It seems like bloody forever ago that I went on my first
12 in 12 trip! Especially considering I booked everything back in September... After years of wanting to go and going through a touch of Instagram envy, I finally got to experience this pretty city for myself, with one my favourite person in the world too!
From the second we were in our taxi from the airport and driving down the hills and winding streets to our hotel, I had already decided that I was in love with Prague. A journey down was fill of bright colours, some tired looking buildings (which I love). It really doesn't take much to please me, does it?
We stayed in Praha 5 at the
NH Prague City hotel which was roughly 20 minutes from the airport and a walkable distance from the Old Town. That part isn't the prettiest of neighbourhoods but the hotel itself was lovely. I was mostly excited about the cable car between the two different parts of the hotel, but I was devastated to learn that it was out of service when we arrived. Bloody refurb.
Spending a weekend in Prague can be easily done, obviously depending on what you want to do! Personally, I felt the two days and a bit we had there weren't quite enough, there's a lot we missed and I really wanted to do ALL THE THINGS. If you're going for around the same time, here are a couple of suggestions. But there is so much more.
Try the local brews
Czech Republic is well known for its pilsner, but there's also a growing craft beer scene. I actually had one of the best beers I have ever tasted in the
Three Roses pub in the old town. All the beers they sell are brewed in the pub itself and there's even a little family tree of everything they have ever made as well as the person who made it.
It was our favourite place to go for a quick pit stop between tourist-ing and the staff are so friendly. They made you feel at home in a way and were full of jokes all the time. I 100% recommend it to all beer fans out there.
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| This is not the Vienna Red but it's still pretty tasty |
One little thing, though. We noticed that the menus didn't have percentages on them so LORD KNOWS how strong the beer we were drinking was. No wonder we felt tipsy most of the time!!
Also, bars and pubs run on a tab system so try not to make a tit out of yourself like I did and think you pay in rounds...
Goulash for days
Not gonna lie, I lived on it. I know it's the ultimate cliché when tourists visit Prague but it has been one of my favourite dishes for a while so I loved having it in the place it was born, if that makes any sense whatsoever.
As with every where, it can be difficult to tell which restaurants are obviously tourist traps (like all the Angus Steak houses in London...) and which are local specialists. The gem we found on our last day was
Restaurace Mlegnice right near the Old Town Square. There were queues out the door at one point and we ended up sharing a table with two other couples. The food was the best I'd had all the weekend so it's no wonder it's on
Culture Tip's best restaurants in Prague list. (note, this is also how we found out about it...)
Catch the Changing of the Guard at Prague Castle
Yes, I know. not exactly everyone's kinda thing and we all know and we Londoners occasionally laugh at the swarms of people who hang around outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, but I do love a bit of Pomp and Circumstance and a Marching Band.
The actual changing of the guard happens at 12pm but it can get really busy so don't be surprised if you have to queue to get into the castle afterwards!
Actually go in to the Castle Grounds
If only for the architecture, it's worth a visit. Gary and I weren't too fussed about going in to the actual castle, we were more than happy to just wander and #LookUp.
For one thing once you finally get to the castle, the view alone makes those bastarding steps absolutely worth it.
I mean, look at that.
Within the Castle Grounds, there's way more to do than we had time to. This is mostly due to us sleeping through our alarm and not arriving in the time we planned. There the St. Vitus Cathedral that we only saw from the outside... parts of it were under refurbishment and the one part that was open to the public had the world's biggest queue!
There's also Golden Lane which was top of my list to see. It's one of the oldest parts of the castle and from what I've seen online, it's just so cute.
I can't give you a personal opinion on this one or any of the pretty photographs I planned to take... we didn't get to go. This is reason #86767907 we'll be going back to Prague. If only for the Instagram.
Visit Charles Bridge
Possibly one of the most popular spots in Prague, it's constantly busy. When Gary and I arrived on the Friday (at Golden Hour, BOOM) it was rammed. We decided to get there a little earlier the next day but it was STILL busy. We went a long it anyway and I took as many pictures as I possibly could. My one recommendation for you would be to get there at bum fuck early.
For more things we wanted to do but didn't get to...
The Astronomical Clock
The one thing I wanted to do and it's UNDER REFURBISHMENT!! A large portion of the clock and Tower itself is being reconstructed until June 2018 and parts of the Town Hall will also be closed.
My heart broke when I saw the Scaffolding all over it so here is an advanced warning to you, you might not get to see it.
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| #LookUp |
For one small stroke of luck, Gary and I were still able to actually go UP the tower and in to the Town Hall. It wasn't the same but still very pretty and once again, delivered on stunning views over toe Old Town Square
The Jewish Cemetery
When I was researching places to go and things to see, this was pretty much near the top of every list. However, we arrived a little too late. The Cemetery and Synagogue close early on a Friday in preparation of Sabbath the next day. As we left again on the Sunday, we didn't have time to re-arrange our visit.
All around it are a bunch of antique shops and Jewish bakeries (all were closed for us) so if you get to go yourself, let me know where the best places to go are!
If there's one piece of advice I could give you about visiting Prague, it would be to realise that everywhere is really easy to get to so make sure you get yourself lost. You never know what you're going to find down any cobbled streets. See all the things, drink all the beer and have all the food. Have the BEST time. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to start looking up flights so I can go back.
