An inside look at Prague’s new Dan Brown-inspired walking tour

The Secrets of Secrets mania is far from over, and Prague is bracing for more Dan Brown fandom to sweep the city following the launch of his latest novel. Themed cocktails and hotel packages are already bringing the story to life, and now a new walking tour lets readers follow in Robert Langdon’s footsteps through the city’s winding streets.

“We believe Prague’s role in the plot will strengthen the city’s reputation and attract visitors who come mainly for culture. Experience abroad shows that Dan Brown’s works can boost cultural tourism,” said František Cipro, chairman of Prague City Tourism (PCT). 

To help connect travelers with the City of Spires from Brown’s point of view, PCT has launched a literary walking tour of Prague’s historic center. Along with a small group of select few, Expats.cz was lucky to get an exclusive sneak peek. Here’s what it includes so far.

Miloslava, a seasoned tour guide and our chaperone that morning, is visibly excited as she greets us in the recently renovated ground floor of the Old Town Hall. 

“I’m absolutely delighted to take you on this tour,” she says, evidently an avid fan of Brown’s intricate plots and Langdon’s adventures.

“Our guides are true enthusiasts," Lenka, PR manager for PCT, discreetly mentions to me. She decided to take advantage of the opportunity and join us for a new perspective on Prague’s streets.

Her sentiment measures up as Miloslava takes us from the well-known squares to the more obscure passages of Prague’s Old Town, giving a new and refreshing twist to places many of us have seen hundreds of times—and maybe stopped noticing for that reason.

Team members from Expats.cz also attended a press conference where the acclaimed author answered questions about the new release. When asked why Langdon had finally been given a romantic storyline, he relayed an old cliche: “Art imitates life.”

But life, too, can imitate art, and it’s through this dialogue between words and streets, paragraphs and buildings, myths and reality that Miloslava steers us through. With her help, we can easily picture Langdon racing through Prague, having his first kiss with Katherine Solomon, or facing a near-mythical threat moulded out of the city’s mysterious past.

Here’s a quick rundown of the spots we visited, some of which will be added later in additional tours, and a few of our favorite “secret spots” to make Prague your own.

It’s arguably hard to write a book primarily set in Prague without at least passing through the Old Town Square. And indeed, this is where readers encounter Brown’s Golem, a fictionalized, humanized rendition of the mythical Jewish Golem who becomes a key character in the novel. If you do find yourself in the center of the square, take in the Jan Hus Monument, Kinský Palace, and the Old Town Hall, peep into Hotel U Prince, or sip on a cocktail at Black Angel’s Bar, all of which are additional locations featured in the book.

Where to go after: To avoid the crowds (and maybe hide away from ghosts of the past), lose yourself in the narrow streets where no one dares to venture, and have a drink at the Týnská literární kavárna, or mingle with the youth at Skautský Institut.

The Jewish Quarter of Josefov appears as a character all its own, and is a main focus of the Brown-inspired tours offered by Prague City Tourism. Key stops include the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Old New Synagogue, where the Golem’s footsteps and Kafka’s ghost are never too far away.

Where to go after: Continue your education of Prague’s Jewish history with a visit to the beautiful Jerusalem Synagogue, not far from the Main Train Station. Or head to the New Jewish Cemetery, which holds Kafka’s tomb and is completely free to visit.

Home to one of the most beautiful public libraries, which itself used to store the ominous Devil’s Bible (known as the world’s largest medieval manuscript), these parts of the tour play up the incredibly rich history of the book’s setting, steeped in spiritualism.

Where to go after: If the history of the place starts to weigh on your shoulders, find refuge in another of Prague’s public libraries. The National Technological Library (NTK) in Prague 6, the oldest tech and science library in the Czech Republic, is a great place to release your inner geek, or to mix and mingle with the country’s young and brightest relaxing at Café Prostoru, located on the ground floor.

Robert Langdon jogs along this ancient bridge in the morning at dawn, a convenient location close to his room at the nearby Four Seasons Hotel, before crossing to the other side of the river and running all the way to the top of Petřín hill. Considering what awaits him there, it’s a good thing he stayed in shape…

Where to go after: The crack of dawn is the only time you’d really get a clear run along this popular Prague attraction. For normal fitness hours, try somewhere along the Vltava’s scenic riverbanks, like Kampa park or the elevated Vyšehrad area.

With a Netflix adaptation in the works, the hype is only expected to grow. The city hopes that the focus on the sixth installment of Brown’s famous series will shift its image away from being a destination known for stag parties and cheap beer, and towards one focused more on its rich history and culture.