Prague stands at 50.0755° N latitude on both banks of the Vltava River, which runs 31 kilometers through the city. The metropolitan area contains 1.3 million residents as of 2021 census data, making it the most populous city in the Czech Republic and the thirteenth-largest in the European Union. The city covers 496 square kilometers across elevations from 177 meters at the Vltava's lowest point to 399 meters at Telečka hill. Prague serves as the seat of government, housing the Office of the President at Prague Castle, the Parliament in Malá Strana district, and the Supreme Court on Burešova Street. The city generates approximately 25 percent of Czech GDP despite containing 12 percent of the national population.
The Vltava River divides Prague into distinct geographic zones. The left bank contains Hradčany and Malá Strana districts, built on slopes rising from the river to Prague Castle at 286 meters elevation. The right bank holds Staré Město, Nové Město, and Vinohrady districts on comparatively flat terrain. Nine major bridges cross the Vltava within city limits. Charles Bridge connects Malá Strana to Staré Město over 16 stone arches spanning 515 meters, completed in 1402 under the direction of Peter Parler after foundation work began in 1357 during the reign of Charles IV. The bridge deck rises 13 meters above normal water level. Thirty baroque statues line the parapets, installed between 1683 and 1714, though most visible today are 20th-century copies protecting originals moved to the National Museum.
Prague Castle occupies 70,000 square meters on Hradčany hill, making it the largest ancient castle complex by area according to Guinness World Records certification in 1998. The complex contains buildings from every architectural period since its founding in the 9th century. St. Vitus Cathedral rises within the castle grounds, with construction beginning in 1344 under Charles IV and completion occurring in 1929, making the build span 585 years. The cathedral's main spire reaches 102.8 meters. The south tower houses Zikmund, a 16,500-kilogram bell cast in 1549, requiring four people to ring. The cathedral contains the St. Wenceslas Chapel, built between 1362 and 1367, with walls holding 1,345 semi-precious stones set in gilt plaster. The Czech Crown Jewels reside in a chamber above the chapel, secured behind seven locks with keys held by seven different officials including the President and the Archbishop of Prague.
Old Town Square measures 9,000 square meters in Staré Město district. The Old Town Hall's astronomical clock occupies the south wall, installed in 1410 by clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaň, making it the third-oldest functioning astronomical clock and the oldest still in operation in its original location. The clock displays Bohemian time, Old Czech time, Babylonian time, sidereal time, and position of sun and moon against zodiac. Four figures frame the clock: Vanity with a mirror, Greed with a purse, Death with hourglass, and Turk with mandolin. Every hour between 9:00 and 23:00, the clock performs a 45-second sequence showing the Twelve Apostles in windows above the dial. The Church of Our Lady before Týn dominates the square's eastern side with twin spires reaching 80 meters, built between 1365 and 1511. Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe's tomb occupies the interior, marked by a red marble slab; Brahe died in Prague on October 24, 1601, eleven days after a banquet where he reportedly refused to excuse himself to urinate in deference to protocol, causing a fatal bladder infection.
Wenceslas Square extends 750 meters long and 60 meters wide through Nové Město district, functioning as a boulevard rather than a traditional square. The National Museum occupies the square's southeastern end in a neo-Renaissance building completed in 1891, spanning 70 meters of frontage. The equestrian statue of St. Wenceslas by Josef Václav Myslbek stands before the museum, unveiled in 1913 after 30 years of work. The square served as the primary gathering point during the Velvet Revolution. On November 17, 1989, 15,000 students marched from Albertov to the square, where riot police blocked them on Národní Street. On November 24, 1989, approximately 500,000 people filled the square and surrounding streets. Václav Havel appeared on a balcony of the Melantrich building at number 36 alongside Alexander Dubček. Jan Palach, a Charles University student, set himself on fire on the square on January 16, 1969, dying three days later in protest of the Warsaw Pact invasion; a small memorial cross marks the spot 30 meters from the museum steps.
Prague's public transport network includes three metro lines totaling 65.2 kilometers with 61 stations. Line A runs 17.1 kilometers and opened in 1978. Line B spans 25.6 kilometers, opening in 1985. Line C covers 22.5 kilometers, beginning service in 1974 as the system's first line. The network carries approximately 589 million passengers annually as of 2019 data. Twenty-five tram lines operate 142.7 kilometers of track. Tram 22 traverses major tourist sites over its route from Bílá Hora to Nádraží Hostivař, passing Prague Castle, Malá Strana, National Theatre, and Wenceslas Square. Night trams numbered 91-99 operate between midnight and 5:00 AM at 30-minute intervals. The transport authority DPP operates the integrated system using a zone-based fare structure; a 90-minute transfer ticket costs 40 Kč as of 2024 rates.
Václav Havel Airport Prague lies 17 kilometers west of the city center in Ruzyně district. The airport handled 17.8 million passengers in 2019 before pandemic reduction. Two parallel runways operate: 06/24 at 3,715 meters length and 12/30 at 3,500 meters. Terminal 2 handles Schengen flights while Terminal 1 processes non-Schengen traffic. The Airport Express bus line AE connects the airport to Prague Main Railway Station in 35 minutes for 100 Kč. Praha hlavní nádraží, the main railway station, opened in 1871 as Franz Joseph Station. The station serves approximately 27 million passengers annually with connections to Berlin in 4 hours 20 minutes, Vienna in 4 hours, and Budapest in 6 hours 30 minutes via international routes.
Charles University, founded by Charles IV through papal bull on April 7, 1348, ranks as the oldest university in Central Europe and the 29th-oldest in continuous operation worldwide. The university enrolled 49,508 students across 17 faculties as of 2020-2021 academic year. The Karolinum building on Ovocný trh square serves as the university's ceremonial center, with a Gothic oriel window from 1370 preserved in the facade. The university awarded Jan Hus a master's degree in 1396 and appointed him rector in 1409; Hus was burned at the stake in Konstanz on July 6, 1415, for heresy. The Czech Technical University, founded in 1707 by Christian Joseph Willenberg, operates as the oldest technical university in Central Europe. The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic maintains headquarters in Prague with 60 research institutes employing 8,000 staff.