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Published: April 18th 2008
During my time in university, I spent four months studying at Charles University in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, I didn’t get into digital photography or blogging until after my time there. So, while I can’t share my favorite pictures or remember ever detail of this city, I would like to share my experiences and thoughts on how a backpacker could do Prague justice. The first part can be found in any old guide book, with my twist on it, but the latter part is where you can escape the crowds. I hope this can help guide travelers as they see this city I loved!
Prague has plenty of tourist sites, which are definitely worth visiting. One of the most famous is the Old Town Square, with the beautiful cathedrals and astronomical clock. However, the majesty of this place isn’t in the square itself, but in the small winding street disseminating from this area. I would strongly encourage you to check out this area starting from the Powder Tower (so named because it used to house gun powder). This is known as the King’s Route, as it is the route the king and visiting dignitaries would take into the old city.
Old Town Square
It was an amazingly crispy spring day...Before going through the Powder Tower look to your left and right. Notice that the streets are perfectly straight and have few streets entering the old city? This is because that is where the walls previously stood protecting the old city. Walking along this street you will see plenty of tourist shops selling various souvenirs, namely the crystal that the CZR is famous for. There are quite a few good, but expensive, cafes in this area; find one with a basement, and when you go down the stairs; this is the real old town of Prague. Built back in the 900’s, the modern city has been built on top of these buildings. If you want to splurge, I highly recommend the Brazilian Steakhouse just behind Old Town Square. The $16 plate is all you can eat, so make the most of it.
Keep following the crowds through the old city, and you will come to Charles Bridge. The bridge was built by the good King Charles around the 1300s and has come to hold many fabulous statues. Of particular noteworthiness is the Jewish Jesus, forcibly paid for by a Jewish merchant. Few people realize that below the water level,
Powder Tower
The gateway to the Old Town water soaked wooden logs support the bridge. These are the odds and ends you pick up as you living in a city for four months. At the end of the bridge you reach Mala Strana. This is where the government of old, which was located in the castle at the top of the hill, and the government of new, located in the government buildings on the west of Mala Strana, meet. The buildings are known for their winding streets and red roofs and are worth a little meandering.
Getting up to the castle is a decent hike, or an easy tram ride. From the backside of the castle you can get a great view of Prague and you can also see the nobilities’ palaces. Take a walk down that street to check out some of the old cathedrals before entering the castle itself. Within the castle the most noteworthy structure is the St. Vitus Cathedral. It took several centuries to build and you can see this when looking at the towers. They ran out of money during construction and the towers sat unfinished for many years. When the finally gathered the money to complete them, they decided to complete
them in the current fashion, not in the style they had originally be constructed in. If you feel like spending a bit extra, you can climb the towers to get a great view of the city. Personally, there are several places that offer just as good of a view for free. Also, you can pay to get a tour of the castle, which is interesting, but not needed; and you can pay to get access to a small street, called Golden Lane, within the castle grounds composed of miniature houses of varying colors, coincidently one of which was Franz Kafka’s residence. The street is extremely quaint, with different colored small houses; but during high tourist season it loses all its feel and may not be worth the extra money. After seeing the castle, take a break on Petrin Hill, grab a bottle of wine or beer and relax under the trees.
Another big tourist attraction is the Jewish quarter. Ironically now the home to the designer stores and fantastic, posh restaurants, it is a great place to splurge, have some great meals, and chill out. The synagogues are interesting and tell the story, or more appropriately plight, of the
Jewish community in Prague and their fight through the centuries, culminating the devastating losses during the Nazi occupation of the CZR. The real site to see here though is the Jewish cemetery. With graves scattered about in no logical order, it provides a very picturesque opportunity to enjoy some peace and quite within the city. That is, if you get there in the morning before the hordes of tourists.
Lastly, Wencelas Square is the heart of the new city. At the top of the square is the National Museum. This is definitely worth checking out if you are a museum buff and has some great exhibits. There are plenty of stores and cafes up and down the square. In particular, if you are looking to check out some cheap clothes, on the right had side of the square, facing away from the museum, closer to the old town; there is a Czech designer store that has great deals on some decent clothes. And, a trip to Prague wouldn’t be complete without a bite of food and a beer (or a shot) from one of the food stands in the square. The food is alright as a snack any time
of day, but it is delicious walking back to your hostel from the bars after a night on the town! I would recommend the deep fried chicken with a Staropramen.
