A Wonderful Prague Weekend

Everything you see in Prague is a highlight of some sort, given the beauty of the city. More than any other city I have been to, Prague is consistently beautiful and literally every building is worthy of pictures. Having said that, the things I enjoyed most included:

- Hradcany (the Castle): an amazing site overlooking the city
- Vysehrad and the Slavin Cemetery: an off-the-beaten-path site and the most amazing cemetery I have ever seen
- Staromestské námestí (the main square in the Old Town): a good starting point and fun place to hang out
- Petrin Hill: for the best view of the city
- the amazing architecture throughout the city
- the bridges and statues all over the city

Quick Tips:

Don't try and see every single site in Prague if you only have a few days. My favorite part of the trip was hanging out at outdoor cafes and enjoying the people watching. This wouldn't have been possible if I had tried to see every nook and cranny of the town.

Don't be afraid to hop on the subway and head out of the main tourist center. The subway was easy to navigate and it was nice to enjoy a more local experience.

Bring some good walking shoes and lots of film.

Crystal is a good souvenir and there are several shops where you can find some very nice crystal vases and such. If you don't want to carry your purchases, the shops will ship them for you. You can negotiate the price.

Best Way To Get Around:

Don't worry about renting a car unless you plan on driving outside of the city. It is easy to walk anywhere you would want to see in the main parts of Prague. For perspective, it only took 25 minutes to walk from the castel to the main square (which cover the boundaries of where you will walk most of the time).

For outlying areas, the subway system was very easy to navigate.

When you get a taxi, ask the hotels to call one. If you hail one on the street, it tends to be much more expensive. Make sure the taxi has a meter. In terms of comfort and cost, I found the taxis to be quite reasonable.

I wasn’t sure what to expect given that the Hotel Kampa was associated with Best Western. But I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found. First, the hotel is in a great part of town (Mala Strana or the Lesser Town) which is easy walking distance from all of the best sites (Charles Bridge, the Castle, Petrin Hill), but is not overrun by tourists. Plus, there is a small park behind the hotel to relax and hang out and the hotel provided some nice options for my morning runs along the water or up Petrin Hill. Second, the hotel was a lot of fun. It has been decorated in 17th Century style…meaning there is full knight’s armor, lots of wood and coats of arms, etc. There is even a dinner show with sword fighting and other medieval activities including a very worthy feast. It is a little over the top, but I thought the décor and the show gave the hotel a lot of personality. Third, the staff was amazing. They helped with every request, made great recommendations, and helped with arrangements throughout town. Finally, the room was huge! Having just come from Paris, the comparison made the room seem even larger than it was, but by any standard it was large and comfortable. The bed was a little hard…but I think that might have been fairly characteristic of Prague given my only other lodging experience in the town. All in all, this was a great place to stay in Prague and I wholeheartedly recommend it…for families and couples alike.

Kolkovna is a combination restaurant and pub. There are two levels…both have a bar and dining. The out-door seating is also very nice when the weather permits. The neighborhood is nice as well and this is a perfect stop if you are anywhere near the main square or the Jewish quarter. The shopping in this area is also fantastic (and upscale). As for the food, it was very good. Czech food is pretty heavy, and typically pretty bland, but I enjoyed my meal very much. We ordered way too much food…this will be true for anyone who orders the ribs and anything else. Apparently, the ribs have a very good reputation because everyone we talked to lit up when we told them we ordered ribs at Kolkovna. Having grown up in the South, I am a bit picky when it comes to ribs. But they were pretty good and there were plenty of them. This restaurant is a little more expensive than other places in Prague (although still very reasonable by U.S. standards), but it was worth the extra money. Overall, this was a very relaxing and enjoyable experience and I highly recommend Kolkovna.

I was told that this was one of the nicer restaurants actually owned by Czech natives. It seems that a lot of Americans and Europeans have descended on Prague and opened several restaurants and bars. In the grand scheme of things, this is only a minor reason to check this restaurant out. The more important reasons are the food and the location. This restaurant is conveniently located no matter you are staying in the center of Prague, but tucked away enough to avoid the throng of tourists. If you are staying at the Hotel Kampa like we did, it is about a 200 meter walk. It is next to the river and outdoor dining is available. It can be very romantic and pleasant (as long as you don’t mind the smell of Citronella which is used to fight off insects). We ate inside because it was rainy and cool and enjoyed the ambience very much. It is a relatively small restaurant, particularly by American standards, and is minimally decorated. As for the food, it was a very nice first meal in Prague. The prawns and the chicken were fantastic. I was tired and it was late, so no dessert this time…although a couple of the dessert choices looked very nice on the table next to ours. The service was unremarkable, but considering I was very tired, this is a pretty strong endorsement. I definitely recommend this restaurant.

After a few days of Czech food, I felt like something with a little more spice. Plus, I wanted to eat at a nice restaurant on my last night in Prague. Barock was one of the few logical options. Barock serves a variety of Asian foods (including sushi). It has a very nice atmosphere and is located on a beautiful tree lined street only a couple of blocks from the city center. It is clearly one of the more "trendy" spots and reminded me of something I might find in Paris. As for the food, overall it was good, but it was a little bit of a mixed bag. I really enjoyed the spring roll appetizers and the sushi was pretty good. The other entrees were fine but a little bland. Even with some hot sauce, I wanted a little bit more spiciness. The drinks were also a little bit bland, but they tried hard to get them right. The waitress was very nice and attentive and made some nice suggestions when she noticed that we weren’t totally happy with a couple of our selections.

