3 Days In Prague Travel Guide

Brimming with charm, and speckled with orange-topped roofs lies the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Czech Republic’s most popular city is one of the most interesting in Europe. As one of Europe’s best-preserved cities, you’ll meander cobblestone streets to beautiful cathedrals, the commanding Charles Bridge and the amazing detail in Architecture. Prague is the perfect place to relax, explore, and get a feel for the history of Europe.

WHAT TO VISIT?

• Astronomical lock
• Klementinum
• Charles Bridges & Th Lesser Towers
• Prague Castle
• St Vitus Cathedral
• St George Basilica
• Golden Lane
• Petrin Hill
• John Lennon Wall
• Old Town Square
• Old Jewish Cemetery
• Bohemian Stores

WHERE TO STAY?

The New Town is an ideal area to stay in. It has an intriguing history but is graced with more modern hotels and amenities than elsewhere in the city. It also has excellent metro and tram connections. The New Town offers an excellent choice of shopping and lots of restaurants, cafes, and bars. I stayed in Hotel Pav a 3-star Hotel located in the New Town.

And as Prague is a compact city, walking from the New Town to the Old Town, Lesser Town or Chares Bridge is easy. Indeed Wenceslas Square is only 5 minutes from the Old Town Square, the center of the Old Town.

DAY 1

Eat a hearty breakfast, you will be doing loads of walking. As you walk don’t forget to look up, at the lovely detailed architecture you’ll see everywhere you go. Hike over to The Old Town Square to see the beautiful and mesmerizing astronomical clock,  City Hall, and St. Nicholas Church.

The detail of Astronomical clock is breathtaking. Constructed in 1410 the Astronomical Clock in Prague has a unique and harrowing history. The legend says that the clockmaker Hanuš was blinded on the order of the Prague Councillors so that he could not repeat his work.  So, he disabled the clock, and no one was able to repair it for the next hundred years. Finally, in 1552 it was repaired by Taborský and Klokotská. The mechanisms of the clock from over 600 years ago are still functional today. On the sides of the clock, you’ll see a skeleton ringing a bell, a Turk shaking his head, a miser with a purse full of money, and Vanity looking in a mirror. Every hour, on the hour you can watch to see the small wooden figures move.

The Church of Our Lady is impressive outside, with its Gothic double towers that dominate the square. Just a few steps away are St. Nicholas Church from the Old Town Square– not to be confused with the OTHER St. Nicholas Church in Lesser Town Square.

From the Old Town Square, walk the most expensive shopping street in Prague, Parizska. After passing Dior, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton you’ll start to see synagogues. We’ve now entered the Jewish Quarter or “Josefov”.  I recommend planning some time here since this area was undamaged in World War II. In fact, Hitler decided to preserve these areas to be a “museum of an extinct race.” Where people could come to see how Jews used to live and the objects they collected. Many rare items were transported to Prague for safekeeping.

The Jewish Museum has an extensive collection of art and belongings gathered from Bohemia and Moravia. Make sure to visit the Old Jewish cemetery dating back to 1478 as Europe’s oldest surviving Jewish cemetery. You’ll see more than 12,000 graves where over 100,000 people are buried. The close graves echo back to the fact that Jewish people in Prague were not allowed to bury their dead outside the ghetto, so they had to put graves on top of each other.

DAY 2

The John Lennon Wall is an interesting and significant piece of Prague’s history and not one to miss. Many might think of it as a simple graffiti wall, but it means much more than that.  Since the 1980s people have filled them all with art, names, and Beatles’ song lyrics. In 1988 the wall was used by the Czechs to display their anger against communism. Today it’s a symbol of love and peace.

Now, it’s time to see the bridge in the light this time. The Charles Bridge is one of the most interesting parts of Prague and was finished back in 1402. Much like the other places in Prague, the bridge has its own legend. It’s said that construction began on Charles Bridge at 5:31 am on July 9, 1357, and the first stone was laid by Charles IV himself.  Make sure to touch the statue of St. John Nepomuk and make a wish to return to Prague.

Since we’ve most likely had our fill of old history, let’s focus on something more modern and new. Walk over the bridge and go to the Dancing House, aka Fred and Ginger. A unique architectural style it was controversial at the time since it’s a stark contrast to the beautiful Baroque buildings nearby.

Grab a pastry from a nearby bakery to fuel up as you walk over to the modern and moving art: the Head of Franz Kafka. This cool, futuristic, silver sculpture depicts writer Kafka as his head turns.

Visit the Peaceful Petřín. Where winding pathways and secluded gardens lead to the summit of Petřín hill and panoramic city views. A funicular climbs to the 19th-century Petřín Tower, which resembles France’s Eiffel Tower. The tower is 60m tall, which doesn’t seem particularly high until you add in the fact that it sits at the summit of Petrin Hill, which is 318m (1043 feet) high. Climb the 299 steps to reach the top of the tower and the view over Prague is magnificent; on a clear day, it is possible to see the highest peak in the Czech Republic, Snezka, which is 150km away.

