Charles Bridge, Prague

For nearly 500 years, Charles Bridge was the only way to cross the Vltava in Prague – and it's still the connection between the Old Town and Prague Castle that most visitors end up walking at least once.

Nearly 700 years of history

Charles IV commissioned the bridge in 1357 to replace an older crossing destroyed by a flood, with construction finishing in the early 15th century. Legend has it he laid the foundation stone at a deliberately chosen moment – 9 July 1357 at 5:31am, a date and time that reads the same forwards and backwards – for the numerological strength it was believed to bring. For most of its history it was known simply as the Stone Bridge; the name "Charles Bridge" only stuck from 1870 onward. It remained Prague's only river crossing until 1841, when a second bridge was finally built.

The statues

Thirty Baroque statues, mostly of saints, were added between 1683 and 1928, led by the statue of St John of Nepomuk in 1683 – still the most touched-for-luck figure on the bridge today. Weathering has taken its toll on the originals, though: since 1965, the city has been gradually swapping damaged statues for replicas, moving the real ones into the National Museum's lapidarium where they're protected from the elements.

Visiting today

Pedestrian-only since 1978, the bridge is genuinely crowded for most of the day – street artists, vendors and tour groups included – so early morning is the realistic window for a quieter walk across or a photo without a crowd in it. Crossing takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on how much you stop to look at the statues and the views either side, toward Prague Castle on one end and the Old Town on the other. A Vltava evening cruise passes underneath it after dark, if you'd rather see it from the water than on foot, and most guided walking tours of the bridge and Old Town cover its history and statues in more depth than a self-guided walk across.