Prague, Czech Republic | Travel Tales

See what I did, my recommendations, and my overall city ranking!

​Saturday, June 17th, 2017
Weather: High 70/ Low 57
Distance: 6.2 miles
 
I took a train from Berlin to Prague which was easy, other than figuring out where I needed to sit. Luckily people tried to help even with their minimal English. When I got to Prague I checked in to my hostel and headed straight to to Amos Old Town for food and a beer. It wasn’t a whole lot for a large man like myself so I took a stroll before stopping in for a second meal at Resturace Mincova. ​

The restaurant was in the main square which means it's expensive but had great views. The Mattoni Koktejl festival was going on so there was live music which was cool. I cruised around the city for about an hour before crossing the Charles Bridge and smelling a sweet dessert and HAD to figure out what it was. It lead me to Krusta Trdlo so I got a Trdelník (picture below!). It was this bread thing filled with whipped cream and strawberry and definitely recommend it! ​

Sunday, June 18th, 2017
Weather: High 73/Low 59 rainy
Distance: 9.3 miles
  
I had breakfast at the hostel and headed toward to the Prague center to begin a Sandeman walking tour. The center is unique because it has architecture from Belgium, France, and South Bovaria. There are two other notable things in the square with the first being the astronomical clock. It was built in 1410 and is still accurate to this day. There is also a half burned down town hall. Since Prague was one of the last cities liberated during World War II some of the citizens resisted and were trapped in the Old Town Hall while it was set on fire. They left part of the building up to remind the citizens what happened.  ​

In 1254 the King gave the Jews a part of the city later known as the Jewish quarter until 1840s. The flooding was so bad in that area they built a wall around the area which made it a city within the city.  When people were eventually able to move out about 80% did and then squatters moved in. In 1890 they knocked down about 95% of the area and it's now a fancy shopping district.

They still have the oldest practicing synagogue in Europe and the Jewish cemetery. They believe the monument in Berlin was inspired by the cemetery. Because they weren't given much land they had to bring in more dirt and just stack the bodies on top of each other. They do not know how many bodies are in there. Interestingly the Jewish quarter was untouched in World War II and a highly guarded area but no one knows why.

Astronomical Clock

Charles Bridge

​When the tour ended I made the hike up to Bellavista. The restaurant has pretty bad customer service reviews but I didn't have an issue. The restaurant sits on a hill which provides an awesome view of Prague. I then walked over to the Prague castle which is the largest castle complex in the world and is equal to 27 White Houses. ​

The view from Bella Vista

I spent the afternoon enjoying the weather in a park by the river before heading to dinner at Hastalasky Dedek and then the Letna Beer Garden which I recommend! After that I stopped by the Lokal and ordered a pilsner urquell "slice". I thought it may include a slice of orange or lemon but it was just a slice of beer as it was was mostly foam..

Monday, June 19th, 2017
Weather: High 86/Low 59 sunny
Distance: 22,011 steps, 10.9 miles
 
I had breakfast at the hostel before picking up my train ticket for Poland. The castle was near by so I headed back to hang out in the courtyard area outside of it. I passed Nerudorak Beer Point and snagged another trdelnik.
 
I checked out the John Lennon Wall which had images of him with other paintings and musicians playing. It was alright. I then sat by river in the shade and enjoyed the music before getting lunch at Restaurace Stoleti. I then just cruised around and went back to places like the river and Charles bridge. For dinner I went to Lokal u bile kuzelky before catching my train to Poland.

View from Letna Beer Garden

A trdelnik

Prague Perspective

Getting Around: 10/10 
The city is super small and very easy to walk. I took a train into the city and the station wasn't far from the downtown area.

Things to do: 4/10 
You can find things to do but I personally felt I could do the city in like 2 days. 

Food: 7/10
I enjoyed everything I had but wasn't blown away by anything either. The trdelnik was good but felt the smells might have been better than the taste. .

Overall: 6.5/10 
The city is small, easily walkable, and beautiful. There are things to do but they all mostly involve admiring how pretty the city is. Whether that is hanging out in the town square, checking out the Charles Bridge or the castle. If you like to slow travel this place is perfect to relax, enjoy the picturesque architecture, and enjoy some beer or food. You can see where that ranks against the other places I've gone here. ​

Non-Obvious Prague Recommendations:

1. If you are planning a visit I'd say make it shorter than you think and check out other places nearby. 
2. My tour guide explained that the city came out of communism and locals can be closed off and hesitant about new people.  
3. Go to the Letna Beer Garden or Bella Vista for a cool view of the city!

What To Bring

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