lmavolio

Hi There - I am planning a trip to Prague for 6 days and I leave this Wednesday! I just booked it, so it's a last minute thing, and I am trying to do as much research as possible before I leave...

My absolute favorite thing to do on vacations is just wander around windy, little quaint streets and take in the authentic parts of the city (outside of the tourist stuff). Any suggestions on the best and most picturesque places to wander?

Seems like Prague lends itself well to wandering around, but if there are certain spots that are better than others, please let me know.

Thanks!!

Myer

Getting lost around the main square is a fact of life. A lot of turning streets.

Anything between the Powder Tower (I can't remember the name of the theatre there), wNCELES sQUARE, cHARLES BRIDGE AND THE OTHER SIDE

Myer

Well, that's not what I wanted to do.

Anything inside the Powder Tower (can't remember the name of the theatre), Wenceles Sq, Charles bridge and the other side below the castle), the Jewish Quarter (the best organize presentation of any Jewish area I've seen) and the old town.

I made sure we visited the Bridge several times a day and at different times.

We were there in early June and it didn't get dark until after 10:30. I also got up and went there as the sun came up. The bridge with about half dozen people on it.

You can see my photos at:

www.travelwalks.com

They're part of Prague, Budapest, brugges and Amsterdam trip.

LeighTravelClub

Church of St Cyril and Methodicus was THE highlight in Prague for us. Research it.

Myer

Oh, forgot to mention. Some of the guide books wention Wallentstein Gardens. Not far from the Bridge in Mala Strana.

However, I don't think any mention Wallenstein Palace. It one of the government houses and it's free and open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. Plan your visit there for the weekend. I have some photos of it on my site. Worth the time for sure.

shandy

Leigh, you are rapidly becoming my new best freind . First, I picked up on your tip about the scam at the Grand Palace for BKK and now this. I didn't know about this church but having looked it up it will be definitely be on our list of must sees next May. My husband is fascinated with military history so it will be right up his alley.

Myer

If you're looking for a bit of a subtle scam, this happened to us in both Prague and Budapest.

We were quoted our room in Euros even though neither country uses the Euro. Of course they said it was for our convenience. I wondered about that.

Well, when it came to checking out, we weren't charged in Euros. we were charged in the local currency at "our bank rate". I did a very quick calculation and the exchange was a bit high on their side, of course.

Make sure you're quoted in the currency you are paying.

amp322

Mala Strana is made for wandering. As are parts of Old Town in back of Tyn Church. Walk under the Charles Bridge and explore.Vinohrady (Prague 2 leading into Prague 3) has the best residential architecture, plus lovely parks. Also, Petrin Hill and Letna park. The Vysehrad cemetery is my favorite place, and you can wander all around that area, plus get awesome views from the fortress.

schnauzer

The other thing to do beside wander by your feet is to wander by the tram. We bought a tram ticket for the huge sum of about 20cents and went to the end of the line, it took us out through some lovely areas and we saw another part of Prague besides the township. Another day we caught another tram to the end of another line, didn't take long. We just sat on the tram until it took off again back to town. The locals thought it very funny and kept trying to convince we were at the end of the line and to get off. A very cheap way to see a bit more of Prague.

fuzzylogic

Hi - it's years since I went to Prague but as a fully paid up member of the Just Wander fraternity - can I suggest a visit to the Jewish cemetery and surrounds; also the area beyond the castle on the north side of the river. Last but not least, one of the bestest things I did there was to go to a concert - a violinist playing in a house where Mozart once lived - which is way off the beaten track and beautiful (the music was too). There are (were? - I assume there still are) loads of concerts either free or very reasonable in churches and historic buildings - an absolute treat!

Mucky

You have received some great info here.

There are 2 places I can recommend for eating and drinking which are two of the main pastimes in prague ;-)

Prague:
For great food and beer in a simple no fuss pub:
3 black Roses (U 3 cernych ruzi)
Zamecha 05
Praha 01 mala STRANA

For an interesting place to eat:
U Sadlu restaurant
http://www.usadlu.cz/eonas.html

Enjoy

Muck

lmavolio

Thanks everyone! This is such great info! I never thought of the tram idea and Muck, I will definitely check out those places you mentioned. I also jotted down all of the other locations everyone else mentioned. Thanks so much!

lmavolio

Myer - I loved your pictures!! They are beautiful and now I am even more eager to get to Prague!

pjsparlor

ttt

Padraig

schnauzer wrote: "The other thing to do beside wander by your feet is to wander by the tram."

This is one of my favourite activities on city visits, and it works particularly well in Prague. One or two lines go a long way out of the centre.

We even have a name for it: trambling, for rambling by tram.

amp322

"fuzzylogic" is referring to Bertramka, in the Andel section. Nice place, if you want to explore a different area of Prague, and like music. The tram goes there, by the way ;-)

Ozarksbill

Yes, thanks for the phots, Myer, of Prague ansd also other places like Segovia, Sorrento, Budapest, etc.

As for wandering, I did find Prague to be a good place for it...e.g. there is no direct way to walk to the Charles Bridge. Same around the central square, Mala Strana. Enjoy your visit.

ozarksbill
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