Frequently Asked Questions

Every route is a series of step-by-step photos with short directions. Open the route at your pickup point, then follow each photo to the next - like a photo walkthrough of the streets.

No. imhere is designed for narrow streets and old towns where GPS is unreliable. The photos themselves tell you where to turn.

Yes. Once you open a route, it works offline, so you can navigate without mobile data.

Viewing routes is free. Creating and sharing your own routes uses a small number of points, which you earn by registering and viewing routes.

Yes. Everything works in your phone's browser - no download required for creating or following.

Every route is a series of step-by-step photos with short directions. Open the route at your pickup point, then follow each photo to the next - like a photo walkthrough of the streets.

No. imhere is designed for narrow streets and old towns where GPS is unreliable. The photos themselves tell you where to turn.

Yes. Once you open a route, it works offline, so you can navigate Kyoto's lanes without mobile data.

Viewing routes is free. Creating and sharing your own routes uses a small number of points, which you earn by registering and viewing routes.

No. The photo steps replace GPS - follow the pictures of each corner, alley and landmark.

No. imhere uses real photos of corners and landmarks, so you navigate by sight - reliable in narrow lanes and under covered bazaars.

Yes. The directions are simple, and the photos need no translation. Routes are available in multiple languages.

No. Follow the photos of corners, courtyards and stairways instead of a map dot.

No. The photos show the exact corners, alleys and landmarks to follow.

No. Narrow medieval lanes confuse GPS, but photos of each archway and plaza never lie.

No. The stairways and alleys are hard for GPS; photos of tiles and viewpoints are easier to follow.

No. Whitewashed lanes are a GPS nightmare; photos of doors, steps and tavernas work better.

No. The photos of street stalls, shrines and alley corners guide you without GPS.

Yes. The photos need no translation, and directions come in multiple languages.

No. Tokyo's addresses confuse even locals; photos of shrines, signs and alleys are easier to follow.

No. The photos of hanok lanes, stairs and landmarks guide you without GPS.

No. Follow the photos of lanes, trees and landmarks - no Chinese needed.

Yes. This is exactly what imhere is for: navigate China without Chinese, using photos instead of words.

No. Between canals, GPS drifts badly; the photos of bridges, campi and calli are the reliable guide.

Yes. With photo steps you match each doorway and alley to the picture. It is the only navigation that works where GPS does not.

No. The medieval lanes confuse GPS; photos of corners, signs and stairways guide you reliably.

No. Narrow lanes and frequent power cuts make GPS unreliable; photos of temples and shop fronts work better.

No. The dense vicoli confuse GPS; photos of bar signs, santuari and courtyards guide you reliably.

No. The identical lanes and motorbike traffic make GPS stressful; photos of shopfronts guide you clearly.

No. The arcades and Durchhäuser confuse GPS; photos of archways and courtyards guide you.

No. The identical bridges and hofjes confuse GPS; photos of railings, doors and houseboats guide you.

Fly to Yiwu Airport (YIW) or take the high-speed rail to Yiwu Station (about 1.5h from Hangzhou East, 2h from Shanghai Hongqiao). A taxi from either to the market takes 20-30 minutes.

Yes - and you should. GPS is unreliable indoors. Use photo routes that show each aisle, booth column and turn, or follow the market's own zone and street numbering.

Yiwu International Trade City has five main districts with tens of thousands of booths. It is easy to get lost - note your zone, street and booth number before you wander.

Yes. Photo directions need no language at all - match what you see to the photo, no translation required.

No. The identical Georgian doors and cobbled lanes confuse GPS; photos of pub signs and shopfronts guide you clearly.

No. The dense blocks and identical cross streets confuse GPS; photos of balconies, signs and gates guide you.

No. The narrow lanes and hidden stairways confuse GPS; photos of fountains, courtyards and shopfronts guide you.

No. The canal bridges and identical pastel lanes confuse GPS; photos of the bridges and terraces guide you.

No. The narrow lanes and identical tapas bars confuse GPS; photos of tiles, shopfronts and corners guide you.

No. The identical whitewashed lanes and plazas confuse GPS; photos of flower pots, doors and fountains guide you.

No. The winding historic paths and the identical Gaslamp blocks confuse GPS; photos of landmarks and signs guide you.

Yes. All Beijing metro stations have English signs and announcements, and ticket machines have an English language option.

Not directly at the machines. Use Alipay (international version works with foreign cards) or buy a transport card at the station service window.

