2 Days in Prague
I came into Prague with completely neutral expectations and left in awe.
Comparable to Disneyland, but with centuries more history attached to its name, Prague is a must see. From its buildings to bridges, Prague is one of the richest and most beautiful places I have ever visited.
Day 0.5
My friend and I arrived in Prague on a Friday afternoon. We took the bus into the city and hiked up to our hostal, Luma Terra. This hostel was the most beautiful one we stayed in during spring break - I definitely recommend if looking for cheap, but nice options in the city.
We then freshened up and of course had to start exploring immediately. We made our way to old town to check out the Astronomical Clock attached to Old Town Hall in Old Town Square. On the way, I realized that my thin jacket was not going to cut it. Prague’s weather, even nearing late Spring, can be quite unpredictable. You should definitely prepare for cold wind and rain, even if the weather app says that there is only a low chance of it. Thankfully, near the beautiful Národní Museum, are a variety of stores and restaurants. We stopped in a store and picked up a sweater and some other essentials. When we exited, we noticed a large number of stands, many of which were decorated beautifully for Easter, in the center of the street. Vendors were selling classic Czech foods, drinks, and desserts. We decided to stop by and try some treats out.
Our food haul consisted of the following: honey and apple mulled wine, a chimney cake (traditionally called Trdelník), and regular mulled wine. The honey and apple mulled wine was personally not for me. Although the warmth of it was nice in the freezing weather, the drink was extremely sweet, bordering on syrupy (and this is coming from a sweet tooth). The regular mulled wine was a bit better, but still a tad too sweet for my preference. The chimney cake, however, was delicious. The hollowed out treat, was soft and pillowy with a crunch from the cinnamon-sugar it was rolled in. You can find Trdelník everywhere in Prague. While we enjoyed the traditional version, most stands and stores sell versions filled with Nutella and/or ice cream.
With our bellies full, we made our way over to Old Town Square. Something about how the square is lit up during dusk makes you feel like you are in a storybook. There is a magical quality about the giant stone buildings with intricate and ornate decorations. We hung out here for quite some time, took some pictures, and walked around and explored a bit, before heading to Lidl to pick up some groceries for dinner (college kids on a budget and all). Back at our hostel, we made some delicious mozzarella, tomato, and sun-dried tomato pesto sandwiches, and planned our next day.
Day 1
The next morning we had plans to grab breakfast at the Tree Sisters, a small coffee shop and bakery with a few breakfast items on their menu. It didn’t open until 10am, so with time to fill, we walked to nearby cathedral Bazilika sv. Ludmily, where there were locals setting up more colorful Easter stalls for the day. It was still quite chilly, but the walk helped us to warm up a bit outdoors. A bit later, we made our way back to our breakfast spot, and grabbed a smoothie bowl, porridge bowl, and two lattes to start our day.
Upon leaving the cafe, I began to really realize just how poorly I packed for the cold - the sweater I had bought earlier was not enough. Madrid weather had me fooled into believing the rest of Europe would be warming up as well. In that same square of shops as before, we stopped by a store to get me an even thicker sweater, before we continued on with our day. This sweater genuinely made walking around the city for the rest of the day so much more enjoyable. It’s amazing how much of a difference being warm can make.
We had then planned to walk around a bit, and check out the narrowest streets of Prague. (This was the only real request my friend had for the trip). I didn’t know what to expect, but upon arrival, there was nothing really shocking about it - it really was just a short, narrow street. There was, however, a traffic light, indicating when to walk and when not to. We walked through, and at the very end, the short street opens up into a beautiful little space, where there is even a small restaurant.
This turned out to be a shorter excursion than expected, so we spent the next hour hopping in and out of different stores, and then settled on a grabbing a drink at at the Slivovitz Museum which houses a Czech distillery for the brand R. Jelínek. It was really cool on the inside - the ceiling was made of barrels, but the space itself was very modern and a great place to rest. They had some unique drinks and alcohols and even some more in depth tours for those who were interested.
