Prague has become a very popular tourist destination over the last few years. It is probably still the most “cheap and cheerful” country in Europe to enjoy a long weekend of exploring.
This is exactly what I tried during the Summer with a friend of mine. I am all for ticking destinations within Europe over a long weekend and slowly but surely accomplish visiting all countries in Europe before moving onto the next continent.
While public transport is very cheap, fast and efficient, it is not really required to explore the city of Prague. The only transport required is from the airport to get into the city centre. We took the trolleybus 59 outside the terminal which brought us to a stop where we had to change to take the Metro Line A. The whole journey was about 20 mins. The ticket can be purchased at the bus stop at a cost of under 2 Euro. (The ticket is valid for 30 mins, a ticket for 90 mins can be purchased too but costs a little more)
Astronomical Clock
Once we got into Prague city centre, we located an ATM in one of the streets to take out some Czech Koruna, Prague’s local currency.
The clock is located in the main square of Prague attached to the Old Town Hall. Yes, it is absolutely overrated and crowds were gathering in front of it and it was hard to get a photo with no or very little people in it. However, it just has to be on your list since it is the oldest astronomical clock still in operation. If you want to see the clock in action, this happens on the hour between 8am and 11pm.
Prague Venice Boat Trip
Since the check-in to the hotel was not open yet, we walked around the streets of Prague for a bit and ended up by the Charles Bridge. Just beside the bridge, accessed by a set of steps, we booked a boats tour by Prague Venice Boat Trip. The ticket was 500CZK which was roughly 22 EUR and the tour lasted 45 minutes. It also included with a hot beverage, lemonade or beer as well as a gingerbread or an ice cream. Oh, and you get this very cool ticket with information about the bridge and other things about Prague. It was money well spent and I would highly recommend you doing it.
Accommodation
Before exploring further, we decided to check in to the hotel to get rid of our bags and make it easier to explore more. The hotel we stayed in was called Garden Court Hotel, situated in a quiet area of Prague but still within walking distance of everything. The hotel room rates come with breakfast at a very reasonable price. Each morning we got fresh meats, cheeses, breads, fruits and Czech pastries as well as coffee and tea. Simple but delicious. What made it even nicer was that the court was setup with tables outside so we were able to have breakfast outside each morning.
As for the hotel room, it is your classy spacious bedroom with a very modern bathroom and a spacious shower. Nothing to complain about it and I would stay here again for sure if I was to come back to Prague.
Charles Bridge
This bridge connects the Old Town with Prague Castle. It is guarded by thirty statues of saints. We walked across the bridge countless times. I mean, look at the views. It is the most famous photographed bridge with its appearance in many movies and music videos. The most famous photo being recreated though is when Depeche Mode visited in 1988 and posed beside the Pieta sculpture.
You can imagine the place was absolutely packed, it didn’t matter what time of day we went over the bridge, it was always full of people.
Narrowest Alley
Right on the opposite of Charles Bridge we found the narrowest alley with its own traffic light. This leads right up to the restaurant Certovka Vinarna which we did end up eating in later that evening but more on that in a bit. The street is only 70cm wide, so it is almost impossible to let oncoming traffic pass. Back in the day this wasn’t a street at all and serviced as a fire escape in the 15th century.
John Lennon Wall
We continued our little walk through Prague and stopped at the next attraction… The “Lennon Wall”. Again, like the clock it was completely crowded and to get a nice photo with the colourful was almost impossible. The wall is a memorial dedicated to the singer John Lennon after his death with a painting of his face. It also symbolises free speech and global peace.
Afterwards we braved the stairs leading up to Prague’s Castle. Not for the castle itself as such but for the views over Prague. It wasn’t as spectacular so if you have a time limit when visiting Prague, I wouldn’t say you have to absolutely put this place on your list. Unless you are a fan of history of course.
Moving on in our little adventure through Prague we passed Waldstein Garden. The entry is free and it is a lovely place to go for a walk or hang out with a coffee. It features free roaming peacocks and a pond with koi fish.
Park Cihelná
Not far from the gardens is this little park located at the river banks. A lot of people were hanging out here enjoying the views of the Charles Bridge, feeding the beavers or relaxing on a chair with a bottle of beer. This place grew on us during our time in Prague. We actually ended up spending our last few hours there before heading back to the airport.
There is a truck that sells drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. It was just a chilled vibe with boats passing by.
Certovka Vinarna Restaurant
As mentioned earlier we ended up going to the restaurant beside the narrowest alley in Prague. It also has beautiful views over Prague and its river. We enjoyed a traditional Czech dish that consists of duck, dumplings in gravy sauce. So good! I would highly recommend you dining here. Not to mention that food prices in Prague are very cheap, too.
Infinity Book Tower
The next day we fuelled up at breakfast ready for another day of exploring. First thing on the list was the infinity book tower. Yes, again an attraction completely overrated and even when we spoke to locals they said it is not something they would be queueing for hours. However, we got lucky and only queued for about 30 minutes or so.
If you prefer just seeing it from the side and not look in, you can do so by skipping the queue and enter in the door beside the main entrance. I have to admit it was fascinating walking up to and take a video at the same time, looking in and thinking the book tower is infinite which is where it got its name from. There is a mirror in it which creates the illusion.
Petrin Tower
Next up we walked up to Petrin Hill to climb the Petrin Tower. The tower is 59 metres tall and it gives you stunning 360 degree views of Prague and its Bohemian countryside. If you are scared of heights, this might not be for you but I promise it is worth the view. I am afraid of heights myself but I got through it in the end.
If you are brave enough to reach the top, you are required to walk up 299 steps. The tower was of course inspired by the Eiffel Tower. It was designed as a replica, about one-fifth the size of the Eiffel Tower. Admission fee is 250CZK which is about 10 Euro. If you prefer taking the lift instead, the cost if 400CZK (16 EUR)
After such a long walk and climb we made our way back into the city and stopped off at a local bakery (Artic Bakehouse). We deserved a little treat and bought some delicious pastries.
Paternoster Tour
Our last sightseeing activity of the day was the Paternoster Tour. The entrance is located across from the infinity book tower but the tour actually starts at the National Library across from it. I would recommend booking online since there are only a few slots per day. We got lucky and were able to get the last two slots at the ticket office. Admission is 250CZK.
A Paternoster is a doorless vertical chain of open compartments that moves slowly and continuously without stopping. This lift in the New Town Hall is the first one installed in Czechia in 1911. They were used as passenger transport in busy multi-storey buildings. They were more efficient than a single elevator as paternosters are continuously moving allowing more people to board.
Fat Cat Restaurant
After lots of debates where we would go for dinner on our last evening, we decided to go for something obvious. Located in the Old Town of Prague is the Fat Cat, a burger place. You could compare it to the Hard Rock Cafe. It has a very cosy vibe and there was no problem getting a table. The burger was gorgeous and so was the lemonade. Again I would highly recommend this place if you don’t like to try traditional food.
The next day was check out time. We walked to a local shopping centre that was just around the corner to look at some traditional food. I find this is sightseeing in itself.to see what delicacy other countries have. There was a Tesco so of course we bagged a few snacks and brought them home to try.
As we didnt have much time left before our flight back home, we did something different and visited a cat cafe in the centre of the Old Town. We enjoyed a nice coffee, talked about our trip and played with the cats before it was time to head back to the airport.
If you are heading to Prague anytime soon, feel free to save the map below to guide you on your travels. Enjoy 🙂
