City Trip to Prague | Part 1

Last week my boyfriend and I went on a 4-day trip to Prague. We hadn't been on holiday together so far this year and Prague had been on both our to-do list for a while, so it was a no-brainer.

(Excuse the bad picture quality, I only took my I-Phone and the first night I even forgot that one, so the first pictures where taken on my boyfriends phone, that doesn't take good photos, but I still wanted to share them.)

As we always do, we booked our flights and accommodation separately. Don't get me wrong, you can get some pretty good deals sometimes, but I just genuinely enjoy looking through all the search engines and finding the best option for us. We knew we would be out all day and there are many places, where you can good and cheap meals around the city, so the hotel wasn't too important. Only prerequisites were that it shouldn't be too far from the town centre and not too expensive as well. I'm not sure if I would chose the same hotel again if we ever go back, but it was okay for the short stay. As for the flights, we knew we wanted to stay 3 nights and preferably arrive early the first day and leave late on the second. 

In the end we flew from Cologne early in the morning and were in the hotel, checked-in and ready to head out by midday. We used our first day to just stroll through the streets, get an overview of the city and just soak it all in. At let me tell you: it is so beautiful. After walking around for just a few hours, I was already in love. Prague is breathtaking every time of year, but the autumn colours and golden light just made it that bit better. We watched the sun set over the Vltava river and began our search for dinner. We ended up in a Budweiser Budvar restaurant, were you could even get beer ice cream! The food was really good and cheap at the same time. But we quickly realised that food and most other things aren't expensive all over Prague anyway. All filled up and happy we went back to our hotel and fell asleep right away.   

After a quick breakfast, because we were so eager to get out and explore some more, the second day started with a walk through a huge park right next to our hotel, completely decked in autumn colours. The sun was shining and the view between the trees was incredible. The day could not have started any better.

Our destination: the Prague Castle and Castle District. Definitely one of the top sights, make sure to arrive early to have at least some time to enjoy the cobbled streets in peace without masses of tourists. We managed to have a little while (almost) to ourselves and decided to first explore everything on our own and then maybe buy a ticket to get into the attractions later. There are different packages available depending on what you are interested in, but we decided to take it all in and went for Route A, the biggest package. And it was well worth it! 

First we went into the Golden Lane (if you don't want to buy a ticket, but still want to visit here, come after 18 o'clock in summer/16 in winter). This cute little lane showcases how streets and houses used to look in the district a few years ago. It's really interesting to see and some houses are now used for little stores offering all sorts of souvenirs. We also payed a visit to the St. George's Basilica and of course the St. Vitus Cathedral. The Cathedral is really impressive and the windows are just beautiful when the light shines through them. Finally we also went into the Old Royal Palace, where you can see what live used to look like in the Castle. 

Don't worry if you do not want to buy a ticket or it's not in your budget. There are plenty of things to do and see for free as well. A visit is well worth it for the view alone. You can see the whole city from up there. It's the perfect place to take a break and just enjoy it. Another thing to do is watch the Castle Guard changing everyday at noon. But be aware, a crowed forms quickly, as a lot of people want to see it, so if you're little smaller and still want to be able to see, be there a little early.

If you plan on visiting the Castle District in Prague, make enough time to enjoy it thoroughly. We spend a few hours there and you definitely need the time if you want to see it all. After having finished at the Prague Castle, we made our way towards Petrin hill above the lesser town (Mala Strana). But more on this in the next post. I hope you enjoyed the first part of our Prague adventures and come back for the next one. Have you even been to Prague or the Czech Republic? What did you like best?

Have a wonderful day and don't forget to smile!

♡