When I arrived in Prague I wasn’t sure how the trip would unfold. This was my first solo, international adventure. It was also my first time traveling to a country where I knew none of the language (I did research useful phrases and translate them into Czech, however, my pronunciation was awful!). Overall, I was pleased with everything about this trip. I learned a great deal about myself and what I can do without the help of others. I visited many amazing places and created many memories.
My final day began a little later than I had planned (8am, rather than 7:30am), but I was still able to see and do everything that I had planned. Because many of the places I wanted to visit did not open until 9am, this gave me time to visit some of the other statues and monuments that did not have restricted hours.
First Stop: Main Train Station, Praha Hlavní Nádraží
Turns out, I had actually been here yesterday, but didn’t realize it. I had a minor emergency when the batteries in my camera died, so I entered what I thought was simply a metro station, to buy new batteries. I did not know there was another building connected, but on the other side of the road that was the Main Train Station. It was beautiful! Much more artsy than the train stations in France, but still quite simplistic.
Next Stop: St. Nicholas Church, Malá Strana
Prior to leaving France I purchased a small travel guide for Prague. Many of the places mentioned in the book were already on my list, however, there were many places I did not know about, but seemed interesting. The St. Nicholas Church was one of those places. On the outside, it looks like most other churches. On the inside it is much more detailed than most churches I have visited. The altars were extremely elaborate and detailed.
Next Stop: Prague Castle, Pražský Hrad
Living in France, specifically the Loire Valley, I am no stranger to the beauty of castles. I’ve visited several castles in France and a few in Spain, but that is all. A friend suggested that if I only visit one thing in Prague to be sure to see the Prague Castle. This friend is French, so I knew that her recommendation was one not to be ignored.
I spent a considerable amount of time researching Prague Castle because I wanted to learn about the history and plan an adequate amount of time to visit without feeling rushed. I’m glad I researched because it was much more massive than I had imagined. In fact, I learned, it is the largest castle in the world. Also, it’s apparently the residence and office of the President of the Czech Republic. My goal was to arrive between 9am and 10am, which I was able to do.
While it is very easy to find and see the Prague Castle throughout Prague, when one is there and trying to actually enter the castle, it is much more complicated. I spent more time than I would like to admit walking in circles trying to find the entrance. It turns out that signs in Prague are only written in Czechoslovakian, which is not in the least bit helpful for me. The good news is that the French are terrible at creating signs, so I am quite used to walking around blindly.
Visitors have a choice of which type of ticket to buy, depending on what you want to see and do. I strongly suggest you buy the most expensive, 700CZK (about $32) as you will be able to pass several hours without becoming bored or running out of things to see and learn. Also, if you can, try and arrive as close to the beginning of an hour as possible, as there is an interesting changing of the guard ceremony to see. It’s very similar to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, but much more casual and less intimidating.
I began my visit in St. Vitus Cathedral. It was beautiful and quite impressive, however not much different from other cathedrals I have visited that were built during the same period. The stained glass windows were absolutely stunning.
While visiting St. Vitus Cathedral my camera began yelling at me that my batteries were almost dead again (turns out I took a lot of pictures throughout this trip). Luckily, I was still near the entrance and the gift shop where I could buy more batteries.
Once I had a camera that was ready to go again, I headed toward to Old Royal Palace. It turns out that it was closed that day for technical reasons. Things like this happen to me often. I used to get upset, but now I view them as an excuse to return if I like where I am visiting.
Right next to the Old Royal Palace was the exhibition “The Story of Prague Castle.” It was interesting because it detailed the history of the castle, as well as what has been discovered during renovations. Overall, it was interesting, but also overwhelming because there was so much information to read and so many artifacts to see.
When I left this exhibition I ended up in the gardens, where I spent a considerable amount of time wandering and exploring. Unfortunately, it is not peak season for the gardens, so they were not that impressive. However, the views of Prague were astonishing. Also, because of a lack of signs/maps/information of any sort, I accidentally ended up leaving Prague Castle. To return, I had to climb up hundreds of stairs and retrace my steps, practically back to where I started.
I then visited St. George’s Basilica. It was nice, but the man checking tickets at the door was very rude to everyone who entered. He left a bad taste in my mouth and it was difficult for me to enjoy being there, as I was expecting him to start yelling at me again.
Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower was my next stop. This was an area where people would have lived hundreds of years ago. It was still set up like a town, with shops and houses you can visit. It reminded me of the Petit Trianon in the Palace of Versailles in France. It was interesting, but extremely crowded. I visited many areas, but there were some that were simply too crowded. If there had been fewer people, I could easily have spent twice as much time exploring this area, but was feeling overwhelmed by the situation, so I decided not to stress about seeing everything.
