Malá Strana — literally 'Lesser Town' — sits on the left bank of the Vltava beneath Prague Castle, and it remains one of the best-preserved baroque neighbourhoods in Europe. Built up largely in the 17th and 18th centuries after a devastating fire cleared much of the older settlement, it wears its history in amber and ochre plasterwork, in cobblestoned lanes that climb steeply toward Hradčany, and in the green domes of churches that punctuate every skyline view. It never quite became a commercial centre, which is precisely why it still feels like a living quarter rather than a set piece — locals actually live here, and the atmosphere shifts noticeably as you move away from the Charles Bridge crowds into the quieter streets beyond Malostranské náměstí.
Neighbourhood