractions. The statues are mainly saints, some well-known ones and some a bit obscure. This was St. Norbert, St. Wenceslas and St. Sigismund who were the patron saints of the Bohemian provinces.

St. Norbert, St. Wenceslas and St. Sigismund prague

Most of the statues are replicas after many of the original ones were damaged, deteriorated or lost during the river floodings. Some of the original statues are on display at the Lapidarium Museum at the Prague Exhibition Grounds. Though, some of the statues look like they’ve been part of the bridge since its inception.

Charles Bridge statue
The statue to the far right below is of St. Vitus with the lions who were supposed to maul him but instead licked his feet.

Prague Charles Bridge statues

It’s hard to believe that Charles Bridge started off with only a wooden cross in the center. The first wooden cross has since been replaced by this gilded Crucifixion in 1629.

Charles Bridge crucifixion statue
In 1683, the first statue was erected here of St. John of Nepomuk. The bronze statue was to honor Nepomuk, an archbishop, who was tortured and his corpse thrown off the Charles Bridge.

Charles Bridge St John Nepomuk

Reliefs below the statue show these events and rubbing it is supposed to bring good luck or make wishes come true or ensure your return to Prague soon. We don’t hesitate to do the touristy things including lining up to follow this ritual. Touching the lady on the right will ensure your return to Prague. And who wouldn’t want to come back to this beautiful city?

Charles Bridge St John Nepomuk statue
One can never have enough good luck and the kids actually enjoyed doing this. Touching the dog is supposed to make your wish come true. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an answer for my son of when his wish is supposed to come true.

Charles bridge St John Nepomuk statue

This was another tribute to St. John Nepomuk and was the spot where he was thrown into the river. Legend has it that five stars appeared when his body touched the water. The ritual here is to touch the cross and stars with your left hand and make a wish and it will come true. It looks like people touched more than the stars here.
Charles Bridge wrought iron

The details on some of those statues were remarkable. An upside to the crowds is it gave us a chance to pause and admire some of the statues we otherwise would have walked by. The saints represented here founded the Trinitarian Order which played a large role in raising ransom money and freeing Christians enslaved and imprisoned during its war with the Muslims.

Charles bridge statues

It helped to have a guidebook that pointed out the saints and statues so we knew some of them. I wished I had a more in-depth guide to learn the tales and rich history behind these saints to fully appreciate what we were looking at. Although, some of the sculptures did have some names on them.

Charles Bridge St barbara

I loved this one called the Pieta that somewhat resembles the more famous Michelangelo statue inside the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica.

Charles Bridge Pieta statue
People watching is also a wonderful pastime at the bridge. It was great to walk down and hear a variety of languages and see the fun ways people pose. Then, there are those unexpected things we saw like this baby crawling around. She seemed content but the germaphobe in me desperately wanted to pick her up and dip her hands in a bottle of sanitizer.

Charles Bridge baby crawling
We were also entertained along the way by the Charles Bridge Band. It added a more festive flair to the walking experience.

Charles Bridge band
Our crossing ended through the arch of the Gothic Old Town Bridge Tower which was built in the late 1300s.

Charles Bridge Old Town Bridge tower

The Charles Bridge has been the site of executions and floods among other things yet continues to be a top attraction in its 600-year history. It is always bustling with tourists, musicians and vendors but it makes for a fun experience to walk through it.

Think of it as visiting an outdoor sculpture museum. Yes, it’s touristy but you can’t leave Prague without at least crossing this bridge once and making some wishes.

Prague Charles Bridge

Walking The Charles Bridge Tips and Basics

  • Keep an eye out and hold on to your purses and wallets since this is also an area known for pickpockets. Be aware of your surroundings especially when taking pictures or rubbing the statues.
  • Climb the bridge towers on either side if you can for a unique perspective of the bridge and another panoramic view of the city for less than a US dollar or euro.
  • If it’s not provided in your guidebook, print out a guide of the statues along the bridge as a reference. My DK Eyewitness Prague travel book was a great resource.
  • The bridge was very crowded during our summer visit on a weekday afternoon. It is highly recommended to visit during the early morning hours or late at night. We also visited at night which was a completely different experience with less people and vendors.

