Prague: History, Culture and Sculptures

We arrived in Prague by train from Vienna. As we walked toward our tram stop, we saw several modern, board-at-grade trams and breathed a sigh of relief that we should be able to get our luggage on quickly and have a place to store it for the ride. Unfortunately, when the tram we needed arrived, it looked like something out of the 50s and required us to haul our luggage up several steep steps. The various styles of trams, including even older ones on a couple of tourist routes, add character, if not accessibility, to the city! (I know, our fault for travelling with suitcases.)

The tram whisked us from the train station through Old Town, across the Vitava River, through parts of Malá Strana (Lesser Town) to just a few blocks from our hotel. There is lots to see on both sides of the river, and many good areas to stay in as a base for exploring. Our location offered quick access to major tram lines, many restaurants, and a short walk to Střelecký Island and Malá Strana.

Once we were settled in our hotel, we walked to the river and Kampa Park. It was lovely to see so many people just hanging out along the water’s edge. Several others were having fun in the river in pedal boats. The cityscape view across the river was colourful and full of history and character.

We planned our visit to Prague Castle for the next morning but woke to rain with expected improvement later in the day. We took our time over breakfast and then caught a tram up to the hill above the castle in time to grab lunch. We found a vibrant residential and commercial area with restaurants, shops, and markets, and good transit access (metro, trams, and buses). After lunch, we wandered down the hill, through the castle grounds and gardens.

The next day, we walked across the Charles Bridge to Prague’s Old Town (ironic considering the historic places we had already seen in the not-old-town areas). With the crowds we ran into, especially on the bridge and by the Astronomical Clock, we were quite happy to have come in mid-September rather than in the even busier summer. We walked past a line-up to see the National Library (I had a note to go at 8:45 am to be there for the 9:00 opening, but forgot to plan for that). Once we found the Old Town Square it was lovely to look around and then walk out of it and into the side streets to explore less-busy areas.

From Old Town, we walked to the Jewish Quarter and then out to the river, wandering back toward the Charles Bridge. We finished our Old Town tour with lunch at a recommended hidden gem (see TripBits, below), the Czech Association of Scientific and Technical Societies cafeteria, which offered a sweet view of the river while we dined.

Over the next two days, we mapped our routes to see some of the city’s intriguing sculptures and outdoor art installations (many by the Czech artist David Černý). For the last day, that plan had us hopping on transit and heading well out of the city’s core to see a few special pieces. Though it took a while, it was a great way to see more of the less-touristy parts of Prague and to discover some unique neighbourhoods. As we crisscrossed the city, we also stopped at a few of our must-see places that we had yet to check off our list.

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TripBits

• General resource: YouTube’s Honest Guide’s Prague Guide playlist for hidden gems and useful tips. We also found some Real Prague Guides useful, especially about using transit.
• Transit: Transit is free for 65+ and discounted for 60+. We downloaded the PID Lítačka app to purchase tickets, but there are alternatives if you don’t want to use the app. This Prague Public Transit page was useful for transit basics. I had in my notes that purchasing a one-month pass would be cost-effective, even for the five days we were there, but it was too complicated and expensive to make it worth it. I purchased three senior discount 24-hour passes during our stay at 60 CZK each (about $3.60 CAD). Ken just kept his NEXUS card with him to prove his age. We were checked at one stop.