Prague Jewish Quarter

Our Prague Jewish Quarter tour is a private, licensed-guide walk through Josefov, the historic Jewish district enclosed by Prague's Old Town. In two hours we explore the atmosphere and exteriors of Europe's oldest active synagogue, the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Jewish Town Hall, telling the thousand-year story of Prague's Jewish community. A three-hour option adds interior visits to the synagogues and the cemetery.

What is Josefov, Prague's Jewish Quarter?

Josefov is Prague's former Jewish Town, a small district between Old Town Square and the Vltava River. Jewish life here stretches back roughly a thousand years; in 1357 Charles IV granted Prague's Jews the right to their own banner, an early sign of formal recognition. The quarter takes its modern name from Emperor Joseph II, whose Edict of Toleration in 1781 eased restrictions on the city's Jews, and it was officially renamed in his honour in 1850. Franz Kafka was born here in 1883 — his birthplace stood on what is now the square that bears his name, at the edge of the quarter. Much of the medieval ghetto was rebuilt during the 1893–1913 urban renewal known as "asanace" — six synagogues, the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Jewish Town Hall survived.

Which sites will we see?

We walk to Josefov's surviving landmarks: the Old-New Synagogue (completed around 1270), the Old Jewish Cemetery with its layered tombstones — about 12,000 are visible, but as many as 100,000 people may rest in burials stacked up to twelve deep, the Pinkas Synagogue Holocaust memorial, the Maisel and Spanish synagogues, and the Jewish Town Hall with its famous Hebrew clock. On the basic tour we view these from outside; on the extended tour we step inside, with entrance fees paid on site by cash or card.

What is the story of the Golem of Prague?

The Golem is a clay figure of Jewish folklore, said to have been shaped from Vltava clay by Rabbi Judah Loew, the Maharal of Prague (c. 1525–1609), to protect the community. The Maharal was a real and revered Talmudic scholar buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery; the Golem legend itself developed in later centuries, popularized in the 19th and 20th centuries. We share it as the rich piece of folklore it is — not as documented history.

How do we treat the Holocaust memorial?

With care and respect. The Pinkas Synagogue is a memorial whose walls are inscribed by hand with more than 78,000 names of Jewish men, women and children from Bohemia and Moravia murdered in the Shoah; upstairs are children's drawings from the Terezín ghetto. We tell this history honestly and without sensationalism, allowing time for quiet reflection. For visitors who want to continue learning about Czech Holocaust history, our Terezín Memorial tour pairs naturally with the Jewish Quarter.

What is the Jewish Town Hall's reverse clock?

The Jewish Town Hall, built in 1586 by mayor Mordechai Maisel, carries a Hebrew clock installed in 1764 by Prague clockmaker Sebastien Landersberger. Because Hebrew is read from right to left, its hands turn counterclockwise and its face shows Hebrew letters instead of numerals — one of the quarter's most photographed curiosities. Just beside it stands the Old-New Synagogue, still in use for daily services today.

Should I choose the 2-hour or 3-hour tour?

Choose the 2-hour exterior tour for an entry-friendly introduction with no tickets needed — ideal if you want the stories without museum queues, or if your visit happens to fall on a Saturday when the synagogues are closed for Shabbat. Choose the 3-hour extended tour to step inside the synagogues and walk through the Old Jewish Cemetery; you'll see the original interiors of the Spanish Synagogue with its Moorish ornament, stand in the Old-New Synagogue where the medieval Bohemian Jewish community gathered, and read the inscribed names at Pinkas in person. Entrance fees are paid separately on site, by cash or card. Both tours are private — just your group, at your own pace, with the route adjusted to what interests you most.

Is the tour good for families?

Yes. Our guides welcome children of all ages and adapt the storytelling to be age-appropriate, weaving in the Golem legend, the backward clock and the quarter's other curiosities for younger guests while handling memorial topics with sensitivity. The tour is largely walking on flat, paved streets between sites that are close together, so it's manageable for school-age children and accessible with a stroller for younger ones. Because the tour is private, we move at a pace that suits your family — pausing where curious, moving on where needed, and stopping for a hot chocolate or coffee on adjacent Pařížská Street if anyone needs a break.

Prefer to go inside? An extended 3-hour tour with interior visits to the synagogues and cemetery is available — entrance fees paid separately on site, price on request.