Sofia De Vera combines a heartfelt passion for cinema with over 15 years of critiquing for esteemed film publications, wielding academic credentials from the University of Southern California and New York University, to serve as your personal guide through the enchanting worlds of film and television. Her full guest bio can be found here.
Prague has a lot to offer for both national and international filmmakers. The city has fabulous medieval architecture and well-preserved castles. It is also well known for its nightlife spots and lively arts scene. So it will come as no surprise that there are so many wonderful movies set in Prague.
Prague is one of the most awe-striking cities in the world. Every great European city must have two things: a rich history and a lively culture. Prague is all about both of them. This city is so unique that it seems like it came right out of a fairy tale.
One has to look no further than the Prague Castle: the biggest castle ever built, it can be seen from all over the city, standing tall over Prague with all its majesty. However, there are many more stunning sights beyond the castle.
The whole city is known for having been built by some of the best Gothic and Renaissance artists in all of Europe. What’s better, most of their work has been carefully preserved by the city’s inhabitants. It’s no surprise that Prague has come to be called the city of a Thousand Spires.
It’s not often that you see this city represented in mainstream media. That’s why Prague is a true hidden gem among other cities in Europe. However, the films that do show Prague to international audiences are made all the better because of it.
Due to the beauty of the city, even the smallest film set in Prague can feel like a wonderful thing: the charm that the city’s buildings and streets have can be seen in any of these films. You should be warned that, after watching them, you’ll want to get on the next plane to visit the city of a Thousand Spires.
These films set in Prague have narratives that rely on their settings as much as their main protagonists, and as a result, spectators get a glimpse of this iconic city through the director’s eyes. To honor the concept of cinematic travel, we have also assembled lists of our favorite films shot in some of our all-time favorite travel destinations: Vienna, Toronto, Venice, Vermont, Hollywood, and Philadelphia.
Wondering where to watch? It depends on where you live in the world and which streaming services you have. We link to the streaming service we watch on in each case - be it Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, or elsewhere.
You can get one month free of Amazon Prime (or a 6-month trial for students) of Amazon Prime and also get immediate access to FREE Two Day shipping, Amazon Video, and Music. While you won't be charged for your free trial, you'll be upgraded to a paid membership plan automatically at the end of the trial period - though if you have already binged all these, you could just cancel before the trial ends.
Apple TV+ also has a one-week trial, and Hulu has a one-month trial (which can be bundled with Disney!). Another option might be using a VPN to access Netflix titles locked to other regions. Netflix is now available in more than 190 countries worldwide and each country has a different library and availability. US Netflix is (understandably) one of the best.
While we wish everything could just be in one place - for now, it seems these are the best streaming platforms to watch on.
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Mission: Impossible (1996)
Mission: Impossible is an absolute classic of a spy film and, surprisingly, it was one of the first to show the beauty of Prague to the whole wide world. If we’re not used to seeing this city in films in this day and age, back in the day it was even less so.
The filmmakers behind this film, however, knew that Prague was the perfect setting for their story and were set to make good use of its locations. That’s why so many of the best sights that Prague has to offer are featured in this film.
The first film in the espionage franchise, Mission: Impossible had to sell audiences on the premise of the whole series. Although it isn’t commonly known, the film was a spin-off from a television show from the sixties.
Director Brian De Palma, who had proved himself as a great action director with Scarface and The Untouchables, was sure that he could make this new movie work. With rising star Tom Cruise as the main character, the film became one of the most-watched of the year.
Mission: Impossible follows Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), the lone survivor of a mission gone wrong in Prague. As his superiors inform him, the mission was a ruse to lure out a spy hidden within their organization. Quickly Hunt realizes that he’s the prime suspect of being the mole, so he sets out to prove his innocence.
If you’re planning to visit Prague, you should definitely watch this film. In particular, you should keep an eye out for the appearance of the Old Town Square, one of the oldest and most beautiful sights in the city, as well as the connecting Charles Bridge, which spans in all its might over the Vltava River.
Spiderman: Far from Home (2019)
The character of Spider-Man needs no introduction. The story of the friendly-neighbor superhero that fights crime in the streets of Queens has been portrayed again and again, whether it be in films, comics, or animated shows.
However, there are very few instances of Spidey going away from his home turf and into unknown territory. That’s where Spider-Man: Far From Home comes in: the idea to take Spider-Man out on a school trip through Europe turned out to be one of the better that the people at Marvel Studios have had in recent years.
Spider-Man: Far From Home, by Jon Watts, sees Peter Parker (Tom Holland) going on a school trip with his classmates following the events of Avengers: Endgame. This means that Peter is trying to catch up with the world after he was “blipped” for five years.
The film will have him trying to tell MJ (Zendaya) his feelings towards her, at the same time as he faces a new threat: elemental monsters are appearing all over the world. Luckily, Peter will be able to team up with a hero from another dimension, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).
Seeing this beloved and iconic character in an unfamiliar place, dealing both with his enemies and friends, makes it one of the best superhero movies ever.
