Prague has been in my list for so long, but somehow it kept moving. Finally, I decided to do a solo road trip from Amsterdam to Prague in the first week of January 2023. If you have read any of my other travel articles, you already know that I love road trips!
First week of Jan also means that there were Christmas markets everywhere. I had been to several of them in the past, however this was first time in Prague, visiting a Christmas market! What a treat!
So, as usual, a few days of intense research – I read a lot, watched tons of videos and finally several hours and coffees later, below was what I concluded.
Prague Castle
Charles Bridge
Astronomical Clock
Old Town Square
St. Vitus Cathedral
Lennon Wall
Dancing House
Old Town
The Powder Tower
Here is one video that particularly helped me a lot.
Since it was a solo trip, I did not plan further. Booked a cheap Airbnb and headed to Prague.
Some 10 hours into the drive with several stops in between, I arrived, had some quick dinner and settled for the night.
Prague is very well connected with public transport – which is what I used for next few days. Driving and parking in city center is not recommendable for obvious reasons.
Talking about public transport, Prague has some very interesting trams and subways. Some of them reminded me of what I saw in Moscow.
Here are some interesting trams 🙂
Walking tour
It is a thing in Europe if you did not know. There are ‘free’ walking tours available in most cities. Obviously they are tours conducted by folks who work based on goodwill tips. I have done several walking tours across several cities. Such tours help a lot on getting a good overview of the city in a short amount of time without spending a ton of money. Just google for free walking tour + city name and I’d always recommend one.
While walking along, I crossed most of the attractions listed above. More importantly it gave a good sense of what the city is all about.
Having said, there are three most important sites that cannot be missed when you are in Prague.
The Prague astronomical clock:
Wikipedia says “The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest clock still in operation”
The next must visit site is Charles bridge
Again quoting Wikipedia, “Charles Bridge is a medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the early 15th century. The bridge replaced the old Judith Bridge built 1158–1172 that had been badly damaged by a flood in 1342. This new bridge was originally called Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or Prague Bridge (Pražský most), but has been referred to as “Charles Bridge” since 1870″
And finally the Prague Castle.
Visit to the castle is something that needs to be really planned as you would need entry ticket, follow specific timings etc.
What is also impressive is the view of city from the top of the hill.
After the first two days where I spent most of the time visiting the places, The last two days were all about socking that all in.
I spent several hours walking and wandering around streets trying to take in as much as I could. Prague is a beautifully maintained medieval city that will never disappoint you.
Thanks, Dileep.