Visiting Charles Bridge in Prague: History, Facts and Tips 

Visiting Charles Bridge in Prague: History, Facts and Tips 

Charles Bridge is located right in the middle of one of the most visited cities in today’s world – Prague, Czech Republic. With a history dating back to the 10th century, the Charles Bridge first started out as a smaller wooden bridge and has since been transformed into a pedestrian-packed walkway that connects the opposing sides of the city over the Vltava River.

Let’s delve into the history of the Charles Bridge, interesting facts you may not have known, and tips for visiting this infamous landmark during your trip to the Czech capital! 

History of the Charles Bridge 

Charles Bridge – By Sergey Ashmarin, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38296402

The bridge was first built in the 10th century in a location farther north than where it is today. Due to the location, the bridge was highly susceptible to floods – which ended up being its downfall in 1157 during the Great Flood. 

Due to the instability of the wood construction, King Vladislav II later re-built the bridge with hardy stone. Despite the effort to make the bridge more durable, the bridge barely lasted another two centuries. Another deadly flood collapsed the bridge in 1342, the new king, Charles IV, decided the city needed a new structure. (Hence, where the name ‘Charles Bridge’ came from). 

The construction of the bridge began on July 9th, 1342, and took a whopping 50 years to finally build! With the long construction time, everyone hoped this bridge could withstand the elements and the foot traffic – and they were right. Even though the bridge has been seriously damaged multiple times throughout its life, it is still standing today. 

Charles Bridge Facts

Charles Bridge View from Petrinska Tower – By A.Savin (WikiCommons) – Own work, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54173840

Before your visit to Charles Bridge, check out these little-known facts that will make your visit all the more interesting. 

Time of construction – There is a popular rumor and legend that construction of the Charles Bridge began at exactly 5:31pm on July 9th, 1342. But why is this so important? Astronomers created a palindrome numerical sequence that is read the same way forward as it is backward 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1. If you put on your thinking cap, you will see that this relates to the 7th month (July), the 9th day, and the time of inception. 

It wasn’t always called Charles Bridge – Charles Bridge is one of the most well-known bridges in Europe – and the world. But it wasn’t always called the Charles Bridge! Up until 1870, the bridge was named the Stone or Prague Bridge. However, the bridge was renamed in 1870 as an homage to Charles IV of the Bohemians.

The 19th century allowed new visitors – The 19th century brought in a new type of foot traffic – horses. Before the 19th century, horses were not allowed to cross. After this inclusion of animals, buses were allowed to cross the bridge without risking any damage to the internal structure. 

But the rules changed again in the 20th century – If you have been to Prague, you might be wondering why you haven’t seen any buses crossing the Charles Bridge. In 1965, automobile traffic on the bridge was forbidden, allowing visitors and locals to cross the pedestrian-only bridge at all times of the day. 

Visiting Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge in Prague – By Chosovi – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=764636

Now that you have some background information about this infamous bridge, let’s see a few tourist tips that will make your visit seamless and easy.

Entrance Fee – Visitors will be happy to find out there is no entrance fee! If you are a budget backpacker, you can cross back and forth across the Charles Bridge without having to pay a penny. 

*Note: if you want to go into the Old Town Bridge Tower and Lesser Town Bridge Tower on either side of the bridge, you will have to pay 100 CZK.

Safety – Charles Bridge and Prague as a whole are generally safe. Of course, basic common sense applies here as it does in any place and any foreign city. Make sure you avoid certain areas at night, avoid traveling alone at night if you are not familiar with the city, and be smart in crowded areas. 

Charles Bridge is extremely safe for the most part. However, visitors should still be aware that due to the high number of visitors who will be distracted by the sights, taking photos, and the performers on the bridge, petty crime and theft can occur when you are not looking. We recommend keeping anything valuable in a secure bag that is kept on the front of your body.

Artists and Entertainment – Artists and entertainers are very common on Charles Bridge. Even during the early morning hours or the dusk hours, you will find dozens – and sometimes hundreds – of artists and performers lining the sides of the bridge. If you want to say that you bought a souvenir on Charles Bridge, then go for it. However, if you want to buy the same thing for a lower price, consider waiting and visiting one of the smaller galleries or tourist shops farther away from the Charles Bridge. 

How to Get to Charles Bridge

Our last piece of advice is how to find the Charles Bridge. Lucky for you, we would go so far as to say that every single person living in Prague knows where the bridge is, since it is a famous landmark, pedestrian crossing, and hot tourist destination. 

Keep in mind that there are three entrance points to the bridge. 

• Get off at Staromestska metro station – close to Old Town Square, Namesti Republiky, and Wenceslas Square
• Get off at Malostranske Namesti – Walk down Mostecka Street
• Na Kampe staircase – Coming from Kampa Island