One of our favorite cities in Europe to visit that we have had the pleasure of visiting several times is Prague, or Praha in Czechia. Each time we have visited a blend of new attractions and revisited some of our favorites.
Arriving in the Prague, visitors can get on the Airport Express bus, which will take them to the central train station. If visitors are only on a layover they can place their baggage in the lockers while they explore, or they can use the train station as a jumping off point to explore. Upon exiting the train station visitors enter into a large park and if you continue straight you will come across a beautiful gothic-style church, the old city gate, and the former Jewish center. If you maintain a fairly straight path as you wind down the roads you will naturally be lead to the heart of the Old Town in the square.
The Old Town square is filled with beautiful neo-classical-style buildings and a plethora of cafes spilling out onto the main square. There is also the statue of Jan Hus, a Christian reformer and martyr who had similar ideas, and was a predecessor to Martin Luther. Hus overtime has become a cultural icon in the Czech Republic, reiterating the importance of the statue in the Old Town Square.
Within the square is is also the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, a beautiful gothic-style church that has grand towers. Visitors can go inside the church and explore the architecture, artwork, or spend time in prayer. The church is still used by the Catholic Church, allowing visitors to also attend mass.
Just off of the Old Town Square is the Astrological Clock. The clock is a medieval clock that is extremely detailed and over 600 years old. Large swaths of visitors will gather on the hour to watch the 12 apostles make an appearance in the windows.
Continuing along visitors will reach the Vltava River and can walk along the river to see sites of Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral, and the parks. We definitely recommend strolling along the riverfront and exploring the architecture, whilst perhaps grabbing a drink or dinner at one of the slightly overpriced cafes along the river. Overall, the Czech Republic is quite affordable for a US traveler, allowing visitors on a budget to occasionally splurge on a nice meal with a scenic setting.
An attraction slightly away from the large tourist groups is the Prague Zoo. The zoo is located in the northern part of the city that is fairly accessible by tram. The zoo has a large assortment of animals that are structured based on geographic region and in nice exhibits. The zoo recently received an award for the best zoo in continental Europe; however, during our visit large portions of the zoo were closed due to revitalization after some terrible flooding. We however spent the afternoon roaming about the zoo, exploring the exhibits, and enjoying the critters.
Heading back towards the city center, visitors who want wide views of the city can stop at Letna Park. The park is quite large, so visitors can roam about throughout the park taking in some greenery, enjoying a picnic lunch, and capturing some incredible views of the city. Additionally, there are several nice dining places to eat within the park, as well as biergartens, providing visitors with an array of restaurant options.
During one of our visits, we explored Letna Park and then headed to PĆseckĆ” BrĆ”na for lunch. Visitors walk through a stately gate to enter PĆseckĆ” BrĆ”na, and can either sit in the courtyard or inside. During our visit the weather was lovely so we enjoyed the courtyard seating and architectural views.
From PĆseckĆ” BrĆ”na, visitors could easily make their way towards one of the most popular tourist sites, the Prague Castle grounds and St. Vitus Cathedral. The Prague Castle grounds are still the political offices of the Czechia president and visitors can spend a whole day exploring the different aspects of the castle. One of the best parts is visiting is just roaming about and looking at the intricate architecture.
We also really enjoy St. Vitus Cathedral, which has amazing gothic-style architecture with renaissance and baroque features. The cathedral features gargoyles, buttresses, and spires, as well as the lovely St. Wenceslas Chapel. Within the grounds you can also visit an exhibit on the history of castle – which provides visitors with history of the grounds and Czech history, the treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral – which has an assortment of beautiful and historic pieces, a gallery with images of the castle, a tower with expansive views of the city, St. George’s Basilica, and Rosenberg Palace, as well as gardens that are available in the summer time.
Descending down a foot path, visitors are led to Charles Bridge. The bridge is decorated with statues of saints, as well as local artists and performers. During the day the bridge can be quite packed with tourists, but in the evening it is much more relaxed, and you can get some lovely views of the city, as well as the castle complex.
Another fun evening activity is catching a show at the Jazz Dock. The venue sits along the Vltava River, and provides visitors with not only some incredible views of the river, but a fun night as well. As the name suggests, the focus is on jazz, and visitors are able to sit, relax, and enjoy some jazz, while enjoying a bite to eat or a nice drink.
Side Note: Traveling in Prague is fairly easy through walking, trams, the subway, and trains. For the tram visitors will pre-purchase tickets at a stand and punch the ticket upon entering. A word of caution, make sure you keep proper track of your tickets because if you are stopped and even if you paid for a ticket, but you forgot to punch it or you accidentally punched the same one twice you can get a ticket.
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