Prague

Prague is a beautiful city full of picture-perfect, Disney-like architecture. In some ways, this is wonderful, it provides hours of pleasure as you wander the city, getting lost looking at pretty buildings. In other ways, however, a plethora of tourists and tourist traps make Prague feel a bit too much like Disneyland. Cheap souvenir shops, “0%” commission (hint: it’s not really 0%) money exchanges, and street “performers” in giant Panda suits all contribute to ruining an otherwise wonderful experience.

Still, all things considered, we quite enjoyed Prague. The old town, castle, and other attractions throughout the city easily fill 3 days of touring, though not much more. Add a day trip (as we did) plus 3 gymnastics practices (!) and our 5 days in Prague were fully booked.

Adding further to our enjoyment, we discovered that Prague is inexpensive if you escape the touristy areas. We paid a mere $4 each for our cheapest meal, a very tasty vegan buffet. This is changing quickly, however, with several locals remarking that rent has climbed over 60% in 5 short years.

Touring

Basteibrucke (Bastion Bridge)

Our favorite stop in Prague was not, in fact, in Prague. This is not a condemnation of Prague but an endorsement the Bastion Bridge, a beautiful bridge surrounded by an even more beautiful landscape.

The Bastion Bridge was built as a tourist attraction in the 1800’s (yes, 200 years ago). It connects several jutting, rocky outcrops together, providing visitors with access to views of the stunning surrounding landscape.

The bridge is located, not in the Czech Republic, but in Saxon Switzerland National Park in Germany, around 2.5 hours from Prague via public transportation. We considered visiting from Berlin but it is closer to Prague and we felt we needed more time in Berlin.

We encountered a painful return journey from the park. After finishing our hike earlier than expected, we realized we could catch an earlier train back to Prague (it runs every 2 hours). Excited, we rushed to the main station, arriving with mere minutes to spare, only to discover that the train was delayed by 15 minutes. “OK”, we thought, “15 minutes is no big deal”. 15 minutes later, the delay was bumped to 45 minutes, then 75, 90, 110, and finally 130 minutes. As a result, arrived in Prague, not 2 hours earlier than originally planned, but 15 minutes later. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Prague Old Town

While we complained a bit about the old town above, all things considered, it was still the highlight of Prague and is among the most aesthetically pleasing cities we’ve ever seen. Prague’s old town is beautiful for two major reasons.

First, it was the capital of several empires, including the Holy Roman Empire, for hundreds of years. Over time, each dynasty built important new buildings in the style of the day. Today, the mixture Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, and other architectures provides the perfect amount of variety to maximize visual interest, with a different style available on every corner.

Second, Prague was largely spared from the destruction of WWII. Major damage was afflicted on only two occasions. First, the United States accidentally bombed the city during a raid targeting Dresden. Second, fires and explosions destroyed some of the city during the final rebellion against Nazis occupation.

Prague Castle

Prague is home to the largest ancient castle in the world. We thought the castle was cool but, honestly, not equal to the best castles we’ve seen.

The Cathedral and Golden Lane were highlights, though for very different reasons. The Cathedral is a demonstration power through grand architecture. In contrast, the Golden Lane is on a human scale. Here, replicas of old houses demonstrate the life of peasants living in tiny homes built in arches in the castle wall.

Golden Lane
Golden Lane

Observations

1 Walking Tour per Day

We’ve decided that 2 walking tours in one day is too many. We attended both a classic and alternative tour on our first day in the city. By the time we finished the second, we were exhausted, incapable of paying attention, and ready to go home to bed. From here on out, 1 walking tour per day is sufficient.

The Land of Sidewalk Construction

During our first 3 days in the city, we kept remarking at all the sidewalk construction. We took pictures of all sidewalk construction encountered over the next 2 days and accumulated over 15. What’s the deal?

Weird Art

Prague kept surprising us with weird art. Check these out. Why is the horse upside down? Also, faceless babies climbing a tower?!?

Look closely…

Bad Pillows

This isn’t Prague specific but, why are European pillows terrible? They lack any semblance of structure. You put your head on a pillow and it sinks all the way to the bed, providing 0 support. We remarked on this to some other traveler’s and they agreed. The only good pillows we’ve had were at the villa in Croatia. Maybe it’s our fault for being cheap 🤔

Meeting Locals at Gymnastics

Gymnastics is our new favorite way to meet locals. Conversation flows easily when resting between sets. Furthermore, every gymnast we’ve met has been friendly, happy to chat, and thinks it is cool we’re practicing while we travel.

Overall

Prague delivered the perfect amount of entertainment for the 5 days we spent there. A picturesque old town, cool castle, and gymnastics made it a great stop on our trip. In contrast to Berlin, however, we didn’t detect hints of a vast, unexplored wealth of things to do. As a result, we do not feel pulled back for another visit in the near future.