After finally making my way through the massive crowds, I made my way to Powder Tower (not the same one I had already visited). The building itself was interesting, but the exhibit inside was less interesting for me. It was dedicated to the military and displayed uniforms. It was interesting, but not of very much interest for me, so I walked through relatively quickly. The one nice aspect was that it was not crowded at all.
Rosenberg Palace is also included in the ticket and is very interesting; however, photos are not allowed so it is one of the least memorable parts of Prague Castle for me. It is set up like it was when people lived there, so it was interesting to see, but really nothing all that special.
I spent some more time just walking around, as there are many buildings you cannot visit. The architecture throughout the area is stunning. By the time I was ready to leave, I had spent about 3 hours exploring. I did not feel rushed at all and luckily the lines were not too long for any of the places I visited. I would suggest dedicating a minimum of 2.5 hours if you plan to visit.
Next Stop: St. Loreto
This was one of my destinations that was not originally on my list of must-visit places. However, it was strongly recommended in the tour book I had purchased, so I decided it was worth visiting. Unfortunately, the outside was being renovated and for whatever reason, you could not enter the church. I was not the only person confused, as the posted hours said we should be able to visit the church. I could imagine it being very beautiful, however, it was difficult to truly appreciate it because of the construction
Next Stop: Church of Our Lady Victorious, Kostel Panny Marie Vítězné
I come from a Polish, Catholic family. When I was growing up my Nana had a ‘doll’ (turns out it was a statue) of baby Jesus. When I was young, I referred to this statues as “creepy baby Jesus” because I found it weird that a baby looked like an adult. In reading my guide book I discovered that “creepy baby Jesus” is actually called Pražské Jezulátko, or ‘Infant Jesus of Prague.’ While I am not religious, I decided to add seeing this to my list of things to do because of the connection to my childhood.
Also, when I was an infant I accidentally (at least I’m fairly certain it was an accident) broke the hands off of my Nana’s statue. I decided to buy her a mini replacement, from the original location. I’m glad I took the time to visit.
Next Stop: Lennon Wall
Was not on any of my lists, but I discovered it by accident walking around. It was cool to see, but nothing that has any significance for me. I’m glad that I accidentally stumbled upon it, though.
Next Stop: Petřín Lookout Tower
This was something I had heard about and researched, but was torn about actually visiting. On the one hand, it was built to look like a mini Eiffel Tower for the 1891 Jubilee Exhibition. On the other hand, it was isolated from everything else, and aside from offering a nice view of the city, wasn’t really anything special.
In the end, I decided to visit it because I had the time and I didn’t want to regret not doing it. Because it is located at the top of a hill, getting there is not the easiest of walks. There is a funicular railway (it reminded me of a ski lift) to get to the top, or you can navigate several paths and trails to walk to the top. I tried my darndest to find the funicular railway, but had absolutely no luck. This meant I was walking to the top. Again, there was no map or signs pointing you in the right direction. The views of the city along the way were breathtaking. Eventually, I made it to the top.
The area around Petřín Lookout Tower was interesting. There were many historical buildings to see; however, you could not go inside. I bought my ticket to visit the tower itself. I hate heights. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before. Hate. Loathe. Avoid at all costs. For whatever reason, I decided to put my fears aside and climb the stairs to the top. About half way up I began to have a mini panic attack and had to stop to calm down. Once I made it to the top the view was nice, but I don’t know that it was much better than any of the other views I had from the top of other buildings and towers. The fun part was going back down. I was shaking pretty badly, but more than anything I wanted to be out of the tower and back on solid ground. I slowly made my way back down and eventually calmed myself enough so that I could make the trek back down.
Luckily, I found a sign that included images as well as words, and I saw what looked like the funicular railway. I decided to follow the signs and see if I could find this thing. Turns out, it was much easier to find from the top of the hill. I was willing to pay to take this down the hill, but it turns out the cost was included in my public transit pass. In the car I met a pair of elderly Americans. It turns out it was a mother and her son who were doing a mini vacation together. They live in Texas and we got to talking about why I was in Prague and what I did back in the states. It was a very nice conversation and the mother reminded me of my Nana with some of her comments!
Final Stop: Prague
I then had dinner and wandered around Prague for a bit before returning to the hotel. I didn’t have anything specific that I wanted to see, so I just took in everything that was happening around me. I visited Old Town one last time, walked across the Charles Bridge, and at one last Trdelník before heading to dinner near my hotel. After dinner I walked around the area of my hotel a little more and visited Wenceslas Square one last time. I decided that I was going to treat myself and have dessert since it was my last night in Prague. I decided to try what was translated as ‘apple pie’ but was so much better than what I know as apple pie.
My trip to Prague ended with some Czech wine in my hotel room. It was the perfect ending for this trip, especially since I had a flight early the next morning back to Paris.
Tracy's Life Abroad 