Three Courtyards in Order, and a Pink Umbrella by Masaryk's Statue

A small group through Prague Castle with a local guide, taken courtyard by courtyard rather than as a list of buildings.

The castle is the oldest and the most important monument in the city, the seat of the Czech monarchs and, since 1918, of the president of the republic. What began as a 9th-century hill fort grew through successive rebuildings into one of the largest castle complexes in the world.

The walk starts at the First Courtyard, the ceremonial western entrance from Hradčanské náměstí. The Second Courtyard took its present form under Maria Theresa after the middle of the 18th century, and around it stand the Picture Gallery, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, the Imperial Stables and the office of the president. The Third Courtyard is the oldest ground in the castle, with the cathedral of St Vitus, St Wenceslas and St Adalbert above it.

Interiors visited with the guide: the cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, which was the seat of the Czech princes and kings from the 10th to the 16th century, with Vladislav Hall, and St George's Basilica, one of the oldest churches in the country and the burial place of the Přemyslids.

The Golden Lane closes the walk: houses built into the niches of the northern wall from the end of the 16th century, now galleries, shops and exhibitions.