Most visitors see Prague from the north end: the castle, the bridge, the Old Town squares. This walk starts at the other end of the river, on a rock a few kilometres upstream, and works its way back towards the centre.
You begin on the hill of Vyšehrad, where kings once held court, and finish at the foot of a glass-and-stone house that caused an argument when it went up. In between you cross a century of the city's history in six stops, most of them with room to breathe. Allow a full morning or afternoon, and start early on the hill, where the views are best in clear light.
Vyšehrad: the fort above the river
The fort stands on a bluff on the east bank. It was probably founded in the 10th century, and for a while in the 11th century it was the seat of Prince Vratislav II, until his successors moved back to the castle. The walls you see today are later: the Baroque fortress of the 1650s, with brick bastions and heavy gates.
Saint Peter and Saint Paul: the twin spires
You can see the basilica's two spires from half the city. The church itself dates back to the 11th century and was reworked in the late 14th, but what you see now owes most to the neo-Gothic rebuilding of the 1880s. Go in and look around; the interior is worth a few minutes after the climb.
Look for the little Rotunda of Saint Martin on your way out. It dates from the second half of the 11th century and is the oldest rotunda in Prague.
Emmaus Monastery: a cloister with a modern roof
The monastery was founded in 1347. On 14 February 1945 an American bombing raid wrecked the buildings, and a modern roof with steeples was added in the 1960s, and it is an easy landmark to spot. The real draw is the Gothic cloister, which was painted in the 1360s with 85 scenes pairing Old and New Testament stories.
Palacký Monument: a nation in granite
Palackého náměstí opens onto the embankment, and the monument fills most of it. A seated granite figure of the historian František Palacký sits on a plinth ringed with bronze figures that stand for the nation's suffering and its revival. The sculptor Stanislav Sucharda unveiled it in 1912.
Dancing House: the building that sways
A U.S. bomb destroyed the apartment building that once stood here in 1945, and the plot stayed empty for decades. The architect Vlado Milunić designed the replacement with Frank Gehry, starting in 1992, and it was finished in 1996. The glass tower that narrows at its waist and leans against its stone neighbour gave the house its nickname, after the dancers Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Václav Havel lived next door.
Saints Cyril and Methodius: where the story turns grim
The church on Resslova belongs to the Czech Orthodox community, and its crypt was the last hiding place of the men who killed Reinhard Heydrich in 1942. The outer wall still carries the marks of the bullets fired at it during the siege, and a plaque honours the men.
After the crypt, you are a short stroll from Karlovo náměstí, where you can sit down for a coffee. The two ends of the walk make a good pair: a fort on a rock above the river, and a modern house at the water's edge. The Vltava joins them.