We were not expecting much from Prague.
The plan was simple: Pokin had a YPO Forum trip here, Nicholas flew in to meet her, and then we’d continue east through Europe for a few weeks until we met up with the rest of the family in Sweden. Prague was a layover. A stop on the way to the real trip.
The only thing anyone had told us about the city was “it didn’t get bombed in the war.” Which, honestly, did not sound like a selling point at the time.
We were wrong.
Prague is one of those cities that just slaps you in the face the moment you look up. The whole Old Town is basically intact from centuries ago because it really did survive both World Wars mostly untouched. Every building looks like it was placed there by someone who cared too much about architecture and not enough about parking.
The Vltava River runs through the center with swans that are absolutely enormous and have zero respect for personal space. They just float around like they own the place. Which, to be fair, they probably do. Prague has been feeding these swans since the 1500s. That’s longer than most countries have existed.
We checked into the hotel and I immediately claimed my spot.
Day 1: The Old Town#
We started where everyone starts: walking around the Old Town and pretending we had a plan.
The Powder Tower is one of the old medieval gates into the city. It was originally built to store gunpowder, which seems like a questionable decision for a building in the middle of your capital, but hey, it’s the 1400s.
We wandered through to the Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square, which is one of those landmarks that every tourist on Earth has seen a photo of but still somehow feels impressive in person. It’s been running since 1410. That’s over 600 years of telling time and making tourists crane their necks.
The Jewish Quarter#
We walked through the Josefov district, which is Prague’s old Jewish Quarter. The neighborhood has been here since the 10th century, and what’s left of it is heavy in a way that doesn’t let go. The synagogues, the cemetery, the history of the community that lived and died here.
The Old Jewish Cemetery is one of those places that stops you. It was in use from 1439 to 1786, and because the community wasn’t allowed to expand the burial grounds, they just kept layering the graves on top of each other. There are roughly 12,000 tombstones crammed into a space that shouldn’t hold a fraction of that, with an estimated 100,000 burials underneath.
You can peek through a gate to see it.
We ended Day 1 the proper Czech way: at a restaurant with vaulted stone ceilings that looked like it had been there since the Habsburg Empire. Dumplings, beer, the whole thing.
Day 2: Castle to Tower#
Day 2 was the big walking day. The plan: start at Prague Castle, walk down through Mala Strana, and hike up to the Petrin Lookout Tower. Then gelato. Priorities.
Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle complex in the world. That’s not a tourism exaggeration, that’s a Guinness record. The whole compound covers about 70,000 square meters. It’s been the seat of Czech rulers since the 9th century, and inside it sits St. Vitus Cathedral, which took nearly 600 years to finish.
The views from the castle area at sunset were doing that thing where the sky goes completely ridiculous and you can’t even be annoyed about it.
We walked down the Old Castle Stairs, which is exactly what it sounds like: ancient stone steps winding down from the castle hill into Mala Strana. I was safely in the backpack for this part.
Wallenstein Garden#
We stumbled into the Wallenstein Garden, which is one of those hidden gems that doesn’t even charge admission and somehow has a stalactite grotto wall, bronze statues of Greek gods, and free-roaming peacocks.
The grotto wall is something else entirely. It’s an artificial stalactite wall that Duke Wallenstein had built in the 1620s to look like a cave surface. If you stare at it long enough, you start seeing faces in the rock formations. Whether that’s intentional or just what happens when you spend too long in Prague, I can’t say.
The Hike to Petrin#
From the castle area we kept walking up toward Petrin Hill. The trail winds through shaded cobblestone paths and gardens, and then suddenly you’re at the Petrin Lookout Tower, which is basically a 1:5 scale replica of the Eiffel Tower. They built it in 1891 because apparently Prague looked at Paris and said “we can do that, but smaller and on a hill.”
The views from the top were worth it. All of Prague spread out below, the river curving through the city, every red roof tile visible.
Bear Chips and Gelato#
On the way back we found bear chips. I don’t know how to explain this other than the bag had bears on it and I felt seen.
And then gelato, because obviously.
Rooftop Dinner#
We wrapped up Prague with dinner at a rooftop restaurant that had views over the entire city. The kind of place where the food looks like art and the sunset does all the marketing.
Bridge at Night#
One last walk across the river before calling it.
Prague was supposed to be a stopover. A box to check before the real trip started. Instead it turned out to be one of the best cities we’ve visited. The architecture is absurd, the food is solid, the beer is cheap, and the whole place feels like a history book that someone forgot to close.
We’ll be back. Probably.
Onwards!