So it’s been a while since I’m back from Prague but boy do I miss it! If you’re a fellow European this lovely city is the perfect place for a city trip (we even spent the whole week there and could easily stay longer!). For non-Europeans, Prague is ideal to get a taste of the great atmosphere and architecture Europe has to offer. I’ve been seeing a lot of Americans that are doing a European holiday and apart from the obvious choices (Paris, London, Rome) some of them dare to add Prague to their journey. I have yet to see a disappointed tourist in Prague!
Go and explore!
There’s absolutely tons of things to do in Prague, but if you want to get to know the city you can do a Prague Discovery Tour with Prague Urban Adventures (or a microbrewery tour if that’s more your style :p). You get to see the coolest places of Prague in one day, do a boat cruise, have lunch and meet some cool people while you’re at it. The guides know the city like the back of their hand. For the rest of your stay, you’ll find yourself getting around much easier.
During the day, it’s hard to see the Charles Bridge. I mean, you get to see a huge crowd and can only imagine the Charles Bridge is underneath them. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but if you really want to see the bridge in all its glory, get up very early! If you’re there around 5 in the morning (which is around sunrise in summer) there’s only gonna be a handful of people. Great pics guaranteed!
Dare to take a taxi, it’ll get you further than your feet – and public transportation – will. We went to the Prague Zoo, which is located a bit outside the city near some beautiful vineyards. Very enjoyable zoo, it’s the fourth best zoo in the world!
Visit the National Gallery (Trade Fair Palace). Apart from some amazing modern art, they have an exhibition of Alfons Mucha’s ‘Slav Epic’ until the end of the year. That is unbelievably jaw-dropping! Look at the scale of this thing.
Another thing we found incredible was the Strohav Monastery. It’s a long uphill walk getting there but once inside you’re rewarded with the amazing interior of the Monastery. Make sure to pay a little extra (roughly 2 euros) so you’re allowed to take pictures inside. Very similar is the Klementinum, located more in the city centre.
Great mentions are the Mucha museum, the TV tower, the Municipal House and Franz Kafka’s head (not the real one, that would be creepy). Oh and go write something on Lennon’s wall! Sh*t, I forgot to talk about the Jewish quarter, or the Dancing House, the astronomical clock, or … Novy Svet, a hidden gem near the castle area. It’s very picturesque and almost no tourists know about it!
One thing that my girlfriend and I couldn’t do while we were there was the Jazz Boat. So bummed out we didn’t have enough time for it! (See, even if you’re there for a whole week, you’d still be short in time, I guarantee it!) There are so many boat cruises on the Vltava River and this one is the most original one: during an evening cruise on the Jazz Boat you can have dinner with live music!
Getting hungry?
In my opinion, Prague is the city of the small bites. At the beginning of a street called Dlouhá is where you need to be. For sandwiches with the most original toppings, head over to Bistro Sister’s. Right next to it, there’s Naše Maso, a butchery where you can also have a light snack with some fresh beer. Around the corner you’ll find Banh-mi-ba, the place for some yummy ‘vietnamese bagueterie’ as they describe themselves. And a bit further down the road, there’s Lokal, with beer being poured straight from huge tanks!
Stay in style
I stayed at Boscolo Prague, a luxurious 5-star hotel in the middle of the city centre. It’s a dream to stay in this neo-renaissance building, with a huge spa area in the basement. We felt really comfortable in our ‘exclusive room’ which felt more like a suite (heck I’ve stayed in suites that were smaller than this room) and in my opinion Boscolo Prague is a great place to stay for the more upscale traveler. You can read my review about the hotel here.
Wow, long post, so I guess it really is worth visiting Prague!
Have you been there? What were your favorite places to go to?
Ben
Brilliant Post, Ben! The architecture in Prague is quite amazing. Love the pictures. Thanks for sharing. Cheers
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