Prague Travel Guide: Top Landmarks, History and Hidden Gems

In this episode, we take you on a journey through Prague, from its cobblestone streets to its iconic landmarks. Join us as we explore must-see spots like Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, and the Astronomical Clock, and dive into the history of the Jewish Quarter. We’ll also share quirky finds like the Lennon Wall, the Dancing House and a tiny alley with its own traffic light. Whether it’s climbing towers or wandering historic streets, Prague’s charm never gets old. Tune in for travel tips, favorite moments, and why this city keeps pulling us back. Read more about Prague here.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back. I'm Lisa. And I'm Erin. And this is the Getaways Podcast. We get to talk about a super fun city today. Probably. I'm so excited. I love it there so much. And we have been there together twice, and then I've been there by myself twice as well. So where should we start? Let's start with where we stayed.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Okay, so the first time was the first time was New Year's 2019, and we stayed at the Hilton.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Which was lovely. Highly recommended.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Yeah, just right right outside Old Town. Like what was a 10-minute walk into the Sunny Center?

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Um, and I had we had cash then, and there's places to walk. It's good for dogs, like that's it's pretty um dog and family friendly at that hotel. Then the second time we stayed at an Airbnb. And the city is designed in, I think are there nine or ten different areas?

SPEAKER_00 0:55

I'm not sure, I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

So, but the it's called Praha One, two, three, or four, etc. So Praha One is city center, and um, and that's you know, obviously where everything is. Then two is sort of getting a little bit more family-friendly, a little bit more um, you know, apartments, less, less traffic, less tourists, and then three is very close to two, but but a little bit further out even. So for our second trip, we stayed at an Airbnb, like it was right on the border of two.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

It was it was in Praha 3, but you walk across the street and you're in Praha 1.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Yeah, and super lovely neighborhood. We could walk to the grocery store. There was a dog park right across the street, which Rex was obsessed with, plenty of places to walk, plenty of places to shop, but we did need to take the underground to get to city center.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

It was it was right outside our door, and trains run all the time, and we were in the city center in like seven minutes.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Right. And then I went with my sister and my niece in October, and we stayed in an Airbnb in one, on the outskirts of one, but in Praha One.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Oh, you were in one? Yeah. Oh, I thought you guys were in two for some.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

No, and it was really nice because we could just walk to everywhere in city center, and you know, we we did take a bolt a few times when we retired, but we certainly didn't have to. That was that was a choice. Um, but I would say that if you're going with kids and dogs, probably two or three. If you want to really be in the center, stick with one. But also know that Airbnbs are not expensive in Prague.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Oh, not expensive at all.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

So the place we stayed was two bedrooms, really nice.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

Two bedrooms and the bedroom that Dylan and I share were two king-size beds.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Yeah, and it was what, like a hundred euro a night? Yeah. And then the place that I stayed with my sister and my niece, three bedrooms, super cute, had everything we needed, and it was about the same price. So super affordable and and easy. And then you also obviously get the opportunity to, you know, make your own breakfast in the morning or whatever, just sort of save, save that money as well.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

I also I like to stay in Airbnbs because I like to I like to picture how it would feel to live there because I'm always looking for where I want to live next. And so that's why I think Airbnbs are great.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

Yeah, yeah. But I think especially if you have kids or animals, you want the space, you know, you don't all want to be crammed into one room. So definitely, definitely pros and cons to both. Um, okay, so activities. What's your favorite thing that you did in Prague?

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Hmm, that's tough. I mean, I would say the old town car tour because I make us do it every time we go. Yeah, that's where I'm going.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Okay, so that is literally what it sounds like. And an old-fashioned car comes and you either meet at a place in city center or they arrange it in advance and they'll come pick you up at your hotel or Airbnb. And then you do a tour of the city. And it's about, I think ours was an hour and it was 70. Is that what it is? 75 euro. Um, so you know, not the cheapest thing, but also not extraordinarily expensive and really informative, really fun. You know, we had people taking pictures of us as we were driving by. Like, it's just kind of a fun, you know, touristy thing to do. Um, but gives you sort of the lay of the land, especially like we usually do it right when we land into a city is do some sort of tour so that we can just get a sense of things, and it was it's perfect for that.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Yeah. I'll put a link to it on the website, but they're all they're all downtown in the old town. You can just pick one up on the road, yeah. Or you can call ahead and they'll pick you up at your hotel. Because didn't want to drop us off back at the Hilton.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

They picked us up and dropped us off there. Okay. So I love a lot of things, but um, Old Town Square is just so charming and it it feels like you can imagine what it was like back in the day, you know, even pre-communism or communism of like it just being a real meeting place. It's huge, it's overwhelming, it's beautiful. And then with the astronomical clock, you know, everybody crowds around it to watch the strike of the hour. It's just really kind of cool.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

