Pretty Prague

Prague blew me away. The city is full of stunning architecture, beautiful parks, and charm. I only spent 3 nights in the capital of Czechia and I would definitely return!

It also felt like a city full of contradictions and extremes. While it is quirky and creative and whimsical, Prague also had more western chains, both stores and restaurants, than I had seen in the other eastern European cities I explored. There were high-end stores like Tiffany’s and Louis Vuitton. And there were more houseless people on the street than other eastern European cities I visited. It was touristy with lots of locals speaking English and yet it was gritty and lively and a confusing city to navigate.

I did love wandering the streets, getting a bit lost, and gazing into the windows of all of the shops and cafes.

There were tons of cafes filled with gorgeous cakes and pastries. And I also encountered a bunch of health food stores and restaurants.

There was an immense diversity in cuisine — one can get traditional Czech meals that are typically heavy and made up primarily of meat and starch, or one can get Bun Cha from a northern Vietnamese place, or anything in between. Or you could go to TGIFridays, Hooters, or Subway.

On Saturday morning, I made my way to the river to check out the weekly farmers’ market which is just underneath the fortress of Vysehrad. One side of the river was lined with vendors selling produce, breads, flowers, and artisenal food items. The other side was devoted to food trucks with outdoor seating areas set up. It was bustling with people and everything looked and smelled divine!

I bought a cheap ticket to see a new ballet piece entitled Phoenix at the National Theatre. Yes, it was the first live performance I had seen since before COVID, but, it would have been a stunning experience even if that weren’t the case. The National Theatre is a beautifully decorated performance house. The show was sold out and there were at least 4 levels of balconies. The performance was creative, well-executed, and breathtaking.

I also thoroughly enjoyed exploring one of the city’s biggest parks, Petrin Hill. The foliage was just turning spectacular colors and the view of the city with the fall palette was breathtaking. There’s a funicular that goes up and down the hill or you can walk a few hundred steps to get to the top, which is what I did. There are lots of paths that meander through the park and it was fun to take different ones and get immersed in fall.

I did a free walking tour which was a wonderful way of learning about the city’s history and seeing some of the popular sights. Some highlights from the tour:

• seeing the astronomical clock which was created in 1410 and is the oldest clock like this in the world. 75% of its parts are original. The clock not only tells time but it shows the location of the sun and moon and displays the date. It is quite an experience to be there on the hour when the clock strikes!

• learning about the John Lennon Wall and the back and forth between the people and the government over it. When John Lennon was killed, the Beatles’ music was banned from the Czech Republic. People dedicated a wall to Lennon and the city painted over it. People went back and respray-painted the dedication. This went back and forth a handful of times until the city finally gave up.

• walking across the Charles Bridge which is lined with statues and a beautiful view of the city.

I also found Prague to be even more spectacular at night. The city does a fabulous job of lighting the stunning buildings and everything just glows.

Prague definitely lived up to all of its hype. I also found that visiting in the fall, mid-October, to be a perfect time to be there. It was not overrun with tourists, the weather was great for walking everywhere, and the fall colors were outstanding. Plus, it made eating all of that heavy food a bit easier!