Sunday, 28 January 2018

2 days in enchanting Prague


Greetings! This post is the fourth of four posts inspired by my trip to Central Europe last November. My sister and I visited Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, and Prague. I wrote about our stay in Budapest here, in Vienna here, and our walking tour in Bratislava here. I hope you enjoy my highlights of our stay in Prague and the selected pictures below.

DAY 6, Thursday November 16 - Arrive in Prague
After an excellent breakfast this morning, we departed Austria for the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia. The journey took about 3.5 hours, without border control between the two countries. We had a lunch break at the Melikana restaurant then continued our journey, made our way through Southern Bohemia, and on to the Czech capital city, Prague, nicknamed "the City of a Hundred Spires", also known as Praha to the locals.

We checked in our comfortable hotel room, then regrouped to hop on the tram for a short ride to the Municipal House, Prague's most lavish Art Nouveau building that is now a concert venue.

Municipal House, Prague

Michael, our tour manager, gave us a quick orientation then we were off to explore on our own. We walked past the Powder Tower to reach the Old Town. Prague Old Town, is architecturally beautiful with about 900 years of history. The Old Town centre is pedestrian-only. No matter where we looked, there was a row of beautiful buildings looking back at us. We happily spent hours exploring the Old Town and visited Charles Bridge. The bridge itself is a gift to Prague from the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.




Prague is built on seven hills, which slope gently down to the Vltava (Moldau) river. The riverside location, enhanced by a series of graceful bridges, makes a great setting for Prague's fairy-tale architecture. It looked and felt romantic day or night.

Prague river view

Prague at night

We took the tram back to our hotel, and from there walked to a local restaurant for dinner. Prague's beauty has exceeded my expectations. It is a gorgeous city with stunning Gothic and Renaissance architecture. I looked forward to our city tour the next day.

DAY 7, Friday November 17 - Prague City Tour
Our morning sightseeing tour of Prague includes a visit to the Royal Castle District at Hradcany, former residence of the Bohemian kings.

Guards at Prague's Royal Castle

Panoramic view of Prague & Charles Bridge

We enjoyed the panoramic views of the city and Charles Bridge below as well as a visit to St. Vitus Cathedral, the largest and most important church in the Czech Republic.

St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague
Prague Castle
Following our visit, we walked to the Jewish quarter and viewed more magnificent buildings. We returned to the Clock Tower at the Old Town Hall in time to see the skeleton figure of Death tolls the bell and the clock's 15th-century mechanism activates a procession that includes the 12 Apostles.

High Synagogue, Prague

Clock Tower, Prague

In the evening, we joined our group for the farewell dinner with live music at a Czech restaurant. The restaurant owner invited us to sample Becherovka, a traditional and herbal bitters that is produced in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.

DAY 8, Saturday November 18 - Depart the Czech Republic
We had breakfast and said goodbye to our tour manager and fellow travellers. Our driver came on time to transfer us to the airport for our departure flight. Check in was smooth. We had a flight connection at London Heathrow, and arrived in Toronto several hours later.

Prague (Praha) airport

This concluded our fantastic visit to Central Europe and a memorable trip for me and my sister. I'd highly recommend Prague to all travellers. It's now one of my favourite European cities.

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28 comments:

  1. Lydia C. Lee28 January 2018 at 17:15

    Not been but it looks so lovely!

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    1. Natalie28 January 2018 at 18:48

      Thanks, Lydia, for visiting and commenting. Prague Old Town is very beautiful.

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  2. Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond28 January 2018 at 19:17

    Prague is on our bucket list Natalie and will probably do the River Cruise which finishes there. Thanks so much for sharing your photos just gorgeous!
    Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond

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    1. Natalie28 January 2018 at 20:09

      Your plan to take the river cruise sounds excellent, Sue! Prague Old Town is a photographer's dream on turbo charge :)

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  3. Six Little Hearts28 January 2018 at 21:31

    What a stunning place. I have never been to Europe but travelled everywhere else. I am planning a trip to London this year.

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    1. Natalie29 January 2018 at 07:06

      Thanks, Jody, for visiting and commenting. Prague is certainly stunning. Your trip to London sounds exciting. Happy travel planning!

