Orloj: best time and photography

Which wall the clock is on

The Prague Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of the Old Town Hall, in Old Town Square. That one fact organises everything about photographing it. You stand in the square, facing the wall, and the clock is a high, narrow subject set into a stone tower. The tower rises above the clock, so a vertical frame fits more of the building than a horizontal one, while a horizontal frame from the side street along the wall brings in the neighbouring houses and the Týn Church behind.

Choosing a season

Prague City Tourism lists the Old Town Hall's tower as open every day, with longer opening hours from April to December than from January to March, and its own schedule for the Christmas and New Year period. The GetYourGuide ticket page for the tower ticket says the views can be enjoyed in all seasons and weather conditions, which is the operator's description rather than a promise of clear skies. If your trip is in winter, check the tower's page for the exact dates before you plan the day around the climb.

Time of day in the square

Because the clock faces south, a clear day puts the sun on its wall for much of the day, and the gilded dial can glare in direct light. An overcast day shows the blue and gold evenly. Whichever light you get, the square is a public space, and the crowd at the top of the hour is part of the picture. If you want fewer people in the frame, choose a different hour from the one most visitors pick, and shoot the dial a few minutes before the Apostles appear rather than during the parade.

Wide shot or detail

Decide before you raise the camera. A wide shot from across the square holds the whole wall: the astronomical dial above, the calendar dial below, the roofed niche for the Apostles over both. A detail shot from closer in, with the longest zoom you have, lets you pick out the Sun and its hand, the half-silvered Moon sphere, the golden Roman numerals and the zodiac ring. Both frames are worth taking, because they tell different parts of the story, and a phone with two lenses can do both from one spot.

Read next: Prague Orloj apostles: best viewing

The calendar dial and the figures

The calendar dial below the astronomical dial is a copy, made in 1880, of the original by Josef Mánes, which is in the Prague City Museum. Its medallions show allegories of the months. The statues beside it, and the four figures that move on the hour, make good close subjects when the light is soft. On the hour the skeleton figure rings the bell and the others shake their heads, so a short video catches more than a still frame ever will. Keep to the square and the pavement edge, away from the wall.

Photography inside the tower

The GetYourGuide ticket page for the tower ticket names the items that are not allowed: tripods, selfie sticks, professional cameras, drones, baby strollers, luggage or large bags, food and drinks. The gallery photographs well with a phone or a small camera, and Prague City Tourism places it at 42 m, high enough for a long view over the square and the roofs. If your camera is large enough to count as professional, ask at the venue before you go up instead of assuming. Travel light and the gallery will be easy to enjoy.

Who this is not for

If you need a tripod or a professional kit for your photographs, the tower is the wrong place for it, and the square at the top of the hour is no better, because the crowd makes any tripod a nuisance. This guide also promises no ideal hour. The sources give the season's hours, not a time of day when the square is empty, and the light depends on the weather you are given. Come with room in the plan, and treat the first look at the clock as a scouting trip for a second.