Prague Trip

This weekend a friend and I took a trip to Prague. I loved the city - it really does feel like something straight out of a fairytale. The atmosphere was also very relaxed and it was pretty quiet compared to other places we’ve visited, which was a nice change. Most of the main tourist attractions are quite close together so it’s easy to navigate and fit a lot into a few days.

Thursday

We arrived on Thursday afternoon around 2:30pm. We took a taxi from the airport to our AirBnb, which was located in the Vinohrady district. The apartment was super cute and the location was great - it was easy to get to Old Town from there either from the Metro station nearby or a quick and cheap Uber. While the neighborhood was pretty residential there was also a lot of cute restaurants, shops, and bars nearby our apartment too. After getting settled we headed to Old Town. We walked around, admiring the beautiful Old Town Square and watching the Astronomical Clock strike the hour. We also strolled through Wenceslas Square which is pretty close to Old Town too. That square is a similar idea as Union Square, but a lot less busy. It is also home to the famous National Museum. We got dinner at a Mexican restaurant one of our friends had recommended called Las Adelitas, which has a location right in Old Town Square. It was really good, especially because we hadn’t had Mexican food in a while! After that we went to an Irish bar The Dubliner for a while, which was pretty lively since the England soccer game was on. 

Friday

On Friday morning we ventured across the river. Our first stop was Café Letka for breakfast. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but inside it’s a small but really cute and cozy café with yummy food. After that we walked through Letna Park to the famous Prague Castle. The Castle is actually more like its own little village - it’s huge and has many different things to see, so definitely budget in a couple hours of time to visit it. Anyone can go in and stroll the grounds, but we knew we wanted to purchase tickets to go inside the buildings. It’s a bit confusing, because at the entrance you join a line that looks like it should be a ticket line but is actually just a security check. After that security check you have to walk a fair amount more to eventually get to either the Info Center or the first stop on the tour, the Old Royal Palace, where you can purchase tickets. We got “Circuit A” tickets, which were the most comprehensive and granted us access to the Old Royal Palace, The Story of Prague Castle (an exhibit explaining the long history of the castle), The Basilica of St. George, the stunning St. Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane, and the Rosenberg Palace. It was all super interesting and beautiful, and there’s a lot more history behind it than I had imagined. It’s definitely worth a visit. There are also really good views of the city from the Castle since it’s up on a hill. After visiting the Castle we walked down to Malá Strana (or “New Town”), which is a really cute district with so many little cobblestone streets to explore. It is also home to popular attractions such as St. Nicholas Church and the Infant Jesus of Prague. On the way back to the other side of the river we stopped to see the John Lennon Wall, which was conveniently just repainted a few days ago (it had been covered for several months). Next we crossed the Charles Bridge, which is Prague’s most famous bridge and another recommended tourist activity. Since the sun started setting around 4pm, it was already dark by the time we walked across it, which was still nice but I think you really experience its full glory during the day. For dinner that night we went to Hajnovka, an authentic Czech restaurant our Air Bnb had recommended, which was good (and had plenty of different options - I had chicken breast with risotto and vegetables). We also tried the famous Czech beer, Pilsner Urquell. After we went to Bugsy’s Bar in Old Town. It’s famous for its mixology and has sophisticated Great Gatsby/speakeasy vibes. It was a bit of an older crowd and the drinks were definitely slightly expensive for Prague prices, but it was fun to have a cocktail there. 

Saturday

On Saturday we went to another cute café, Farm Letna, for brunch. We both had Eggs Benedict and shared some sweet french toast and agreed that it was one of the best brunches we’ve had! After that we walked along by the river and crossed the Charles Bridge again. It was pretty busy but still nice to experience it by day. Once on the other side of the river, we explored around the Jewish Quarter and Old Town a bit more, admiring sights such as the Rudolfinum, Old Town Bridge Tower, and Church of our Lady before Tyn. We also went to a Franz Kafka (who is the most famous Czech writer) exhibit in Old Town (there is also a full Franz Kafka museum on the other side of the river by Kampa Park, but this was just a temporary exhibit). We went to the Terasa U Prince rooftop bar for an afternoon cocktail before it got dark. I’s on top of the Hotel U Prince and we had seen it recommended for its incredible views looking out over Old Town. Obviously it’s a bit of a tourist trap and you’re paying more for the view rather than the drink (there was a constant line in the corner to get a picture, which was pretty much what everyone was there for), but the views and pictures are pretty incredible. That night we decided to stay close to our apartment for dinner and went to a Vietnamese restaurant called Chili and Lime. It’s easy to find a variety of food in Prague, which is nice. After that we went to a bar called Bukowski’s that was also nearby and we had seen recommended as one of Prague’s best new bars (it only opened 4 months ago) - that was also fun and quite lively. They have a variety of cocktails for really good prices (most were around 100-120 CZK, which is between €4-5). Many people say that Prague is extremely cheap, but we didn’t find it significantly cheaper than Italy or most other places we’ve been. Drinks are definitely less expensive than they are in Rome, but in general meals out seemed about the same - however it obviously all depends where you go, and we were around some touristy areas. 

Sunday 

On Sunday we had to check out of Air BnB at 10am, but our flight wasn’t until later in the afternoon. Since it would be hard to do much with our bags, we just got brunch and spent a couple hours catching up on homework at a cute café in Old Town called Pauseteria. We had kept walking by it and commenting that it looked cute so we were glad that we made it there! 

It was a great trip and Prague is definitely somewhere I want to get back to someday. I also can’t believe I’m getting to my last few trips and my study abroad experience is coming to an end soon - I’m going to miss it!

The beautiful buildings of Old Town

Cafe Letka

Views from Prague Castle

St. Vitus Cathedral

Strolling the streets of Mala Strana

Rooftop views

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

John Lennon Wall