*Have you walked through the Charles Bridge in Prague? 

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Charles Bridge Prague

26 thoughts on “Prague with Kids: Sights and Rituals on the Charles Bridge”

  1. I haven’t been to Prague yet and wish I’d made it a few decades ago before it was invaded by tourists. Still it looks lovely and I’d love to spend some time taking photos of the Charles Bridge under different light conditions.
    You certainly accomplished a lot on your trip!

  2. I can’t agree more on visiting some tourist traps. They’ve probably become that because many find it as a must-see attraction. Your photos are amazing, Mary! Hope the wishes of your kids will come true :)

  3. I loved the Charles Bridge when we were in Prague last year!! It is a beautiful city.
    I also love my DK Eyewitness guidebooks.
    Thanks for this trip down memory lane!!

  4. Each time I read a post about the Charles Bridge, I just want to see it. It’s so beautiful. I’m also fascinated by how it grew from one wooden cross to the many that are there now. Like the photos of your kids rubbing the statues for luck.

  5. Great post! You’ve hit all the angles of this most-visited sight! I do love the Charles Bridge. Everytime I go, I’m trying to capture a perfect shot…it still eludes me.

  6. Thanks for taking me back to the Charles Bridge. I walked it a lot when I was in Prague. The views are amazing and as your post shows there is lots to see on the actual bridge. Your photos are lovely!

  7. What a stunning bridge. With those buttress-like structures in the second photo it almost looks more like a castle. We enjoyed walking across a much less grand bridge that is a similar age in Macedonia. Adding this bridge to my long list of reasons for wanting to visit Prague!

  8. Prague is big on my bucket list and your photos and snippets of history just make me want to pack up and go as always. Love the idea of your children rubbing the statues for good luck and hope that they made wishes!

    P.S I did comment here yesterday (or so I thought) but it didn’t go through or I’m going completely dotty and posted it on Nancie’s blog instead! Nancie sweetly replied to it!!

  9. I like your son’s hairstyle! I would not expect so many statues on one bridge, and I’ll admit that I had never heard of some of those saints. Having a little guide sheet would be handy indeed. I love all those opportunities to make wishes. My family would certainly be making some. This looks like a “tourist trap” that is worthy of its fame.

    1. It’s his favorite hairstyle – the faux hawk. I’ve never heard of some of those saints either so the guide helped a lot and wished I had wi-fi too to look them up. It is very much a tourist trap but very much worth a visit during the crowded and quiet times.

  10. My cousin has been to Prague and she told me that it was a wonderful place to visit. Thanks you for sharing all those lovely photos. I enjoyed a backseat visit.

  11. Thank you Mary for bringing up some great memories. Charles Bridge is definitely my favourite spot in Prague. I remember strolling down the bridge holding a mini guide explaining the history of
    the bridge. So interesting!

  12. Those views look incredible! I’d love to visit a place where you can see so much history from one place.

    I also love that the 14th century version of modern luxury was being able to handle four carriages at a time.

  13. Wow. It is nice to see that Prague has preserved their landmarks such as Charles Bridge. It is great to know that there is a bridge that exists today since 1357. The architectures, bridge towers and statues are pretty interesting. And the sketches look remarkable. I hope I could be able to visit Prague and have multi-sensory experience too.

  14. Love all of the history but I know what you mean about wanting to scoop up that baby! She looked like she could have been stepped on.

    PS. It’s Tablescaper

  15. Yes, it can be a tourist trap. Yes, Charles Bridge is part of the axis joining Prague Castle with the Old Town. And no, despite many visits to this beautiful city, I never tire of coming back to the bridge, especially at the crack of dawn, accompanied by a mere handful of early-risers, bicyclists, and joggers. Thanks for your post!

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