Prague has been Bhanu’s dream destination since childhood. It was a location in one of the video games she used to play and was mesmerized by it ever since. She told me about it during one of our very first conversations and we almost planned our honeymoon to Prague. You can say she has been obsessed with Prague for years.

Fast forward to February 2020…

Bhanu was in the US for a month and I was looking for places for a quick 3-4 days trip. Prague was never a contender when I was doing research but it all happened so fast and one thing led to another and I packed my bag and went to Prague — without her! You guessed it, she wasn’t pleased….until she heard all about it 😀

Prague is an amalgam of old and new. Historic and modern. Laid-back and fast-paced. It has something for everyone. If you are not into history, go there for nightlife. If you are not into nightlife, go there for art and museums. If you are not into that, go there for beer. If you are not into beer, go there for food. if you are not into food …. well, what the hell are you doing here??

Getting to Prague

Prague is very well connected within EU as well as worldwide. I managed to get a really cheap ticket with Flixbus (28 EUR round-trip) from Munich. I was pleasantly surprised by their amazing service. High-speed wi-fi throughout the journey and a large selection of free movies and TV shows on their app during the journey helped spending the 5 hours on the bus easily.

Where I stayed

Over the last few trips Airbnb has been a really great resource for us. First thing we do after booking tickets is look for an Airbnb near prime locations within the city so that we can walk to most of the places. Almost everytime, we have managed to find a cheaper and well-located place on Airbnb than any hotels. Plus it gives us an option to stay-in and cook if we are too tired to go out in the morning.

I found a great room only 2 minutes walk from Charles bridge just a block from the river. It was in an apartment building that was over a 100 years old (not uncommon in that part of Prague) and just peeping outside the window, I could see traditional Czech restaurants, lounges and art studios. It was a perfect location to walk-about and then come back and hang out.

What I did

Prague Castle (Praha Hrad)

One of the oldest and definitely the largest castle complex is the Prague Castle. It currently holds the office of The President of Czech Republic among other buildings including churches, museums, palaces, towers and gardens. Being over 1100 years old, the complex has buildings from various eras and empires. It is evident from the different architectural styles that were prominent in each era.

Petrin Tower

Petrin tower is often described as a small Eiffel Tower. It was primarily used as observation and transmission tower. You can get 360 degree view of entire city from the top.

Charles Bridge

The most popular and by far the biggest tourist attraction after the Castle is Charles Bridge. It is a pedestrian-only bridge across the Vltava river and architecturally one of the most beautiful bridges I have ever seen. 30 giant statues stand guard on both sides of the bridge. After it’s construction in early 15th century, it was the only way to cross the Vltava river and connect the Prague Castle to the Old town center for next four centuries until 1841.

Lennon Wall

One of the most quirky landmarks in Prague is the Lennon Wall. It is kind of out of place as it is just an outside wall of a church in some back alley but it doesn’t stop tourists from flocking it to take instagram-worthy pictures with the giant graffiti of John Lennon’s face. The wall has been used since 1980s as a giant canvas to paint graffiti about local and global causes. It has truly become a symbol of freedom, culture and political activism.

Astronomical Clock & Old town

The oldest running astronomical clock in the world is at Old Town Center in Prague. It was constructed in 1410 and It has three important components. Along with telling the time, it also shows position of the sun and the moon and also depicts some religious saints and “a walk of the apostles”. Every hour the clock chimes for about 5 minutes with the blue checkered windows opening and 12 apostles walking past the window, a skeleton rings bell representing death.

I personally thought it was a bit over-hyped but I am sure the thousands of people pointing their phone at it would disagree with me.

Ossuary Sedlec

About 1.5 hour train ride away from Prague is a town called Kutna Hora. This town is famous for one of the most creepy places I have ever visited – Ossuary Sedlec. It is an entire church made with actual bones of 40000 to 70000 people. All the decoration, chandeliers, wall decor and pillars are made with bones. You are not allowed to take pictures inside but you can check it out here.

Black Light Theater

Black Light Theater is a live theatrical performance using black light effects with black curtains, boxes and dark stage to create intricate visual illusions. Eventhough this art form originated in Asia, Prague has become a hotspot for these performances and on any night, multiple theaters have live shows.

What I ate

Usually we do a single post per city but I have a lot to share about food in Prague so I am doing a separate post for the Ultimate Prague Food Tour.

What I learnt

• Most neighborhoods in Prague are safe but just like any other tourist locations, watch out for pick-pockets and use common sense while walking late at night or on quiet streets.
• Almost all places accept credit card payment. Make sure you pay in KR otherwise the conversion rate is flat 25KR to 1EUR.
• If you need cash, just use ATM to withdraw money as the banks give the best conversion rates despite the transaction fees.
• It’s better to take a multi-day pass (110 KR for 24 hr & 330 KR form 72 hrs). It gives you unlimited access to public transport within P, 0 and B zones (entire metro area) and also free ride on the funicular going to the Petrin tower. Without the pass, public transport is about 25KR per trip on any mode, line and distance.
• A couple of useful apps
  • Mapy.cz: Local map for recommendations for nearby restaurants, hospitals and even free drinking water.
  • PID Litacka: Office transportation app. If you are travelling to suburbs and have a unlimited pass, you can add it to the app and you can deduct the fares for P, 0 and B zones from your total ticket. I saved around 100KR.
• And of course don’t forget to take the wife, else you won’t hear the end of it! 🙂