Yeah, it was my first like real introduction to Eastern Europe, and the architecture is so much different and so cool. It's very gothic feeling, and that's kind of my vibe, I think.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Well, and you guys did I mentioned communism, and it wasn't that long ago that it was communist, but you guys did a tour that I did not yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

Well, you started it with We went, we did the nuclear bunker tour. So the beginning, we after the meeting point, we walked through the city on the way to the bunker, and he like came kind of gave a history of communism in Prague and the Czech Republic, and then we got to the bunker, and that's where you decided to to bid us adieu. Um, and then so the bunker was actually on the back of a basketball court in a park, so it kind of was hidden, and then you go in the store, you go down like three stories, so and then it's a whole like little town down there. There are bathrooms, showers, kitchens. I got it very claustrophobic down there, I have to say. It was very cool, but it felt very deep.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

It's a that that part of history is not something as someone who grew up in America that I know very much about. I mean, it was really interesting to hear his perspective of what communism was like. And also, I don't know if you remember, but our driver from the old town car was talking about how his parents felt about communism, which was so dramatically different from anything that ever occurred to me. So it's it was just kind of an interesting perspective to talk to the people there and see see sort of what imprint communism left on the city and the country, I think. Okay, other things that I love there. Charles Bridge is obviously a no-brainer, like you have to walk across. Then we went up in the tower, right as you begin to cross from the old town, and I think it was like 10 euro or something, but you can climb all the way to the top and you get a really lovely view of the whole city and of the bridge. Um, so I would definitely recommend that. And the other thing that we did when you were not there was we did the Lennon Wall. Oh yeah. You know, so after you cross the bridge, you sort of veer off to the left, and the Lennon Wall is over there along with the tiny alley for Shakespeare and company, um, which are all we're seeing. But the Lenin Wall is just sort of feels like it's not, but like there's sort of a Berlin Wall vibe to it. It's it's much much smaller, and obviously for a different reason. So yeah, so I would definitely cross the bridge and sort of and the previous times I'd been there, I had never sort of veered off to the left on that side of the bridge. But it's a whole neighborhood and there's parks over there, it's really lovely. Um, but definitely recommend seeing the wall.

SPEAKER_00 7:49

And then is that the tiny alley that's like a foot and a half wide? Yeah. Yeah, that's I want to see that.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

And then we stopped at a restaurant which you're gonna have on the website, that we had the cutest lunch. It was right on a canal, and there's um there were statues in the canal, and there's a big water wheel. And we had the cutest best lunch there that um I think that was well, we ate really well the whole trip, but that that lunch was particularly special. The it was family-owned. The the owner came out and like recommended dishes and made sure that we had our picture taken. Like it was just we felt very well taken care of and very well fed, and it was a beautiful setting, like right around the corner from the wall, and like I said, on this canal that was really picturesque.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

So yeah, while we're there, let's talk about when we went this past spring. We've lived in Europe for almost nine years, yeah, and Italy was the first six, and um so pizza is very dear to us, and we have a very specific feeling about how pizza should taste. And we've had a really hard time finding really good pizza outside of Italy, right? But we had the best pizza in Prague, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

We did. It was so good. I mean, I have to say, like the food in general in Prague is really, really interesting and really good and not expensive.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Super cheap. Super, super cheap.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Yeah, I mean, you can eat very, very well there for not a big tab. I mean, it's it's a really interesting food place. And and again, the the places that I especially that I went with my niece and my sister will be on the website, but we did not have a bad meal at all. I mean, it's like everything was, you know, I don't want to say surprisingly good because we didn't expect it to be bad, but we were like, oh my gosh, for that amount of money, we just had a feast that was delicious.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

Yeah. Yeah, I I don't think I've had a bad meal there. I did get a touch of food poisoning, but I think that was from a buffet.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Yeah, which is always a bad idea.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

Um, okay, so other things that we loved there, we well, I went with my sister and my niece to the castle and the cathedral, which I've driven by, but I've never gone in. Yeah, well, it's a bit of a trek to get there. Um, but you should give yourself like at least half a day to be able to take your time and sort of wander through that area because it really is worth seeing. It's really, you know, you've got the history, you've got the beauty of the architecture. Um, you know, it's it's just definitely worth seeing. There's there's sort of, you know, I felt kind of bad that we'd never gone before because it really, it really is worth seeing and um and worth allowing at the amount of time you need to actually like enjoy it. Um now we were there in October, so crowds were not bad at all, but there were still tourists there. So I would buy your tickets early and make a plan if you're going to do that, because I think that it probably does get a little crazy in in high season.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Good idea.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Um, and then just two little things to like, you know, go by and see is the dancing house, which is just a architecturally interesting, um, it's an apartment building, isn't it? I think it is an apartment building. And then the Kofta rotating head, which which spins every 15 minutes. You know, it's just something you should see. It's cool. Um, and then the one thing that we haven't done, and I know this is gonna sound really weird, but in the Jewish quarter, there the cemetery is supposed to be really, really special. And we did not go, and I know that's not everybody's thing, but it is something that I would like to see at some point because I feel like that's an important part of history, and um and it's supposed to be incredibly moving, which I'm sure it is, but something we have not done.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Something we have done is the medieval dinner.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

