City hopping | Prague

Prague has to be one of the prettiest cities I’ve been to and two nights (read: one full day) just isn’t enough time to marvel the sights of this amazing place. We stayed at the Hilton, a 10 minute walk from the Old Town and we managed to see everything on foot – there are buses and trams of course. In fact, everything pictured above, we did on a cold and wet Saturday, where we managed to walk 15km!

Our first point of interest was in the Old Town centre: the Astronomical Clock and Town Hall Tower. Just before midday, everyone was congregated in the square, waiting for the chimes to ring – and watch intently as the clock moved. We obviously weren’t in prime position, as I saw nothing, despite filming it for a couple of minutes. After a bit of research, figures are supposed to march out – much like a cuckoo clock, but instead, it’s Jesus and his apostles. I was underwhelmed given the crowds and lack of movement, but it was a beautiful piece of architecture, with lots of intricate detailing.

We then made our way to the Town Hall Tower and after climbing what seemed like hundreds of steps for a good 15 minutes (maybe even longer?) we reached the top and the viewing platform. And wow, what a view we had! The platform offered 360-degree panoramas and made for some excellent photography. It was absolute chaos though, with people standing, rather than walking around the platform – and was also very windy. On the ground floor was a beautiful stone-walled room with the most amazing decorated ceiling.

One of the buildings we saw from the viewing platform (as well as on ground level), but didn’t go inside, was the Tyn church. Recognisable by the two gothic spires, which supposedly are not symmetrical, it reminded me of some the buildings we’d seen in Budapest. It definitely had that eerie feel, almost like a Disney villain castle.

You can’t go to Prague and not walk across the Charles Bridge – so we did that, and then walked across the Manesuv most bridge, so we could photograph the famous structure. The walk was half a kilometre, with several points to stop and take photos. Along the way were many baroque statues of religious figures – and unfortunately street vendors trying to flog tat. It was fairly crowded, which is to be expected, but it was so lovely just stopping and watching the stillness of the Vltava River – and imagine it’s even more spectacular during sunrise or sunset.

A lot of people recommended visiting Prague Castle – but what I didn’t realise was that the castle grounds are vast and home to many other buildings. We didn’t actually visit the castle, but walked for ages, before reaching the St. Wenceslas' Vineyard. After a pitstop for some mulled wine for £1.30 (bargain!), we found the St. Vitus’ Cathedral: one of the most recognisable buildings in the city. It really dominates the town, with its imposing spires and it’s just as beautiful on the inside, as it is from the exterior. We went inside and admired the stained glass windows – although didn’t stay long as I’m not religious and always feel slightly awkward going into buildings such as this. It would have been amazing to stay for one of the concerts. I think a guided tour of this area would have been a good idea, too.

What are your Prague recommendations?

Love, Lucy xx