riversidearchitecture

The Dancing House and the Náplavka

Gehry's curves, the round-windowed cellar bars on the river quay, and the rock of Vyšehrad at the far end.

Photo: ŠJů / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Drafted by Claude — the editor hasn’t walked this one yet. We’ll update this notice once it’s been verified on the ground.

Distance

3 km

Time

~ 75 min

Difficulty

Easy

Start

Karlovo náměstí (metro B)

End

Výtoň (tram)

Best at

afternoon

Right now

23°C· Partly cloudy

Open in Maps for turn-by-turn, or take it offline as GPX.

This is the river's modern edge — the one stretch of central Prague that isn't medieval. Three kilometres down the Vltava's right bank, from Gehry's twirling building to the cliff of Vyšehrad, with the best of the city's drinking happening in cellars cut into the embankment wall.

Start at the Dancing House — Tančící dům, 1996, Frank Gehry with the Czech architect Vlado Milunić, glass and concrete caught mid-step. Photograph it from the Resslova corner, then head south along Rašínovo nábřeží and drop down the stairs to the water.

The náplavka (the quay) is the point. Old ice-cellars with round porthole windows line the embankment, every one now a bar or a gallery, and on Saturday the whole run becomes a farmers' market — go hungry, on a Saturday, if you can. Past Palackého náměstí, where a thunderous art-nouveau monument to the historian Palacký lifts off the embankment, the river bends.

Then the rock. Vyšehrad rises ahead with its twin spires, and the walk ends at Výtoň under the railway bridge — the tram, or the climb up, another day.

The route

On the map.

A soft dashed line, numbered stops. It’s a suggestion, not a turn-by-turn.

Elevation

↑ 73 m·↓ 47 m·192–232 m ASL

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

01
1
The Dancing House (Tančící dům)
Gehry and Milunić's 1996 building, the one that looks like it's mid-twirl — the locals call it Ginger and Fred. Stand on the corner of *Rašínovo nábřeží* and *Resslova* for the angle the photographs want. There's a rooftop bar if you want the river from above.
01
The Dancing House (Tančící dům)
Gehry and Milunić's 1996 building, the one that looks like it's mid-twirl — the locals call it Ginger and Fred. Stand on the corner of *Rašínovo nábřeží* and *Resslova* for the angle the photographs want. There's a rooftop bar if you want the river from above.
02
2
Rašínovo nábřeží (the upper embankment)
Walk south along the *nábřeží* (embankment) on the building side, then take the stairs down to the water. The grand riverfront apartment houses up here are the everyday Prague almost nobody photographs.
02
Rašínovo nábřeží (the upper embankment)
Walk south along the *nábřeží* (embankment) on the building side, then take the stairs down to the water. The grand riverfront apartment houses up here are the everyday Prague almost nobody photographs.
03
3
The Náplavka (the river quay)
Down at water level: the *náplavka*, a stone quay lined with old ice-cellars, their round porthole windows now bars and galleries. On Saturday mornings the farmers' market takes over the whole stretch — come hungry.
03
The Náplavka (the river quay)
Down at water level: the *náplavka*, a stone quay lined with old ice-cellars, their round porthole windows now bars and galleries. On Saturday mornings the farmers' market takes over the whole stretch — come hungry.
04
4
The cellar bars (the round windows)
The portholes are the giveaway — vaulted brick cellars cut into the embankment, each one now a small bar or studio. Pick whichever has the crowd you want; the river is the same view from all of them.
04
The cellar bars (the round windows)
The portholes are the giveaway — vaulted brick cellars cut into the embankment, each one now a small bar or studio. Pick whichever has the crowd you want; the river is the same view from all of them.
05
5
Palacký monument & bridge
At *Palackého náměstí*, the river bends and a vast art-nouveau monument to the historian František Palacký rears up off the embankment — bronze figures mid-flight. The bridge here frames the *Emmaus* spires across the road.
05
Palacký monument & bridge
At *Palackého náměstí*, the river bends and a vast art-nouveau monument to the historian František Palacký rears up off the embankment — bronze figures mid-flight. The bridge here frames the *Emmaus* spires across the road.
06
6
Vyšehrad rock & Výtoň
Keep south and the cliff of *Vyšehrad* rises ahead, the twin basilica spires on top. End at *Výtoň* under the railway bridge — climb the rock another day, or just take the tram with the view of it filling the window.
06
Vyšehrad rock & Výtoň
Keep south and the cliff of *Vyšehrad* rises ahead, the twin basilica spires on top. End at *Výtoň* under the railway bridge — climb the rock another day, or just take the tram with the view of it filling the window.

The Dancing House and the Náplavka

On the map.

Things to notice.

The Dancing House (Tančící dům)

The Dancing House (Tančící dům)

Rašínovo nábřeží (the upper embankment)

Rašínovo nábřeží (the upper embankment)

The Náplavka (the river quay)

The Náplavka (the river quay)

The cellar bars (the round windows)

The cellar bars (the round windows)

Palacký monument & bridge

Palacký monument & bridge

Vyšehrad rock & Výtoň

Vyšehrad rock & Výtoň

Two more, on similar days.

The Vltava islands and the National Theatre

Podolí: the riverside under the Vyšehrad rock