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鈥淚 like to use a location as a character in my novels,鈥� said the 鈥淒a Vinci Code鈥� author, who has now written six novels featuring the protagonist Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbology professor.

鈥淧rague is perfect for Langdon,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淭here are twisting cobblestoned alleyways, churches, crypts, hundreds of spires.鈥�

And that door: 鈥淲hat鈥檚 more Langdon than a door with seven locks?,鈥� Brown said.

Brown, who first ventured to Prague while backpacking in the early 1980s, when it was still behind the Iron Curtain, visited the city many times while researching the book. In fact, the novel could be read almost as a guide to Prague.

Through nearly 700 pages, Langdon checks off major destinations like Prague Castle and Old Town Square but also steps off the tourist trail with references to places such as Frank Gehry鈥檚 dynamic 鈥淒ancing House鈥� and the Church of Our Lady Victorious, where a 19-inch, wax-coated doll called the Infant Jesus of Prague is dressed in different outfits throughout the year 鈥渓ike some kind of sacred Barbie doll,鈥� Brown writes in the novel.

Brown dives into supernatural aspects of Czech history in the book, including the tale of the Golem, a mud-and-clay figure from Jewish folklore, and the court of the Holy Roman emperor Rudolf II, who brought alchemists and astrologers to the city more than four centuries ago. 鈥淧rague has been the mystical capital of Europe ever since then,鈥� Brown said.

Here are five places in Prague that inspired Brown. The spots make appearances in 鈥淭he Secret of Secrets,鈥� so if you visit them, you鈥檒l be following in Langdon鈥檚 footsteps:

Black Angel鈥檚 Bar聽Tucked in a Gothic stone cellar below the Hotel U Prince, near Old Town Square, Black Angel鈥檚 Bar serves up cocktails such as the Black Angel鈥檚 Medicine, a Bohemian riff on a martini that includes vodka, Lillet Blanc, peach bitters and Becherovka, an herbal liqueur from the Czech spa town Karlovy Vary. During the cellar鈥檚 renovation in 2009, the owners discovered a stash of diaries and notes that included cocktail recipes from a mysterious early-20th-century figure named Alois Krcha. The drink recipes became the bar鈥檚 signature cocktail list.

鈥淲hen you go down there, you feel like you鈥檙e in another world,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e underground in what feels like a cave, drinking designer cocktails as a guy is playing piano.鈥�

When Brown finished 鈥淭he Secret of Secrets,鈥� he came to celebrate with a Last Word, a classic gin-and-Chartreuse cocktail. 鈥淚 was there with a group of friends, and they were making Last Words for us,鈥� he said.

The Dripstone Wall聽The Wallenstein Garden, in the shadow of Prague Castle, is 鈥渟pectacular in its own right, with great sculptures and an aviary with owls,鈥� Brown said. One particular feature at the back of the garden captures his imagination: the 35-foot-tall dark grey Dripstone Wall, 鈥渁 towering cliff of melted rock,鈥� as he writes in 鈥淭he Secret of Secrets.鈥�

Legend holds that the wall, built in the 1620s, contains secret passageways. It doesn鈥檛, but it鈥檚 still 鈥渆erie-looking,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚f you stare at the wall long enough, you can see a bunch of faces in the stone. Some of them are intended and some others are just pareidolia鈥濃�� that is to say, sights resulting from the psychological tendency to perceive familiar patterns, such as faces, in objects.

Folimanka Bomb Shelter聽To delve into more recent, although no less ominous, history, descend into the Folimanka Bomb Shelter, in Folimanka Park, outside the city鈥檚 medieval walls just south of the historical centre. This Cold War-era nuclear bunker, a major setting in the book, would hold 1,300 people. 鈥淚t has this strange little entrance at Folimanka Park and you can imagine people shuffling down there because there was going to be a nuclear war,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淎 lot of it is still intact. It鈥檚 pretty wild.鈥� The shelter is open one Saturday per month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (See the website for the schedule.) Guided tours, in Czech, are free.

The Baroque Library聽In 鈥淭he Secret of Secrets,鈥� Langdon finds himself in dire circumstances in the Baroque Library at the complex of historic buildings, known as the Klementinum, but still cannot help but marvel at the ornate gilded interior; the Rococo ceiling murals, celebrating the mythological Temple of Wisdom; and the 20,000 or so of centuries-old tomes, mostly dedicated to astronomy and science.

鈥淓ven in Langdon鈥檚 current state of distress, he still found the room utterly transfixing,鈥� Brown wrote.

Founded in the 16th century, the Klementinum served as the Jesuits鈥� Prague headquarters during the counter-reformation. It also hosted Mozart, who performed there several times, and Einstein, who taught there. 鈥淭he Baroque Library is one of the most beautiful rooms in the world,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 miss the collection of antique globes. It also has a few secret passageways that are convenient for the novel.鈥�

Petrin Tower聽Built in 1891 for the Prague Jubilee Exhibition, Petrin Tower took its cues from the Eiffel Tower, finished just two years earlier. Perched in verdant Petrin Park, the 192-foot tower affords fantastic views of Prague and beyond. Its total height, including the hill it sits on, is the same as that of its predecessor in Paris.

Brown said he initially avoided ascending Petrin Tower because he knew he either had to climb the 299 steps or squeeze into its elevator. But 鈥渨hen I realized I was going to set a scene in my book there with Langdon, I knew I had to go up,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ike Langdon, I鈥檓 claustrophobic. And the day I went, the stairs were closed and I had no choice but to take the tiny elevator to the top.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a spectacular place to get an overview of Prague,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚 wanted the reader to see that through Langdon鈥檚 eyes.鈥�

This article originally appeared in .