25 March 2026, Prague – Guided walks inspired by Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets are drawing strong interest from both Czech and international visitors. To date, more than 680 people have taken part. Prague City Tourism is now expanding the programme with new routes, bringing keen readers to locations beyond the historic centre. From April, tours will head to the bastion at U Božích muk (the Crucifix Bastion) and into the underground Folimanka shelter, while another new walk will take visitors to Prague Castle. “Dan Brown’s novel undoubtedly promotes literary tourism and draws visitors to places mentioned in the book. I’m pleased we’ve expanded the routes to include locations that are not usually readily accessible and lie outside the city’s conservation area,” says František Cipro, chairman of the Prague City Tourism board. According to Cipro, the book also reinforces Prague’s brand as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature and attracts culturally motivated travellers, a long-standing key target group for the city. From April, visitors will be able to join Dan Brown’s Prague: A Hidden Laboratory in the Heart of Europe, a walk that reveals where the fictional PRÁH laboratory was concealed at the Crucifix Bastion and where Professor Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon experience some of the novel’s most heart-pounding and dramatic moments. Focused on neurology and extrasensory perception, the new route lasts around two hours and includes guided access to the Folimanka underground shelter. Walks will usually take place on Saturday mornings on dates listed at prague.eu. They will be conducted in Czech, with private tours available in English and other languages. The same applies to a third route created in cooperation with the Prague Castle Administration, Dan Brown’s Prague: The Codes of Prague Castle. This walk takes visitors to the Wallenstein Garden, Vladislav Hall at Prague Castle, and St Vitus’ Cathedral, with a focus on the symbolism and mysticism of these sites. Both new guided walks will complement the existing route, which includes the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Old-New Synagogue and remains highly popular with visitors. “Since launching the first Dan Brown-themed walk, we’ve seen very strong demand from both domestic and international visitors. In terms of attendance and feedback, these tours are among our most successful and most appealing themed products. We also see strong potential for premium offers and partnership collaborations,” says Sara Beninato, director of the Pragensia viva division, which is responsible for developing the tours. Since last year, nearly 100 Dan Brown-themed walks have taken place across Prague, including private tours. This year, scheduled dates sold out quickly, with additional ones being added on an ongoing basis. Interest has come from both Czech and international visitors. Since the novel’s release, interest has also grown in the locations featured in the story. “Following the publication of The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown, we have seen increased public interest in tours of the Folimanka nuclear shelter. This civil defence shelter, with an area of approximately 1,332 m² and a capacity of up to 1,300 people, is one of the largest underground structures in Prague 2 and represents an important technical monument from the Cold War period,” explains Dalibor Sadovský, director of the Prague City Services Administration. He adds: “We see this rising visitor interest as an opportunity to raise public awareness of civil protection and the significance of such facilities, both in the past and today.” Since last September, The Secret of Secrets has remained at the top of global bestseller lists. The impact of Dan Brown’s books on literary tourism has been evident before. After the publication of The Da Vinci Code, for example, visitor numbers at the Louvre rose by several per cent. A similar effect can now be seen in Prague. This has also been reinforced by the author’s visit to the city last year to mark the book’s release, during which he spoke highly of Prague and presented it in the best possible light. More information is available at prague.eu/mestotajemstvi