If you have extra time, I suggest heading to the Old Town and checking out a Free walking tour. They happen about every 15 minutes in multiple languages.

Grab a bite to eat at a restaurant in the New Town I would recommend going to  U Fleků. This restaurant is a famous historic venue with 8 separate dining halls dishing out traditional local dishes & beer.

DAY 3

Let’s kick things off by venturing to Charles Bridge in the crisp morning air. Admire the view and the 30 statues. I highly recommend walking up to the Lesser Towers to get a breathtaking view of Prague and the Charles Bridge from both sides.

Let’s venture further up the hill to Prague Castle also called “Hrad.” This is the largest castle complex in the world and has been the seat of the Czech monarchs since the 9th century and the head of state still rules here. Once you reach the top you’ll gaze at the rows of windows of the palace and the spires that stretch toward the sky. I suggest picking a tour based on what you’d like to see. I highly suggest getting a ticket to see St. Vitus Cathedral, the Golden Lane, St Wenceslas Chapel (the patron saint of Prague), and Basilica of St. George. This experience really puts the whole castle, cathedral, and the stories of Prague’s monarchy into perspective.

St. Vitus is absolutely one of the highlights of Prague with so many incredible works. There’s a wood carving of the city that took 10 years to craft, intricate stained glass throughout, including a rosette of the Last Judgement that is 11 meters in diameter and contains 27,000 pieces of glass, an organ that weighs 20 tons, and a separate balcony and entrance for the king. It’s overwhelmingly cool.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was learning about the “Defenestrations of Prague” when in 1618 the Czechs were sick and tired of being ruled by the Catholics Hapsburgs of Austria, and they threw out the local government – literally. The Protestants threw the Catholic leaders out a three-story window (70 foot tall) and they somehow landed on a pile of rubbish and survived. The defenestration led to the start of the Thirty Years’ War.

Don’t forget to stroll the Golden Lane and see the smallest streets, tiniest doorways, and beautiful trinkets. The lane was constructed in the 15th century when Emperor Rudolf II gave the space to the guards of the castle. But the space was small, so families used stone, mud, and wood to create small spaces to live and work.

After exploring the castle area, walk down the hill to “Lesser Town” or Malá Strana. Grab a bite to eat at a traditional and well-priced restaurant. Walk the streets and look up at the ancient buildings and burger houses. Try to visit St. Nicholas Church for extravagant pink marble and a Baroque organ. This is the largest of Prague’s churches founded by the Jesuits.

The last location on the list is the Klementinum situated next to the Charles Bridge, right in the historical center of Prague. Klementinum, built on the area of 2 hectares, is one of the largest building complexes in Europe. Klementinum has a long and rich history and to this day is an important place of culture and knowledge.

Observatory

Astronomical Tower was built in 1722. After the First World War, it became part of the newly founded State observatory of Czechoslovakia and the Klementinum tower was until 1928 its only observatory in Bohemia. The observatory in Klementinum worked until World War II.

Baroque library

As night falls stroll the Charles Bridge to see the warm lights glaze over the statues on the stone bridge and illuminate the Vltava River.

WHAT TO EAT IN PRAGUE?

Trdelník – You can’t go to Prague and NOT have a Trdelník. The dough is wrapped around a stick then grilled on an open flame and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. They are cheap and delicious.

 Svíčková with dumplings – A classic Sunday family dinner in the Czech Republic. The creamy mushroom sauce, salty beef, sweet jam and chewy dumplings are an amazing combination. Plus who else serves a slab of meat with whipped cream on top?

Smažený sýr –  a dish of deep-fried cheese served with fries, salad or a bread roll will send you straight into cheese paradise. Sold by street vendors all around Prague, vacation makers with a craving for something savory, cheesy and crispy will easily find this treat.

Knedlíky –  A traditional side dish in Czech cuisine, dumplings served along with a meat dish or other oft-eaten mains, such as gulás. This versatile dish serves well as a dessert when prepared with sweet fillings such as fruit or jam.

WHAT TO DRINK?

Beer – The Czech most popular drink is of course beer. Czech people are proud of their beer and drink it with great pleasure not only in pubs, beer halls or restaurants but also at home.

Every different brand has a somehow different taste and color. Some beer brands you might have already heard of are: Pilsner Urquell, Krusovice, Bernard, Staropramen, Budweiser Budvar and Velvet

Wine– Czech wine is produced mainly in Moravia, the South – Eastern Part of the Czech Republic. The Czech wine is known through its representatives like Frankovka and Modry Portugal from the red wines and Muller. During the cold season, Hot wine (Svarak) is popular in most wineries (“Vinarna”), bars and even on the street, at special events organized at Christmas markets. Wineries are becoming more and more popular in Prague and one can nowadays see them more often even in the center of the city.

Prague is a city that captures your heart and attention with it’s monumental architecture, history, and characte

xoxo

Chante’