From PEK to the city center expect 80-120 yuan, from PKX 150-200 yuan. Always use the official taxi queue or a ride-hailing app with an upfront fare.

Many boutique hotels hide inside hutongs. Save an imhere route from the nearest metro stop before you arrive - the photo steps guide you through the alleys without needing to ask locals.

If you're going toward the city center, yes - it's the world's fastest commercial train and saves about 30 minutes. But it only goes to Longyang Road, so you still transfer to Line 2.

Hongqiao (SHA) is closer to the center and better connected, but most international flights use Pudong (PVG). Check your airline - both are on Metro Line 2.

Use Alipay or WeChat Pay (both accept foreign cards with the international versions) - scan the QR code at the gate. Some stations also sell single-journey tokens with cash.

Many boutique hotels are inside lane houses. Save an imhere photo route from the nearest metro station before you go - the photos guide you gate by gate.

Yes. Line 3 and all other Guangzhou metro lines have English signs and announcements at every station.

About 45 minutes on Line 3 to Tiyu Xilu or the Tianhe area, depending on transfers.

The metro (Line 3) is the rail option today. There is a planned high-speed rail link; until it opens, the metro, buses and taxis cover the airport.

Open an imhere route from the nearest metro or bus stop before you leave - the photo steps guide you through the old-city lanes without needing to ask directions.

No. All major metro systems have English signs and announcements. Ticket machines have an English mode.

Yes. Both have international versions that accept foreign cards. Set them up before arriving.

Yes. Use the official airport taxi queue or the Didi app with an upfront fare.

Use a photo-based navigation route (like imhere) from the nearest metro stop - the pictures guide you gate by gate without needing to ask anyone.

No. In narrow streets and old towns, photo-based directions are more reliable than GPS because they show you what to look for.

Yes. Once a route is opened, the photos and directions work offline - no data plan needed.

Yes. imhere is built for UGC: walk the path, photograph each turn, add directions and share with a code.

imhere covers old towns worldwide - Kyoto, Rome, Istanbul, Fez, Venice, Prague and more, plus user-created routes everywhere.

Very. Rides cost 3-10 yuan (about 0.5-1.5 USD), far cheaper than taxis.

Yes. Show the driver your destination in Chinese characters, or use Didi with its English interface and upfront fare.

The metro is usually faster in rush hour; taxis win with luggage and at night. Compare the rail line and traffic before choosing.

That's where photo navigation helps - save an imhere route from the station to the door before you arrive.

Creating a route uses a small number of points, which you earn by registering and viewing routes. Viewing routes is always free.

No. Everything works in your phone's browser - no download required for creating or following.

Between 20 and 80 meters is ideal - short enough to match photos easily, long enough to make progress.

Yes. You earn points from views, likes and tips, which you can use to promote or renew your routes.

No. The route opens in any phone browser - no download needed. Just send the link.

Yes. That's the whole point - photo steps work exactly where GPS and map pins fail: courtyards, lanes, apartments above shops.

Yes. Once the route is opened, it works offline - perfect for guests with no roaming data.

Creating a route uses a small number of points, which you earn free by registering and by views of your routes.

No. The photos show how to get there - the secrecy of the venue itself stays intact. Customers arrive mystified and delighted instead of frustrated.

No. The route lives at a simple link and works in any browser - put it in your bio, messages, or a QR code on a card.

Viewing routes is free. Creating routes uses points you earn by registering - enough for a small business to create its own route today.

Photo steps work perfectly indoors and underground where GPS fails - that's exactly what they were built for.

Yes. You walk, photograph, and add one-line directions in the browser. No app, no coding, no account setup beyond a free registration.

Better than text - photos need no translation. Directions are short and can be written in your guests' languages.

Routes last for the period you set, and renewing is simple. Most businesses renew monthly so directions stay current when streets change.

Yes. If a street closes or a shop changes, edit the route to match - your link stays the same, so no need to re-share.

Usually a few days. Keep your category, phone, and hours accurate so the edit is approved faster - and use a photo route in the meantime.

Some addresses can't be edited. A photo route from the nearest landmark bypasses the pin entirely - it shows what to look for instead of relying on coordinates.

Yes. That's exactly what photo steps are for - courtyards, lanes, covered markets and unmarked entrances where maps fail.

Yes. Once the route is opened, it works offline - perfect for travellers who haven't bought a local SIM yet.

Use a nearby landmark or the market name in the address field, then include your photo route link in the notes and your profile. For walk-in customers the route link replaces the address entirely.

