The Prague Ghost Tour – the Creepy way to see Prague by night
Looking to tour the Old Town at night? And give your partner a bit of a scare at the same time? I did. So I booked this tour.
We met the masked man holding a lantern under the shadows of the St. Nicolas church. We were 7 in the group, the other 5 people a group of young women from Belgium. The masked man was Peter and he had truly assumed the role of ‘the Masked Man’ with his voice, demeanor, and steady walking pace. People got out of our way as he led us through the Old Town Square with his lantern..
We stopped under the shadows of the Týn Church (above), where Peter pointed towards the 2nd floor of the building adjoining the church on the right hand side. He recounted the story of a maid. She worked for an unusually mean, rich lady who had gained notoriety around town for the way she treated her employees. One day she saw the maid praying, on her knees in the exact spot where we stood in front of the church. She went crazy and attacked the girl, grabbing her by the throat. Perhaps inadvertently, she ended up choking and killing the maid.
The rich lady paid off officials and never paid a penalty for the killing. Retribution came in a different form; one day a stiff breeze blew in the lady’s window from the courtyard in front of the church. She looked out to see the ghost of the maid, kneeling there and softly repeating the lady’s name over and over again. This happened every night, and the lady started going crazy, until one day it broke her. She went mad, sold all her belongings and left the house. The spirit of the maid was never seen by anyone ever again.
.
We continued through the town, Peter making frequent stops to recount stories; stories of love, deceit, gruesome murders, and of ghosts and spirits.
I’m not easily spooked. But I have to admit I got some goosebumps when we stopped in front of the building above. It is a huge building that had long been abandoned, which was strange in itself because it is in an ideal position in the Old Town, surrounded by well kept buildings. Theoretically prime real estate for a hotel or trendy restaurant. But it is empty, some of the windows cemented over. Peter mentioned that the house has been empty for as long as anybody remembers, that they don’t know the history. No history is included in the Town Hall records, no knowledge of prior owners or of how the building came to be or how it was used. But what neighbors do know is that strange things happen here; moaning voices at night, dark shadows that move behind the windows, windows that are at times open and at other times shut. I will say there is definitely an aura around that house.
.
The tour continued through some of the oldest parts of town, blocks away from the tourist frenzy around the Old Town Square. A quiet area where you at times felt that you had stepped back a few centuries in history.
More tales; of the amputated arm hanging in the St. James Church, of the Golem of Prague, a clay monster brought to life by the Rabbi (and mystic) Rabbi Loeb. Then more stories, from the creepy Jewish cemetery which looks like a hill growing within the courtyard behind a synagogue – it is in fact a layered cemetery built up between 1439 and 1787, approximately 12 layers in all containing more than 100,000 bodies.
.
It was a fascinating 2 hour tour. It was a different history lesson than our previous walking tour, made special because of the creepy tales and seeing Prague at night. Peter, the Masked Man, was a great guide and you sensed he believed all the stories he was telling. Was it scary? I don’t think so, but I did get a few goosebumps along the way. I would give this tour a 4 out of 5 and would recommend it to anyone – if I don’t give it a perfect score it is because the party crowds (think Spring Break in Prague) around the Old Town Square which at times distracted from the tour. We both enjoyed when the tour moved into the quieter, secluded sections of the Old Town. Overall though, an excellent tour.
.
Left: that’s Peter without his mask.
.
.
Related: 3 Days in Prague
Related: ‘Ahoy!!’ Why you would be mistaken to think that the Czech Republic is a great seafaring nation.
Related: 50 Things to do in Prague
Ps. If you find our blog helpful, please consider using our links to book your flights, hotels, tours, and car rentals. Have a look at our Travel Resources page.
I would love the ghost tour I’m an amateur ghost hunter. I like the tour guide, he really played the part well. The mask and lantern makes the tour even more authentic. That long abandoned building is so interesting!! The history of it must be somewhere!
These sound like great fun, and instructive too. Yet I’ve still to do one in any city I’ve seen them offered.
We try to do the Ghost tours pretty much anywhere we go…so much fun and you get to hear such off the wall stories. I’ll be the Prague one is a blast!
Thanks Corinne for the comment.
This sounds like a fun door and something a little different to do in Prague. You did a great job of capturing some of the spookiness in your photos!