Prague is the shining star The Secret of Secrets of Dan Brown’s latest novel starring beloved genius Professor Robert Langdon (brought famously to the screen in the adapted film The DaVinci Code, played by Tom Hanks). Long overdue to be the featured character in a modern novel, Prague is filled with beauty and appreciation of history.
The homeland of my grandmother, the Czech Republic (now also called Czechia) holds a special place in my heart. I’ve been lucky enough to visit this capital city and hope to return again soon with my own children. In the meantime, I’ve settled for armchair traveling there along with other readers of Brown’s new novel. Here, then, are the top 11 places you’ve got to see the real versions of if you go in person… or even if you’re just along for the ride from your couch cuddling under a cozy blanket as you read this book.
- Charles Bridge – “The oldest bridge in Prague is a national cultural monument of the Czech Republic,” according to Prague’s official website, this bridge is iconic and likely the place you’ve seen of Prague in photos on social media (see cover image above). It features heavily in the exciting “inciting incident” that puts Professor Langdon on the run and is truly a glory to walk across. If somehow you find yourself on a layover in Prague and can only do one thing, this should be the thing you choose to do!
- Prague Astronomical Clock – Adorning Prague’s Town Hall, “a national cultural monument,” this ornate clock is “the oldest functioning astronomical clock in the world” and has been in use since 1410,” says the city’s website. This is really a unique feature of the city and a work of intricate art and science in its own right and is a must-visit for all. Every hour from 8am to 11pm, apostles and other figures (like a skeleton and ghost) move around the Prague Orloj (as it is called in Czech). Legends abound in its history and are worth a read!
- Old Town Square – The spot you’ll be standing in to admire the astronomical clock (as noted above), the Old Town Square has existed since the 12th century and is surrounded by amazing architecture including “the Baroque Church of St. Nicholas, the Rococo Kinsky Palace, the Gothic city palace Dům U Kamenného zvonu,” according to Prague’s website.
- Prague Castle – “According to the Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest continuous castle complex in the world, covering an area of almost 70,000 m², and is also listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List,” says the castle’s official visitor website.
- Klementinum – Founded in 1556 and considered one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, the Klementinum (also sometimes spelled Clementinium when translated into English) contains “27,000 old printed works and has the honor of being a place that “Albert Einstein taught” and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played “numerous times,” brags Prague’s official website. Of course, in the book, this is also where Langdon gets into a bit of trouble hiding from bad guys. Interestingly however, a plot point in the novel in this location is fiction: the Devil’s Bible is in the National Library of Sweden and doesn’t make regular visits to Prague. But it did once make a trip back there for about six weeks in 2007-2008.
- Franz Kafka statue – “Inspired by Kafka’s short story ‘Description of a Struggle,’” this statue (2003, by Jaroslav Róna) honors Czech literary hero Franz Kafka and “was awarded the prize Grand Prix of the Community of Architects in the category Visual Artistic Work in architecture,” says the city’s official website.
- Black Angel’s Bar – “Situated in the Gothic cellar of the U Prince Hotel,” Black Angel’s Bar has been named “among the Top 10 Best Hotel Bars in the World in the ‘Tales of the Cocktail’” competition, the most prestigious bar contest, according to the bar’s website. Of course, here is where Langdon goes to sneak into use a computer, but that doesn’t exist there. Of note if you do visit in person, no photos or videos are allowed inside. As the bar’s Vegas-style rules state, “what happens in the bar, remains in the bar.” You can see some glimpses on Black Angel’s Instagram tho.
- Týnská Literary Café – “Tucked away in a quiet courtyard by the iconic Church of Our Lady before Týn,” as VisitCzechia.com describes it, this bohemian cafe hosts literary and cultural events along side coffee, wine and beer.
- Folimanka Park – A major plot point in Brown’s novel, Folimanka Park is bordered by Prague’s impressive old city walls and the Botic river, according to the city’s website. Though, there’s no secret lab underneath it, there is a real life underground bunker that can be toured by visitors and is even accessible. The R2D2 street art on the bunker is really is there too!
- Petřín Hill, Tower & Gardens – “Built for the Jubilee Exhibition in 1891, this steel-framework structure [known as Petřínská rozhledna or Petřín Tower] was conceived as a mini version of Paris’s Eiffel Tower,” according to PragueExperience.com, just as Brown describes in the novel. There’s also landscaped gardens to enjoy here. The Mirror Maze that Langdon runs thru is real and located in the park.
- Vltava River – The center of the action of Professor Langdon early in Brown’s novel, the Vltava River is considered an “essential national symbol” forming “the imaginary axis of the country, is the subject of legends, the scene of historical events, and connects historical settlements, castles and chateaux,” according to Vltava2025.cz. The name means wild waters, apropos for the stunt Langdon pulls that lands him in it. There are 18 bridges that cross this magnificent river in the city, the most famous being the Charles Bridge, mentioned in #1 on this list above.
If you want to know more about Dan Brown’s real-life favorite spots in Prague, as opposed to just those he featured in this new novel, The New York Times published an article to coincide with the book’s premiere that walks thru his “Top 5” favs.
On a related note, we discovered buried on Dan Brown’s own website, a fun “top 5 list” for each of his Langdon books with a recommendation on real life places you can go and walk in the professor’s footsteps. Called “Live Like Langdon,” this mini-travel guide features one place to stay, eat, drink, run, and go from each book in the series!
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