Viewing routes is free. Creating a route uses points you earn by registering - enough for a small business to create its own route today.

Yes, when it's placed at the point of confusion - the station exit or the wrong-turn corner. That's where people are actively looking for directions.

Yes. Photo steps work perfectly inside markets, malls and underground spaces where GPS is useless.

About 10 km - a 20-minute taxi ride.

For most international buyers, fly into Shanghai or Hangzhou then take the high-speed rail: Hangzhou East to Yiwu is ~1.5h, Shanghai Hongqiao ~2h.

No. Photo directions need no language, and most suppliers handle basic English or use translation apps. A photo route to your booth avoids all verbal directions.

Yes. Photo steps work indoors where GPS fails - exactly the situation inside the trade city's huge halls.

GPS accuracy drops in old towns and narrow streets, and many properties sit in buildings that look identical. A pin 20 meters away can mean the wrong entrance.

Correct the pin in Google Maps (report a problem > fix address), and add a photo to your listing showing the entrance. Also send guests visual directions that don't rely on the pin.

The nearest landmark, a photo of the door, and one exact sentence of directions from the metro stop or parking lot. Short and visual beats long and verbal.

Hosts who eliminate the arrival struggle consistently see 'location' and 'check-in' ratings improve - both are categories guests can't separate from the arrival experience.

Between five and seven steps. Enough to be unambiguous, few enough to remember. Photo steps work best for the last 100 meters where maps fail.

Create one route per arrival point (station, airport, parking). Most guests cluster at one or two arrival points, so start there.

Yes - especially international guests with roaming data off. Scanning a QR is faster than typing an address, and the route then works offline.

Absolutely. Hidden restaurants and bars in old towns use the same system: a photo route from the main square to your door, shared via QR on your menu or reservation.

Yes - in the listing location settings, drag the pin to the real entrance and save. Do this before correcting Google Maps, since Airbnb messages embed their own pin.

Set the pin at the gate, not the building, and make the last stretch (gate to door) a photo route. Guests should never have to guess which building is yours.

imhere can't change Google's pin, but it removes your dependence on it: guests follow photo steps from a stable landmark, so a slightly wrong pin stops mattering.

Search for your property, tap 'Suggest an edit', then 'Fix address' or 'Move pin'. Drop the pin at the real entrance, add a short note, and submit. You can also use the 'Report a problem' link on the listing if the pin refuses to move.

Google usually routes guests to the nearest drivable or walkable point, which in narrow streets can be the wrong door - even when the pin is correct. Photo directions from a stable landmark fix the last 100 meters that maps get wrong.

Yes. Guests who arrive at the wrong address usually leave location complaints. Correct the pin, then give backup photo directions while the correction propagates through Google's servers.

On the Google Maps page for your property, tap 'Suggest an edit' > 'Fix address', or report a driving or walking direction problem. In many areas you can also suggest a new access point or entrance that better matches where guests should arrive.

Use photos. A picture of the unmarked door, taken from the street, removes all guesswork. Combine it with a landmark sentence in your reservation message.

Yes, plus a landmark and a photo of the door. Instagram's location tag helps discovery; the photo helps arrival. Both together solve 'can't find us'.

Only if guests can't find you. The secret-courtyard model works brilliantly when the route to the door is designed - that's the part most owners forget.

Drivers follow the same photos. Put the route QR on your order confirmation so couriers don't call you from the wrong corner.

Starting from nowhere. Guests need a named, stable starting point - not 'walk straight'. Almost every 'we're lost' call traces back to a missing or ambiguous start.

Five to seven steps. Short enough to skim, complete enough to never guess. Photos replace most of the text.

Yes - that's the point. Build once, share via QR in every booking message, update rarely. Top hosts treat directions as a product, not a message.

Yes. Once a guest opens the route, it works without data - critical for international travelers with roaming off.

GPS accuracy drifts 20-50 meters in narrow streets and between buildings, and map data can be outdated. The pin shows the street, not your door - which is why photo steps from a stable landmark work better for the final stretch.

Yes, you can suggest a pin correction in Google Maps and on booking platforms. It usually helps, but it doesn't fix drift in narrow streets - combine it with a photo route.

Ask what landmark they can see (a shop sign, a corner, a gate colour) and guide from there. A photo route prevents most of these calls in the first place.

Absolutely. Couriers face the same GPS traps. Add the photo route link to your delivery notes and pickup instructions to cut 'driver can't find us' calls.

Use the nearest named landmark (airport, junction, village, hotel) as your map address, then provide a photo route for the final stretch. The route link is your real address in messages and on booking platforms.

