So our first Europe
trip finally happened. First of the many I promise.
Europe
spoils you for choices for short trips, especially in summers.
Different places offer different flavor of vacation. Prague finally
trumped over other options because it checked so many check-boxes -
beautiful, vibrant and lets
admit it fantastic currency-exchange value. More in the blog on that.
We went with the list of to-dos based on the research before our visit. But as always some of the best memories of the visits are unplanned :). Before we talk about the small
subset of fun things to do in Prague lets cover an important topic.
Transport in Prague
If
you plan to use public transport find a tobacco shop, marked and get yourself a pass. A
3 day pass worth 310 CZK per pass per individual was perfect for the duration
of our stay. More info can be found here. This pass can be used for any
public transport and proved to be very convenient. Get it punched -in to
activate your 72 hours period of
validity and then feel free to hop in and out of any tram, bus or metro. These
together connect every place of interest in Prague very well.
All too famous touristy must-dos in
Prague
Charles Bridge
This density of
people on this bridges rivals that of infamous Bombay local stations but unlike
any other the crowd makes it so much charming.There are hawkers,musicians to
entertain and the place is so full of life. The parapets are lined by baroque
statues and adds to the beauty of the place itself. Quite rightly has been rated as one of the
best sunset spots in Prague, especially if you are watching it from a few
stories up from the tower.
Here is the view from top of the charles bridge tower.
The tower is open
from 8am to 10pm in summers and the ticket is for 90CZK per person.A mesmerizing
view, beautiful people and a happy vibe - holy trinity.
If wading through the
crowd is not your thing, visit the place at dawn to avoid the crowd and enjoy
the place like you own it :). Prague is also getting popular for destination-wedding photography,so there were
a few others who had taken the pain to get there by 5:30am.
A good thing about
summers in Europe is you can do a lot,as the day starts at 4am and sunsets
around 10pm. Leaves you lot of time for partying, sight seeing and relaxing.
Old Town Square
In
our 4 days stay,there was not a single day when we did not visit this
place.This is where everything happens. Lined by numerous restaurants,
shops and performance artists, this place is buzzing with energy. Just hang around and soak it all in.
Astronomical Clock
Every hour, it gets into action and hundred of tourists crowd the place.You can watch the video here.The
Astronomical Tower offers some amazing views of Praha.The ticket is for
250CZK per person. The charm of the clock is the mechanical intricacy
married with aesthetics.
Prague Castle
Another popular tourist destination that offers an good view of the
city, The castle houses museums, cathedrals and historic monuments. There are 2 types of
tickets-short tour and long tour for 250 and 350 CZK respectively.
The royal guard changing ceremony is a key attraction here. The guard changing
happens everyday at 12 noon in courtyard 3.
If I have to be
honest, I would skip this if I had known what was coming. But interest vary so
check out whether it would excite you or you are better off spending time and
money doing something else. I guess taking a guided tour may make this more
interesting. Just a thought no promises here :)
Cafes
Prague
has some grand and posh cafes. We tried breakfast in different cafes on
all morning of our stay. We were impressed by the food and desserts
these cafes offered.
So much so that we think it needs a whole blog post.Read about where to eat in Praha here.
Breathtaking views
The
city of hundred spires can be admired from the Old Tower, Charles
Bridge tower,Prague Castle, Lenta park, Petrin Hill, Glass bar etc.
Lenon wall
Once
a normal wall, since the 1980s it has been filled with John
Lennon-inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles' song-another fun place to be.
Dancing house
It
was designed by the Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in
cooperation with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry on a vacant
riverfront plot.Gehry originally named the house Fred and Ginger (after
the famous dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – the house resembles a
pair of dancers.The glass bar and Fred and Ginger restaurant offer a
great view of the city.We enjoyed a couple of drinks as we watched the
sun set down from the Glass bar.
This is all we could do in our short visit and it was a lot of fun.There
is still a lot more you can do.Take a cruise or paddle boat.Take a drink and
just walk around,enjoy the view and music,the tram rides,Chill in a park
with a view,watch the sun as it sets,there is happiness all around in Praha.
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| Lenta park |
