The Mala Strana neighborhood, which is comparable to the Marais district in Paris, because of its small size and big character, deserves to be explored carefully but also with a bit of abandon. The district is, in fact, the antechamber to the Castle. During the 17th century, it saw the arrival of numerous Catholic nobles from all over the Habsburg Empire who had come to take over Protestant Prague at the end of the religious wars and the Thirty Years’ War. These nobles filled Mala Strana with Baroque buildings.
This, the first of the two walks devoted to Mala Strana, will help you discover some of the most important monuments in the "Little Side.” Our itinerary is quite simple, it follows the natural slope of Mala Strana, beginning at the Castle Square and descending to Vtrba Garden, one of the loveliest and lesser-known gardens in Prague. On our journey, we will discover Nerudova Street, with its Baroque palaces, as well as the vast St Nicholas Cathedral, a masterpiece of 18th century Prague architecture. Who knows, we may even catch a furtive glance at Mozart’s, Chateaubriand’s or Kafka’s shadows, all of whom climbed up these streets and contributed to making Prague such a legendary city.