Yes. Once a guest opens the route it works offline, which is essential in rural areas with patchy coverage.

Yes - send the driver the same route link. Drivers follow photos faster than descriptions, especially where street names don't exist.

A pin shows a point on a map. A photo route shows what to look for at every turn - signs, trees, gates - which is exactly what works when there are no roads or addresses to follow.

Five things: how to get there (photo directions if the last stretch is confusing), how to get in (door code or key location), the essentials (wifi, water, heating), house rules in three lines, and one emergency contact line. Send the same guide twice - at booking confirmation and 24 hours before arrival.

Put every answer in one check-in guide and send it automatically before arrival. Guests don't ask because they want attention - they ask because the answers are scattered. One page they learn to check fixes the repetition.

Yes. Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com all support scheduled or template messages to guests. Use them for the check-in guide and the pre-arrival reminder - that alone removes most repetitive guest communication.

Add a photo route to your check-in guide: a picture of each turn from the nearest landmark to your door. Photos work in the dark, offline, and with no cell signal - which is exactly when text directions fail.

Six things: how to get there (photo directions if the last stretch is confusing), how to get in (door code or key location), wifi, parking, house rules in three lines, and one emergency contact number. Keep it skimmable - numbered lines, not paragraphs.

Short enough to skim in an elevator. Six numbered lines covering arrival, entry, wifi, parking, rules and contact. Everything else lives in the house manual or the photo route, not in the message.

Yes. Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com all let you schedule template messages. Send the welcome message at booking confirmation, a reminder 24 hours before arrival, and a one-liner on arrival day.

Put a QR code on the door and on the check-in card. The same guide - photo route, wifi, rules - opens when scanned. Guests who ignore messages will scan a code that's physically in front of them.

Six sections: welcome, arrival & getting here (including photo directions for the last stretch), wifi & essentials, how things work (shower, stove, AC - 3 steps each with a photo), house rules in three lines, and one emergency contact number.

Make it short (six sections, one page each), visual (photos instead of paragraphs), and put it in three places: printed on the inside of the front door, as a QR code on the coffee table, and linked in the welcome message.

Yes - one printed page on the door plus a QR code. Printed matters for the first hour (guests look at the door immediately), the QR and link matter for everything after (wifi, rules, route).

Yes, and you should. A photo route from the nearest landmark to the door is the highest-value section for most properties - it's the part that prevents the 'we can't find you' call and the location review.

Go to Listing > Scheduling or Messages > Scheduled messages (exact menu varies by platform - Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com all support it). Create a template per event: confirmation, pre-arrival, check-in, checkout. Add guest names with the automatic variable and your check-in guide link.

Four: booking confirmation, 24-hour pre-arrival reminder, check-in day, and checkout. More than that starts to feel robotic; fewer leaves gaps where guests will message you instead.

No - guests expect them and Airbnb rewards fast response rates. Automated messages are only a problem if they replace human care entirely; keep one human line for real questions and emergency contact.

Yes. Put your photo route or check-in guide link in the confirmation and pre-arrival messages. Automated directions don't get lost or forgotten - they're in the guest's message history the moment they need them.

The core five: quiet hours (10pm-8am), smoking outside only, pets policy, no parties, and checkout time. Keep each to one line, framed as a guest benefit, and put them in the listing, the welcome message, and a printed page on the door.

Five to eight, max. Enough to protect the property and the neighbours, short enough to remember. Every rule beyond that gets ignored - and ignored rules teach guests that all rules are optional.

Reasonable, clearly-written rules don't scare guests - vague, excessive lists do. A guest who reads five fair lines knows exactly what to expect, which is what experienced travellers actually want.

Three places: the Airbnb listing (guests opt in at booking), the welcome message and house manual (linked with directions and wifi), and a printed one-pager on the inside of the front door.

Five: how do I get there, how do I get in, what's the wifi, where do I park, and what time is checkout. Answer those five in one guide and you've eliminated the vast majority of guest messages.

No - guests expect structured messages from professional hosts, and fast responses improve your Airbnb rating. The template is the welcome mat; your human replies to real questions are the hospitality.

Add photo directions to the guide: a picture of each turn from the nearest landmark to the door. Photos work at night, offline, and with no cell signal - the exact moment text directions fail. If a guest follows the photos and still calls, you're dealing with a genuine edge case, not a system failure.

Pick one master calendar, enable iCal export on it, and import that feed into Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. A booking on any platform blocks the night everywhere else automatically. One hour of setup, zero double-bookings.

