Prague, Czech Republic.
Two words for Prague: beautiful (and) affordable. It has so much to offer for a weekend away so when my mum came over from Australia for Christmas, I bought us tickets to this Czech delight.
Stay Here.
We stayed here which is in a great location just near Muzeum metro station and about a 10 minute walk to the Old Town. It is in a beautiful old building which you will see a lot of as you wander the streets of Prague.
It is really easy to get into Prague from the airport. Buy a ticket (32 Korunas) for the bus from the yellow ticket machines which you can also use on the Metro as you have a 90 minute travel allowance. From Nádraží Veleslavín metro station you just take the green A line straight into the city centre.
Visit here.
There is so much to see in Prague! Here is what we managed to fit in three days.
The Old Town.
Wander through the Old Town Square to visit the Old Town Hall, the Astronomical Clock and Church of Our Lady before Tyn. Every hour between 9am - 11pm, the twelve apostles appear on the clock. My mum wasn't very impressed by this however she was impressed by all of the old buildings in the area as she took about a million photos. We visited on 3rd January so luckily the Christmas markets were still around which made it extra special. Lots of food stalls.
Lennon Wall (Lennonova zed).
The was the first destination for a major day of walking. We strolled across the Legion Bridge, which allows for great views of the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle then along the bottom of the Petřínské Skalky (a large park) to get to the Lennon Wall. There's not a huge amount of street art about Lennon per se, mainly politically charged messages.
Prague Castle (Pražský hrad).
After the Lennon Wall and a refreshment break at Kafíčko, we walked up towards Prague Castle. We went past the church that has Infant Jesus of Prague and up roads/stairs to the Castle. It has a lovely view over Prague and as you wander into the Castle area, there are beautiful old palaces. My favourite was the Schwarzenberg Palace, an impressive renaissance building. We then wandered down the streets, found the Loreto and walked towards the river.
Charles Bridge (Karluv most).
Yes, it's impressive and yes it is over-crowded with people. If it wasn't so cold, I would have woken early to get here before all the throngs of people arrived. Along the bridge there are statues of saints with towers at each end so it is definitely worth walking across.
The view of Charles Bridge and Prague Castle from the Legion Bridge.
Jewish Quarter.
After checking out the Old Town square, we had a wander around the area to look at the old synagogues. You have to pay to go into them. It is worth seeing the outside of the Ceremonial Hall but around this time I was getting hangry so we were more interested in finding somewhere warm to eat/drink. I do wish however I went to see the Jubilee Synagogue - super vibrant! Google it.
Vyšehrad.
This was something my mum had read about and even though it's a little out of the city centre, it is worth visiting. This fortified castle was rumoured to be the oldest settlement in Prague however it was actually established after the Prague Castle. The cathedral has a really colourful mosaic at its entrance which I absolutely loved. Inside is equally as impressive.
Smichov Train Station.
Ok so this isn't a must see/do of Prague however it was a random afternoon we had after visiting Vyšehrad. Wandering down from the castle, we walked across the Vyšehrad Railway Bridge which is an adventure in itself considering how old it is. Everything shook as the train passed us. We made it to Smichov train station (from the metro, you walk behind and up an over-pass) as we were to get on the S65 train that apparently took us just outside of Prague to some "pretty" views. Well, the views were pretty basic however the cute one carriage train we went on was quite cool and we had to stand on a mini platform between tracks, in the snow for it.
The return journey took us all the way to Praha hlavní nádraží (Prague train station) where we stopped in a tunnel for about 10minutes... in complete darkness. It was definitely an experience and worth the 32 Korunas.
Waiting for the S65 from Smichov train station in Prague.
Eat Here.
You could wander into any of the pubs in Old Town and the food would be pretty tasty. It's nothing fancy but it's cheap and delicious. Beer is also very cheap at around £1 a pint.
U Pivrnce.
We really needed to rest our weary legs and stumbled in here. I tried the Pivrnec's Farts (no, not because of the name.......) and it was so good. Mum had the Moravian Sparrow (not actually sparrow) and she thoroughly enjoyed. It came to about £20 for the two meals and two beers each.
Restaurant Husinec.
This was located on the street we were staying at and it was really good value for money for the food you received. I had the roast duck which was a little dry but still delicious.
Marthy's Kitchen.
I was looking for somewhere to have a decent breakfast on the morning of our adventure to Vyšehrad. Good coffee, yummy breakfast and quite a cosy setting.
Wine Food Market
Before we arrived to Smichov railway station, we randomly found this place. It's an Italian deli that sold everything from meats to wine to seafood. There was also a bakery and florist around the other side so it was a whole complex full of delicious things. The cafe at the front sells coffee and cakes so perfect for us to warm up over.
Food stalls.
I'm not sure if they are here all year round but there was a couple of smaller markets stalls selling food and mulled wine near the Old Town and also near Muzeum metro station. Be mindful that it is charged by weight so make sure they don't go overboard when serving! I had some mini dumplings with sausage and cheese which was pretty yummy.
Chimney bread is everywhere too - I first had this in Budapest and I love it so I made sure I had my fill whilst here. I also tried a Czech donut which is essentially a thick churro in the shape of a donut. Super greasy! Half of it would have been sufficient.
I think we set a record for my mum's Fitbit by doing over 24,000 steps in one day walking around Prague but it was totally worth it. Plus I think we needed to after all of the delicious food and beer we consumed.. no regrets.
Return flights to Prague from London can usually be pretty cheap depending on what month you visit. Compare flights on Skyscanner or Kayak.
Air BnB and Booking.com have loads of places to stay so make sure to look in advance to grab a good deal.
Food and beer is ridiculously cheap. We ate out for almost every meal and we still didn't spend a fortune. If you wanted to do it on a super budget, you could just buy food from the supermarket which again, is very cheap.
Transport is cheap too. As mentioned in the post, you can buy a ticket for 32 Koruna and it will last you 90 minutes. It is easy enough to walk everywhere though.
If you do go in the Winter months, pack very warm clothing as it does get cold and it does snow!
