Yes, I only visited two cities in Czechia. I’d had a big couple of months catching up with friends who were more than happy to throw money about, and my budget backpacker ass was freaking out a bit. I was overcome with exhaustion and having come straight from Oktoberfest in Munich, I needed some downtime.
Arriving in Prague from Regensburg, Germany, was far more trouble than I anticipated; but eventually the train pulled into Prague Central station. I had no data, and could find no WiFi…. I hadn’t booked a place for the night, but I had marked “Czech Inn” hostel on my maps, so I walked there. I wished I’d just coughed up the couple of bucks (or koruna) for a tram or a taxi; I think the walk was about 2.3km…with my large pack on my back, small pack on front, and all black long sleeves and layers, I arrived a red, hot, sweaty mess. When the volunteer on reception said there were dorm beds available I nearly melted with relief. There are plenty of dorm rooms and private rooms at the Czech Inn, as well as a kitchen, workspace/desks, cafe and bar, with plenty of activities so it’s fantastic to meet people.
I did a free walking tour through the hostel, which picked us up from the hostel and included a free bus to the city. I was actually quite surprised how busy Old Town Square was. More touristy than I’d experienced in my previous six months of travel! From here it’s a quick tram or 20 minute walk to Frank Gehry’s famous Dancing House. I was so excited to see it, and realised you can actually go up there, there’s a cafe with decent views if you buy something. Not a must do, but if you need a coffee, there you go. There is some absolutely beautiful architecture in Prague, and fantastic history, as well as fun and affordable nightlife. Prague is on the Vlatva River, and riverside is a great place to stroll, visit produce markets, have a pilsner (invented in the Czech city Pilsen!) or feed the swans!
I loved how easy it is to get around in Prague, and often bought a day ticket for about $6.50. The tram stops are ubiquitous, and there’s one right out the front of Czech Inn. It was around 45 minutes by tram to Bleši Trhy flea markets, and well worth it! These were some of the best markets I’ve been to, with countless food stalls, retro Adidas jackets, a stamp and coin collectors paradise, creepy dolls, old jewellery… good fun!
Less than three hours from Prague lies the fairytale Bohemian city of Cesky Krumlov, an easy and inexpensive trip with Flixbus. Some say you just go for a daytrip, which is probably true, but I spent two nights there and didn’t regret it. I stayed at Hostel Postel, which is a small and cosy bed and breakfast style hostel. It was pretty quiet, and I think most people were over 40 when I was there. The main draw card is the location, just a five minute stroll over the bridge to the main square where the free walking tour starts (look for the red umbrella at 10:30am! Tourist information is located here, too). This tour I highly recommend, and covers the church, town brewery and more, but most notably the castle. You walk through the castle for free, and can pay to enter the rooms later if you wish.
The castle’s grounds are a beautiful place to wander, too. So peaceful, green and lush, as well as home to the world first, open air, revolving auditorium. It originally required the manual efforts of 40 people to turn it around, but has been since been mechanized (which I believe is threatening the towns UNESCO heritage listing status!). The castle itself (dating back to 1240!!!) was my favourite part of the city; the tower is known as the birthday cake, wonderfully painted in dreamy pinks and greens. It’s pretty unusual, but very charming, and almost the entire facade is an optical illusion, painted with tromp l’oeil. Just look at the pictures…
CARMEN TOM 