Showing posts with label Czech Republic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Czech Republic. Show all posts

June 14, 2015

Family Trip: Prague


June 13-14, 2015 ---- Nathan's parents planned to visit us in Europe for 3 weeks, so I came up with the idea of doing a tour of Germany for a week with them. At first I thought about traveling only around Germany, but Nathan's aunt suggested that it would be nice to include Prague in the itinerary because Nathan's mom has always wanted to go there. I thought it was a great idea since I loved Prague so much, and it was so easy to get there from Munich. Prague is really something to Czech out!

Accommodation:  I hoped to stay at the hotel we stayed in last fall, but the prices went up a lot, so I looked for another reasonably-price hotel not too far from the train station. "B&B Hotel Prague City" had a clean, comfortable room with private bathroom and included breakfast. I was really satisfied with this hotel because it wasn't far from the metro station and the breakfast was excellent. Also, it's very close to Prague City Museum where Nathan and I planned to spend time there while the parents were at the castle.

Transportation:  Prague city is very accessible. A direct-bus from Munich takes only 4 hours, and there are buses, trams and metro lines running throughout the city. It's also very easy to get a ticket for public transportation. You can either pay directly to the bus driver, or buy the ticket from a ticket machine or small shops located in any metro station. Some hotels also sell the tickets too, so it's worth asking your hotel's receptionist. A day-pass or a 3-day pass is great for tourists. Check out the website for more information: http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/tickets_fares.html

Food and Restaurants:  Czech food and beer are really good! I can say that it's far better than German or Austrian food. On this second visit to Prague, I still planned to eat at the same restaurants we had on our first visit. If you are going to Prague, put these two restaurants in your list and you will never regret it. The first one is Lokal. Ask your server for food recommendations and they will be happy to suggest to you some Lokal specialties. The second restaurant is a small brewery up on the hill behide the Castle called Klášterní pivovar Strahov. Try its famous beer! It's the best beer I have had in Europe!

Attractions:  Because it was our second visit, we didn't plan to see much else other than the City Museum. However, it was Nathan's parents' first time in Prague, so I planned a schedule for them to see Prague's most famous sights like Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. You can spend 2-3 days wandering around the city. The castle itself will take you almost an entire day to see all the exhibits.

Our Trip Itinerary: 

Day 1

Afternoon:  Chales Bridge, St. Francis of Assisi Church, St. Salvator Church , Old Town Hall, Astronomical Clock, Church of Our Lady before Týn, and the Old-New Synagogue
Dinner:  at Lokal

Day 2

Morning:  Prague Castle
Afternoon: Prague City Museum, Lesser Quarter, Church of Our lady Victorious
Dinner:  at Klášterní pivovar Strahov

Overall our visit to Prague was enjoyable. We had a thunderstorm on the first day we were there, but it was sunny and warm the day after. I knew it must have been tough on our visitors because they were still having jet-lag, but they just had to push through it till it got better. I hope they at least enjoyed the city though.  :-)



Day 1

Charles Bridge











St. Francis of Assisi Church





Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock





Old-New Synagogue





Dinner at Lokal







Day 2

Prague Castle










The view from Prague Castle










Prague City Museum




Church of Our lady Victorious







Lesser Quarter





Dinner at  Klášterní pivovar Strahov













November 30, 2014

Prague, Czech Republic (Day 2)


November 28-30,2014 ---- Our second day in Prague was also fabulous. We checked out in the morning and stored our bags in a locker at the train station before heading for our walking tour with Rick Steves. No, he wasn't with us physically, but he was in our free audio tour "Prague City Walk."

The tour started at Wenceslas Square. From there we could see Prague's National Museum that has been closed for restoration and won't be opened till 2018. Along the way we walked past many historical buildings, such as Grand Hotel Europa, and walked all the way to Powder Tower, Old Town Square and ended at Charles Bridge. The audio guide was about an hour long, but Nathan and I spent more than 2 hours to finish the tour because we paused it so often while finding the right routes or places, and we also ate lunch at the market in the Old Town Square.

After our walking tour, we went to the Jewish Quarter to visit some synagogues and the Jewish Cemetery. The entrance ticket was kind of expensive, and we had to wait in a long line at the Old Jewish Cemetery to buy the ticket. (It would have been faster if we had purchased our ticket at another spot.) Taking photos is prohibited in all the synagogues, and if you buy a photography permit, you are only allowed to take photos in the cemetery, not in the synagogues.

My favorite parts of the Jewish Quarter were the Old-New Synagogue, which is the oldest one in Europe, and the Spanish Synagogue where I spent most time looking at the exhibit on the second floor. Other places we just walked through quickly.

At dinner we went to Lokal. It was my favorite restaurant of all the ones we went to in Prague. Great beer, excellent food, reasonable prices and good service. Highly recommended if you visit Prague. :-)


Prague National Museum





Wenceslas Square










Powder Tower






Church of Our Lady Before Týn





Old Town Square and Christmas Market









Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock






Charles Bridge 












Prague Jewish Quarter







Dinner at Lokál