Prague Venice and the Čertovka

Where is Prague Venice?

On the Lesser Town side of Charles Bridge, where the Čertovka canal separates Kampa island from Malá Strana. The boats board on both banks.

Two things share the name. Prague Venice (Pražské Benátky) is the nickname for the Čertovka and the houses along it, under the western end of Charles Bridge. It is also the boat company, based at Platnéřská 4 in the Old Town, which has sailed historic-style boats on the Vltava and the canal since 1993.

It has nothing to do with Venice in Italy, apart from water lapping at house walls. If you are standing on Charles Bridge, look down to the south from the Lesser Town end: the strip of water with a mill wheel is the Čertovka.

Why is it called the Devil's Channel?

After a house. Prague's official tourist site says the name comes from the House of the Seven Devils (U Sedmi čertů) on the canal.

The canal had a duller name first. Prague's tourist board records it in 1585 as the Rosenberg Race (Rožmberská strouha), after the landowner Vilém of Rožmberk. The devil came later, from the house sign of a building on the bank.

Čertovka is simply Czech for the devil's one: čert means devil. On maps you will also see it translated as Devil's Stream or Devil's Canal.

What is the Čertovka?

A man-made channel of the Vltava about 740 m long. It was probably dug in the 12th century to drive mills, and it turned Kampa into an island.

Wikipedia credits the canal to the Knights of Malta, who likely dug it in the 12th century and so created Kampa island. It worked as a mill race for centuries. Prague's tourist board lists the mills along it: the Grand Priory Mill, recorded around 1400, whose large wheel is still kept in order; Sova's Mill, named after its 15th-century owner Václav Sova of Liboslav and rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style by the Odkolek bakers; and a wooden wheel in front of the former Michna Palace that recalls the Huť mill.

Two wheels still turn today, though neither grinds anything. Kampa's gardens cover 2.65 hectares on the river side of the canal, with a playground, picnic spots and public toilets.

Forty-five minutes on the water under Charles Bridge and into the Čertovka, with a drink and a museum ticket in the price.

★ 4.5 · 45 minutes · from $25

Explore the Prague Venice canal cruise → Tour details

What does the Prague Venice boat tour include?

A 45-minute cruise, a drink, a snack, headphone commentary in 19 languages and a ticket to the Charles Bridge Museum.

The canal cruise is booked as one ticket, from $25 on GetYourGuide (rated 4.5 from 4,367 reviews). The listing says it is not suitable for wheelchair users.

What do you see on the Čertovka boat?

Charles Bridge from below, including the so-called zero arch, the last arch of the older Judith Bridge, the Castle and the canal houses.

The low boats can go where the big cruisers cannot. Prague Venice points to two things pedestrians never see: the zero arch of Charles Bridge, hidden from the street, and the last surviving arch of the Judith Bridge, the 12th-century stone bridge that came before it, now under Křižovnické náměstí. The GetYourGuide itinerary adds the Castle, the National Theatre, the Rudolfinum and the giant metronome on Letná.

Then the boat turns into the Čertovka. It is narrow, quiet and close: café terraces, the backs of Lesser Town houses and the mill wheel almost at arm's length. Reviewers keep coming back to the headphones and the free beer.

Had a great time on the Prague Canal Cruise! They provided headphones so that you can listen to the history of Prague and all the different buildings.
Tilly, Oct 2026

When do Prague Venice boats run?

Every day of the year from 10 a.m., every 15 minutes. The last boat leaves at 5 p.m. from October to April and later in summer, up to 8 p.m. in July and August.

Prague Venice sails in all weather. In summer the boats run with the windows open. In winter they are closed and heated, the company caps each boat at 30 passengers, and mulled wine is on the drinks list. Short winter days mean the last boat at 5 p.m. leaves around dusk, which is a good time to go.

Booking ahead is not essential on a weekday in winter, since boats leave every 15 minutes. In July and August, and on any sunny weekend, a booked ticket saves time at the wharf.

End the day on the water: the last canal boat leaves before dusk in winter, the Jazz Boat at 7:30 p.m.

★ 4.7 · 2 hours 30 minutes · from $46

Explore the Jazz Boat → Tour details

What else is there to do around the Čertovka and Kampa?

Museum Kampa in Sova's Mill, the Lennon Wall on Grand Priory Square, Prague's narrowest street and the Charles Bridge Museum on your ticket.

• Museum Kampa. Modern art in the old Sova's Mill, with works by the abstract pioneer František Kupka.
• The Lennon Wall. At the edge of Velkopřevorské náměstí (Grand Priory Square), just over the canal. Protest slogans first appeared there under Communism, and after John Lennon's death in 1980 it became a wall in his memory. Fans gather there every 8 December.
• The narrowest street in Prague. Reached from U Lužického semináře, it has its own traffic light and is 70 cm wide at its tightest point.
• The Charles Bridge Museum. On the Old Town side by the Judith Dock, and already in your cruise ticket.
• The little bridge over the Čertovka. The best free view of the Grand Priory Mill wheel.

Is the Prague Venice boat tour worth it?

Yes, if you want the canal and Charles Bridge up close in under an hour. For the lit city with live music, the Jazz Boat is the evening option.

It costs from $25, the drink and the museum ticket are in the price, and you see the Čertovka and the underside of Charles Bridge from water level in 45 minutes. The wooden boats are small and sit close to the water, which is the point.

What it is not: an evening cruise. It finishes before dark for most of the year. Pair it with an hour on Kampa in the afternoon and a night cruise later; our guide to the best boat tours in Prague compares them, and the river cruise prices guide sets out what each costs.

Frequently asked questions