A tool (or the platform's native iCal sync) that keeps your calendars in sync across listing sites. It pushes availability changes from your master calendar to every connected platform, so a booking on one site blocks the same dates everywhere else.

Never update two calendars by hand. Keep one source of truth, sync the rest automatically, and check the master calendar before accepting off-platform requests (direct messages, friends, local listings).

Automate it: the same check-in guide - photo directions, door code, wifi, parking, checkout - sent at confirmation and again 24 hours before arrival. Guests get everything without you typing a word, on every platform.

Make arrival effortless: photo directions from the nearest landmark to the door, a correct map pin, and directions sent automatically before check-in. Guests rate the arrival experience, not the geography - fix the first hour and the score follows.

Because guests score how easy it felt to arrive, not how nice the area is. A confusing entrance, a wrong pin, or directions that fail at night all tank the score regardless of the neighbourhood.

Publicly: thank the guest, own the friction, and state what you've changed - photo directions, a corrected pin, a QR code at the door. Future guests see a host who fixes problems, which is itself a trust signal.

Yes. Guests who arrive without stress rate location generously. Photo directions remove the stress at the exact moment it happens - at night, offline, in a foreign language - which is precisely when text directions fail and ratings drop.

It's the built-in section where guests look for arrival information: Listings → your listing → Listing editor → Arrival guide. It includes Check-in method (keypad, lockbox, smart lock or in-person), Check-in instructions (with photos, videos or QR codes attached), and a Directions area for driving and parking.

Yes. Airbnb's Check-in instructions let you attach photographs, videos and QR codes. They work best as supplements, not as the whole answer - a static gallery still leaves guests guessing the order. Pair them with a step-by-step photo route (one picture per turn) for confusing final stretches.

Yes - the Arrival Guide has a separate Directions area for driving and parking directions. It covers guests who arrive by car. For old towns and narrow streets, where guests walk the last stretch, driving directions stop short; add a photo route for the walk.

Use photo step directions: a route that starts at a stable landmark and shows a photo at every turn, corner and door. It works at night, offline, and for guests who don't speak the local language. Put the link in your Arrival Guide check-in instructions, your welcome message, and a printed QR code at the door.

Partly. It works on the open squares and the port, but inside the pedestrian grid between Calle Larios and the Alcazaba the blue dot drifts 20-40 metres and can put you on the wrong parallel street. Use the dot for the big picture and photos or landmarks for the last 300 metres.

Usually not. Most of the Centro Historico is pedestrian-only, so taxis drop you at the edge - Alameda Principal, Molina Lario or near Plaza de la Merced - and you walk the last few hundred metres.

Look at walking distance to Plaza de la Constitucion or Calle Larios rather than straight-line distance. Anything inside a 10-minute walk of Calle Larios is effectively old town.

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Yes. Open the route once and it keeps working with mobile data off - useful in the tall alleys where signal drops.

Tall walls, narrow lanes and the slope of the Acropolis hill block and reflect satellite signals. Your phone typically places you one lane over or 30 metres off, which in Plaka means the wrong staircase.

Yes - it was built informally by island stonemasons and parts of it still have no formal street addresses. Navigate from a fixed landmark such as the Agios Georgios church or the Stratonos street entrance.

Akropoli (Line 2) for the south side and Anafiotika; Monastiraki (Lines 1 and 3) for the north side, Adrianou Street and the flea market. Choose the one closest to your hotel's side of Plaka.

No. Numbering restarts at district boundaries, so the same number can appear twice in one area. Always confirm with the district name plus a landmark.

Yes. Open the route while you have signal (at the airport or station) and it continues to work offline - the photos themselves carry the directions.

Escadinhas means 'little stairs'. If your hotel address contains it, expect a stepped lane that vehicles cannot enter, so plan to arrive on foot for the final stretch.

Rarely. Taxis stop at the edges - near the Sé, Rua do Limoeiro or the Santa Apolonia side - and the rest is walking, often with steps.

Yes. Alfama climbs from the riverfront up to the castle. Arriving from the river means climbing; arriving from the Castelo or Sé side means descending.

It works on the open viewpoints and squares, but between the walls of the becos and escadinhas the position jumps by tens of metres and often lands on the neighbouring lane.

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The T1 line stops at Beyazit, Cemberlitas, Sultanahmet and Sirkeci. Pick the stop on the same side as your hotel rather than the geographically closest one, because the lanes between them do not connect directly.

