Karlova Street, Prague

When you follow the Royal Route from the Old Town to Prague Castle, a part of it will take you through Karlova Street and you are certain to spend a little time exploring this quaint road.

Karlova Street begins at the Square of the Knights of the Cross and ends near the Charles Bridge. Most of the buildings have Baroque façades but have kept their Gothic or Romanesque cellars and vaults.

If you take photos of house-signs you can add several to your collection: “At the Blue Pike” was once a pub, frequented by Wenceslas IV and his magician Zito; “At the French Crown”, where the German astronomer J. Kepler lived; “At the Golden Crown” /”At the White Horse”, once two Gothic houses; the house sign is the original and dates back to the 16th century.

If you like puppets, you will be delighted to find several shops selling these lovable marionettes; the best puppet shop is “Kingdom of Marionettes”. There is also a small marionette theatre where you can watch a parody of Don Giovanni. There are open markets, souvenir shops, cafés and restaurants. When you have finished your visit there are plenty of street bands to serenade you on your way.