4 Days in Prague - Anastazja's Adventures

So, I’ve finally got round to writing this blog post which many of you have been waiting to read – thank you for your patients!

Many of you already know, that I visited Prague earlier this month. I spent four days in this beautiful city. This was a university trip organised by ilovetours.com.

So, first things first, for those who have no idea where Prague is… Prague is the capital city and largest city of the Czech Republic. It is one of the largest cities in Central Europe.

Now that I’ve cleared that up, let’s get into the details… I’m sure many of you are wondering how I afford to travel as a student? Well, as I said this was trip was organised by my university, and any of you who are students will know that universities will try their best to organise cheap and affordable trips for students. I paid £219 for return flights and accommodation at Hotel Prague Centre Plaza (Breakfast included). I then spent £100 (equivalent to 3,420.40 CZK) throughout the four days. Prague is a pretty cheap city, so as you can imagine, I was able to buy a lot for this money – most of which I spent on food, drinks and attractions.

Anyhow… Here is what I got up to in my four days in Prague:

Day 1

First Day was all about getting lost and exploring the city. We arrived in Prague midday, so within the first twenty minutes of walking around, we ended up in a local restaurant where we spent the afternoon filling up our bellies with traditional Czech food.

Dancing House

By the time we finished eating out hearts out, it was the evening, so we then decided to get familiar with the surroundings by walking down to the river, past the Dancing House which is also called Ginger & Fred.

Address: Jiráskovo nám. 1981/6, 120 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic

Day 2

Wenceslas Square

Second day was fully packed with exciting adventures. We started the day off at Wenceslas Square, where we got to explore the city a little bit more, and of course try the traditional Czech food and drinks.

Address: 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic

Old Town Square + Astronomicial Clock

We then wondered to Old Town Square. And just like any other traveller, we were all very excited to see this “beautiful famous clock” and see what all the fuss was about. We waited for the hour to hit the clock, so we could watch the clock do it’s “thing”… But speaking from my personal experience, I think for many people, the whole experience is such a climax. It’s such a big build up, which leaves tourists disappointed.

Having said that, if you go up the tower (which we did) and ask one of the employees to explain to you why the clock is so special, you will then without a doubt appreciate the beauty of the clock so much more. There is so many hidden messages that the clock shows which most tourists aren’t aware of. So if you get a chance, definitely climb up the astronomical clock. We bought our tickets during the day, but the queue was fairly long, so we decided to come back in the evening to see Prague at night time – it was completely worth it!

Address: Staroměstské nám., 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic

St Nicholas Church

St. Nicholas Church is located in Old Town Square. Everyone is welcome to enter the church, free of charge between the opening hours. There is also another St. Nicholas Church (Malá Strana) located in the Lesser Town of Prague.

Opening Hours: 09:00 – 17:00 daily

Address: Malostranské nám., 118 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic

Charles Bridge (Karlův most)

Charles Bridge is the most well-known of Prague’s bridges. Up until 1841, it was the only way to cross the river from the Prague Castle to the Old Town.

Address: Karlův most, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic

Narrowest Street in Prague

Yup… That’s right, we came across the “narrowest street” in Prague. It measured just 19.6 inches in width and 32 feet long. It even has traffic lights. They are installed for convenience of pedestrians, but in recent years it has become a tourist attraction.

Originally, this “narror street” was built as a safety gap between houses in case of fire. Back in time they were very common in Prague, but this one has stood out to tourists in particular, because it leads to Certovka restaurant. This is a very hidden restaurant, which I have been recommended NOT to visit, because of their pricey menu.

Address: U Lužického semináře 24, 118 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic

Kafka Museum

We came across David Černý “Piss” – and yes I am being serious, “Piss” is the actual name of this bizzar sculpture. Anyone who follows art or is an artist will know that this is his typical work: both controversial and amusing.

