Prague
Little Town (Mala Strana)
Down the hill from Prague Castle is Mala Strana, the Small Quarter, also called the Little Town. It's a charming part of the city for kids, especially if you get away from the busiest street, Mostecka (the street from the Charles Bridge). In Mala Strana, you'll find parks, playgrounds, boat rides, and a quiet church with the Infant of Prague, a statue of the baby Jesus and protector of the city.
Prague Ghosts and Legends Museum (Muzeum Mysteriae Pragenis) (Mostecka 18) - A wax museum devoted to the ghosts and legends of Prague, based on historical records. Follow a maze of old town streets, encountering ancient books, ghosts of Czech lords, ladies, and knights, a skeleton and ghouls, swords and rusted keys.
Note: Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments (Mostecka) - This is not for kids. Each instrument has historical paintings or drawings to show how the instrument was used and some are quite ghastly!
Infant of Prague - The Infant of Prague is a statue of the baby Jesus, which you can see in the Church of Panna Maria Vitezna (Church of our Lady Victorious) on Karmelitska street. According to legend, the wax figure was created in Seville long ago by a pious monk, who gazed upon the face of the Christ child. The statue was brought to Prague in the 16th century by a Spanish noblewoman, and displayed on the altar in the cathedral. Over the centuries, miracles have been attributed to the Infant of Prague, the protector of the city. The fame of the Infant of Prague has spread, and the Holy Infant is dressed in beautiful garments that come from all over the world.
Along with the Infant of Prague statute in the cathedral, there is a tiny museum, where a selection of elaborate costumes and lacey under vests are on view, plus some lovely gold and silver chalices. Don't miss a video of the nuns lovingly dressing the Infant of Prague in all his finery.
Kampa Island (Na Kampa) - Underneath to the Charles Bridge, is Kampa Island, separated from the western shore of the Vltava River by a man-made canal, called "Devil Stream. Kampa is an oasis.
At the northern tip of Kampa, pick up the cute little shaded boats for a 45 min. ride on the river from the Charles Bridge to Manesuv Bridge, and back.Walk the canal and river - The walkway along the canal is cool and shady, and has two functioning wooden water wheels at the northern and southern ends. (The canal was dug to power the mill wheels.) If you keep walking south from Kampa Island, along the Vltava River, you can see a series of locks opening and closing (for boats to get around the bridges over the river).Kampa Park has green grass, and a playground for little kids, with nice, colorful climbing structures, park benches.Petrin - Petrin is a leafy green park on the hills, covered with spreading shade trees, and is the perfect place to picnic.
To get there, ride the funicular (lanova draha) up and down, and get off at the midpoint for great views of Prague in the distance. Kids will want to explore the Hunger Wall, a high crenelated wall, punctuated with gateways, that was the southern edge of the old city. Stop into the House of Mazes, a fun house with maze of mirrors, concave and convex mirrors, so you look very short, very stretched out, very wide - it's a laugh for everyone in the family.Climb up the mini Eiffel Tower, a landmark built in 1891 for the Prague Exhibition. It's 299 steps to the top of the metal tower, and you'll have a panoramic view of Prague in the distance.
