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Palatial Prague

The bustling capital proves a nearly overwhelming feast for the senses with its towering spires and teeming throngs of tourists. After a visit, head south for a quiet finish to this Czech adventure in Cesky Krumlov.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Prague is not fair to the casual visitor.

It is like arriving at the home of a hospitable new friend who welcomes you with plate after plate of rich cakes, until you can only appreciate that it is all wonderful, but is too much to actually enjoy.

Nowhere is this more evident in this "Golden City" than in its sprawling landmark of Prague Castle, which meets no American commoner's idea of a castle.

Looming high above the Vltava River that splices the medieval city, Prague Castle was begun in the ninth century, and became the seat of both secular and spiritual rulers. Over the next thousand years, monarchs and clerics built or enlarged segments to outshine their predecessors.

Consequently, the Palace is not one or two impressive buildings but five major structures - including an appropriately overwhelming 14th century cathedral, a separate basilica and an ornate palace - plus a monastery, two art museums, banquet halls, towers and even streets where ancient shops have become tiny, touristy stores and restaurants.

These buildings and the vast courtyards fronting them are surrounded by fortified walls up to six stories high. These walls are actually honeycombs in which the former royal rooms and courtiers' apartments now house offices of the Czech president and the national bureaucracy.

A visitor had best start as soon as the gates open in the morning, lest the whole illusion of preserved grandeur be ruined by the throngs of tour groups. An estimated 3-million tourists a year "discover" Prague, which was left largely untouched both by World War II and the architectural clumsiness typical of the Soviet Union's occupation. The majority of the tourists quickly lay siege to the Palace, which sprawls over what would be city block after block.

Even if you duck inside the ornate and enormous St. Vitus Cathedral to admire its stained glass windows, 21 chapels and statuary, the mumble of thousands of tourists can diminish the sense of reverence the cathedral should evoke.

Having taken in the impressive sanctuary, a visitor has one tough choice when in St. Vitus: Should you ignore the warning sign at the foot of the steps to its bell tower:

287 steps!

I considered that exclamation point a challenge. After stopping four times to gather breath and energy, I finally made it up the steep stone steps. I should have picked my day more carefully.

The view of Prague was impressive but would have been much more so without the smog hanging over the sprawl of the Czech Republic's capital of 1.2-million souls.

Back down and into the courtyard, I wanted a break from the crowds, the shutterbugs, even a break from the immensity of the Palace complex. I walked through a modest archway and reached the Garden on the Ramparts.

The rewards were multiple: lawns, plantings and shade trees on the south side of the outer walls, and a view overlooking that quarter of Prague known as Mala Strana, or "Lesser Quarter." This neighborhood dates back 750 years and is filled by still-stately buildings along twisting streets.

In the gardens, the quiet on this summer day was interrupted by a free concert presented beneath the back windows of the old Royal Palace.

But if your visit is the wrong time of year for outdoor concerts, head to the gardens anyway and watch for the small unit of uniformed musicians marching to a tiny turret above the Mala Strana. Look through the windows as the musicians warm up, then play what is simply called a "fanfare" that sounds in the gardens and across the tiled rooftops of the old village far below.

I returned to the interior courtyards and entered the Royal Palace. I found I could appreciate the worn stone thresholds at each doorway, ancient stone columns and bricks purposely left uncovered in the last renovation, the coat of arms dated 1629 painted on one wall, even huge, centuries-old wooden cupboards.

Such are the small bites of rich history to be savored in Prague.

But you do not have to search for enchantment in Cesky Krumlov (CHESS-key KROOM-loff), a precious town 100 miles to the south, where sunshine glints off the gilded crosses atop chruch steeples. Here, too, the Vltava flows beneath a hilltop castle, but Cesky Krumlov is Prague Lite, if you will.

The town is seemingly frozen seemingly frozen in the 16th and 17th centuries - more than 300 carefully preserved structures that earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1992.

Where the Czech capital can overwhelm, Cesky Krumlov (CHESS-key KROOM-loff) enchants. Sunlight glints off the gilded crosses atop steeples in the precious town - Prague Lite, if you will.

The Vltava, also known in German as the Moldau, flows in a loop past a town seemingly frozen in the 16th and 17th centuries - more than 300 carefully preserved structures that earned Cesky Krumlov a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1992.

Nestled in hilly farmland, the town of 15,000 could be Central Casting's version of Old Europe.

Only a couple of streets stay straight for more than a few dozen yards. Renaissance and Baroque buildings have stucco facades painted either white or a chorus of cheery pastels. Religious scenes or the occasional knight on horseback are painted over doorways. Rising much higher than the chimneys on orange-tiled roofs are old towers and church steeples.

And above everything looms the castle.

Dominating a riverside hill, the Schwarzenberg Castle has 40 buildings, the earliest dating to the 14th century. Over the main entry arch is the date 1577; Renaissance frescoes inside the building known as the Little Castle were painted in 1590.

It's a long climb to reach the castle, but once there you can pause to admire something even Prague Castle does not have: a trio of brown bears that live in a habitat in the dry moat. Keeping the bears continues a tradition dating to the 16th century, when less-domesticated bears were another form of protection for the royal occupants.

For about 300 years this castle was home to the ruling family of southern Bohemia. Among its 300 rooms, stretching over six-tenths of a mile, are impressive reminders of what life in a palace was like:

A theater that was finished in 1766. Another large room is decorated with 260-year-old frescoes from an Italian comic play. Riding stables dominate one courtyard.

There also is nearly a half-square-mile of formal gardens, designed after Austrian and French styles of the mid 18th century. And within the walls of the castle's main buildings, window after window provide lovely views of the fairy tale village below and across the Vltava.

