Prague at Christmas - Music, art and architecture in the heart of Europe

Fly mid-morning from London Heathrow to Prague (British Airways). After settling into the hotel, there is an introductory lecture and dinner.

Morning exploration of the ancient core of the city (Staré Město) on the right bank of the Vltava. A dense maze of picturesque streets and alleys converges on Old Town Square, surely the prettiest urban space in Europe, with shimmeringly beautiful façades – medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau. Visit the Church of St. James, a Gothic shell encrusted with Baroque finery, and the Gothic Týn Church, which lies at the heart of both Prague and Czech history. Special private visit to the glorious suite of assembly rooms created 1904–12 in the Obecní dům (‘Municipal House’), a unique and very Czech mélange of murals and ornament. In the afternoon see one of the world’s greatest collections of medieval painting brilliantly installed in the 13th-century Convent of St. Agnes. Early evening stage performance in the Smetana Hall of the Obecní dům: Czech Christmas Mass (Jan Jakub Ryba, 1765–1815) performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra.

Drive to Prague Castle, an extensive hilltop citadel, residence of dukes and kings of Bohemia from the 10th century and now of the President. The Old Royal Palace rises from Romanesque through Gothic to Renaissance, the chief glory being the Vladislav Hall with its extraordinary late-Gothic vaulting. The Cathedral of St. Vitus is a pioneering monument of High Gothic, richly embellished with sculpture, paintwork and stained glass. Afternoon visit of the private exhibition at the Lobkowicz Palace which contains a fascinating collection of paintings, decorative art and rare music manuscripts.

Kutná Hora. Excursion into the Bohemian countryside. In the Middle Ages, Kutná Hora acquired great wealth from the nearby silver mines. Now a small provincial town of great charm, it possesses the stunning late-Gothic St. Barbara’s Church, the creation of Bohemia’s finest medieval architects, whose work we also see in Prague. Afternoon visit of the former Cistercian cathedral of Our Lady of Sedlec in the suburbs of Kutná Hora which was ingeniously rebuilt by Jan Santini Aichel in the early 18th century. It is a work of exceptional aesthetic value harmoniously linking Gothic and Baroque architecture.

The history of the Jewish community is an indelibly fascinating aspect of Prague’s history. In the former ghetto, the Josefov, there remain six synagogues, town hall and cemetery. Continue to the ‘New Town’ (Nové Město, 1348), in and around Wenceslas Square, threading through a succession of arcades, and see the outstanding turn-of-the-century architecture and early modernist masterpieces. 

Morning walk across 14th-century Charles Bridge, the greatest surviving such medieval structure. In the ‘Lesser Town’ (Malá Strana) visit the magnificent church of St Nicholas, one of the finest Baroque churches of Central Europe. Alternatively opt for a free morning and attend a church service before Christmas lunch. Evening opera at the State Opera: La Bohème (Puccini).

Strahov Monastery has commanding views over Prague and two magnificent library halls, which we see by special arrangement. Then walk down the hill, passing the formidable bulk of the Černín Palace and the delightful façade of the Loreto Church. Visit also the Schwarzenberg Palace and its fine collection of Old Masters. Evening opera at the State Opera: Rusalka (Dvořák).

Fly from Prague, arriving at London Heathrow at midday.