We flew from Paris into Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. We only had 4 days to soak in as much as we could. When planning our Prague trip, I started my search with the historic Old Town Square in Old Town, as it was the hypothetical site of one of my first projects in Architecture school, 7 years earlier. Coincidentally, Old Town and it’s surrounding areas contain some of Prague’s greatest gems. This made it an easy choice to pick an AirBnb right next to Old Town Square.
Prague is home to tight, winding streets, with endless tall building facades teetering above. Exploring the city by foot is not only a necessity, but also desirable. The myriad styles of architecture crammed shoulder to shoulder, combined with Prague’s 1,100 year history, make each street special in its own way. It was easy to spend days just stumbling into interesting pubs and buildings, one after the next. Because our interest in Prague’s charm originated through its Architecture, one of our highlights was The Astronomical Clock tower in Old Town Square. The clock was installed in 1410 and the top of the tower offered sweeping views of the historic city. We also saw examples of modern architecture such as Frank Gehry’s Dancing House and some unique street art seen below.
Another important yet heavy destination we visited in Old Town, was the Old Jewish Cemetery. It is relatively small and surrounded by dense buildings. During its more than 3 centuries of functioning, demand constantly outweighed burial space. Out of respect for deceased ancestors and religious beliefs, old graves could not be disturbed. Due to this, graves would be stacked on top of each other, and the lower gravestones rose to the new height. Upon visiting now, the site is a seemingly unending display of gravestones toppling over each other as seen below.
Venturing across the river to the West, we wandered through gardens and historic buildings, climbing our way up the hill. The top destination is the monumental Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral; both stunning in grandeur and design. From the top, there is even more breath taking views of the whole city.
Much needed breaks from all the walking took us into some historic breweries. Our most noteworthy stop was at U Fleku, the oldest brewery in Central Europe, established in 1499. They brew just one beer, a dark lager, and keep bringing them until you tell them to stop. All seating is communal style and it’s a jolly place with accordion players and people of all ages singing along. We also stopped at Staropramen and the Letna Beer Garden which offers amazing views of Prague. On our final full day in Prague, we headed down to the river and rented a paddle boat. We highly recommend doing this as it was a fun way to beat the heat and see the city from a new angle.
All in all, Prague does a great job of having an intimate charm despite actually being a large city. Perhaps that is why Prague is the fifth most visited European city. We just scratched the surface with our visit as there are countless other sites to see. Summer is the perfect time to go and I can see us returning in the future.