Overview
Prague is special. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and certainly in the world. While tourists have been flocking in hordes to the Czech capital over the last decade or so, the city has stayed steadfast in holding onto its traditions and remaining as Czech as possible. It is a city defined by its beauty and grandeur, by its elegance and frivolity. Only in Prague could the beer be cheaper than water, the Czech Crown rule over the Euro, the nightlife be so inviting yet so foreign.
Is it Cheap?
Not anymore! Although Prague is the most expensive place in the Czech Republic, it is marginally cheaper than any other tourist cities in Western Europe. Besides hostel prices increasing to around 30-40 Euros in high season, food and beer is still pretty affordable. Prague is also the only place in Europe where beer prices are actually lower than water prices at most establishments.
Dancing House
View From Naplavka
John Lennon Wall
Prague Castle at Sunset
What to Do
The best way to enjoy Prague is to take it in slowly. While many people come to Prague to take in the beautiful views and experience one of Europe’s craziest nightlife scenes, the city itself has an excellent assortment of great activities to do while you are nursing your hangover from last night. While there are many things that do cost money, Prague is best experienced on the streets. Taking a walk through the narrow cobblestoned pathways of old town will transport you back to a simpler time while its parks will expose you to all the mystique the city has to offer.
Letna Park: The park sits just north of the city and holds one of the best views of Prague. Many people head up the various flights of stairs at the parks entrance to grab a beer, watch the sunset and relax.
Prague Castle: From the old town, cross the Charles Bridge and head up to the hill to Prazsky Hrad, a UNESCO heritage site and arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. If you want to go into the castle or its cathedral make sure to get there early to avoid long lines. During the winter, the city puts on various Christmas markets with one of the best being in the shadow of the tall gothic cathedral.
Old Town: The old town of Prague feels and looks like something out of a storybook. The architecture, the narrow streets and the grandeur that its emits leaves most people standing in awe, taken aback by the beauty that man can create.
Naplavka: This is a special area of Prague near the dancing house full of pop up bars and cafes that sit right on the Vltava river. It’s the best place to chill, grab a beer and enjoy the moderate Czech summers.
Kampa Park and the John Lennon Wall: Kampa Park sits on the new city side of Prague only a 5-10 minute walk away from the John Lennon Wall. The wall is a big tourist attraction but is free and filled with good vibes and street performers playing Beatles hits. It’s definitely worth checking out. Kampa Park is a great place chill, check out the local flair and possibly even see a rasta guy juggling fire.
What to Eat and Drink
Svíčková (beef sirloin in cream sauce): a typical Czech dish and one of the most popular Czech meals. It is sirloin prepared with vegetables and double cream. It is generally served with houskové knedlíky (bread dumplings). While the Czech cuisine is very similar to the German or Austrian, this specialty can be found only in the Czech Republic. Served with cranberry jam and whipped cream.
Kachna/Roasted duck: a duck with white and red cabbage and potato dumplings (bramborové knedlíky) ranks among other traditional dishes of the Czech cuisine. To be enjoyed with traditional Czech beer.
Czech Beer and Liquor: Czech beer is a no brainer. You will find beer everywhere for prices cheaper than water (this is not a figure of speech, a pint of beer costs less than a glass of water). The best brand is Pilsner Urquell (or any kind of home-brewed beer). Other solid beer options include Staropramen and Kozel.
Among other types of alcohol are Absinth (the country is the homeland of this beauty, try to look for specialized Absinth bars), slivovice (fruit liquor, mostly from plums, apricots or cherries is considered to be the fountain of youth in Moravia – the eastern part of the Czech Republic. If you ever come across a home-made slivovice, you must try it) or becherovka (herb liquor).
Trdelník: The center of Prague (and of other bigger cities) is swarming with trdelník stands. It is a cinnamon roll, possibly filled with whipped cream, ice cream or nutella. Although a little bit too touristy, it is very appetizing.
Řízek (fried pork slice)/Guláš (goulash)/pork knee and other dishes that the country shares with the neighbouring cuisines, mostly German and Hungarian. If you’ve never tried one of these, you should definitely try them here.
Transportation
Prague has a vast public transportation network, consisting of trams, buses and subway. All means of transportation are very reliable and a 30 crowns (30 minutes)/32 crowns (90 mins.)/140 crowns (24 hours) ticket enables you to use any kind of public transport within the city. The tickets can be bought in vending machines, in tobacco shops or from bus drivers (only BUS drivers!).
In case you cannot find either one of these, you can use an electronic ticket by sending an SMS message “DPT32” to 90206 (mentioned on every bus/tram/subway doors) but pay attention, not all foreign providers enable this service. Transportation in Prague is very easy, even at night, just be aware of pickpockets, mostly in rush hours.
Best Way to Get to Prague?