They can enter some streets, but many hotel lanes are pedestrian or one-way, so a taxi will often stop 100-300 metres away - frequently further than the tram stop.

Fix your reference on the bazaar exits (Nuruosmaniye, Beyazit, Mahmutpasa). Walking from the correct exit to your hotel is simple; walking from the wrong one means circling through covered lanes with no view.

In open squares yes, in the narrow lanes between tall buildings it drifts and can place you one lane over - which is exactly where hotel signs cannot be seen.

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It means door number 1234 in the sestiere of San Marco - the six sestieri each number their own doors independently, so the number is unique only inside that district and says nothing about distance from the basilica.

Follow the yellow corner signs (Per Rialto, Per San Marco, Per Ferrovia, Per Piazzale Roma) to get to the right square, then use a photo route with one picture per turn for the final alleys.

A covered passage that runs through the ground floor of a building. It looks like a doorway but is a street - missing one usually costs a long detour around the block.

Very often. Many bridges have steps only, so check the bridge count on your route before committing to a hotel if you travel with heavy luggage.

Yes - that is the case it was built for. Save the route while you have signal and it keeps working offline, with photos that make each turn unambiguous.

Very tall buildings on both sides of narrow lanes reflect signals, so your phone can place you 15-30 metres away, often in the parallel lane or on the terrace above.

A narrow lane - the basic street unit of the Spanish Quarter. Many of them turn into stair flights where the hill is steep.

Look for the andarone: a shared doorway with a tiled floor and a small brass plate naming residents or businesses. Hotel signs are often inside it rather than on the street.

It can be. Check whether your lane has steps; if it does, plan a drop-off at the nearest flat street and walk in, or ask the hotel about porters.

Yes. Open the route while you have signal and the photo steps keep working with data off.

Kyoto uses a district and block numbering system rather than street name plus number, so the same street can contain buildings from different block series and the numbers do not run in order.

Many small lanes have no marked name at all. Locals give directions relative to landmarks such as temple gates, bridges and intersections - which is the most reliable method for visitors too.

Often only at the nearest larger street. Many lanes in Gion and Higashiyama are too narrow for cars or have no stopping space, so expect a short walk with your bags.

Poorly. Tall timber buildings and narrow gaps reduce accuracy, and the position often lands in the neighbouring lane - exactly where hotel signs are minimal.

Yes. Save the route while you have data - useful if you travel with a pocket wifi or limited roaming.

Yes - Fes el-Bali is the largest car-free urban area in the world and even residents of other parts of Fez can get turned around. Plan your entry gate and route in advance.

For the first arrival it is a reasonable option if you agree the destination and the price before starting. Otherwise save a photo route in advance - that avoids both the fee and the 'this lane is closed' detour.

Whichever is closest to your riad's quarter: Bab Boujloud for the north and Talaa routes, Bab Rcif for the south and east, Bab Guissa for the north side. Your riad can tell you, and many offer to meet you at the gate.

No. Vehicles stop at the medina edge; you walk the last stretch, often 5-15 minutes with steps.

Very poorly. The dense walls block satellite signals, so the position jumps between lanes. Photo-based directions are the reliable option.

One is the modern district number (blue plate) and the other is the historic house register number (red plate). They rarely match, and both may be valid on booking sites.

Symbolic signs - a bell, a lion, a sun - used to identify buildings before numbered addressing. Many are restored and are still the clearest way to find a specific door in the old lanes.

The straight-line distance across the river is short, but the walking route via Charles Bridge is busy and the lanes on the Mala Strana side climb - allow 20-30 minutes on foot.

It works in the squares but is less reliable inside the narrow lanes, where the position can land one street over - and where the lanes bend enough that 'one street over' is a real detour.

Look for a passage (pruchod) in the street facade - it reads as a doorway but leads into the building. Photo routes that include the passage entrance solve this.

The lanes grew organically and were renamed and merged over centuries, so numbering restarts and skips. Use street names and alley landmarks instead of numbers as your main guide.

It refers to the guild trade once practised there - Hang Bac means silver, Hang Gai silk, Hang Ma paper. Those names are still used for directions and by drivers.

Note the alley (ngo) and what stands at its mouth: a specific shop, sign or fruit stall. That landmark plus the alley depth is enough to find the door quickly.

Traffic is dense and motorbikes use the pavement, so plan your route in advance and avoid stopping mid-street to read a map.

Yes - both our photo routes and the offline mode work here, which matters when you are concentrating on traffic rather than your screen.