A mini break in historic Prague

After asking friends for recommendations on where to go for a city break in Europe, many suggested Prague, so off we went! This beautiful historic city has so much to see, so it’s a great place to spend a few days. You could even spend even longer here and venture out of the city to see more in Bohemia if you have a bit longer.

We stayed at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, which had nice rooms right in the centre of Prague. I liked this hotel for its convenience and great service. It also happens to be home to the NEXT DOOR restaurant, run by chef Zdeněk Pohlreich. While we didn’t visit this particular restaurant, we did have a delicious three-course lunch across the road at Cafe Imperial, which is run by the same chef and adorned with beautiful art nouveau decor.

On our first full day, we joined a walking tour to explore the city and gain our bearings. I love doing walking tours when I arrive in a new city, as it’s a great way to get local advice and work out what else to see. We chose to join a tour with Petr, run through AirBnB. Petr was incredibly knowledgeable and gave us a lot of insight into the city, its history, where to visit and where to eat. The tour covered a lot of ground and Petr even offered to take a lot of photos (from all possible angles) in front of Charles Bridge. After finishing the tour, we followed Petr’s suggestion and had lunch at the historic Cafe Louvre, where many famous artists dined in the past. This 100-year-old cafe offers a simple Czech menu at affordable prices.

We had one of the most memorable dinners through EatWith at Gabriela and Petr’s home. This is the first time I’ve experienced EatWith, and I would do it again. Gabriela cooked the most amazing multi-course meal of Czech cuisine and she and her husband, Petr, were incredibly welcoming and gave us so much insight into Czech culture, far beyond what you’d usually discover as a tourist.

Svíčková na smetaně, one of the many amazing courses Gabriela cooked at the EatWith dinner

We started the next day with breakfast at the Černá Madona, a cubist cafe in the centre of Prague. While the food is classic cafe fare, the architecture and decor are what make this cafe particularly interesting. If you’re a design nerd like me, Prague is filled with interesting buildings to see. We then headed to Prague Castle, one of the most magnificent ancient castles in the world, and certainly one of the must-see attractions in Prague. To be honest, I found it slightly underwhelming, mainly because there wasn’t any furniture in the rooms we saw, so you’re essentially just wandering about buildings and through empty rooms. Still, the scale of this castle is impressive. My highlight was climbing the cathedral tower and seeing the view across Prague.

The most stunning piece of architecture I saw was the Clementinium. This elegant library does feel like stepping back in time, with its ornate, gilded woodwork, and ceiling mural. and sliding ladders across the bookcases. While you can’t walk into the library itself due to preservation requirements, you can view it from the doorways. Note that if you want to see the Clementine Library, it’s only viewable via tour and booking a day ahead is advised. After completing this tour, we had some free time before dinner, so decided to attend a classical music concert in the nearby Mirror Chapel. We bought the tickets on a whim from a scalper out the front so definitely didn’t get the best deal. We found that the ticket zones sold outside were completely disregarded by the usher inside, so it would make sense to buy the cheapest ticket.

On our final day, we had pre-booked a three-course lunch at Cafe Imperial. The food was great and the surroundings in the old-style cafe are incredibly beautiful. After finishing lunch, we then headed off to explore the elegant Waldstein Garden, which features manicured hedges, a large pond, and most notably, free-roaming peacocks. We then had a bit more time to pass before heading to the airport, so decided to make the steep walk up to the Strahov Monastery. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, it was too late to visit the monastery itself, but there is another beautiful library here. There’s also a big brewery with plenty of food and drinks to choose from.

That concluded our quick trip to Prague. It was a great few days of exploring and definitely somewhere I would recommend for a city break - the architecture is stunning, the prices are affordable and it’s very easy to find your way around in comparison to a big city like Paris. My only regret was that we didn’t plan to see the opera - there are so many beautiful, historic theatres but you do need to reserve an evening and ensure you pack appropriate clothing.