Prague astronomical clock

If you arrive at this place incidentally, you will definitely be surprised at certain times by huge crowds who seem just… to remain standing in the middle of the place looking at the Town Hall! Actually, the highlight is the wonderful early 15th-century Astronomical Clock: each hour, it springs to life as the 12 Apostles and other figures appear and parade in procession across the clock face.

It seems to be the most crowded spot in the city: all tour groups seem to arrive to the place at the point of an hour, as well as all Prague’s pickpockets. Apart from the advise to keep an eye or a hand on your wallet all the time, here’s a couple of other tips:

1) Read the clock’s story before seeing it. That’s essential, otherwise you will probably have an “Is it all?” feeling.

2) Prague is all about walking, and the Old Town Square is a short walk from many city attractions. Don’t put the clock as a separate spot on your plan list, but rather check the time and if you’re around 5-10 minutes before the clock strike and you’re not far - consider going to the Old Town Square to assist it. The Jewish Quarter is right by the corner, so you may see the clock on your way there or back, for example.

3) There’s no sense in coming half an hour before the clock strike to take the best place for a one-minute show. You’ll lose time and will feel irritated with some imprudent tourists arriving at the very last moment and finding their place in front of you.

4) The good spot for watching is right in front of the clock and not very close to the Old Town Hall. If you’re too at the left or at the right - there’s a high risk you won’t see the apostols’ figures in one of the windows.

5) Don’t even think of going in the direction of Charles Bridge right after the Clock stroke - you’ll see that most tourists on the place will do so, and the big swamp of people will slowly crawl there. Drink a coffee, or take a stroll in the opposite way.

This page will give you many tips to avoid crowds in Prague as well as crowd schedules for top tourist attractions in order to plan your visits.