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The mental map

Prague districts explained

Prague runs on two maps at once: the historic quarters everyone actually names — Old Town, Malá Strana, Vinohrady — and the administrative Praha 1–22 that appears in every address. These are the neighbourhoods a visitor actually spends time in, on both banks of the Vltava.

The Old Town side — the right bank

Old TownPraha 1Old TownThe medieval core: Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock and a maze of lanes that has drawn visitors for seven centuries.208 placesJosefov — Jewish QuarterPraha 1Josefov — Jewish QuarterThe old Jewish Town: six synagogues, the Old Jewish Cemetery and a thousand years of history in a few streets.64 placesNew TownPraha 1/2New TownCharles IV's 'new' town of 1348: Wenceslas Square, the National Theatre, Náplavka and most of the city's everyday life.135 placesVinohradyPraha 2/3VinohradyElegant Art Nouveau avenues, leafy squares, Riegrovy sady and the best café-and-bistro density in the city.104 placesŽižkovPraha 3ŽižkovThe rough-edged pub quarter under the TV Tower — famously more pubs per head than anywhere in Europe.57 placesKarlínPraha 8KarlínThe reborn riverside district: specialty coffee, Eska, Dva kohouti and the city's best new-generation food scene.69 placesHolešovice & LetnáPraha 7Holešovice & LetnáGalleries in old factories, the Letná beer garden with the city's best view, and Prague's contemporary art scene.80 placesVyšehradPraha 2VyšehradThe other castle: a quiet fortress on a rock over the Vltava, with the national cemetery and the best picnic ramparts in Prague.46 placesNusle & PankrácPraha 4Nusle & PankrácUnder the great Nusle bridge: local pubs with legendary tap lists, and the small cluster of towers Prague calls a skyline.2 placesPodolí & BraníkPraha 4Podolí & BraníkThe river-lido stretch: the Podolí pools, Žluté lázně beach bars and the cycling path south along the Vltava.2 placesLibeňPraha 8LibeňHrabal's old neighbourhood: a riverside chateau, post-industrial corners and a quietly good local food scene.2 placesVršovicePraha 10VršoviceKrymská street's bars and cafés made this the city's hipster shorthand; the rest is pleasantly ordinary Prague.2 placesKbely & LetňanyPraha 19Kbely & LetňanyFlat airfield country on the edge of town, worth the metro ride for one thing: a serious aviation museum.1 places

The Castle side — the left bank

Malá StranaPraha 1Malá StranaThe baroque Lesser Town under the Castle: palace gardens, Kampa Island and the far end of Charles Bridge.111 placesHradčany — Castle DistrictPraha 1Hradčany — Castle DistrictPrague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, Loreta and the quiet lanes behind them — the seat of Czech power for a millennium.57 placesSmíchov & AndělPraha 5Smíchov & AndělThe left bank's working district turned lively: the Staropramen brewery, Jazz Dock on the water and MeetFactory under the bridge.84 placesTrojaPraha 7TrojaA green loop of the river with the zoo, the botanical garden, a baroque chateau and Prague's own vineyard.20 placesDejvice & BubenečPraha 6Dejvice & BubenečThe professors' quarter: interwar villas, embassies, Stromovka park and the wild gorge of Divoká Šárka.2 placesBřevnovPraha 6BřevnovA monastery brewing beer since 993, the Ladronka meadow and the White Mountain battlefield.4 placesStřešovicePraha 6StřešoviceQuiet villa streets around Loos's Müller Villa and the tram museum — modernist pilgrimage territory.2 places

How the two maps fit together

The names on this page — Old Town, Josefov, Malá Strana — are the historic towns that merged into one city in 1784, and they are how everyone actually talks. The administrative districts, Praha 1 to Praha 22, arrived later and drive the addresses: Praha 1 is the whole historic core on both banks, Praha 2 takes Vyšehrad and half of Vinohrady, and the numbers climb outwards.

A Prague postcode encodes the district in its second digit — 110 00 is Praha 1, 150 00 is Praha 5. Once you notice that, listings stop being opaque: "central apartment" with a 140 00 postcode is in Praha 4, across the valley.

Left bank or right bank?

The left bank — Malá Strana, Hradčany, Smíchov — is the Castle side: steep, baroque, quieter, and lovelier at night when the day-trippers leave.

The right bank — Old Town, New Town, Vinohrady, Žižkov, Karlín — is flat, dense, and where almost all of the nightlife, the restaurants and the everyday city are.

Most visitors sleep on the right bank and cross for the Castle. Sleeping in Malá Strana reverses the flow and is the single easiest way to see the bridge empty.

Where to stay, by district

Live prices and availability on a map centred on this exact spot — hotels, apartments and hostels, so you can judge the walk from here rather than guess from an address.

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