Vltava Lunch Cruise on a Glass Boat with Live Music Prague

Charles Bridge from the water

Soon after leaving the Old Town embankment the glass boat glides beneath Charles Bridge, the stone bridge begun in 1357 that links the Old Town with the Lesser Town. From the water you can appreciate its sixteen Gothic arches and the baroque statues of Czech saints that line both parapets, as well as the Old Town Bridge Tower, one of the finest Gothic gateways in Europe.

In daylight the glass roof gives you a clear view upwards as the arches pass overhead, which makes this Charles Bridge cruise a favourite with photographers. Many visitors walk the bridge in the morning and see it again from the river at lunchtime, when the warm stone and the busy crowds above make a lively contrast to the calm water.

Prague Castle, the Rudolfinum and Kampa Island

As the boat turns, Prague Castle appears on its ridge above the Lesser Town, crowned by the spires of St Vitus Cathedral. On the Old Town bank you pass the Rudolfinum, a neo-Renaissance concert hall from 1885 and the base of the Czech Philharmonic, its balustrade lined with statues of composers facing the river.

Across the water lies Kampa Island, separated from the Lesser Town by a narrow channel known as the Devil's Stream, where old mill wheels still turn beside pastel houses. The island's riverside park is one of the most peaceful corners of central Prague, and from the boat you see its plane trees and gardens reaching right down to the Vltava.

National Theatre and the Dancing House

Heading upstream, the golden roof of the National Theatre catches the midday light on the right bank. Opened in 1881, damaged by fire soon after and reopened in 1883, it was built with money collected across the Czech lands and remains a proud symbol of the nation. Opposite stands Střelecký Island with its tree-lined paths.

A few minutes later the Dancing House comes into view on the Rašín embankment, a playful modern building from 1996 with a glass tower that seems to sway against its solid partner. From the river you see how boldly it breaks the line of 19th-century façades, which is exactly why it has become one of the most recognisable buildings in Prague.

Emmaus Monastery and Vyšehrad

Further upstream, the Emmaus Monastery rises above the New Town with two sweeping concrete spires. Founded in 1347 for Benedictine monks who used the Old Church Slavonic liturgy, it was hit by bombs in February 1945, and the striking modern spires were added in the 1960s. Today it is again an active monastery.

Next comes Vyšehrad, the rocky fortress hill that legend calls the first seat of Czech rulers. From the boat you see its steep cliffs, brick ramparts and the twin spires of the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul. If you want to explore it later, the Vyšehrad fortress is easy to reach by metro and makes a quiet half-day trip with superb views over the river.

Podolí waterworks and Štvanice power station

The cruise turns near the Podolí waterworks, an elegant 1920s water-treatment plant often called the cathedral of water for its vast, light-filled halls. It still supplies water to Prague and also holds a small museum of the city's water supply. Around it stretch the green banks of Podolí and Braník.

On the way back the boat passes the city centre once more and continues downstream through the lock towards Štvanice Island, where a hydroelectric power station from 1913 to 1914 has been producing electricity for over a century. Its Art Nouveau and Cubist details make it one of the most attractive industrial buildings on the Vltava, before the boat returns to the pier.