FRIDAY 20 OCTOBER 2017

Prague Guide

Prague is a city of charm. From its Gothic architecture, to its tottering red trams running along cobblestones and food that's filled with familial warmth. Whenever I look back at the photos I took in Prague, I instantly think of fairytales. The famous monuments are dramatic and the colours of the buildings are magical. Prague really was one of my favourite places I visited last year. It was beautiful, the people were so kind, the prices were extremely affordable, the cafes were lovely and the overall atmosphere was akin to a happy and quaint Gothic town. The days it snowed made Prague especially beautiful and added to that magical European air.

Our Airbnb was located in Letna in a district called Praha 7, and thanks to our host's guidebook, we managed to go to a couple of cafes in the area as well as all around Prague. I think the best thing about Airbnb, is that you get to find out about local cafes and restaurants that aren't commercialised, and are genuinely local. I think I'll make a separate post for Prague cafes!

We visited Prague after Christmas, but the Old Town Square still had a huge Christmas tree and their Christmas market on. I'm not sure if the market is a all year round thing, but we were lucky enough to experience it. It's a great place to get food and snacks. I'd highly recommend trying the Tredlink, or chimney cake, watching them get made is extremely entertaining and they're so tasty. The original ones are covered with a coating of cinnamon sugar, but you can also get different toppings like Nutella. Kolonada spa wafers are typically Czech, and they make really good souvenirs. The one we bought at the Old Town Square was warmed up for us and had a sugary hazelnut filling. For something salty, I'd highly recommend the spiral chips, they're super oily and salty, and the best guilty pleasure, especially in the cold. Grilled smoked cheese on bread was surprisingly delicious too, even though the cheese looked like a piece of charred rubber. I can't remember what kind of cheese it was, but it was so good.

Trams are the way to go when travelling around Prague. It's charm lays in it running along cobblestone roads, and it's a great way to see Prague. We got the tourist 3-day pass, that allowed us to ride any form of public transport within the given time frame. It was only 310 Czech Korunas, which is roughly around AUD$18. They can only be bought at certain stations, the best place to get them is at the Prague central station, Praha hlavni nadrazi. You can get them from the tourist booth, but there's always a long queue. You can skip the queue by buying your tickets at one of the ticket machines, I have a feeling that the machines only accepted card though, so keep that in mind.

I've never visited Europe in the summer unfortunately, so I've always experienced everything during the winter. I wonder what Prague is like in the summer? I felt like the atmosphere, the food and the buildings of Prague really suited a winter backdrop though. This thought was most apparent when we looked over the city from Prague Castle. Seeing the snow dusted red roof tiles of Prague was like looking at picture of a postcard. Although at times it was blisteringly cold, wintry Prague was great. I really want to go back to Prague one day, when I do, I also want to make a trip to Cesky Krumlov, apparently it's amazing.