As for nightlife, my favorite bar in the world is Lucerna Music Club right of Wencelas Square. Great music most nights of the week, but the star is the 80’s night on Fridays. Seeing lanky, goofy, Czech men air guitar and serenade the Czech women from the stage at the front of the club, while Bon Jovi plays on the cinema sized screen behind them is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It is fantastic! If loud music isn’t your scene, go to the Wine Bar below the Golden Sickle Hostel (great hostel by the way). The downstairs part of the bar was built back in the 900’s and has a fantastic ambience. However, they don’t server beer on tap in the downstairs. If you want a great beer, walk up towards the museum and turn right and on the right side of the street look up for a green “Bernard Pivo” sign. Bars will typically only serve a few kinds of beers, and finding a
micro-brew isn’t always the easiest. Bernard beer is one of those micro-brews and is fantastic. Krusivic was another I particularly enjoyed. Staropramen is good, and is half the price of the country’s famous Pilsner Urquell. If you like dark beers, most breweries have dark versions of their beers that are very tasty, and Velvet is another great brew. Try a Czech black and tan. And, if you want to dive into the Czech culture, get a shot of Bechorovka. It is Czech liquor made from the herbs in the countryside; it is much more a legit part of Czech culture than the Absinth shot you were told to take. Oh, and remember, Na Zdravi (to your health, or cheers)!
So, that takes care of the major sites and some of the fun to be had in the main part of Prague. If you want to escape a little, get on the red line up by the museum and take it a few stops to Vysehrad. This is the original castle in Prague. The area has been inhabited for over three thousand years and was first made the seat of the Czech Republic around 1000. The walls of the old
Gargoyles
On St. Vitus Cathedral castle are well preserved, and entering through the old Tabor gate provides and interesting entrance. You will see the large church of Saints Peter and Paul. Adjacent to the church you can find a cemetery created for famous Czech citizens. It houses many famous poets, musicians, and politicians; serving as a point of national pride for the Czech people. For history, and conspiracy, buffs, one of my favorites was St. Martin’s Rotunda. It is a tiny little cylindrical building that was the earliest Romanesque Rotunda in Prague. This served as home to the Vysehrad Chapter, a powerful clerical entity throughout history, which enjoyed many political and cultural privileges. Not subject to the Bishop of Prague, the Chapter answered only to the Pope himself. Most interesting, and very Da Vinci Code-esque, you can see a lot of pagan symbolism in the architecture. In my opinion though, the best part of Vysehrad is just relaxing in the green space and taking in the charming quietness of the city.
Now, that takes care of the touristy stuff. If you want to dive into the Czech culture, you will need to leave the downtown area of Prague. Get on the tram at Wencelas
Changing styles
See how they change styles part way up the tower? Ran out of money... Square and head towards the main train station. At the second stop past the train station get off and turn left. Go down the staircase and proceed a few blocks to the square. This is Zizkov. Welcome to the working class area of Prague, the place where I lived for four months, and the area with the most bars per capita in the Czech Republic, which drinks more per capita than any other nation in the world. So, if you are looking for a pint, you are in the right place. There are plenty of restaurants and beer halls that you can dive into and enjoy real Czech food. Order some meat and dumplings (knedliky; personally I preferred the potato dumplings) and suck down a beer while some soccer or hockey plays on the TV in the corner. It is a real Czech culinary experience. My second home while I was in Prague was Planeta Zizkov. It is a small bar located on Tachovske Nam. There are great beers on tap, good food in the back, and the bartender, Milan, is probably the best bartender I’ve met the world over. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but he was fantastic
to us and it is a great atmosphere, being completely estranged from the tourist feel of Prague’s city center.
Oh, and if you tell a well-to-do Czech you are going to Zizkov, expect a funny look, but don’t worry, it is 100% safe; I walked around there for four months, mostly in a half drunk college aged stupor without a problem. Just watch your wallets on the tram as Zizkov is home to most of the Roma (or for those less political correct individuals, Gypsy) population in Prague. Many Czechs don’t exactly get along well with the Roma, and that is why you will get the funny glances.
There are some sites besides beer halls here too. Zizkov hill is home to the communist mausoleum. Also on the grounds is the largest equestrian statue in the world, of the one-eyed General Zizkov. Both of these aren’t as fantastic sites as the park area around them that provides a great place to relax for a few hours. Also, from any high point in the city you will notice the huge Zizkov Tower. Like most ex-Soviet capitals, the communist government built a huge communications tower. However, this one is special
as a Czech artist found it to be ugly, and, in order to liven it up, he decided to put several enormous entirely black babies crawling up and down its sides. It is worth going in for a close up, as it is one of the most bizarre sites I have ever witnessed. And, once you are here, I would suggest taking a stroll back towards the center of town getting lost in the nice, tree lined, pastel colored building, streets of Vinohrady or another, more upscale neighborhood of Prague to round out the day.
Well, those are the main places I would point anyone heading to the city of Prague. I would recommend taking three days to do it, you could do it in two, but that would be rushing it. Of course, I spent four months there and didn’t see everything! I was lucky though, as one of my courses was a walking tour of Prague so I picked up a good amount of history. Also, as you may expect, I had plenty of time to check out other cities in the countryside (Karlovy Vary, Ceske Krumlov, Ceske Budejovice, Pilsen) and other cities/countries in the vicinity (Krakow
, Budapest , Vienna, Berlin, Munich…). While I probably won’t blog on those, as my trips were short, I don’t remember any of the names, and don’t have any digital pictures of them, I would be more than willing to share some information on them. If you are heading to Prague, I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions at all! Enjoy!
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