I had never set foot in Czechia before arriving in Prague. With no frame of reference for Eastern Europe, I was unsure of what to anticipate. The bar was set higher for Prague, as many of my friends said it was their absolute favorite city, not just in Europe, but globally. As a result, my expectations soared to unprecedented heights.
If you want to walk on cobblestone streets under orange roofs, learn about medieval history beyond comprehension, stand in the exact spots people were thrown out windows and off bridges, and drink beer with the locals, Prague should be your next destination.
Day 1: Arrive Prague via train, Check in to hotel in Old Town (Little King U Malvaze), Dinner at Beer Restaurant U Zlateho Hada, Chimney Cake (Trdelník), Walk around Old Town
Day 2: Breakfast, Climb Charles Bridge Tower, Charles Bridge, Mulled Wine, Saturday market, Prague Castle, Hot Chocolate with Rum, Lennon Wall, Narrowest Street in Prague, Dinner at Kozlovna Apropos, Ice Pub, Drinks at U Kunstatu, Late night bread bowl at Staromacek
Day 3: Old Town Hall Tour, Walk the “Paris Street”, Visit Synagogue, St. Nicholas Church, Visit Turning Head, Pilsner Urquell Beer Experience, Boat Ride, Dessert at Cafe-Cafe
Day 4: Metro and Bus to airport for flight to Krakow!
A little about Prague:
- Currency is the Koruna. 100 Koruna = $4.44 USD. (in November 2023).
- Language is Czech. Most people we encountered spoke English very well.
- November weather was mild and rainy. Around 10C during the day.
Day 1:
My husband and I took a DB train from Frankfurt, Germany to Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (the main train station). Here is where we met up with my mom and sister, who flew in from the States.
From there, we walked for about 10 minutes to our hotel, Little King U Malvaze), near the Old Town Square
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I was actually struggling to pick my jaw off the ground after my first glimpses of Prague’s architecture. The buildings were so beautiful in the Old Town Square. So intricate, almost delicate. I felt like I traveled back to medieval times.
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We were all starving, so our first meal was at Beer Restaurant U Zlateho Hada. We picked it not just because we loved the name, but also because of their cabbage soup in a bread bowl and a variety of traditional Czechia dishes.
All 3 girls ordered: Traditional cabbage soup with sausage, potatoes, and sour cream served in today’s fresh bread.
Andrew ordered: (the waiter told Andrew to “be a man” and order the pork knuckle):
Tender baked pork knuckle served with pickled vegetables, cabbage salad, mustard, horseradish, and fresh dark bread.
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Try Chimney Cake, aka Trdelník
This Czech dessert is dough that is baked and coated with sugar. You can top with ice cream, chocolate, fruit, and nuts.
I have to admit, this was not worth the hype. It ordered mine with chocolate and strawberries, and ended up only eating the toppings, struggling to eat the dough. We tried other places to give it a few more chances, but they all tasted similar.
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Admire the Old Town Square and its many highlights, including the Astronomical Clock, Old Town Hall, Church of Our Lady before Týn, St. Nicholas Church:
- Astronomical Clock (The Orloj)
While watching time go by on the Astronomical Clock, keep in mind this clock is the oldest working clock in the world. Installed in 1410, it is the 3rd oldest in the world.
There is a ton of detail and history to this clock. It shows the position of the sun, moon, earth, and zodiac constellations.
There is a “show” every hour on the clock. Don’t miss it!
2. Old Town Hall:
3. Church of Our Lady before Týn:
4. St. Nicholas Church
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Day 2:
We had breakfast included with our hotel, which was great! We were greeted with mimosas in the bright, early hours of the day.
I always find it interesting what I will be served for breakfast in different countries. It seems like baked beans is a popular choice in Europe. Green beans, however, is a first for me.
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Climb the Charles Bridge Tower (Staroměstská mostecká věž).
This cost 190 CZK each. After some flights of stairs, there is an inclosed viewpoint room to see the bridge and Lesser Town, and buildings in Old Town. After a few more flights of stairs, you are exposed to the outdoors on a narrow walkway, that gives 360 views of the city.
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Stroll along Charles Bridge (Karlův most):
Charles Bridge is pedestrian only over the Vltava River and connects Old Town with the Lesser Town.
Take your time crossing it with a free, online statues guide.
The bridge is lined with statues, so I would recommend either taking a tour, or finding information online to learn at your own pace! There is a ton of history, and the statues each have their own unique story to discover.
A must know statue is St. John of Nepomuk. St. John is all throughout the city, even in the Old Town Square, and is the oldest statue on the bridge. This priest was actually thrown off the bridge into the water in 1383. You are supposed to touch it and make a wish, and your wish should come true.
One of the most interesting was the one below, which is considered one of antisemitism.
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Warm up with Mulled Wine in the Lesser Town:
Eat a snack and buy jewelry at the Saturday Market:
Right across the street from the shop with Mulled Wine will be the Saturday Market.
Take your pick of olive wood, Baklava, or Czech made Bohemian bracelets and other jewelry.
Explore Prague Castle:
We walked up all of the stairs from Town to the Castle! There is a lot of walking involved to get there and while you’re at the Castle, just to keep in mind!
I was wowed when I learned that this is the largest ancient Castle in the world! It is because the grounds are so massive, as they include churches, palaces, and much more than just the castle.