If you really want Asian food while you are in Prague, Barock is probably about as good as it gets. In hindsight, I probably would have saved my cravings for my return to New York. But I did enjoy my dining experience and recommend the restaurant unless you are a real stickler about your Asian food.

Oddly there is a miniature replica (60 meters high) of the Eiffel Tower on top Petrin Hill. You can go to the top of the tower (it costs about $1) and you will be rewarded with unobstructed views of not only Prague and the castle, but also of the outer suburbs of Prague including many communist era apartment complexes and the stadium. Of course you have to get to the top of the hill as well which you can do by walking (about 15-20 minutes uphill) or taking a funicular railway (from 8 A.M. to 9 P.M. approximately). I preferred the walk because the sights along the way are part of the fun of this excursion. There were some amazing gardens and it was nice to be in a natural setting after wandering through the streets of Prague for a couple of days.

No one goes to Prague without at least walking through Staromestske namesti (which means that it is packed with tourists). This is the main square in the middle of Stare Mesto, the Old Town. Despite the crowds, it is definitely worth the visit. First, it is a good place to start because it helps you orient yourself as you walk around the different sections of Stare Mesto. Second, there are dozens of outdoor cafes that are great for grabbing a beer and watching the sights and sounds of this crowded square (the people watching is a lot of fun). Third, the architecture is stunning…the colors, the intricate facades, the towering cathedral. Finally, there are some specific sites worth seeing such as the Astronomical Clock (watch the mechanical figures perform every hour on the hour), the Jan Hus monument in the center of the square and the Gothic Tyn Church behind the square.

Keep in mind that everything in the Old Town is only a few blocks away from the square including some of my favorite sites like the Charles Bridge, the Old Jewish quarter, and some great shops and restaurants.

You can’t possibly miss the castle (hrad in Czech) and cathedral perched atop the high ground overlooking the city. It is a breathtaking site and one you are drawn to from the moment you enter the city. It is walking distance from anywhere in the city center (allow about 20-25 minutes from Staromestské námestí in Stare Mesto, the Old Town) and there are many interesting shops and cafes along the way. In terms of things to see at the Castle, I recommend the following:

St. Vitus Cathedral: You will see the cathedral from outside the castle walls and be drawn to it as you enter the castle gates. The detail of the architecture was amazing and the gargoyles on the outside were one of my favorite architectural features in all of Prague (which is saying a lot). Once inside the Cathedral, you will be blown away by its size, by the beautiful stained glass windows, and by the design details throughout (i.e. frescoes, inlaid jewels, paintings, etc.). One of the guides compared it to the inside of a jewel casket. You will also find the Imperial Mausoleum and the Bohemian crown jewels in a separate chamber.

Basilica of St George: It isn’t that impressive from the outside, but it is a beautiful Romanesque monument. It has been meticulously restored to replace the original 10th century church.

Convent of svJirí and Golden Lane: Stop by the convent to see an excellent collection of Gothic art. The Convent houses the National Gallery’s Old Bohemian art collection. Then you can walk down Golden Lane and enjoy an the multicolored 16th century cottages.

Old Royal Palace: This is where kings were elected and Czech presidents are sworn into office. You can wander through several rooms including Vladislav Hall.

Of course there are many other things to see in the castle so set aside a few hours and just wander. When you get tired, you will find many cafes, restaurants and pubs to sit back and enjoy a beer and bite to eat.

After spending a couple of days in the hectic city center, Vysehrad (the city fortress and park) sounded like a nice place to relax and enjoy a more "local" experience. There were very few tourists and lots of open space to walk around. It was a little rough around the edges (a little run down), but there were several things to see that made it worth the trip (10 minutes by subway). The most memorable site by a long shot was the Slavin cemetery. Next to St. Peter and Paul’s Church (which is quite beautiful but a bit understated compared to the catherdral’s you will see in Prague), you will stumble across the cemetery. At first glance, I didn’t expect that much. Fortunately, I was intrigued by the first set of grave plots and decided to walk in. What I found was amazing. It was the most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen. As I would find out from my Rough Guide to Prague, this cemetery is the final resting place for many of the great Czech intellectuals. Given the large number of artists, writers, composers, etc. it is no surprise that the cemetery has become a work of art in and of its own right. Some famous names that you might recognize include the composers Dvorak and Smetena. The Czech people place such a high value on art and intellectual pursuits that not even the communists were able to get into this cemetery unless they had earned the right on the merits of their intellectual achievements. Have a seat and relax. You will notice many Czech citizens looking for a prominent "resident" of the cemetery. It was ironic that I was able to help many of them find what they were looking for using the information in my guide book.

As a side note, the subway trip to the park was a fun, easy experience. It was easy to walk to the park from the subway as well.

No one can go to Prague without commenting on the architecture. It may be the most architecturally beautiful city I have ever seen. The thing that most amazed me was the consistency. Everywhere you look, the buildings are incredible. The little touches, the statues, the brickwork, the colors all combined to create a picture perfect façade throughout the town. Considering the Czech Republic was a communist state for several decades, it is quite a feat that there is no evidence of the ugly communist architecture you find in other places in Eastern Europe. My only regret is that I can only provide four pictures in this entry.

The main reason for this entry is to provide some more photos of Prague. But having said that, the statues and bridges of the city are definitely worthy of comment. The statues on the Charles Bridge alone could be the subject of a full chapter in a guidebook. But beyond the obvious statues and bridges, you will continually stumble across the most amazing sites. In fact, some of my favorite statues were in very obscure places...perhaps the greatest collection of statues was in the Slavin Cemetery (see separate entry).