The best part of the film, however, is the group’s stay in Prague. You’ll be able to see the charming Vinohrady Theatre, one of the oldest in the region, as well as one of the city’s most luxurious hotels, the Carlos V. One of the key moments in the film takes place over the Charles Bridge, on a beautiful night that makes the location all the more romantic.
Kafka (1991)
Kafka is not your usual biographical movie. When faced with the opportunity to tell the life of one of Europe’s most distinguished writers, director Steven Soderbergh decided to go off the beaten path and try a weirder approach, one that would be in line with the stories that Kafka used to write.
That’s why this film portrays the life of Kafka while at the same time putting his character in several of the situations that are featured in his novels and short stories. The result is one of the most interesting biopics ever made.
If you’re unaware of who Franz Kafka is, you should know that he was a very important writer who lived most of his life in the city of Prague.
You may have heard the term Kafkaesque when describing those times when bureaucratic systems that should be rational and well-organized seem to be the craziest and most incomprehensible thing in the world. This term, of course, derives from the works of Kafka himself. He wrote about characters who found themselves in this kind of predicament, exploring the absurdity of modern life as he saw it.
Set in 1919 Prague, the film follows Mr. Kafka (played by Jeremy Irons), an insignificant worker in an insurance company that finds himself involved in a plot to overthrow a group of people who control our daily life. Who are these people? Nobody knows. But they are surely there.
The film will see Kafka exploring the depths of the city of Prague and traversing places no tourist ever goes through. It’s a very unique experience, as far as biopics go, and it can only be described as a Kafkaesque film.
Prague [Prag] (2006)
Prague, by Danish director Ole Christian Madsen, is one of those dramatic movies that will leave you feeling like an emotional wreck once you finish watching it. It tells the story of the marriage between Christoffer (Mads Mikkelsen) and Maja (Stine Stengade).
The two of them live an unhappy and unfaithful life in Denmark. While Maja is the one that has turned to have an affair, Christoffer had been drifting away from her for a long time. When he’s notified of his father’s death, the couple travels to Prague in order to collect the body.
Christoffer visits the mortuary to see his father’s corpse, but he can’t seem to feel anything: he hasn’t had a relationship with his father for a long time and he even refuses to take the body. However, he does take his father’s possessions.
Among them was a cell phone that starts ringing. It turns out, that his father was dating a man (Bořivoj Navrátil) while living in Prague and this man is the lawyer in charge of his father’s will. In a final attempt to get to know his dead father, Christoffer meets his father’s lover.
The film features an amazing performance by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. While Mikkelsen has been in Hollywood’s eye ever since he appeared as the main antagonist in 2006’s Casino Royale, he has recently found much praise due to his performance in 2020’s Danish film Another Round. No matter what role Mikkelsen plays, he always offers a captivating performance that is sure to stick with you.
Anthropoid (2016)
In case you were unaware, you should know that Prague was one of those cities that was occupied by the Nazis during World War II. In fact, the whole country of Czechoslovakia was occupied. However, the resistance movement never stopped fighting for the freedom of its people.
The Czechoslovak government worked in exile in order to bring down the Nazi occupants. Chief among the operations that they conducted was “Operation Anthropoid”, which entailed the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, one of the key people behind the Holocaust.
Anthropoid, by Sean Ellis, tells the story of the two agents of the Czechoslovak government who infiltrated and occupied Prague and conducted the now famous operation. As such, the film is set at the end of 1941 and sees Jan Kubiš (Jamie Dornan) and Jozef Gabčík (Cillian Murphy) dropping by parachute into enemy territory.
What’s interesting about these two is that one, Jan, was Czech, while the other, Jozef, was Slovak. During the time when Czechoslovakia was still a nation, these two ethnic and linguistic groups lived under the same rule but did not necessarily get along.
The film offers one of the most interesting portrayals of the city of Prague, one that takes us back in time to a darker period. As Jozef and Jan get into the city, they meet with other resistance fighters. There they prepare to carry out their operation and assassinate Heydrich (Detlef Bothe).
Anthropoid doesn’t look at the history with rose-tinted glasses: it tells of the pair’s struggles to get their operation going, as well as the Nazi’s ruthless retaliation against the people of Czechoslovakia.
Cosy Dens [Pelíšky] (1999)
Considered by many to be the best Czech film ever, Cosy Dens is a touching story that, while fun and happy, is bittersweet. It’s not a true story, but it is set in the days before one of the most important times in Prague’s history. The film takes place on the Christmas of 1967, meaning that it’s just a couple of weeks away from the Prague Spring.
This event marked the peak of the civil unrest in the Czechoslovak Soviet Republic. It began with massive protests on the fifth day of January and prolonged until August when the Soviet Union invaded the country and suppressed the reformist movement.
Cosy Dens, by Jan Hřebejk, doesn’t concern itself with these events, however. The film tells a coming-of-age story about a boy who is in love with his neighbor. The boy, Michal (Michael Beran), is the son of a communist army officer who forbids him from visiting their neighbors. That is due to the fact that the father of the girl he loves, Jindřiška (Kristýna Nováková), is against the regime.