The basin of the fountain is made out of bronze, and it is formed in the shape of the Czech Republic. Two men are standing on opposite ends, and they appear to be peeing onto the country. I knew of David’s work, so I was very excited to see this sculpture, however what I wasn’t aware of at the time, is that apparently visitors can send a text message to the fountain, and the pissing men will write the message into the water.

Opening Hours: 10:00 – 18:00 daily

Address: Cihelná 635/2b, 118 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic

Day 3

Prague Castle

On the third day, we decided to wonder up to the castle. I remember people telling me that I MUST go to the Castle, but I never truly understood what was the big fuss until I climbed those flights of stairs and saw myself how beautiful the view is, as well as the castle itself.

The whole place is so big, it felt like it was a completely separate little village on top of Prague. We pretty much spent half of our day up the Castle exploring (although it did take us forever to find the castle in the first place and then walk up!)

Address: 119 08 Prague 1, Czech Republic

Opening Hours: Prague Castle Complex 06:00 – 22:00 and the Historical buildings 09:00 – 16:00.
(The opening times changes based of time of year – in summer the opening hours are little bit longer. Click here for more information.)

Hard Rock Café

I have been to many Hard Rock Café’s all over the world, but this one was nothing alike compared to the others! The cafe is spread across three levels and a basement. The inside of the restaurant was so beautiful… in the centre of the cafe, there is a stunning, guitar-shaped chandelier that hangs in the centre of the atrium.

We somehow managed to meet the manager of the Hard Rock Cafe, and ended up sitting at a table with him, listening to his amazing stories that he shared with us. I will be posting a separate blog post about my food experience, so I will talk about my experience in that post in more detail.

Address: Dům U Rotta, Malé nám. 142/3, 110 00 Praha, Czech Republic

Opening Hours: 11:30 – 24:00 daily

Crawling Babies statues

On our way to the Lennon Pub we stumbled across these crawling babies in Kampa Park. These crawling babies can also be seen on the Zizkov TV Tower in Prague 3.

Address: U Sovových mlýnů 2, 118 00 Praha 1-Malá Strana, Czech Republic

John Lennon Pub

Knowing that this was our last night in Prague, we wanted to make the most of it, so we took the Hard Rock managers advice and went for a pub crawl to the recommend locals pubs/bars rather than parting in the most popular “touristy” clubs. We started off at the John Lennon Pub and made our way to the other side of the river towards Old Town Square.

Opening Hours: 12:00 – 01:00 daily

Address: Hroznová 495/6, 118 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic

Day 4

John Lennon Wall

There is so much else to do in Prague, but we simply didn’t have enough time to explore this stunning city. But since we had a 21:00 flight, it meant that we had another full day to explore this beautiful city. We decided to do any last minute things such as shopping and using up the rest of our money in cafes and restaurants. In the morning we decided to visit the Lennon Wall before wondering off to do some shopping.

The Lennon Wall, is a wall that has been filled with John Lennon inspired graffiti and lyrics from Beatle’s songs. Since the place has become more popular for tourists, it has slightly lost its meaning and other graffiti has been drawn all over the wall.

Address: Velkopřevorské náměstí, 100 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic

Transport:

In Prague, you can travel by metro, trams and buses. Metro are the most popular method of transport. The whole underground network is divided into the three main lines, each represented by its own color: Line A (green), Line B (yellow), Line C (red). Metro operates daily from 05:00 – 00:00. In total there are 57 mentro stations. It’s all pretty straight forward. For more info click here. You can also download the metro and tram map here.

I walked throughout all of the four days, but if you’d like to know more information about different ticket prices, then click here.

Tips:

When tipping, at most places, you can simply round the bill up by 10 or 20 crowns. At nicer restaurants, a tip of 10-15% is expected. Always check to see if the gratuity was added to the final bill.
In high season, visit the Charles Bridge early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the crowds.
Don’t take TOO much money. You don’t want risk it being stolen, and as I experienced myself… around 4,000 CZK is more than enough for 4 days.

If you’d like to see more of my photographs from Prague, feel free to visit my Flickr account.