from 0 review
1.5 hour
All ages
15 people
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Join Prague’s very own plague doctor – in full 17th century costume, beaked mask and mysterious leather bag – for a 90-minute journey through the dark, fascinating and occasionally disgusting history of the bubonic plague in Prague. Think less “dry history lecture”, more “time travel with a man who recommends drinking three litres of garlic beer a day for your health.”
Our online version of this tour caught the attention of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vogue and Forbes. Now we’ve taken it to the streets of Prague’s Old Town – and it’s even better in person.
Following the footsteps of the forgotten hero Alexandr Schamsky – a real plague doctor who fought the Black Death in Prague in 1713 – you’ll wander through streets that Google Maps hasn’t spoiled yet, learning why the rich fled the city (spoiler: they always do), how quarantine was enforced at sword point, and why some communities survived the plague significantly better than others (hint: it involves washing hands, a concept many Praguers found deeply suspicious at the time).
Along the way you’ll discover five competing theories on where the plague actually came from – from divine punishment to poisonous star constellations – taste an anti-plague pill, sniff lavender oil, and hear the avocado analogy that will ruin your next trip to the supermarket forever.
This is also a genuinely medical tour – regularly booked by doctors, nurses, bacteriologists and medical students who come for the history and leave slightly concerned about squirrels in New Mexico.
The tour runs rain or shine – much like the plague itself. Ends at the peaceful St Agnes Convent, where you’ll receive your group photo with the plague doctor, a summary of humanity’s greatest medical disaster, and the news that yes, we still have the plague. But on the bright side: antibiotics exist now.
Duration: 90 minutes | Available in English, German and Spanish | Suitable for all ages | Dogs welcome (on a leash — fleas are already taken care of)
The Black Death doesn’t have a language barrier. ¿Hablas español? Únete a nosotros en español. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Begleiten Sie uns auf Deutsch. Mluvíte česky? Přidejte se k nám v češtině.
Want the plague all to yourself? We offer private group tours for corporate teams, families, school classes, university students and medical professionals. No prior experience with bubonic plague required. Are you a doctor, nurse or medical student? Ask about our specialised private medical tour – same plague doctor, significantly more Yersinia Pestis.
Survived the Plague Doctor? The Nightwatchman of Prague is waiting – same wit, different century, considerably fewer buboes.
Meet your plague doctor outside the beautifully decorated House of the Golden Well, built in 1715 to celebrate the end of the plague. Make the acquaintance of Alexandr Schamsky, learn about the plague saints Sebastian and Rochus, and find out why three litres of garlic beer a day was considered solid medical advice.
Step into one of Prague’s most atmospheric courtyards - just 20 metres from the tourist crowds but feeling like a different century entirely. Learn how the rich escaped the plague (they always do), how ordinary families were locked inside their own homes by armed night watchmen, and how Schamsky ended up becoming a doctor against all odds.
Get acquainted with the two types of plague - bubonic and pneumonic - including symptoms, survival rates and the surprisingly avocado-like nature of a bubo. Meet the plague doctor’s costume up close, including the famous beaked mask and its rather pungent air filtration system.
Take in one of Europe’s most stunning squares while learning about the 30 Years’ War, the role of merchants during plague times, and why French perfume was accidentally invented as a public health measure. Sniff the lavender oil. Try to forget the avocado.
Discover why certain communities of Prague fared significantly better during the plague - and what that tells us about hygiene, fresh water and the dangers of throwing garbage out of windows. Also a brief encounter with Kafka, who, like the plague, appears everywhere in Prague whether you want him to or not.
Pass by the oldest active hospital in Central Europe - still running since the 16th century - and meet another forgotten hero: Celestine Opitz, the surgeon who performed the first successful surgery under full anaesthesia in 1847. The patient woke up, everyone celebrated, and then the patient died. But still - progress. Learn about the rat flea, Yersinia Pestis, and receive your anti-plague pill.