The Prague International Airport (Letiště Václava Havla) offers direct flights to and from all major European cities. For those of you who will be travelling from London, Paris, Brussels etc., the plane is a no-brainer as it takes usually between 1-2 hours for a little over 100€ a roundtrip. However, for those who wish to come from smaller European towns, a layover in Frankfurt, Munich or Vienna is likely to be needed. In most cases it is short and without complications.
If in any case these two options do not apply to you, there is another way than to spend 6 hours at Munich airport (the same goes for hard-core savers). The Czech bus company Student Agency offers extremely comfortable bus lines to Prague and most Czech towns (including free Wi-Fi, personal screens in front of every seat with movies, music, games etc., free water and/or coffee, free newspapers and so forth) for ridiculous prices (e.g. Munich-Prague for 20€). For longer distances, the bus goes usually overnight so won´t lose a whole day travelling. Link (available in English and German):
Similarly, this company is less comfortable but has a wider range of destinations and very decent prices as well:
Where to Stay
Prague is a hostel mecca, catering tons of hostels to the thousands of young travellers visiting the city year round. You can find pretty much every type of hostel in and around the city center, from expensive boutique hostels catering to flashpackers, to your more basic, cheap bed situation. The closer you get to old town, the more expensive the hostel will be, although none should ever be more than 40 Euros in high season.
Nightlife and Clubbing
The nightlife in Prague is absolutely insane. From tourist bar crawls to local underground techno clubs, Prague has so many options to choose from.
If you are new to Prague and enjoy going on bar crawls, the Drunken Monkey Bar Crawl might be one of the best in Europe. For around 20 Euros, you get unlimited drinks at their bar before they take you to three more bars and typically a club. While 20 Euros can go far in Prague, the Drunken Monkey exceeds what a typical bar crawl experience is. Their bar is perfect for starting the night, meeting new friends and playing some drinking games with people from all over the world. They generally go to Chapeau Rouge at the end of the night which is an extremely fun bar and mini club.
If you want a bit more a of a local experience you have to do your research before going out. Please avoid the tourist clubs and bars that advertise like crazy in the city center. Do not go to Karlovy Lazne, unless you are into overly expensive crowded tourist clubs.
Prague is also full of awesome beer halls and cave bars if you are more into imbibing than spending all night on a dance floor. For a traditional experience with great local fare and home brewed beer we recommend U Fleku.
To see one of the coolest bars in Prague head over to U Sudu, a local legend pouring cheap brews for the masses.
We recommend trying these clubs which appeal both to tourists and to locals.
Cross Club: A bit north of the city center, about a 12 Euro uber ride sits Cross Club. Both a restaurant during the day and a two floored nightclub in the evening, Cross Club embodies the spirit of Eastern Europe, a dark, strange and absolutely good time. They typically play deep house or drum and bass. The club costs 15 Euro entrance fee, but is completely worth it. Often times they have local and regional DJ’s come play sets on their vibrantly decorated stages. The club is adorned with pipes, metal and strobe lights, something out of a steampunk nightmare. Don’t miss it.
Lucerne: Lucerne is known for their legendary 80’s music parties on Thursday nights
Other nightclubs worth checking out and approved by a local are:
Alibi
Nebe
Duplex
Klubovna 2.Patro
My Travel Essentials For A European Backpacking Trip
Below you'll find a list of my must bring backpacking items. I have gotten this list down to my essentials through trial and error over 4 years of living in a backpack. I hope you'll find these items helpful on your journey!
►Main Backpacking Backpack: https://amzn.to/3vUHdik [Amazon]
►Great Front Facing Duffle-bag : https://amzn.to/3SjK6Ra [Amazon]
►Quick Dry Towel : https://amzn.to/3uarxH8 [Amazon]
►Multi Country Charger Adapter : https://amzn.to/3Ul37p0 [Amazon]
►Refillable Water Bottle : https://amzn.to/48SnG0n [Amazon]
►Padlock : https://amzn.to/3SdyYp7 [Amazon]
►Earplugs : https://amzn.to/498xTpl [Amazon]
►Power Bank : https://amzn.to/3SyXP8e [Amazon]
Travel Photography & Video Favorites
If you're interested in creating your own video content on your trip, these are some of my favorite items I've had. They work, they're effective and besides the Sony Aa7C, they aren't going to break the bank either!
►On the Go Video | Go Pro Hero 12 : https://amzn.to/3u38oHh [Amazon]
►Photography | Sony A7C : https://amzn.to/3u1Y6ap [Amazon]
►Portable Tripod | https://amzn.to/42ojHqc [Amazon]
►Lavalier Microphone | https://amzn.to/3SbL41U [Amazon]
►Drone | https://amzn.to/47TCwSY [Amazon]
►Portable Monitor | https://amzn.to/3Hzv2dg [Amazon]
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