Prague: Advent and Music

Fly from London Heathrow to Prague and transfer by coach to the Old Town. Check in to our hotel before joining a walk to Obecní dům for a private visit of its beautiful Art Nouveau interiors including the Smetana concert hall. Afterwards, a short introductory walk will take us past the Old Town Hall on our way to our first group dinner at a restaurant overlooking the magnificent 14th-century Charles Bridge.

A morning spent discovering Prague’s Old Town on foot begins with the quintessentially mediaeval Old Town Square, including the Astronomical Clock and the great Týn Church. We cross the Charles Bridge to enter the Lesser Town followed by a visit of the spectacular church of St. Nicholas, one of the great masterpieces of the 18th-century Baroque ecclestial architecture. Lunch in the Lesser Town followed by a short coach transfer to the Old Town to visit the 13th-century Convent of St. Agnes, a splendid collection of medieval Bohemian and Central European paintings. In the evening, enjoy a performance of a Mozart's Magic Flute opera at the 18th-century Estates Theatre.

Prague Castle was founded in the late 9th-century around the castle district of Hradčany. It is the largest fortress complex in the world – and we will be taking all day to explore it. At its heart rises the imposing Cathedral of St Vitus. Like the great stone bridge, the elegant east choir was built at the behest of the cultured and diplomatically skilful Charles IV, King of Bohemia from 1346 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1355 until his death in 1378. The Old Royal Palace, with the largest stone hall in Europe with late-Gothic vaulting, was the site of the 1618 Defenestration of Prague which precipitated the Thirty Years War.

In the afternoon, the tour continues to the Renaissance Schwarzenberg Palace (National Gallery) which houses 16-17th-centuries Old masters collection. Coach return to the hotel.

We start the day with a walk through the haunting Jewish Quarter. In former Josefov, there remain six synagogues, the town hall and cemetery. After a refreshment break, the coach takes us to explore sites further afield such as the Summer Royal Palace “Belvedere” and Vyšehrad. We finish the afternoon with the New Town walk visiting Wenceslas Square to view the exterior of the Hotel Europe, Lucerna, Church of Our Lady of the Snow. Farewell dinner at a restaurant in the Old Town.

After a relaxed start, check out and storage of luggage. There will be free time for some Christmas shopping and an independent lunch. Coach transfer to the Strahov Monastery where we will have special access to the magnificient library halls, one of the most beautiful in the world. Gentle walk through the Hradčany district takes us to the Pilgrimage Loreto Church. Continue to Prague Airport for the return flight to London.