Down there, your feet will grow weary from treading the cobblestones before you can appreciate all the richness in the twisting, narrow streets of Cesky Krumlov. Nearly every turn or uphill/downhill stretch offers another handsome building whose residents you may envy.

But before you pick out a second home here, look for a place a few dozen yards above the banks of the Vltava.

True, the townsfolk have learned over the centuries to live with the vicissitudes of the river that defines the town. Canoeing and rafting the river, and especially shooting the rapids by a former mill, are major tourist attractions.

But on the walls of many riverside restaurants and taverns are high-water marks - badges of honor - from the furious flooding just a few years ago.

Yet on a warm summer day, the river seems harmless, placed here to soothe you while you sip a pint of beer and wonder, did they do this 500 years ago? Could I do this every day?

GETTING THERE: There is connecting air service to Prague from major U.S. gateways. Cesky Krumlov can be easily reached via bus, about a 31/2-hour ride. Rental cars are available at the Prague airport; intercity highways are good and even Cesky Krumlov has metered parking lots.

THE SIGHTS: Like much of central Europe's ancient neighborhoods in modern cities, the bustle of modern Prague clashes with the charm of its past. A section of about 3.6 square miles, encompassing about 2,000 structures, is a UNESCO World heritage site.

But prosperity since the relatively bloodless "Velvet Revolution" chased the Communists out 16 years ago has meant massive Westernization, from MacDonalds to all-night discos. A tourist who cannot visit in the less-busy winter months should acknowledge that this is a capital city, not a living history museum.

Start your day early, to avoid the bus-tour crowds, and remember to stroll beyond the busiest squares, because walkways may open onto tiny courtyards ringed by cafes, grocers' and butchers' shops, bookstores and, above them all, apartments housing the customers for this true slice of Prague.

Among the city's must-sees:

THE CHARLES BRIDGE: You are going to walk across this 648-year-old marvel. It spans the Vltava River between two of the ancient quarters of Prague.

Lined with 30 statues of saints, the pedestrian bridge is a magnet for tourists and thus for souvenir vendors and buskers. To avoid most of them, go early in the morning or at dusk, when natural lighting makes the view special.

OLD TOWN SQUARE: More than six centuries of Prague's history resonate in this broad plaza. It is lined by buildings flaunting Romanesque and Baroque brilliance. But in the square, religious factions have staged violent protests and beheadings, and both Nazis and Soviets celebrated their occupation of the country. The amusing, 595-year-old astronomical clock hourly offers a parade of 16 mechanical figures high above the square.

JOSEFOV: At the beginning of the 18th century, Prague was home to more Jews than other city in Europe. An estimated 77,000 were killed by the Nazis during World War II, and now the number of Jewish residents is fewer than 5,000. This small neighborhood includes the Old-New Synagogue, built about 1270 and used since then for services except during the German occupation. The name differentiated this synagogue from an even older one that has since been demolished, as has much of the ancient ghetto.

Many buildings at street level are stores that sell either tourist trinkets or brands such as Hugo Boss and Rolex. But on the facades of higher floors, lush, undulating art nouveau elements counter the commercialism.

MUCHA MUSEUM: The high priest of art nouveau was longtime Prague resident Alphonse Mucha (MOOK-kuh). His gold and yellow poster of actor Sarah Bernhardt, about to star in a play in Paris in 1894, was an instant success. Mucha had the marketing savvy to realize the value in mass production of his art. He went on to design everything from Nestle calendars to cigarette rolling papers, from biscuit tins to ornamental screens.

Mucha lived and taught in the United States from 1906 to 1910, then moving to Prague. By 1918 he was designing currency and stamps for the new nation of Czechoslovakia. He also spent 18 years creating 20 canvases relating his version of his homeland's history.

This museum open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; www.mucha.cz) tells his story with a 30-minute English-language video and displays including original Bernhardt posters, lithographs, statues and those mass-market items.

GETTING AROUND: It could hardly be easier, despite the winding, traffic-laden streets. You can walk nearly everywhere - although it's quite a trudge up the hill where Prague Castle sprawls - or buy tickets for the trams, buses or the subway, called the Metro.

Tickets are cheap and are valid for either 60 minutes, with unlimited transfers, or for 15 minutes on a single tram or bus line or up to four stops on the subway.

Buy your ticket in various shops or at most of the tram and subway stops, and then validate it in the machine onboard. There are also travel passes good from one to 15 days.

For a great view of the city, as well as ascent to the castle hilltop, hop on the No. 22 tram.

EATING THERE: In the Czech Republic, there are restaurants (the Czech word is restaurace), wine bars (vinrna) and the ubiquitous pubs (pivnice). The Czechs make some of the world's best beer; the original Budweiser, here named Budvar, is brewed near Cesky Krumlov in Cesky Budejovice. But the country's Western tilt has brought everything from Thai to Tex-Mex, even pseudo Irish pubs (but with real Guinness on draft).

For a centuries-old pivnice, complete with accordion player and simple, filling, meals study your map and head to the Inn of the Two Cats, (U Dvou Kocek). The street address is Uhelny Trh 10, which is in Old Town (Stare Mesto), a block from the intersection of the boulevard Narodni with Perlova.

STAYING THERE: Prague has every kind of accommodation you'd expect in a national capital. You can book rooms through Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and other online companies, or use the most-helpful www.PragueExperience.com This locally based company has staff fluent in English and provides quick e-mail replies; it can also have a driver meet you at the airport to take you to your hotel.

In Cesky Krumlov, I got a room through the city's tourist office in the busy main square, but because I was booking the same summer day that I wanted to stay, my options were limited. Better to contact them in advance, at www.ckrumlov.cz/uk/mesto/soucas/i_turser.htm A single room with private bath in the town's most-modern hotel currently is less than $26, but you can expect to pay much more for modern rooms in Prague.