Prague Cold War Walking Tour
Description
Explore the National Memorial which includes the the Hall of the Red Army in a 3-hour walking tour in Prague and also visit the mausoleum that displayed the mummy of Klement Gottwald, first chairman of the KSC, the adjoining laboratory and temperature control center, and numerous sites that show the life of Prague under totalitarianism.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Walk through the pedestrian tunnel and observe the locked doors leading to the nuclear bomb-shelter corridors build in the Cold War era and still maintained.
National Monument commemorating the Czech and Slovak warriors of WWI. The Hall of the Soviet Soldier. The former mausoleum of the General Secretary and the Chairman of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Klement Gottwald. The monument to Jan Zizka -- the third largest bronze equestrian statue in the world.
Best view of the Brutalist style Zizkov Television Tower.
Walk through and consider the history of the square from its founding in the 14th century through it's tumultuous history of military parades of occupying powers to the tragic events of Prague Spring to the ecstatic gathering of the Velvet Revolution.
Admire the ironic sculpture of King Wenceslas and consider it's relevance to contemporary Central European political atmosphere.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Choice of morning and afternoon departure; please advise at time of booking
- This tour involves a steep climb up to the Vitkov HillVitkov Hill monument requires 20-30 minutes of climbing uphill. For those with difficulty climbing, we recommend a private tour that leaves out Vitkov Hill. We can offer you an excellent tour of cold war sites in the city center that doesn’t require the ascent to Vitkov.
Reviews(10)
My husband and I took the Cold War Walking Tour with Vadim Erent. It was like attending a lecture with a brilliant professor who also has a great sense of humor. His love for Prague was evident and it made us fall in love with Prague too. We talked about art, culture, history, and the current political situation. If you are a history buff I cannot recommend this tour enough.
Thank you for the wonderful review. We're so pleased you enjoyed your tour. Hope to see you on another Insight Cities tour in Prague, Berlin, Budapest, Vienna, or Salzburg. Safe travels!
If I could give this tour 100 stars I would! Touring with Vadim (and I know all the Insight Guides are excellent) was just a remarkable experience. Not only did we explore the history and politics of Cold War Prague but engaged in deeply meaningful discussions of cultural shifts and the threads tying the past to the present and future. Think about the best professors you ever had, and then imagine spending hours with them deeply engaged, walking through the history, ever evolving politics and culture of this extraordinary place. Don't miss the opportunity!
Thank you for taking the time to review. We're proud to work with such terrific guides. Hope to see you again on Insight Cities tours in Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and Salzburg. Please tell your friends!
The Cold War tour with Vadim was truly fascinating, vivid, and breathtaking. We gained a wealth of knowledge about Prague’s post-war history and discovered impressive quarters and monuments connected to this period—many of which were entirely new to us. Walking through the tunnel between Karlín and Žižkov, originally built as a bomb shelter during the Cold War, and seeing the shelter’s door was a deeply moving experience. Climbing up Vítkov Hill to visit the National Monument was equally impressive. Vadim’s insightful explanations and interpretations, blending his deep knowledge of history, art, and psychology, made the tour feel like an engaging academic lecture right on site. Estelle and Jiří
Thank you for taking the time to review. We're proud to work with such terrific guides. Hope to see you again on Insight Cities tours in Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and Salzburg.
I’m from Prague and super into history, especially WWII and the Cold War. This tour was honestly amazing – learned a bunch of stuff I didn’t know even as a local. The guide Vadim was great, knew his stuff and made it interesting. Totally worth it if you're into history.
Thanks for the warm feedback. That makes our day. And thanks for recommending Insight Cities tour to your friends traveling to Prague, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest and Salzburg. Safe travels!
So informative and interesting This tour was so interesting and covered so many aspects of the communist era and the Velvet Revolution. We were impressed both by our guide's historical knowledge as well as by the personal insight he shared about growing up behind the iron curtain. Highly recommended. Get ready for a lot of walking!
We were with one other couple on the tour so we enjoyed very personal attention from our guide, who was terrific. It was like spending the morning with an incredibly knowledgeable local friend. We discovered so many sites related to Cold War Prague and the Velvet Revolution that would have been impossible to manage on our own. Vitkov Hill was a stark reminder of life under tyranny. This tour is a must for anyone interested in life behind the Iron Curtain.
We appreciate the review and glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you again on Insight Cities tours in Prague, Vienna, Berlin, Budapest & Salzburg. Thanks for reviewing!
The trip kept me very engaged the whole time while also teaching me a lot. It brought up a lot of questions in my mind that we’re all answered kindly.
Thanks for the warm review. Glad you enjoyed Vadim's tour. It's very exciting for us to have students groups returning to Europe and taking our tours again. We hope to see you in the future on Insight Cities tours in Prague, Vienna, Berlin, Budapest and Salzburg. Wishing you a great academic experience in Prague.
Wow this guy know's his way around Prague. I really enjoyed this tour learning about the architecture and history in detail. I feel like i've done something out of the ordinary rather than just seeing the main sights. It goes to show that there are stories behind every building and area of Prague. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the cold war nuclear bunker (apparently it's still in use...) as we made our way up to Vitkov Hill.
Thanks so much for your review. Vadim enjoyed touring you in Prague. The positive feedback is especially encouraging to us while we hang on through the pandemic and wait for overseas travel to recover. Hope to see you in the future on Insight Cities tours in Berlin, Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest and in the city we are adding this year, Munich.
No one is better qualified than Vadim, with his personal lived experience of Russian, American, and Czech cultures, to tell these stories of Soviet occupation and the Czech struggles for independence. Vadim informs, entertains, and charms. Ask questions! Vadim can answer them. These are important historical sites, but I'm sure few people get the the level of insight I got on this tour.
<p>This tour was fantastic. Vadim was an amazing guide and I would recommend this to anyone who wants a sophisticated, intellectual discussion on this history of communism in the Czech lands.</p>
