Three Days in Prague

Europe

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Highlights of the weekend

My husband and I spent an amazing weekend in Prague with friends with whom we have traveled together before to Venice.

Over the three days, we took long walks, drank a lot of beer, ate some fantastic food, learned a bit about Kafka, rode a strange yet wonderful elevator, drank some absinthe, visited a castle, watched a movie scene filmed on a medieval bridge, enjoyed a river-side market, drank more beer, and had many, MANY laughs. Oh… all the locals we encountered were quick to smile and put us at ease. What a FANTASTIC city! Hope to visit again…

HOTEL 

Hilton Old Town

It is a decent hotel — nothing uber-luxurious about it — but nice and VERY conveniently located for all the bars, restaurants and sights in Old Town Prague plus the surroundings either. There are executive rooms offering lounge access which provides free breakfast and drinks/snacks throughout the day.

ITINERARY

DAY ONE (evening)

  • PRE-DINNER: Wander through Republic Square and check out the vendors in this lively outdoor market area. Grab a beer! Maybe a sausage?! Or… you could do similarly in Old Town Square. Both will be festive and get you in the mood for a great Prague weekend. If it is warm, there is a rooftop bar with great views over Old Town Square — Terasa U Prince. Just realize that this is a restaurant, so it may not be possible for just a cocktail when it gets busy during the dinner rush.
  • DINNER: Lokál Dlouhááá Reservations a necessity or you will be waiting for a bit at this popular beer hall with wonderful Czech food. Simple in decor with colors of communist-era drab, yet Lokál is definitely not lacking charm. The restaurant is narrow and long, stretching the length of a city block. Beer is in order here — brewed on site and tallied on a slip to be paid at the end. As for the food… fried cheese, grilled sausages, goulash, potato salad were all delicious choices.
  • OR, alternatively…Nase Maso  You try one of their burgers… or two. We did not go here but would have if time had allowed!

POST-DINNER PUB CRAWL

  • Black Angels speakeasy bar  in the basement of Hotel U Terasa in Old Town Square. Charming spot even though mostly tourists. They say no photos… I took that as a challenge.
  • Hemingway Bar which plays homage to the famous writer. Friendly place with several small ambient rooms and a fabulous cocktail menu which definitely favors rum and absinthe drinks, but offers other poisons as well. We had a 5 minute wait to get inside but found the wait worth it.
  • DINNER #2 — Let’s say you are hungry again after your pub crawl. I suggest you go out for a 2nd dinner!!  On our way back to the hotel, we stumbled on Mama Lucy which doesn’t sound very Czech-like but the decor comes across as pre-communist-bloc-quaint-eastern-European-Grandma’s house, if that makes any sense. This was definitely NOT our best meal, but we had many, MANY laughs and highly enjoyed ourselves. Plus the whole late-night opening which is highly conducive to time change and jet lag…

DAY TWO

  • Morning walk from Old Town to Farmers Market Naplavka with a few stops along the way.
  • First stop: Socha Franze Kafky (revolving Kafka head statue) by David Cerny, Charvátova, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia.

    Click here for a video of the Kafka Moving Head

  • 2nd stop: Dancing House. We didn’t actually go in, but walked by to admire it.
  • NAPLAVKA FARMERS MARKET Great open air market alongside the river on Saturday mornings. If you enjoy oysters and/or wine, there is a wonderful vendor here with both! We also tried some pastries at another vendor. Great market with food, drink, gifts, antiques, and more
  • Museum Kampa (stop at Cafe Savoy along the way if coffee needed); we ended up NOT having time to do this but looks wonderful.
  • LUNCH: Kampa Park Restaurant  WONDERFUL, slightly upscale, restaurant on the water with great views of the Charles Bridge and the boats passing by on the river. The food, view, and service were all spectacular. HIGHLY recommend.
  • Lennon Peace Wall. Great photo ops here. MANY tourists but still fun to check out all the graffiti.
  • Kafka museum. We ended up not going inside but enjoyed viewing the hilarious pissing boy fountain outside the museum.  
  • YMCA Palace to see the Paternoster elevators — a unique Czech invention. There were no other tourists here and we had fun taking the elevator around the loop.Click here for a video of the pasternoster elevator in action
  • Municipal Library to see the book tower tunnel
  • Dinner at Sansho FABULOUS!!!! I think favorite meal of the trip though we loved them all. Staff and food a true delight.

DAY THREE 

  • Morning — Jewish Quarter (https://www.jewishmuseum.cz)  I slept in BUT our friends did this and loved it.
  • 11 am – 3 pm Taste of Prague food tour (https://www.tasteofprague.com). FABULOUS and a MUST DO if you want to learn about the food and culture here. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and charming. She made everyone feel at ease. The stops and food were all fantastic. I would definitely do it again if back in Prague!
  • Chill time or time for additional sites you have earmarked.
  • Dinner at La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise — https://www.ladegustation.cz/en/ We did NOT do this because we weren’t sure if we would be up for more food after the food tour, but would be a GREAT addition to the itinerary if you are a foodie and prefer a Michelin Star experience. If you go, please tell me about it! Looks amazing…
  • OR, if you prefer to play by ear but still want to go out, how about Letna Beer Garden https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/prague/things-to-do/letna-beer-garden. We did not go because my husband had band practice for a gig he was playing the following day. We were also rather full, so enjoyed some snacks at a wine bar close to the hotel. But both the Beer Garden and La Degustation were on my short list…

DAY FOUR

  • Early morning walk to Charles Bridge and Prague Castle to avoid the crowds: castle, Golden Lane, etc. We were detained at Charles Bridge while a film crew worked on a medieval scene of horses and military weapons crossing it. No complaints as it was rather entertaining. Plus allowed for some fun photos with horses and actors in the background. Definitely hit the castle early, though. Oh, there is a Starbucks outside the entrance with an AMAZING view of the city! Allow yourself at least a couple hours at the castle to see everything you want. We are not ones to dilly dally, and still were probably there longer than 2 hours.
  • Lunch at Kuchyn outside castle entrance. We enjoyed our meal here — there is no menu as things are cooked family-style. The waiter takes you into the kitchen and shows/explains each item cooking on the stove. You can pick any or all of it! Delicious and fun.
  • Head home OR now is the time for sights you didn’t get to see, plus a dinner of your choice!

TIP… While planning our trip, I found a You Tube channel (Honest Guide) that provided some excellent tips and entertaining videos of Prague so want to give the two guys a shout-out.

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