Charles Bridge, before the city wakes.
Charles Bridge can be both a cliché and completely wonderful. Timing makes the difference. By the middle of the day it becomes one of Prague's busiest pedestrian routes; early in the morning it is still possible to notice the sandstone, statues, river and skyline rather than the crowd.
From The Emblem, walk through Old Town to the Old Town Bridge Tower and cross west. Construction began under Charles IV in 1357 and the bridge was completed in the early fifteenth century. Thirty statues and sculptural groups now line the route between its Gothic towers.
Do not simply cross and turn around. Drop down to Kampa, follow the quieter streets beside the river and continue into Malá Strana. Prague is at its best when a famous sight becomes the beginning of a walk rather than the whole point of it.
