Ah Prague, City of A Hundred Spires. Home to the Largest Ancient Castle in the World. A place where beer is cheaper than water. If any of that sounds appealing to you, start thinking of putting together your Prague Itinerary right away. This is no longer Europe’s secret retreat so the time to go is now. Time to renew that passport and make Prague your next destination.
While you can spend a considerable amount of days exploring Prague, we have found 4 days is the perfect amount of time to see and do all the
Day 1
They say the best cure for jet lag is to walk around (or you could sleep for 14 hours like we did). Spend your first day exploring and getting familiar with the city.
Dancing House
Prague remained relatively intact during World War II. The world decided to hand over Czechoslovakia to Hitler in hopes his aspirations of conquest would fizzle out if he were just given a little bit of land. The same logic as giving a cookie to a toddler throwing a tantrum. One cookie is never enough.
Surprisingly, the Allied Powers could care less about liberating Prague which in hindsight would prove to be an oversight. This would result in the city avoiding the destructive bombings other European cities would endure.
However, During the bombing of Dresden, Germany, one American squadron of planes took a wrong turn and mistook Prague as it’s intended target destroying a large portion of buildings.
Some plots of the bombed area would remain as rubble for more than 50 years before new construction took place. One of the most famous and controversial of those new buildings would be the Dancing House.
In hopes of creating a cultural icon, the idea was to create the illusion of a boring communist-style building transforming into an elegant and sophisticated work of modern art. The concept was intriguing but the building received poor reviews from the Czechs because it is so different from the style of the surrounding neighborhood.
Despite its backdrop, it’s a fascinating piece of work and is worth stopping by on your way to Vyšehrad Fortress.
Vyšehrad Fortress
As you continue to ease into the bustling of Prague, Vyšehrad Fortress offers an uncrowded glimpse into the cities early history plus great panoramic views of the Vltava River.
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Behind the Basilica is the National Cemetery which contains Czech’s top deceased cultural icons.
Old Town Square
It would seem as though all roads lead to Prague’s Old Town Square. This makes a great landmark if you get lost. The square has served as a marketplace since the 11th century. Nowadays, instead of wooden stalls of blacksmiths and butchers scattered about the square, there are restaurants and retail stores all around you. However, if visit during Christmas time the square time travels back to those medieval marketplace days. Food Vendors pedal cinnamon spirals known as Trdelník and the steam from Mulled Wine fills the air.
Right away you’ll notice the church spires that look like a Disney villains lair. This is the Gothic Tyn Church. Every invading force that took Prague throughout the ages made this their primary place of worship. The entrance is difficult to find but if you go through the Italian restaurant in the NE side of the square, you will see the giant doors. Entrance to the church is free. The inside is even more impressive than the outside.
Astronomical Clock
On the opposite side of the Old Town Square is Prague’s Astronomical Clock. Built in the 1350s, the clock helped citizens keep track of time, day and month. The clock chimes at the top of the hour and the figurines representing the vanity of humans do a little show. It’s not worth sticking around for but you have to be impressed by the complexity of something built over 600 years ago.
Charles Bridge
Perhaps the most well-known icon you’re going to find in every Prague Itinerary is Charles Bridge. During a period of 400 years, this was the only bridge across the Vltava River. Based on how crowded the bridge gets, you’d think it was still the only way across the river. Go early in the morning or late in the evening to really appreciate the views from the bridge.
The bridge is lined with 30 statutes of famous Czech saints. Each has a fascinating story to be uncovered. You’ll see the largest crowd around St John of Nepomuk. Legend has is he was the Queen’s confidant. When the King demanded John share the Queen’s secrets with him, John refused even when tortured. John was then heaved over the side of Charles Bridge and died. But days later his body resurfaced under the bridge. The people believe this was gods way of shaming the King for killing an innocent man and John was made a Martyr. You can see his elaborate silver tomb in Prague Castle.
Lennon Wall
One of the stranger attractions in Prague is the Lennon Wall. Named after John Lennon, there is no obvious connection between the former Beatles singer and the Czech Republic. In fact, if you didn’t know any better you would just see an ordinary wall covered in graffiti. The meaning behind the graffiti is what makes it a meaningful visit and why we added it to our Prague Itinerary.
The beginning of the wall began with a single image of John Lennon. It appeared days after Lennon’s assassination. Years later this image would inspire the spirit of the young Czechs who grew tired of the their communist overlords. Each day the wall was added to with colorful images of love and anti-communist messages. Pretty risky when you figure being caught speaking against the government would lead to your “disappearance”. Authorities would try to cover the art with white paint but the next day like some Czech graffiti Hydra, there would be twice the amount of art covering the wall.
While the original images of Lennon are buried beneath layers of the paint, the wall continues to collect images of social unrest and messages of peace and love.
If you’re starting to get excited about creating your own Prague Itinerary, wait until you see the recommendations for Day 2.
CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE TO PRAGUE ITINERARY: DAY 2
Chad can be summed up by his idea of a perfect day: Waking up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains, warm cup of coffee in hand then grabbing his camera and fly rod, hitting the trail to explore some uncharted territory followed by cold beers and campfire steaks. Chad is often joined on his adventures by his wife, Tori, and their dog, Kona.
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