As part of our Czech tour, we spent two and a half days in Prague. Although I don’t usually like spending a lot of time in one place, we had a „mission” here: since Prague is the home of beer, we decided to visit at least ten well-rated pubs. We succeeded in this, and a separate article will be written about it! 🙂
Table of Contents
Sunday
We arrived in Prague after visiting Hluboká Castle. Our accommodation was in a suburb, next to the Strizkov metro station, from where it was a 15-minute journey to the city center. We bought 3-day passes, which allowed unlimited travel, and it’s free for those under 15.
After a hearty early dinner, we went into the city where exploring the Old Town was on the program. Here we saw the „usual” sights: Tyn Church, Clock Tower, Charles Bridge. And of course, we wandered around aimlessly a bit, as the small streets and alleys are very atmospheric.
Meanwhile, we visited two pubs: U Tri ruzi and Lod Pivovar. I definitely recommend the latter because it’s a ship on the Vltava River that serves as the pub itself. It’s worth sitting on the upper level and enjoying the view – and the beer, of course. 🙂
Monday
Our first sight today was Vyšehrad. The „C” metro line has a stop here, and the castle complex can be reached in about a 5-minute walk through the Tabor Gate. This is an area protected by castle walls and several gates, with the central element being the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. The neo-Gothic church is imposing from the outside as well. It’s worth walking along the castle wall, as there’s a very beautiful view of the city center to the north.
We walked down from one of the gates to the Vltava riverbank, from where we took a tram to the Dancing House. It’s an interesting building, worth a photo. From here we walked to the funicular leading to Petřín Tower on the other side. Along the way, we touched upon the Memorial to the Victims of Communism.
The funicular leading to the tower was being completely renovated and wasn’t working. So we had no choice but to walk up to the tower. This is about a 20-minute walk, but it’s worth it because the tower offers the best view of the city. You can take the stairs or the elevator. We were feeling a bit fit, so we chose the stairs both up and down. Since the staircase is open, we get increasingly beautiful views as we go up.
From here we went to the castle, stopping by the Strahov Monastery brewery along the way. This is quite a popular place, and their homemade beers are excellent. We also ordered a small beer tasting alongside: together it was world-class. 🙂
We explored the castle thoroughly. The main part is naturally the cathedral, which looks wonderful from several points in the city, let alone up close. It’s a huge building with many small sculptures characteristic of the neo-Gothic style. The view from the castle wall towards the Old Town is also very beautiful.
We walked down towards the riverbank, where we visited Prague’s narrowest street. You have to go down between two buildings and indeed only one person can fit. There’s a traffic light system, but many people don’t follow it, so crowds often build up. However, it’s worth trying, it’s a fun thing to do.
We hurried across Charles Bridge to a pub, Pivovar Národní. Along the way we passed the Kranner Fountain, which is a monument to Emperor Franz I. It reminded me of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh, which looks similarly beautiful.
From the pub we walked to Kafka’s rotating metal sculpture, which is mandatory if you visit Prague. The head consists of metal layers that continuously change its appearance and position through rotation. His work „The Metamorphosis” perfectly fits this attraction.
We took a tram to one of the city’s most beautiful churches, St. Ludmila Church. Also Gothic style, the view in the center of the park is very beautiful. After this we visited two more pubs, and after the two beers, we headed back to the Old Town. It was starting to get dark, so we were able to take good photos.
Tuesday
There was heavy rain in the morning, so we decided to wait it out in the apartment until it stopped. Fortunately, this happened in the early afternoon, and we set off around 12:30.
First, we went to the viewpoint on Vítkov Hill, which rises near the Old Town. It’s about a 10-minute walk from Křižíkova metro station, you don’t have to climb much uphill. The panorama is beautiful, worth putting on the must-see list. In addition, Jan Žižka’s equestrian statue and the National Museum are also located here.
Two more pub visits remained. From these, I highlight U Kunštátů. Besides the pleasant place, the beer selection is unmissable! You can choose specific beers, but you can also describe what you want and the waiters will put together a selection. That’s what we did, they brought out six different beers for us. There was even a grapefruit-flavored one, so you can really taste special ones. It’s not a cheap place, but it’s well worth it!
At the end of the day we wandered aimlessly around the Old Town again, the many alleys are perfect for this. We headed home around seven o’clock, which ended our two and a half days.
