Travel Guide: A Trip to Prague

December 10, 2015

Hi readers!

Winter break is only a week away and I'm so thrilled as I am going to have my New Years in with my mother. Last year, I went to Prague, Czech Republic and Vienna, Austria (which I already have a post written about). I had lots of fun sightseeing and discovering Prague, so I decided why not write about it also? So I did write about my whole trip.

Prague is the capital of Czech Republic, and was also the capital of the Bohemia region. The beautiful city is parted by the Vltava River. The City of 100 Spires was founded more than a millennium ago, reflecting the most of the middle ages. Many historical attractions in Prague survived the war, such as the Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, and the Prague Castle.

I went to Prague last winter holiday, during Christmas break, with my mother. We got the by plane, about a one hour plane ride from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, transferring at Frankfurt. Sadly, our flight got delayed due to the terrible weather. We landed in Frankfurt safely, but missed the plane to Prague. Our flight got rescheduled and we waited for another couple hours. We landed in Prague’s airport, and directly went to the hotel.

The next day, we made our way to Prague Castle, since it’s only about a 20-minute walk away. Prague Castle is castle complex, dating back to the 9^th century. It housed the kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia, but now served as the official residence of the president of Czech Republic. The complex consisted of many buildings, including the marvelous St. Vitus Cathedral, the Church of Virgin Mary, Saint George’s Basilica, and also Old Royal Castle.

After buying an illustrated map to guide ourselves through the city, we walked to the Old Town Square. There was a variety of restaurants there, yet we settled for a Czech family restaurant nearby the Charles Bridge. We ate some local Czech dish for lunch, which is goulash and roasted duck with bread dumplings and gravy. We walked over Vltava, through the medieval Charles Bridge. The stone pedestrian bridge was guided by 30 different statues of famous figures.

A few more minutes of walking, we were at the Old Town Square. Even though it was crowded, i managed to get a glimpse of the Astronomical Clock and took a good snap of it. Old Town Square is surrounded by cafes, shops, and buildings. In the center of the square is a circle with a statue in the middle. One of the most eye-catching building around is the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, a 14th century Gothic church.

Since it was around Christmas time, a Christmas market took place there. There were bright lights, a huge Christmas tree, booths, and a ferris wheel. I bought some souvenirs there. Then Mom was tired, so we stopped by a café to try its famous hot chocolate, while she ordered an Irish coffee.

The short break was a mood booster for us, so we made our way to Powder Tower. Along the way, we strolled down a wide shopping street, but the stores are already closed. The tower was one of the most important buildings in Prague. Some of the most important traditions, coronation walks begins at Powder Tower, and ends at Prague Castle.

Wenceslas (not sure if i spelled it right) Square was our next destination before going back to the hotel. It is located in the New Town area of the city. Two landmarks are at the south ends out the square, the National Museum and the statue of Wenceslas. The city square itself is lined with restaurants, retail stores, hotels, and offices. There was also another Christmas market there, but far bigger and more crowded than the one in Old Town Square. We ate some of Czechs well-known fruitcakes there, it was good but it wasn't as delighted as I expected.

After visiting some stores and strolling around the square, it was getting late and dark so we headed back to the other part of the city to our hotel by taking the metro and tram. The city's public transportation is very convenient and easy to understand, the tickets are also cheaper comparing to the prices in Amsterdam.

It was dinner time, there was a local restaurant nearby our apartment hotel we were interested in. The food was decent and we were satisfied. It was very late, we decided to go back to the apartment hotel after a long day of exploring the City of a Hundred Spires. I had a wonderful time with my mother there and hope I will too this year in Rome!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy my post!

xx Mariana
{Pictures below ;)}