The film sees the two teenagers living their own lives in a world that doesn’t quite resemble that of their parents: they don’t care about the politics of the country and are interested in culture from other places. Any fan of cinema should watch this mesmerizing film, but that goes double for any cinephile who wants to visit Prague. Cosy Dens will offer you a look at the City of Spires like no other film will.
Kolya [Kolja] (1996)
Keeping up with the theme of the most critically acclaimed films to come out of the Czech Republic, this film by Jan Svěrák was the only one to win an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (and a Golden Globe too).
While some movies produced in the time of Czechoslovakia did win this award, there were no other winners besides Kolya since the country was divided between the Slovakia and Czech Republic.
Set in 1988 Prague, the film follows a man by the name of František Louka who, in his latter years, is struggling to make a living as a cellist. While he had been a renowned player back in the day, he lost his place in the Czech Philharmonic due to his criticisms of the Socialist regime. Now he only plays in funerals and crematoriums.
When a friend of his tells him that there’s a new quick and easy way to make money, he becomes very interested. František then enters into a fake marriage with a woman (Libuše Šafránková) from the Soviet Union, which would allow her to stay in the country instead of being deported.
František is expecting to be paid for this but the woman uses this chance to flee Czechoslovakia. Most surprising of all is the fact that she leaves behind her young son, Kolya (Andrey Khalimon), with the hopes that František would take care of him.
Taking care of Kolya is a deeply transforming experience for František, who finally has something who cares about him. The movie tells their developing relationship beautifully. Be warned, the end of Kolya will most surely make you cry.
Loves of a Blonde [Lásky jedné plavovlásky] (1965)
A list of the best movies set in Prague wouldn’t be complete without the mention of the late Miloš Forman. While today he may not be the most famous director, this Czech filmmaker left a deep mark in cinema, both in his home country and in the whole world.
If his name doesn’t ring a bell, surely some of his most well-known features will. In 1975, he released One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a wonderful film that became the second in the history of the Academy Awards to win all five major categories. However, he would outdo himself in 1984, when he released Amadeus, which won eight Academy Awards.
Being familiar with the success that Forman garnered offers the opportunity to go back into his earlier works and find some hidden gems. Loves of a Blond is one of these films. The film tells the story of Andula (Hana Brejchová), a shoe factory worker in Czechoslovakia who is trying to find someone to spend her time with.
Since many more women work in the factory than men, most of them are already taken, leaving Andula and her friends on their own. The local authorities decide to organize a dance in the factory, where the women would be able to meet the local soldiers.
However, Andula ends up falling for the party’s pianist, Milda (Vladimír Pucholt). While not his most known film, Loves of a Blonde is a great watch. It even earned Forman his first Academy Award nomination.
Ice Mother [Bába z ledu] (2017)
Ice Mother is one of the most charming Czech movies in recent years. Written and directed by Bohdan Sláma, the film tells the captivating story of an old widow who finds love again in the city of Prague.
It’s perhaps the most Czech film on the list, meaning that some of the humor can be lost on viewers that are foreign to the country. The film has proved, however, to be a huge hit both in the Czech Republic and overseas.
Ice Mother follows Hana (Zuzana Kronerová), a woman in her sixties who still hasn’t gotten over the fact that her husband died. While each person needs their time to grieve their loved one, Hana hasn’t even acknowledged that her husband isn’t there with her anymore.
As she’s walking through the city with her baby grandson, she meets a club of people who like to swim in the frozen river during winter. She befriends many of them, eventually deciding to join.
Everything in her life begins to change, however, when she meets Broňa (Pavel Nový), a quirky man who will make her want to open up and begin to move on. Broňa’s character is definitely one of the highlights of the film: from his introduction when Hana saves him from drowning in the river, he becomes one of the most interesting characters.
However, his eccentricities won’t make him less reliable. Hana will find in him someone to confide in. Ice Mother is one of the very few romcoms where the protagonists are in the latter stages of their life, which makes it an even lovelier film.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being is one of those films that will stay with you long after you’ve watched it. It could be described as a romantic drama, but it’s much more than that. The film is an adaptation of a famous novel of the same name by Milan Kundera.
Like the book, the movie is deeply poetic and philosophical, touching on some very interesting topics and ideas. And it’s no surprise since the man at the helm was Philip Kaufman, one of the most daring and forward-thinking directors in Hollywood.
The film is set during the Prague Spring and tells the story of Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis), a charming surgeon in Czechoslovakia, who finds himself in the middle of two women. The free-spirited artist, Sabina, and the smart yet stuck waitress, Tereza.
He introduces the two women, who become friends, and pursues romantic relationships with each of them. As the Soviet Army invades their home country, the three of them decide to escape together.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being will see Tomas returning to Czechoslovakia with Tereza after Sabine finds a husband. But he will find that his home country is not as welcoming as he thought it would be. The film offers a unique way to see life in Prague that will enchant the most romantic of viewers.