History here dates back to the year 880, and has since been filled with kings and important political figures.
There are different tickets you can buy to explore the Castle. We chose the “Basic Circuit” for 250 CKZ each. This included
Old Royal Palace (I); St. George‘s Basilica (III) ; Golden Lane (V); St. Vitus Cathedral (VIII)
You will scan your ticket while entering the buildings, so make sure to keep it with you! There are 9 different places to visit within the Castle.
Ticket options are listed on this website: https://www.hrad.cz/file/edee/2023/10/price-list-sph-english_audio-10_2023.pdf
We started at St. Vitus Cathedral. It had some of the most breathtaking stained glass I have ever seen!
We walked to the Old Royal Palace (I) next.
The most interesting part of the Palace was the Window of Defenestration. 3 Catholic officials were thrown out this window by activists who were against a policy the Catholic men made, as they were accused of disturbing the Bohemian Kingdom’s peace. All 3 men survived the fall, which was considered a miracle. This push out the window did, however, cause the Thirty Years War!
St. George‘s Basilica (III):
While not as grand as St. Vitus, it has quite the unique charm. It is one of the oldest churches on the castle grounds, and is just beautiful. It also houses the resting place of St. Ludmila.
Golden Lane (V) is a favorite for those who love the history of armor (like my husband), or those who like shopping (me), so there is something for everyone.
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Boost your spirits with a Starbucks Drink!
There is a Starbucks right outside of the Castle Walls. It has a gorgeous view of the city and the castle, but it was so packed that I just ran in to see it, and then left.
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Boost your spirits even more with spiked hot chocolate to go!
While walking down the stairs from the castle to go back to town, there is a to go window serving all types of beverages!
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Make your mark on the Lennon Wall:
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Walk the Narrowest Street in Prague:
With a traffic light to add to the fun, this narrow street isn’t just an alley! You have to follow the light, or you might get stuck! It was quite the surprise when we walked through, only to end up at a dead end. So, we had to wait for the traffic light to turn green so we could walk back where we came from.
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Watch the lights sparkle on the water from the Charles Bridge while walking back to Old Town:
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Dinner at Kozlovna Apropos for soup to warm the coldest souls:
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If you get too hot from your soup, check out the Ice Pub! It was such a unique experience, and was so cool it was icy. 😉 if you’re not feeling it, try the Robotic Bar next door.
Try Craft Czech Beer at U Kunstatu-Craft Beer in Old Town:
I had a sour, which I loved! It was the most “American” beer I’ve tasted in Europe so far. I LOVE Czech’s beer in general, though!
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Late night bread bowl soup before bed before taking in the night sights:
If you can’t tell, I love soup.
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Day 3:
After having breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the town square for a couple pictures in the day time.
There is so much history in Prague, and I was feeling overwhelmed by it. I felt like my knowledge didn’t even touch the surface of the city we were in. Because of that, we did an Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock Tour! You can buy tickets in the Old Town Hall, which were about 18 USD, and the guided tour lasted an hour.
I found this tour very interesting, educational, and funny because our guide was hilarious.
One of the first stops on the guided tour was to see behind the Astronomical Clock.
We then went “underground!” The city had so many floods, so the city decided to make their ground level their new “underground.” So, Prague has a ton of tunnels and a whole other town down there.
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Included with the Old Town Hall ticket, is the ability to walk to the top of the Old Town Hall for great views! There is an elevator, but it costs extra.
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Walk along the Parisian Street, Parizska, filled with high end shopping.
This will lead you to the Jewish Quarter.
We visited Prague while the tension between Israel and Palestine was heightened. Because of this, there were security guards outside of the synagogues and posters of kidnapped Israelis.
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Visit the Turning Head. It was under construction, so here is what we saw. It looks so neat from what I have seen of it. It was a short walk from Old Town, so we didn’t go too out of our way for nothing.
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Pilsner Urquell- The Original Beer Experience.
We had enjoyed the crisp, flavorful, drinkable Pilsner Urquell beers so much so we wanted to learn more about it!
It was actually so much fun, especially with the audio guide.
My husband is a chemist and beer nerd, so he loved it!
It came with 1 beer tasting, and then 2 free beers at their bar.
After a few beers, I decided to buy a stein with my last name engraved on it. A worker in their shop hand engraves it onto the glass, and it is a great memory to keep forever.
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Prague Boat Cruise on the Vltava River:
This was a highlight for me! The sparkling lights on the river is so beautiful. The boat was very relaxing and comfortable.
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Dessert at Cafe Cafe:
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We had reservations at the Anonymous Shrink’s Office Bar, but it was a midnight reservation and we fell asleep before it. Oops!
The idea of the bar is to pick an ink blot that you feel like you can relate to. The bartender will make a drink based off the ink blot you picked. The bartenders also wear masks, so everything is anonymous!
They only allow one or two groups at a time so make sure you have a reservation.
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Day 4:
From Prague Old Town, we took the metro and a bus to the airport.
Fly to Krakow for the next part of our trip.
Check out my Krakow blog here!
From Krakow, we fly to Salzburg, then take the train to Vienna.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend Prague. It felt a little bit creepy to me, but that could have been the medieval history seeping through. I will do more research on the city before going next time. There is SO much history in Prague, one of the best preserved Medieval cities in Europe.
November 3-6, 2023
GRAB GELATO & GO 
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