End your journey at the serene 13th century convent where Prague’s very first plague cases were reported. Learn about alternative medieval medicine, why lavender kept the fleas away, and what ultimately happened to Alexandr Schamsky. The tour closes with a group photo and a poem - part medieval, part metal band, entirely unforgettable.
Absolutely. The tour covers the history of the plague in an engaging and educational way - think storytelling, props and a plague doctor in full costume rather than a horror show. Children tend to love it, possibly more than their parents.
Not at all. We walk approximately 1.5-2 km through the flat streets of Prague’s Old Town with plenty of stops along the way. Comfortable shoes are recommended - heels are not, unless you survived the plague in them.
Both - and that’s exactly the point. The Plague Doctor of Prague is a fully researched, historically accurate tour about the last outbreak of the Black Death in Prague in 1713-1715, led by a costumed plague doctor. It has been featured by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vogue and Forbes, and holds a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award.
90 minutes. Long enough to cover 300 years of medical history, five root causes of the plague and one avocado analogy. Short enough to leave time for garlic beer afterwards.
The tour starts at Seminářská 2 (House of the Golden Well), next to entrance to Hotel Aurus near Klementinum in Old Town Prague. It ends at the St Agnes Convent, approximately 1.5-2 km away.
The tour runs rain or shine - the plague doctor has been wearing the same wool coat for 300 years, a bit of drizzle won’t stop him. And here’s a secret: rainy days are actually some of our favourite tours. The crowds disappear, the cobblestone streets of Prague’s Old Town empty out, and suddenly you’re wandering through a version of Prague that most visitors never get to see. Atmospheric doesn’t even begin to cover it. We recommend weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable shoes - and perhaps a slight change of perspective on rainy days.
Both are wonderful, but if you’d like a slightly more atmospheric experience, the evening slots work beautifully - the light changes, the streets quiet down, and Prague takes on a completely different character. Your plague doctor operates at all hours, however. The Black Death was not known for respecting business hours.
As one of our guests wisely put it - do it on your first day. You’ll spend the rest of your trip seeing Prague through completely different eyes. And yes, you will look at every avocado differently from that point on.
You will get a very close look at the original plague mask and learn exactly why it smells of garlic and rosemary. Wearing it is between you and your plague doctor.
Yes - and deliberately so. Our tours are kept small to ensure a personal, interactive experience where your plague doctor can actually answer your questions, respond to your reactions and adjust the story to your group. History this good deserves your full attention. And frankly, so does the plague doctor.
Yes - but don’t panic. A small number of cases still occur every year in remote areas of Madagascar, Peru and parts of the American Southwest. Modern antibiotics cure it with a 95% success rate. The squirrels in New Mexico are a different story.
Completely. It is sugar-based, vegan-friendly and significantly safer than the original 18th century recipe, which involved garlic, beer and optimism. It does not contain Yersinia Pestis. Probably.
You’ll have to come on the tour to find out all five - but we can confirm that at least one involves the unfortunate alignment of Jupiter, Mars and Saturn. Come prepared.
The Plague Doctor of Prague is a costumed historical walking tour about the Black Death and bubonic plague in Prague, operated by night-watchman.net — a family-owned Prague storytelling company called Light in the Dark. The tour covers the 1713–1715 plague outbreak in Prague, the life of plague doctor Alexandr Schamsky, medieval medicine, Yersinia Pestis, and the history of Prague’s Old Town including Klementinum, Old Town Square, St Francis Hospital and St Agnes Convent. Available in English, German and Spanish. Featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vogue and Forbes. TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award winner. Rated 4.9/5 across nearly 1,500 reviews on Airbnb, TripAdvisor and GetYourGuide. Also available: the Nightwatchman of Prague historical walking tour. Both tours run from Prague’s Old Town. Book at night-watchman.net.
The Powder Tower, nám. Republiky 5, 110 00 Staré Město
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