Prague Castle

Perched above the Vltava on Hradčany hill, Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world at nearly 70,000 square metres — a layered city-within-a-city of cathedrals, palaces, lanes, and gardens built up continuously since the 9th century. Its architectural variety is deliberate history: Romanesque foundations, Gothic spires on St. Vitus Cathedral, Renaissance courtyards commissioned by the Habsburgs, and Baroque garden terraces all coexist within one perimeter wall. Emperor Rudolf II made it the strangest court in 16th-century Europe, drawing alchemists, astronomers, and curiosity-collectors — Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler both worked here. The Czech president still maintains an official residence inside the complex; the rest is open daily from 6 am to 9 pm. The Golden Lane, a row of miniature houses built into the castle ramparts where Franz Kafka briefly rented a cottage in 1916, and the panoramic terrace views over the red-roofed city are the highlights most visitors return to.