Navigate in Prague
We always advise you to have a city map of Prague with you. It is always better to know where you are going! If you don't have one when you arrive in Prague, you can obtain one for free from the tourist office:
- Tourist office Na Můstku, Rytířská 12, Old Town, open daily from 9 am to 7 pm
- Tourist office Old Town Hall, Old Town Square 1, Old Town, open Mondays from 11 am to 8 pm, other days from 9 am to 8 pm (April to December) // Mondays from 11 am to 7 pm, other days from 10 am to 7 pm (January to March)
It is important to know that on many city maps, the names of districts, monuments and streets are indicated in Czech.
Street names, neighbourhoods and districts in Prague
On every street corner there should be a sign with the name of the street you are on. In addition to the name of the street, the name of the district and the name of the neighbourhood are also displayed.
The neighbourhoods and districts do not necessarily overlap: neighbourhoods are historical cadastral units while districts are modern administrative units.
There are 57 neighbourhoods and 22 districts in Prague.
In Prague, some places have a popular name that does not correspond to the name of the district or borough. For example, "Letná" is a common name for the hill where the Prague Metronome but in reality this place is divided between the district of Bubeneč and Holešovice and is an integral part of the 7th district of Prague.
Street numbers in Prague
There are two numbers on buildings in Prague. The red number is the oldest and was established during the reign of Maria Theresa of Austria. It is the number of the land register. The blue number, introduced later, is the postal number, which is the smaller of the two numbers. This is what you will use if you are looking for a particular address. You will find these blue even numbers on one side of the street and odd numbers on the other side.
Here is an example of an address in Prague: Hroznová 492/8, 118 00 Praha 1 – Malá Strana.
The first number is red, the second is blue. Then the postcode, then the district and finally the name of the neighbourhood.
In Prague, orientation can be difficult in the Old Town, due to its medieval character. The streets are winding and the alleys narrow. Things are much simpler in the other districts, where the streets are much more regular.
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