Karlín: the rebuilt riverside and the viaduct
A district drowned in 2002 and rebuilt, a neo-Romanesque church, and 1840s railway arches full of cafés. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Florenc
Start at the metro (B/C) on Karlín's western edge and walk east into the grid. The district reads new because much of it is — the 2002 flood put these streets under metres of river water, and what you see is the rebuild. Worth knowing before you start.

2. Karlínské náměstí
The square at the district's heart, with the great neo-Romanesque Church of SS Cyril and Methodius rising over it — striped masonry, two square towers, far bigger than the square seems to expect. Sit on a bench under it; the rebuilt Karlín radiates outward from here.

3. Lyčkovo náměstí
A quieter square a few streets east, with an ornate Art Nouveau school building lording over it. Less visited than Karlínské, more charming for it. The kind of square you'd walk through twice to be sure you saw it right.

4. Kaizlovy sady
The riverside park on Karlín's northern edge, between the streets and the Vltava. Walk the embankment for the water and the open sky after the grid; the far bank and the island sit across the channel. Quiet on a weekday afternoon.

5. The Negrelli Viaduct
The long 1840s railway viaduct — over a hundred stone arches marching across Karlín, recently restored, the brickwork under the arches now full of cafés, studios and workshops. Walk beneath it, not over it; the arches one by one are the show.

6. Down to Křižíkova / Invalidovna
End at the Křižíkova metro (B), or push east towards Invalidovna and the great baroque military hospital beyond. A coffee under one of the viaduct arches is the right way to finish a Karlín walk.

Karlín: the rebuilt riverside and the viaduct