Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge is Prague's medieval stone crossing over the Vltava, linking the Old Town with the Lesser Quarter and the route toward Prague Castle. Construction began under Charles IV in 1357 and the bridge was completed in the early fifteenth century. It replaced the Judith Bridge, which a flood had badly damaged in 1342. For centuries it was known simply as the Stone Bridge or Prague Bridge; the name Charles Bridge became standard only in the nineteenth century. Until 1841 it was Prague's only crossing over the Vltava, making it essential to trade between eastern and western Europe and to the coronation route of Bohemian kings. The structure is 516 metres long and almost 10 metres wide. Sixteen stone arches carry the deck, with ice guards protecting the piers. Three towers frame its approaches, two on the Lesser Quarter side and the Old Town Bridge Tower on the opposite bank. The bridge's most visible ornament is an avenue of thirty statues and sculptural groups, mainly Baroque works first installed around 1700. The figures visitors see outdoors are replicas; the originals have been systematically moved to the Lapidarium of the National Museum since 1965. Notable subjects include Saint Luthgard, the Crucifixion group, and Saint John of Nepomuk. Today the bridge is pedestrian-only, allowing its masonry, towers, river views, and sculpture to be experienced without vehicle traffic.

Don't miss

• The Old Town Bridge Tower and two Lesser Quarter bridge towers framing the crossing
• Sixteen medieval stone arches with ice guards around the piers
• Thirty Baroque statues and sculptural groups, represented outdoors by replicas
• Views along the Vltava toward Prague's historic districts
• The Saint John of Nepomuk, Saint Luthgard, and Crucifixion sculptural groups
• The bridge's place on the historic coronation route of Bohemian kings

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Charles Bridge

Cheapest way inPrague Trike & e-Scooter Tour: Castle Viewpoints & Charles Bridge5★ · 117 travelersFree cancellationFrom$3 per personSee dates →Best full dayBest of Prague Guided Tour and Cruise with Authentic Czech Lunch4.8★ · 3,910 travelers~6 hoursFree cancellationFrom$99 per personSee dates →Private & flexiblePrivate Walking Tour: From Charles Bridge to Prague Castle5★ · 38 travelers~3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$69 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• Charles Bridge is reserved for pedestrians; vehicle traffic was permanently removed after the 1965 to 1978 repair campaign.
• The statues on the bridge are replicas. The historic originals are displayed in the Lapidarium of the National Museum.
• A long-term program of structural inspection, restoration, and repair began in 2019.
• The bridge's form and many repair campaigns reflect centuries of damage from Vltava floods.

A bit of history

The bridge has survived repeated floods, warfare, political violence, and disputed restoration. A traditional story assigns the laying of its first stone to 5:31 a.m. on 9 July 1357, a sequence that creates the numerical palindrome 1357 9/7 5:31, a detail preserved in Czech legend rather than a documented construction record. Floods damaged piers in 1432, undermined an arch in 1496, and severely weakened five pillars in 1784. The Old Town Bridge Tower displayed the severed heads of twenty-seven leaders of the anti-Habsburg revolt after their execution in 1621. In 1648, some of the heaviest fighting at the end of the Thirty Years' War took place on the bridge as Swedish forces tried to advance from the west bank into the Old Town. The tower's river-facing Gothic decoration was badly damaged. Baroque statues added from the late seventeenth century gave the bridge much of its present appearance. A disastrous flood in 1890 destroyed three arches and two piers; repairs lasted two years. Horse transport, trams, and buses later crossed the bridge, but all vehicles were excluded after major repairs between 1965 and 1978. Restoration from 2008 to 2010 stabilized piers, renewed waterproofing and paving, and replaced stones, but conservation experts criticized the materials and methods. A further long-term inspection and repair program began in 2019.