The first time I see Charles Bridge(Czech: Karlův most) its swarmed by a sea of humanity, we have unwittingly chosen the same day as NAVALIS Saint John’s Celebrations. Me and my partner end up swept up in the festivities and every new part of the celebration is a joy and a suprise to us and we enjoy the music, parades, parachutists and boatman-ship on display and finally after escaping for a meal we catch the unexpected fireworks finale in awe.
On subsequent quieter days we manage to return to the area and take in the sight of the handsome medieval bridge. She is bookshelf-ed in by two fortified towers and adorned by her many baroque statues that would not look out of place in a museum. Before coming to Prague I did research on good spots for photography and one of the recommendations I had saw that caught my eye was to make good use of the great access Prague has for letting you climb its towers and high points.
One of these towers was Charles Bridges very own Old Town Bridge Tower (Czech: Staroměstská mostecká věž). Surprisingly it seems most visitors to Prague never even notice its small unadorned entrance despite it being almost immediately at the start of the bridges popular Old Town side. As you climb the towers 138 steps you cant help but notice that some of the graffiti on her walls is old, with smartly written signatures from the 1920s to even older looking calligraphy with dates stretching back in the centuries, I even spied a few stonemason marks I presume are the very stonemasons who laid her foundations back in the late 1300s. When you emerge on the roof via her baroque battlements you are presented by a wonderful view of the River Vltava and the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral(we climbed her 287 steps as well!) as well as the surrounding Old Town(Czech: Staré Město pražské) and Lesser Town(Czech: Malá Strana)on the far shore. I take full advantage of the scenic views with my camera.
I heartily recommend taking in the Old Town Bridge Tower if you are into photography or not, its worth the time and small investment in the ticket prices for the view.
© 2026 Johnny Graham