On our ’round the world trip, Matt and I spent 10 days in Prague alone. Because of this it was easy for us to make a list of our top 10 in Prague. We enjoyed a wide variety of activities, sites and foods. We fell in love with this city so much and found that we decided to really enjoy the time there together instead of taking a few different day trips.
SOAK UP OLD TOWN – PREFERABLY ON FOOT
Prague’s Old Town has a beauty that rivals many of Europe’s most famous cities. Its pastel-colored, ornate buildings are divided by cobble-stone streets: quintessential vision of an old European town. Although this is one of the most-visited European destinations, it hasn’t lost that romantic feel. Yes, there are loads of tourists, especially around mid-day or sunset, but there are so many hidden streets, alleyways and beautiful facades that you’ll always be able to find something new and cozy. In addition to doing it yourself, you could also take a walking tour. This is a great way to get extra history behind sites.
Want to beat the crowds? The pro tip is to get up just around sunrise. You’ll have major sites (at least, the exterior of them) all to yourself!
VISIT PRAGUE CASTLE
I wish that photography was allowed in the castle, but unfortunately, most areas, it’s not! Prague Castle sits atop the hill across from Old Town and it’s very rarely out of sight. Prague Castle is a gorgeous, massive complex. It’s not the typical castle, in fact it holds a Guinness World Record for being the largest castle in the world. It’s massive! The interior is nice, but the highlights for me were the gorgeous view and the incredibly striking St. Vitus Cathedral. I’ve never seen more beautiful stained glass in a church before in my life. We went in the early afternoon and the sun just totally illuminated each of the panes. Each wall was completely different and put off these amazing glows. It was an absolutely stunning church and it alone would make Prague Castle a top 10 in Prague!
CATCH A SUNSET WITH A VIEW
Prague is a fantastic place to catch the sunset. The sun goes down each night behind Prague Castle, so it’s a stunning view. There are several beautiful places to get a stunning view of the sunset. Be aware, though, that this is on just about everyone’s top 10 in Prague list, so be sure to get there early if you’re going to a very popular place for sunset. We went to Old Town Bridge Tower for a sunset and we got there very close to sunset, it was insanely crowded already! We lucked out that the people in front of us left early and we got to catch this view. Don’t believe me that seeing the sunset in Prague is popular? Look at just how many people are on Charles Bridge! It’s insane!
OLD TOWN SQUARE
Old Town Square is the home to the Old Town Hall and many other beautiful, historical buildings. Undoubtably, the most famous fixture in the Old Town Square is the Prague Astronomical Clock. Unfortunately, while we were there, it was being restored, so it’s still on my top 10 in Prague for next time. However, there’s so much more to Old Town Square than just the clock. There are monuments and street food vendors here as well. Plus, I’ve heard that they have a spectacular Christmas Market in this square each winter.
VISIT THE JEWISH MUSEUM
Prague has a very rich Jewish history. There has been a Jewish settlement in this town since the 10th century. The Jewish Quarter (known as Josefov in Czech) used to be much larger, but now only has the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Old Jewish Town Hall and a handful of synagogues. All of this is now part of the Jewish Museum. The museum is full of information about the history of Judaism in Prague, beautiful art + architecture and a beautiful memorial to the 80,000 Czech Jews who lost their lives in the Holocaust. There are even walking tours specifically for the Jewish Quarter.
FIND SOME UNIQUE ART
Prague has some wonderful art museums that are absolutely worth visiting. That being said, you should also soak up the artwork all through the streets. We found giant, metal babies in parks, Freud hanging from a pole high over head and Kafka’s face revolving in pieces in a courtyard. We made a bit of a scavenger hunt out of finding some really interesting art.
STROLL THE BRIDGES
While Prague’s Old Town center is stunning and a site to see, be sure to stroll across at least one of the many bridges to Malá Strana (or Lesser Town Prague). Charles Bridge gets the most hype for sure, which is understandable because it’s incredibly beautiful. It leads you right into the heart of Malá Strana. It’s pedestrian-only, which makes it very easy to cross and it means you’ll see lots of street performers, jewelry makers and artists. That being said, my favorite bridge to walk across was Manes Bridge. It’s the next bridge down from Charles Bridge and because of that you get an incredible view of it! It’s even a gorgeous spot to catch a sunset. It doesn’t face west, but the colors still change behind those buildings.