Once we were rested, our next stop was to meet at the entrance of Charles Bridge for the free walking tour we had booked. Free walking tours in European cities are an incredible concept. They are led by passionate history teachers and enthusiasts. You learn so much about the city, and it is definitely something that I highly recommend doing in cities that you don’t know much about. We walked across the entire Charles Bridge, while learning about the various statues that lined it, and made our way into the older part of Prague, where it is said that beer is cheaper than water. Here, we passed St. Nicholas Church, made a note to visit it before leaving the next day, and walked up to the Old Royal Palace. As we neared the palace, we saw houses that were once owned by nobility and aristocracy. Each had a crest above their house, so that, years ago, the large illiterate population would know which house to go to if need be. For example, rather than going to a house on a certain street, they would go to the “rose house,” if the crest depicted a rose.
Outside of the royal palace, there exists one of the most beautiful Starbucks in the world. I know it sounds a bit strange that such a widespread, mass-consumerist chain could be beautiful in such a historic location, but the Starbucks itself blends in perfectly with its surroundings. It maintains the old brick surroundings, and has one of the best viewpoints of the city.
After taking note of the vast array of orangey-red rooftops and glittering river that splits the city, we watched the changing of the guard in front of Prague Castle. We then toured the castle itself, and got to see a visual representation of how old things truly were. Construction of the castle began in 870 and was completed in 1929. Over the course of its construction, many different head architects took creative control, and changed the castle’s architectural form. You can see the darker, older stone in a completely different style on one side of the castle, and the less aged version on the opposite side.
After making our way back down and across the bridge to Old Town, we were famished, so we went to Thai Station. The restaurant was cozy and cute, but the food here was just alright. We then continued our night by going to one of the coolest speakeasies I have ever been to, AnonymouS Shrink’s Office. We had to wait a while to get in - reservations go fast, so we weren’t able to get one ahead of time -, but because it was just two of us, they managed to seat us after about an hour or so.
The concept of this speakeasy is so cool. You are allowed into the bar through a secret door, and are given colorful inkblots, as your “menu.” You choose whichever inkblot speaks to you most, and a unique drink is brought out to you. They even sprinkled some cinnamon on mine which they lit on fire with a small torch.
To top off the night, we went to the rooftop bar, Teresa U Prince. It is in the heart of Old Town Square, and has a truly beautiful view of the Astronomical Clock. Finally, we returned to our hostel, exhausted, and ready to sleep.
Day 2
The next day is when I began to feel a little sick - not ideal in the middle of a hectic Spring Break trip. We decided to take it easy, and only had a few items on our agenda before heading to Budapest later that evening: brunch, St. Nicholas Church, and the Dancing House. We heard good things about this spot called Venue, but because they didn’t take reservations and it was the weekend, the line to grab brunch was very long. However, the food ended up being really good, so it was worth it in the end. We got coffees, two savory dishes - avocado toast with eggs, and a farmers plate and then banana caramel pancakes to split. Everything was not only beautiful, but so indulgent and satisfying.
We wrapped up our leisurely brunch, and then made our way to St. Nicholas Church. The church is smaller than some others, but ornately decorated in art and gold. It was a sight to see, and a nice place to sit and just look at the ceiling for a bit. Finally, we decided to head to our last stop: the Dancing House. This unique, and appropriately named building is oddly lopsided and wavy. It’s amazing how such interesting modern architecture can coexist with extremely old buildings as well.
A bit of walk later, we were back at our hostel, and out the door to the bus and train station nearby. We took a fifty-ish minute bus back to the airport, grabbed some food at a Costa Coffee inside the terminal, and boarded our plane to Budapest.
Nerhertips:
Be aware of the weather: the weather app might say Prague is chilly, but depending on the wind and sun it can be really cold, so pack accordingly
Book a free walking tour: I stand by the fact that it is one of the best ways to see and learn about European cities. Remember to bring $5-10 as tip for your tour guide.
Make reservations to AnonymouS Shrink’s Office: This is by far one of the coolest places to go to, but it is also widely known as one of the coolest places by tourists, so make sure you get a reservation in advanced.
Know which places are cash only: Most of Prague takes credit card, but I’ve heard certain areas only take cash. Prague’s currency is not the Euro, but instead the Czech Koruna.
Links:
Day 0.5
Luma Terra (hostel)
Národní Museum (the National Museum)
Trdelník (chimney cakes)
Day 1
Tree Sisters (cafe)
Bazilika sv. Ludmily (church)
The narrowest street (in Prague)
Slivovitz Museum (distillery)
AnonymouS Shrink’s Office (coolest speakeasy)
Day 2
Venue (brunch)