Our son visited Prague during his tour of Europe after graduation on the recommendation of a friend. It turned out to be one of his favourite stops. We have heard the same glowing recommendation from a number of travel friends. We decided it was time to find out if Prague was all it was cracked up to be. It is!!!
Prague is the traditional capital of Bohemia, an area in central Czech Republic, and remains the country’s capital city. It is bisected by the Vltava River and traversed on the pedestrian Charles Bridge. Nicknamed the “City of 100 Spires”, its center offers a rich and culturally diverse Old Town proudly watched over by the Prague Castle, designated as the largest ancient castle in the world.
We stayed for four nights on an independent trip. It took us about five minutes to figure out the public transit system, the exchange and the food. Once we did we were all set. Our accommodations were a quaint studio apartment near Wenceslas Square, within walking distance or a short metro ride to every other part of the Old Town and Castle district. You will also be please to know that a visit to Prague is extremely economical. At present one Canadian dollar is equal to about to 19 Czech koruna.
Our first stop was a tour of Prague Castle which we booked through 100 Spires City Tours.
You can find information about their tours at https://www.tours-prague.eu/. We found this company on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/RealPragueGuides/featured) over the winter while we were planning our trip. The three owners Valery, Vaclav and Nico spend their down time during the pandemic making videos of their hometown. Their enthusiasm and knowledge were evident. I would strongly recommend them when you visit the city.
We met Nico at the base of the Castle and enjoyed a 3 hour walking tour with incredible commentary through the Castle, St. Vitius Cathedral, Gold Street and the smaller Basilica. Nico regaled us with great stories and historical facts. We had a wonderfully friendly interactive small group that asked lots of questions. This was just one of the tours offered by this company so you can find a tour with them that meets any interest you have.
After the tour of Prague Castle we walked back into the Old Town to the historical St. Nicholas church (one of two in
the city) for a classical concert. Classical music from the likes of Handel and Mozart comprised most of the hour with more modern music from television, movies and popular culture near the end. The arrangements were for an organ and a trumpet only and the acoustics in the church were amazing. Prague is know for its love of music and there were numerous concerts playing every night in a number of different venues throughout the city. I bought our tickets online before leaving home from https://pragueclassicalconcerts.com/en/.
This was only our first full day in Prague. To read about the rest of our perfect trip to Prague check out next’s week article.