Ten years ago, a weekend interrailing stop-off in Brno gave me an all too brief taster of the Czech Republic; Prague has been at the top of my travel bucket list ever since. Now having just spent three days walking my feet to blisters on those infamous cobbles, I can confirm that the city of the Stag Do is everything I’d expected and more. Actually, arriving on a Sunday night in November and leaving Thursday morning meant a happy absence of naked boozy men! People can sometimes dismiss Prague as, well, naff and touristy – but there’s good reason for those tourists. The city is home to some of the most breathtaking architecture and sweeping skylines views I’ve ever seen. And, yes, the beer is really cheap!
We touched down at 5pm so our first look at the town was by the light of the many Narnia-esque lanterns that line the cobbled streets. The famous castle district was lit up behind us as we headed across Charles Bridge, gawping at the dramatic statues and the skyline ablaze in pinks and yellows. Seagulls flocked overhead and, on the Vltava River below, hundreds of swans huddled down for the night.
We deferred our own bedtime in favour of some ice cold white wines at bistro La Bottega di Finestra, then some Aperol Spritzs at Grand Café Orient, and finally a shot of oak barrel-aged pear brandy at beer hall Lokal. Easing ourselves in gently!
Waking on Monday to unseasonably warm weather and bright blue skies, we pulled on comfortable shoes for a day of extreme walking. We mapped out a giant loop around the city which would take us past all of Prague’s most famous architectural landmarks in one day. Helpfully our hotel was right next to the castle district, the perfect area to kick off our tour with some drooling over the insane St Vitus Cathedral and the surrounding pink-walled courtyards.
Camera batteries already running down, we went in search of a bird’s eye view over the town, climbing the tree-lined gardens up to the Petrin Observation Tower, a mini replica of the Eiffel Tower (only briefly distracted by the kid’s playground).
From here we headed south east across the lower Legion Bridge (fantastic views up the river) where we had a quick gander at the Frank Gehry’s Dancing House, one of those Marmite buildings that traditionalists love to hate. I liked it; the buildings represent Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair dancing with each other, which is pretty cool.
From here it was past the Emaus Monastery with its majestic sail-like crown, and up the hill (be warned, there are a LOT of hills) to the the Vysehrad fortress, one of the oldest places in Prague and my favourite spot. The views back over the city are stunning and the surrounding park was beautiful in the autumn sunshine. It was also pretty much empty on a Monday morning – a far cry from the tourist mecca we’d been led to expect.
Below the cathedral you can wander through the amazing Vyšehrad Cemetery, which houses the Slavin tomb where the most famous Czechs are buried. You could lose hours here taking in all the intricate sculptures and mosaic work special to each headstone.
Did I mention that Prague is the most dog friendly place in the world? Pete and I were merrily dog-watching the whole trip (and marveling over how well behaved they all were – must do better, JD!)
By this point our stomachs were rumbling, so it was up into the Old Town for some lunch at Café Café. We liked the buzz of this place so much (far removed from the touristy fare just a few minutes away around Wencelas Square) that we returned for dinner on our final night.
Refueled, we wandered up past the infamous Astronomical Clock (nothing on Zytglogge in Bern) and along the river up to the Metronome sculpture, erected about 25 years ago to fill the gap left by the destruction of a gigantic monument to Stalin. Another massive hill but we were rewarded by an incredible view over the city.
Meandering back through the autumnal Letna park at dusk was the perfect end to the day, taking us back down past the castle for a final look at the walls turning gold in the twilight.
If day one was for ticking off highlights on the tourist trail, days two and three were all about going off the beaten track. When we told Pete’s ex-pat friends we were headed to Zizkov and Kalin, their response was “Er, why?” But as soon as we crossed the northmost bridge and entered Kalin by way of the insane cubist Hilton building and saw the rows of pink and yellow houses, we knew we were right to trust in the hipster blogs! The north east of the city is like East Berlin is to the West – less gleaming ornate architecture and more gritty ex-communist streets and monuments; and, most importantly, a fantastic café culture.
We started the day in what would quickly become a favourite – Muj Salek Kavy, serving delicious coffee (and when we returned the next day, black bean dip and nachos with a tasty Pinot gris). Other highlights included Tea Mountain, a little shop of zen where we drank our weight in white Nepalese tea under the careful instruction of our tea barrister. He explained exactly the right temperature to brew the leaves and how long to wait between each infusion; by the time we emerged in a caffeine-blurred fug, we realised almost two hours had gone by!
For lunch, I’d highly recommend Sansho, an unassuming restaurant run by British chef Paul Day, using produce sourced from the markets serving the large Vietnamese community in Prague. We’d read about this place in the Wallpaper guide but had dismissed any possibility of getting a table at short notice. However, by some fluke we blagged a bench at lunchtime the next day, and got to enjoy some amazing dumplings and Thai red vegetable curry!
Food aside, the area around Kalin offers a wealth of wine bars (try Vletlin for sheer volume of wines by the glass) and cafes serving booze and snacks. We also read great things about the takeout coffee at Kafe Karlin and the fruit buns from Simply Good but these were sadly shut when we walked by as it happened to be a national public holiday – great timing Alice and Pete!
Kalin and Zizkov aren’t just about food and booze though. We fully earned those by trekking up (through another lovely park) to the National Monument, a dramatic stone building that offers more insane views from its concrete platform.
Then it was all the way across to Tower Park on the other side, where the notoriously ugly Zizkov TV Tower looms – made even weirder by David Cerny’s freaky black Babies crawling up the sides… I’d advise seeing this one before hitting the vino.
Returning to the city centre, we recouped with a couple of gin fizz cocktails at Cantinetta Fiorentina, a cafe with interior grandeur entirely in keeping with its location on the expensive Pařížská shopping street. Then we kicked off the night with some wine (surprise!) in a wonderful little wine bar called Velky Vinograf at the foot of Charles Bridge.
Pre-dinner cocktails at Hemingway Bar lived up to expectations, especially Pete’s absinthe concoction which arrived in a comedy Hulk mug!
As for the main event; dinner was at the fabulous La Finestra restaurant where we feasted on homemade pappadelle followed by coconut sorbet.
Stuffed, we rolled our way down to Jazz Dock, a candy-coloured boat designed by architect Pavel Suchy, moored on the riverside. Sitting by the futuristic bar, we were treated to some Czech folk rock courtesy of Johannes Benz and his awesome band. A dreamy end to another fantastic day!
Whether you come to Prague for the monumental royal castle and cathedrals or the decaying grandeur of Zizkov is more your bag, I challenge anyone not to fall in love with this city. From the pastel rows of houses in Kalin to the glowing castle facade by night, our three days in Prague were utterly unforgettable.
