Maybe it was the month. October’s spell of ghosts and goblins is hard to shake, even on vacation. Maybe it was the chill in the air, or the thick mist that seemed to hang suspended mid-sentence. Perhaps it was the off-kilter shadows cast by wrought-iron fences and centuries-old religious icons. Or the eerie, ubiquitous clippity-clop, clippity-clop of horse hooves on cobblestones. No matter. Prague is a mysterious place that will haunt me for a very long time. Let me be clear: I absolutely love this city.
In many ways, Prague is beyond words. Driving into the city is akin to falling into a well-worn tome of gothic literature. Steeples dot the skyline. Red roofs greet the eye. Monstrous (in size and expression) gargoyles dance overhead. And, rising above it all, Prague Castle harkens back to an era of nobility, religious fanaticism and architectural wonder. With each step through the city, I was pulled deeper into its lore and its hold. An architectural survivor of World War II, the city exudes medieval majesty, but it is in the shadows that Prague really spoke to me. It’s almost as though the ghosts of yesterday are still there, calling out, longing for someone to hear their story.
Experience
The best way to experience Prague is by foot. Walk. A lot. Then walk some more. With each turn in the road, there is another wonder to be explored. Love Kafka? He has his own museum. Want to see how the upper classes lived, back in the day? Stroll uphill to the castle grounds. Time it right, and you’ll witness the changing of the guard. Interested in buying a souvenir or two? Visit the historic Charles Bridge for a killer view of the city and a chance to meet local vendors hawking artwork, jewelry and any number of trinkets and treasures. Gather at the Old Town Hall at the top of the hour to catch the odd spectacle delivered by the Astronomical Clock. For a change from the average museum visit, how about learning more about torture? Sure, there’s major shock value woven into the self-guided tour at the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments, but it’s worth the small fee to witness the contraptions used to punish women (our diminished role in society is on full view here), unruly churchgoers and even musicians who didn’t adequately impress the royals. I have to say, this was one of my favorite stops (my husband, on the other hand, spent the entire tour shaking his head). If nothing else, you’ll leave with a newfound sense of bewilderment about our medieval ancestors and questions about today’s penile system.
If looking like an absolute tourist bothers you, you may want to forgo my next recommendation: pay the steep price and climb into a horse-drawn carriage (you’ll see many lined up along the town square) for a ride around town. Go at night, preferably after dinner, when the crowds have subsided and those eerie shadows reign supreme. Sit back and get lulled into a rhythmic groove as history enfolds itself around you. It’s Prague.
http://www.prague.cz/
Lodging
We were thrilled with our stay at Maximilian Hotel. The location, the staff, the size of the room (if you’re a regular traveler to Europe, you’ll know what I mean), even the breakfast buffet all surpassed our expectations. The hotel is ideally situated, walking distance to everything, but not smack dab in the hub of tourist traffic and noise. Maximilian caters to business travelers, so I had no problem jumping on to one of the two computers housed in their business center. If you’ve schlepped your laptop along with your luggage, there’s complimentary WiFi and high-speed Internet access throughout the building. Be sure to check out the “honor bar” for a beer, a glass of wine, even an espresso, well into the evening hours. Just jot down your room number, sit back and relax. Even better, if all those miles logged across cobblestones start to wear on your back and your legs (and trust me, they will), head to the hotel’s bottom floor for a killer massage at the Zen City Spa Studio.
We arranged, through the hotel, for a driver to meet us at the airport. After three flights and virtually no sleep, it was wonderful to have someone there to shepherd us to the hotel. Plus, our driver offered an overview of the city as we descended upon it. Cost: about 26 euros (Prague still runs with its own currency, the Czech koruna or crown, but the driver did take euros.)
www.maximilianhotel.com
Dine
Improbably, we didn’t have a bad meal in Prague. As mentioned earlier, the breakfast buffet at the hotel was so plentiful, it usually carried us over well into the evening hours (that, and the fact that we often woke after 10 a.m.). Our favorite restaurant was Pravda, located on Pařížská Street. If you reserve ahead, see if you can secure Tomas as your waiter. Charming, handsome and eager to please, he made our anniversary celebration all the more memorable. I found his recommendations on food and wine to be spot on. Tomas grew up just outside of Prague but has lived and worked in Boulder and Aspen, Colorado. His take on the Czech Republic before and after Communism was quite insightful.
www.pravdarestaurant.cz/en/index.php
Dress
Prague is fairly casual. You can get by with jeans and other casual attire during the day and at most restaurants for dinner. If the urge to dress for dinner hits you, feel free to do so. We did dress up a bit during the evening. One caveat: comfortable shoes are a must. Every street, sidewalk and alley is made of cobblestones. Pack a pair of heels and chances are high you’ll never wear them.
If you visit as we did in the fall, pack layers. We were there in mid-October and temperatures were cool, high 40s to low 50s. I wore a hat and gloves every day.
Money
The rule of thumb is to use your debit card for ATM withdrawals and your credit card for most purchases. Before leaving, check with your credit card companies to learn which one offers the best exchange rate (yes, you pay a fee for the privilege of charging in one currency and having it exchanged back to dollars). American Express charges two percent. Citibank charges three percent. Also, if you have ATM/debit cards at various banks, call to see what the withdrawal fee is for foreign transactions. My Wells Fargo card proved the better choice for us. Be sure to let all your credit card providers know of your travel plans. That way there will be no holds or declines when a charge shows up from a foreign country.
We exchanged some dollars for euros before leaving the States and were glad to have them for our layover in Paris and when we met our driver in Prague. If you don’t have the chance to do so, you’ll find plenty of currency exchange counters (though watch their fees) and ATMs in most airports.
Planning/Resources
I found our airlines tickets on www.kayak.com. This service quickly pulls up all the relevant airlines with flights, times and costs, as well as other flight search engines (think, Expedia and Travelocity), comparing costs as they go. It also allowed me to search for multiple-city flights (we flew into Prague and out of Venice, Italy).
We carried Frommers, Prague, The Best of the Czech Republic, in our day bag and found it to be a great resource.
The discussion boards on Fodors.com proved super helpful. Here, you’ll find feedback,
advice and tips from other travelers. I’m pretty sure that’s where I found our hotel.
Prague-specific sites include:
www.prague.cz
www.prague-tourist-information.com
www. pragueexperience.com
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