A pedestrian's guide to Prague, Part I

by - 10/13/2022

 Praha or Prague requires no introduction. This mystical capital of Czech Republic is known equally for its dark history as it is for its Gothic architectural charm. We were in Praha for a quick 48 hours, but managed to squeeze in all the major attractions of this fascinating city. If you hail from a vast city like Delhi, you will find European capitals like Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, etc very small and coverable on foot. So here's a quick guide to the major attractions of this city, that could be done on foot. This is the 1st part, on the day we reached Prague from Budapest. 

Our BnB was in Hradcanska, the district that had been named after the Prague castle. Although the place itself was quite far from the castle itself. Our main criteria for choosing a BnB is of course connectivity (cute interiors too). So our apartments was at a walking distance from the metro station.

Old apartments in European cities have winding staircases with no elevators. We had a lot a lot of luggage, plus I was 5 months pregnant so that was quite an ordeal. Anyways, will describe our stay later (which was an adventure in itself). We dumped our luggage, freshened up, had a quick bite (from the superstore) and left for the city centre.

The Prague castle is a short yet magnificent walk from the tram stop. The buildings are intricately carved and there were bright blooms wherever we would lay our eyes. We entered the castle from its hind entrance.

The Prague Castle or the Czech Pražský hrad, also called Hradčany, is the largest ancient castle according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The castle grounds do not require a ticket and there are myriads of attractions to see without paying for museum visits. Of course if you are too invested in studying their history, you ought to visit those artifacts and royal belongings.

The castle is a conglomeration of attractions. You are greeted at the entrance by soldiers who look like statues. I mean he really does not move! As you keep walking admiring the architecture all around. Then you walk into the second courtyard and there are huge structures catching your attention.

The St Vitus Cathedral is tall and overpowering. It would be impossible to fully capture it from the courtyard. So remember to click it from outside the castle, before you enter.

The Mattiah's gate connects the First courtyard to the Second Courtyard of the castle. The castle has the president's residence and during our visit, our president was visiting Prague and hence the Tricolour was everywhere. It was such a moment of pride for us!

The second courtyard gives the entry to the St Vitus Cathedral. It was quite late in the evening so it was closed. The cathedral is huge so we managed to capture ourselves with the enormous, intricately carved doors.

Then there is the Kohl's fountain which has soothing running water. There are many other structures to see and examine, but since it was going to be dark, we made our way out.

The exit has the dungeon where a skeleton of a soldier is preserved in its hanging position. The history of Praha is not without extreme darkness, cruelty and inhumanity. The Dalibor Tower or this dungeon gives way to the Golden Lane.

The way to the top gives a spectacular bird's eye view of the red roofs of the city structures. The moment you see this view, you are able to recognise Praha. There are telescopes too, and you have to slide an euro to access them.


The castle gives way to the Golden Lane, again a famous attraction of Praha. There are tiny houses along the lane, very well preserved till date and you can see dolls and tea sets peeking from those tiny windows. The name is so as goldsmiths used to live here. And so did policemen and other meagerly paid people of the society.

The lane has rows of brightly coloured tiny houses from the medieval times. Some of them have been converted into souvenir shops. The eminent Czechian author Kafka used to stay in his sister's house in one of these and had written here. Also, Nobel laureate Jarosav Slaifat used to reside here. 

We walked to the bank of the Vltava River, where there were numerous swans. The lights shone sparklingly from the Charles Bridge. It was magnificent. We walked our way through the cobbled streets and hurriedly entered a cute restaurant when it started raining. It had gotten very cold all of a sudden. Even my pregnancy could not warm me enough!

I had the famous Bohemian dish: Pecena Kachna or the Bohemian Roast Duck. It's a three ingredient dish made of duck, garlic and caraway seeds. It was served with potato dumplings and braised red cabbage. It's a festive Czech dish as the people could not afford the expensive duck or goose; unless they were the szlacta or nobility. Vegetarian husband had the spaghetti aglio oglio and like always, he stole the potato from me :D

That was a long, eventful and exhausting day for us (pregnant me!). However the night wasn't over yet! We further explored this mythical city in the eerie dark, and we discovered so much! More coming on the next post!

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Baked Happily Ever After.

You May Also Like

22 comments

  1. From the pictures and your description I can very well understand the beauty of the place and now adding it in my bucket list for the travel plans. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  2. Through your blog I had complete my prague tour. Thank you for the Beautiful destination tour

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loved Prague tru ur eyes, nice details shared.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Prague is so beautiful. I loved the architecture. As always, you have included something for everyone. Thank you for the virtual tour.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love your travel tales and pics Mandira... and you looked like that when u were five months pregnant😍? wowwwww! Prague is a beautiful charming place and you look equally charming in the pics. Nice writeup... keep them coming!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This place looks so serene and stunning. Loved the way you have described it with your personal touch. Part of my bucket list now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your travelogues are always a delight to read. And as always, lovely pics. You have included quite a few attractions in the post and I am looking forward to next one in the series.

    ReplyDelete
  8. There is so much beauty in this world. Thanks for sharing a part of it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your pictures are beautiful and it is great you travel so much. We also love travelling but have never been abroad. Prague seems interesting will bookmark your post for reference.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Seeing Prague in movies like Rockstar got me mesmerised and with this post I'm smitten with its beauty and architecture.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your blogs are such holistic pieces of content! It's like a proper, guided tour

    ReplyDelete
  12. I so agree about the beauty of exploring European cities on foot. While our stay in Belgium, we had covered many cities, like Brussels and Antwerp, simply on foot.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your travelogues are always a delight to read. And, as always, the pictures are beautiful.
    This world contains a stunning abundance of natural wonders. Thanks for sharing a part of it.
    Anjali (messymom)

    ReplyDelete
  14. First of all, lovely dress! You looked stunning on it! This place is amazing! I never heard much of this place and hopefully get to visit it as well the next time we go travel again. Appreciate you bringing us with your travels.-MommyWithAGoal

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love your travelogues, and especially the pictures are a visual treat. I never knew Prague was so colourful. It reminds me of places in Mexico. The buildings and vibrant colours are very similar to those I have seen there.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I must say Prague is beautiful. Moreover, your pictures are really pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Lovely pics. Such a quaint place it looks like. I love old castles and such cities. And it is so nice to see and read about traveling when pregnant....many dont do it and prefer to stay close to home during this time.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The pregnancy glow can be seen in pics. Also the city is beautiful & I like gothic architecture.

    So many things to see in Prague. It is in my bucket list. Hope to visit one day.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Prague oozes with the typical old-world charm of most European towns and cities. Your pictures bring alive the enchanting charm of Prague so well. Sandy N Vyjay

    ReplyDelete
  20. My best friend lives in Prague and keeps inviting me. On reading your post and seeing the pictures I am now motivated! Czech is my travel goal for 2023 thanks to you.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I visited Prague almost 8 years ago. In fact, I got my first tattoo while I was there. Absolutely love the place!
    Noor

    ReplyDelete