It is, which is the total polar opposite.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

Very touristy. Exclusively touristy, I would say, but it's fun, especially if you have a child or a teenager. Dylan went twice. He went when he was 13, and then again this year at 17, and he he enjoyed it both times.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

Yeah, it's really fun. So you are in this restaurant, and it's the the tables are close, it's pretty packed. There's also communal tables, and there's entertainment. People are you know eating fire and there's dancing and there's jousting, or I don't even want to know jousting, but there's fighting. You have your choice of three proteins, you have a very like simple but fun meal, um, four courses, beer and wines included.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

Um, it's just you know, it's cheesy, but it's it's fun, and it's also uh, you know, it's because the tables are communal, you meet different people and see where other people are traveling from. Cheesy but fun. It's the urban version of medieval times. Um, but yeah, I mean, you know, authentic, probably not. Fun, absolutely. Okay, so speaking of food. Yes, always. Well, we did a little bit that we loved, but was there anything specific that you loved or didn't? Uh I love the chimney cakes. Jack food tends to be, you know, meat and potato heavy. Um, so they have these dumplings though, they're like bread dumplings that I really like, but they go in like the sort of beef stew kind of thing. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:09

Yeah, those are good.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Yeah. Um, but yeah, you know, like I said, uh we didn't have a bad meal. It's fun to try local food. Um, it is it is heavy though. It's definitely cold weather food. And obviously beer is a big thing there. The food was, it's definitely, definitely good and definitely affordable.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

We did find a new drink there. Oh, yeah. Do you want to say it? I don't know how to say it. Do you? I have no idea. We love a good after dinner drink.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Yeah, a digestive, right? And so this is ginger and I mean it's herbal. So we like to think of it as medicinal.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Tastes medicinal, but good.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

But really good. But we'll I'll put a picture on the website. It's it's it's a good one. It is a good one. But I had my sister and my niece try it when we were just there, and they both thought I was stark raving bananas.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

Not for everybody. I thought it was terrible. Not for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

So taste uh taste with caution, but we're but we're fans. Did you find it dog friendly? I think outside of city center, for sure. I think that sometimes, you know, in the city centers in general, I find that it's a little bit more difficult because there tends to be a lot of people, there tends to be a lot of you know activity and and not always conducive to a dog that especially is very energetic, like you know, somebody I know. Um, but two and three, praha two and three, I mean there are parks everywhere, there's walks everywhere, dogs are having their best lives. So, you know, I think I think if you're in an Airbnb outside of City Center, or if you have a calmer dog, I think it could be very dog-friendly all over. I'm not sure what the rules are for taking dogs into restaurants and stores. I didn't see that so much. But um, but there are certainly plenty of places to exercise and get them out outside of city center.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

Okay, so if you're going with kids, there's an amazing toy store that we went to the first time we went, and it was called Hamley's then, which is a big UK department store. But I think they changed and it's called the playground because it's the playground.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Yeah, and the first time Dylan and I spent probably four hours there, and then we went back and the second time and did more activities, but there's a whole area that had a butterfly garden where you could walk in and they would land on you. There's um mirror maze, there's escape rooms, there's um virtual reality, and that's all in addition to a giant toy store. Like a four-story toy store that has a slide going from the top to the bottom.

SPEAKER_00 15:39

That was a really cool thing.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Like so many interactive things. Like, I mean, you could literally, especially like if the weather was bad, you could spend the whole day there.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

There's so much to do, and it's really, really cool.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

It's fun.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

Yeah, no, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

For kids of all ages.

SPEAKER_01 15:53

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think that it is it is um a very family-friendly city. We also did a show that we didn't love, but I think younger kids would have loved called Glow, um, which was like a glow in the dark thing. It was it was you know, it was it's for younger kids, but I think younger kids if you just let go, but you know, teenagers probably not, adults, you know, Grin and Barrett. Um but lots and lots of stuff to do, and we still have a lot more to explore there.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

So much more. I can't wait to go back, to be honest.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

No, I know. I really, really do love it. And I think it's a very, very livable city. Um, one thing I will say about the airport is about 30 to 40 minutes outside of city center, maybe a little bit longer than that. But a lot of the Airbnbs will pick you up from the airport and bring you in for 30 euro, which I think is a pretty good deal. So maybe as you're organizing your travel, look into that just to see if it can make your life a little bit easier once you land. So highly recommend go get yourself to Prague. Maybe we'll see you there next time.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please like and subscribe and check out our website at www.thegetaways.com. That's the getaways, g E T A, W A Y Z dot com. And we'll see you next time. Thanks for listening. Bye bye. Bye.