DRINK CZECH BEER
It has been said that people consume more beer in the Czech Republic than any other country in the world. With amazing the flavors and rich brewing history that we experienced and learned about, it’s easy to believe Czech people love this beer. Pilsners were created in the Czech Republic, however, there is no shortage of different styles being brewed around Prague. U Tří Růží (or Three Roses) had our favorite beers. We went back until we tried every single beer. The tastiness wasn’t exclusive to U Tří Růží, though, so get out and try all the beers you want (drinking responsibly, of course). Heck, you can even take a beer tour!
VISIT THE FAMOUS DANCING HOUSE
This beautiful building is one of those love-it-or-hate-it sites. I think it’s a really interesting and beautiful piece of architecture that really stands out amongst the baroque, art nouveau and gothic styles you’ve seen gracing the locations and backgrounds of the other top 10 in Prague destinations. However, it’s that stark contrast that adds so much to its beauty, in my opinion. The house was originally named Fred + Ginger after the famous dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. However, that named faded and the nickname The Dancing House quickly replaced it. It can be reached quickly by public transport, but we walked from the Jewish Center and it took us through some beautiful neighborhoods.
ENJOY A TRDELNIK
If you find yourself walking anywhere near Old Town Prague, you’ll have no problem finding a place that sells trdelnik. This traditional Central European dessert is made by wrapping dough around a metal stick (pictured below) and roasted. They are coated in cinnamon-sugar and are hollow inside. While this might not be the traditional way, I’m not sure, though, they now come in many different flavors. My favorite was the strawberry, hazelnut + ice cream. They coated the inside with Nutella, topped it with soft serve ice cream, strawberries and an extra drizzle of Nutella. It was super delicious and one was plenty for us to split. The uniqueness and deliciousness of this dessert is what makes it cap off our top 10 in Prague.
WANT MORE THAN JUST THE TOP 10 IN PRAGUE? HERE ARE A FEW HONORABLE MENTIONS:
THE LENNON WALL: The Lennon Wall is a decades old ever-changing mural that’s located in Lesser Town Prague. The wall is traditionally covered in John Lennon inspired quotes, portraits and a lot of peace themes. When we were there it was a little disappointing because there wasn’t a lot of John Lennon to it. That can always change though.
EAT DINNER AT THREE ROSES BREWERY: Every single thing we had on the menu here was delicious. We did find ourselves having their Chicken Supreme over and over again, though.
SOAK UP THE FRANZ KAFKA HISTORY: Franz Kafka was born in Prague and there are beautiful tributes to him all across this city. We found multiple statues, walked miles and miles to his grave at the New Jewish Cemetery and explored a museum filled with Kafka-themed art. You can even take a Franz Kafka tour!
STROLL THROUGH ONE OF THE MANY PARKS: There are several parks all around town and we visited a few of them. We climbed up the stairs to the massive metronome. Neither of us really got the metronome, (it would’ve been the slowest song ever…) but the view was spectacular!
FIND YOURSELF IN AN ENDLESS TUNNEL OF BOOKS: The Prague City Library has this really cool art installation made up of books and when you stick your head in it looks like you’re in an endless tunnel of books! It’s super cool!
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Photo source for Astronomical Clock. That image came from Pixabay.
1 Comment
Surply
September 25, 2018 at 4:54 pmI visited Prague twice, both times with my class for a school trip. Unfortunately, as it usually happens in this kind of situations, I didn’t take the chance to properly visit the place because I was too engrossed at having fun with my mates: I never paid attentions to the guides and, as a result, I barely remember most of the places I have visited. I was there as a passive traveller I may say, and unfortunately I didn’t exploit the chance I was given to fully experience Prague.
While reading your post I suddenly felt like to immediately take a bus or plane and visit this magical city again: your photos reminded me of its beauty and its magic, and I want to be part of it again, this time for real. Plus, I can’t accept that now not only I haven’t eaten a TRDELNIK in those two occasions, but that I had never heard of it before reading your post! How can I wait any longer now that I know a delicious dessert is waiting for me? 🙂