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  4. Leanne28 January 2018 at 23:45

    I did the Amsterdam to Budapest cruise a few years ago and didn't get to take the added option to continue on to Prague - next time I will definitely go there :)

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    1. Natalie29 January 2018 at 07:10

      A visit to Prague is a splendid idea, Leanne! I would love to return and explore some more.

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  5. Sydney Shop Girl29 January 2018 at 03:54

    I've never been but your post is definitely making me want to,

    SSG xxx

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    1. Natalie29 January 2018 at 07:12

      Thanks, SSG, for your comment. Prague is now high on my list to revisit.

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  6. Unknown29 January 2018 at 15:45

    Prague is a city I'd definitely like to visit, even more so when I read your rave reviews.
    I can certainly see that it is architecturally stunning. Why was that, Natalie? Were the buildings mostly by a few well-known local architects, or was there something that drew phenomenal architects to the city? I guess what I'm asking is why did Prague have more beautiful architecture than the other, relatively close by, cities that you visited?

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    1. Natalie29 January 2018 at 18:42

      Great questions, Karen. Prague had many dynasty rulers and was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The rulers ordered buildings of churches, palaces, etc. as they wanted to make Prague the most beautiful city in Europe. In addition, most of Prague Old Town was unaffected by WW2 bombing so we're very fortunate to have the beautiful architecture remained intact to see today, from medieval to Gothic to Renaissance to more modern styles. The Old Town and Prague Castle district are visually stunning, and mostly car-free, just perfect for wandering for hours.

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  7. retirementreflections29 January 2018 at 18:33

    Hi, Natalie - I LOVE Prague. Thank you for rekindling such wonderful memories for me. Great post!

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    1. Natalie29 January 2018 at 18:48

      You're very welcome, Donna. I felt like the tour organizers saved the best for last on this tour.

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  8. Denyse Whelan.30 January 2018 at 00:56

    This is again a place I have never been to nor even considered visiting but your posts are most helpful and just lovely to view.
    Thanks for linking up for #lifethisweek 5/52. Next week's optional prompt is "Starting School Memories".

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    1. Natalie30 January 2018 at 07:04

      Thanks, Denyse, for your link and comment. It's my pleasure to share my snaps from my travels.

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  9. One Mother Hen30 January 2018 at 18:47

    WOW, such grand old buildings! HOw I would love to go to Europe to experience this for myself :)

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    1. Natalie30 January 2018 at 18:55

      Thanks, Alicia, for stopping by and commenting. I hope you'll get to experience Europe.

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  10. Unknown31 January 2018 at 20:33

    Oh Prague, such a beauty. I am determined to get to Prague in my lifetime, it's so beautiful. And I'd love to see that clock in person, it is stunning.

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    1. Natalie31 January 2018 at 20:49

      That's an excellent travel goal, Melissa. Tourism in Prague has exploded over the years. The area in front of the Clock Tower is packed each hour as visitors gather to see the clock actions.

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  11. Margie16 October 2018 at 11:51

    Prague is definitely on my list of Eastern European cities to visit! #citytripping

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    1. Natalie16 October 2018 at 15:02

      Excellent choice, Margie, as Prague is a beautiful city. If you can, try to go during off season to avoid the crowd. Thank you for your visit and comment.

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  12. Lydia C. Lee16 October 2018 at 16:07

    That looks so beqautiful! I hope to get there one day! #Citytripping

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    1. Natalie16 October 2018 at 16:13

      Thank you, Lydia, for your comment. I hope you get to visit Prague.

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  13. Nancy | MapandFamily19 October 2018 at 10:56

    Beautiful photos! I'm going to go and read about the other stops on your trip now. #citytripping

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    1. Natalie19 October 2018 at 11:22

      Thank you, Nancy, for your visit and comment. I hope you enjoy my other travel posts, too.

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  14. Intelliblog23 October 2018 at 07:12

    Prague is a delightful city...
    Thanks for taking part in the Travel Tuesday meme.

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    1. Natalie23 October 2018 at 07:22

      Thank you, Nicholas, for stopping by and for hosting Travel Tuesday.

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