☰Malá Strana

Malá Strana — the "Lesser Town" — sprawls beneath Prague Castle in a cascade of red-roofed baroque buildings and hidden gardens. This is Prague at its most romantic, with quiet cobblestone lanes that open onto unexpected squares and palace courtyards. The Church of St. Nicholas dominates the neighborhood with its massive green dome and lavishly frescoed interior, one of the finest baroque churches in Central Europe. Down near the river, the Lennon Wall has been covered in graffiti tributes since the 1980s, evolving constantly. Kampa Island, separated from the mainland by a narrow canal called the Devil's Stream, is a peaceful retreat with a park, the Kampa Museum of modern art, and waterfront views of Charles Bridge from below. The neighborhood is hillier and quieter than the Old Town across the river, with excellent restaurants tucked into Renaissance-era cellars. Walk here after crossing Charles Bridge and let yourself get lost in the side streets.