You may have heard a few things about Prague. Maybe you’ve heard that it is very popular with Stag Do’s and drunken weekends, maybe you have heard that it has a beautiful history worth delving into and spending a week or two, or maybe you’ve just heard that it has some stunning gothic buildings and is cheap for a weekend away. Truth be told – it’s all of this, and more.
The Czech Republic is bordered by Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria. And, as such, is a melting pot of different ideas, cultures, styles and expressions. Prague, the Czech Republic’s capital city, with around 2 million residents, sits toward the North of the country, closest to Germany.
Nicknamed ‘The city of a hundred spires’, it’s safe to assume that you may leave with a crick in your neck, even after just a few days. Expect bright coloured buildings standing tall next to gothic style churches, with the old town definitely the place to be. But, it’s not all about the astronomical clock tower, you know?
Taking a walk along the Vltava river (430km/270m long, sourcing in Germany with the mouth just north of Prague) is something that we really enjoyed. We walked from Stefanikuv Most along the city side of the river and crossed over Svatopluk Most and up the steps into Letna Park – where this view of the city can be found.
Walking along the river, you can see Prague Castle in the background standing tall next to St Vitus Cathedral. It was -6℃ when we were there in January, which made the views even more dramatic, with ice and snow both on show.
Above is what you are greeted with when you arrive at the top of the hill where the castle and cathedral are located – this St Vitus Cathedral. Magnificent!
Back down in the city, take one of the trams and whizz around from place to place, if you’re stuck for time. We didn’t take them, as we wanted to explore more of the streets and wander in and out of the tiny alleyways.
These sorts of open market squares are all over the place around Prague. Beautiful when the light catches them.
This market was very interesting, mainly due to the variety of traditional Czech items and also tourist items that it was selling, which can be seen more below…
My tips for food
What is it? A vegetarians nightmare, or putting it in another way: A meat-eaters paradise.
A butchers specializing in quality meats locally sourced in the Czech Republic.
These sausages looked particularly good.
The fillet looked unreal, but we neither had a fridge, nor did we have a kitchen in which to cook it…
The servers spoke English, which was reassuring as we didn’t really get the menu that well. We were here for two things: Steak Tartare and a burger. So, we ordered these accordingly (accompanied by a beer, we were on holiday, afterall).
If you could see me whilst taking this picture, I was frothing at the mouth with a grin from ear to ear. I love me some beef tartare, and this looked delicious!
Scrape a bit onto this crusty home-baked bread…
…add a slice of garlic on top, and down the hatch it goes. Get this, you’ll thank me.
The burger was equally awesome. Really, cooked perfectly. I’ve never stood in a butchers and ate the meat that they’ve cut and cooked especially for me, before. The idea of this place is novel, unique, and quite simply going to keep me coming back for more and more as the years tick by.
But, where’s dessert at?
This stall is right next to the clock tower. I wouldn’t neccesarily recommend this place, per se, but this snack is definitely worth trying out. Essentially a crunchy pastry-like casing (sold already?) filled with cream (definitely sold now) and then topped with whatever you’d like (done).
If it’s coffee that you want or even a killer hot chocolate, then look no further than Cafe Ebel (see pics below).
If I still haven’t done enough to convince you, then looking at these pictures below of Prague at night should do the trick. Enjoy!
Eating in Taipei 