If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you’ll know I’m just back from a cheeky long weekend in Prague with the girls. I really want to visit as many places as possible this year so cheap and cheerful city breaks are ideal and I plan on sharing them all with you. We stumbled across an amazing deal on Holiday Guru and snapped it up immediately. Four days in a 4* Boutique Hotel including breakfast and flights for just €164 it would have been extremely rude not to. The King Charles Boutique Hotel Residence is in a perfect city centre location meaning that you’ll never be more than a few steps away from something exciting. The room was really funky; red glittery rose wallpaper with a four poster bed and white elaborate furniture fitted with all mod cons and strong wifi – a blogger essential. The complimentary breakfast each morning was a mixture of cereal, cheese, meat, bread and fruit and perfect for starting you day and saving money. The hotel has a very high rating of 4.5/5 from 549 reviews on TripAdvisor with a Certificate of Excellence also. There’s a few restaurants and a large Lidl across the road and it’s roughly ten minutes away from the city centre by taxi which costs roughly 200 Krone or €13 which was shared between three of us, meaning we didn’t use public transport at all throughout our trip. In terms of things to do we managed to fit everything worth seeing within our four day stay and everything is in close proximity.
The Charles Bridge is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river inPrague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. The bridge replaced the old Judith Bridge built 1158-1172 that had been badly damaged by a flood in 1342. This new bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge or the Prague Bridge but has been the Charles Bridge’ since 1870. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava until 1841, the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city’s Old Town and adjacent areas. This ‘solid land’ connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge gives beautiful views of the city by day and is stunning at night as you enter the city; the lighting by the river is romantic and the surrounding illuminated buildings are simply stunning.
The Prague Castle, an ancient symbol of the Czech lands, is the most significant Czech monument and one of the most important cultural institutions in the Czech Republic. The Prague Castle was most likely founded in around 880 by Prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it consists of a large scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from Roman style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications in the 14th century. The famous Slovenian architect Josip Plečnik was responsible for extensive renovations in the time of the First Republic. Since the Velvet Revolution, the Prague Castle has undergone significant and ongoing repairs and reconstructions. A must see if you’re interested in history and architecture.
The Old Town is a medieval settlement of Prague, Czech Republic. It was separated from the outside by a semi circular moat and wall, connected to the Vltava at both of its ends. The moat is now covered up by the streets Revolučni, Na Příkopě, and Národni which remain the official boundary of the cadastral district of Old Town. Soon after the city was expanded in the 14th century by Charles IV with the founding of the New Town, the moat and wall were dismantled. Notable places in the Old Town include the Old New Synagogue, Old Town Square and Astronomical Clock. Across the river Vltava connected by the Charles Bridge is Malá Strana. Josefov is located in the northwest corner of Old Town heading towards the Vltava. If you manage to visit while the sun is shining be sure to wander, admire your surroundings and have lunch outside in the square or take a Segway exploring.
The Prague astronomical clock, or Prague orloj is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working. The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square. The clock mechanism itself is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; ‘The Walk of the Apostles’, a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures notably a figure of Death (represented by a skeleton) striking the time; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months. According to local legend, the city will suffer if the clock is neglected and its good operation is placed in jeopardy and a skeleton, mounted on the clock, was supposed nod his head in confirmation. Based on the legend, the only hope was represented by a boy born in the New Year´s night. Everyone flocks to the clock on the hour and the whole experience is interesting to capture.
We took a two hour guided World Way 2 Tour which I would highly recommend. A tour of Prague’s darkest days; the terror of Nazi occupation and the fight to rid this city of the invaders. Prague was key to Hitler’s plans for world domination. Threatened with total obliteration, after the Munich betrayal, the Czech people took matters into their own hands. Revisit the battleground of the Old Town, witness the power of Nazi propaganda. Explore the last hideout of Prague resistance beneath the city and see previously hidden documentary evidence. Meet the few brave men, flown in from Britain to assassinate the Nazi ‘Butcher Of Prague’,t he most dangerous man of third reich and the architect of the final solution to the Jewish question, Reinhard Heydrich. Interesting, shocking and extremely educational.
In terms of the food, I’m not a fan of traditional Czech cuisine which consists mainly of meat, potatoes, dumplings and liqueur or fruit based deserts. However there are plenty of varied menus throughout the city. For lunch there’s a lovely outdoor heated restaurant attached to the Hotel U Prince located in the Old Town which offers a wide variety of food including excellent Italian options and decadent drinks. Potrefena Husa is located across the road from the hotel we stayed in and has an extensive menu of varied options with gorgeous cocktails. One thing I noticed about Prague is there are very few corner shops to pick up snacks and drinks. There are large supermarkets and Chocolate Cafés worth checking out if you have a sweet tooth. Food and drink are relatively inexpensive and far cheaper than prices we’re accustomed to in Ireland.
The nightlife in Prague is awesome and if you’re single you’re in for a treat; there was 90% men in all bars and clubs from English to German so there’s lots of banter to be had 🙂 Bombay Cocktail Bar is a lively music bar, a short walk from the Old Town Square with a great party atmosphere that attracts a large international crowd, and there is a small dance floor for when the mood takes you. Be sure to say hello to the hot barman for me 😛 One of the coolest places in Prague to hang out if you’re into serious clubbing is Karlovy Lazne, located close to Charles Bridge. Spread over five floors, this is the biggest club of its type in Central Europe. We went to both on Saturday night and they were hopping. The only fault I could give the club was the lack of air conditioning so prepare to sweat if you like dancing. Also be wary of the cobble stones and don’t wear heels you can’t walk in if you plan on moving from bars after a few tipples. The whole holiday including spending money that allowed for seeing all the main attractions, eating out for lunch and dinner everyday and clubbing with cocktails cost under €500. Holiday Guru just put up a new offer for Prague in May for €161 which I highly suggest snapping up.
