What's the must fun thing you did in Prague?
Nov 12th, 2003, 05:30 AM
#5
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Hello, We had fun every day we were there! Prague is a gorgeous city! We loved just walking around the city and admiring the beautiful architecture and taking photos. We loved the ballet "Taming of the Shrew" and the play "Romeo and Juliet", even though it was in Czech. Visiting the castle was great; I think going to Vysehrad and seeing the old cemetery and church there is wonderful. Loved walking across the Charles Bridge at night...the view is beautiful. We also loved drinking the hot mulled wine served by street vendors! And shopping!! Especially in Old Town and on Nerudova Street! As you can see, I love everything about Prague!
Nov 12th, 2003, 05:33 AM
#6
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Crazy as this sounds, it was fun. Got up at 5:30 a.m. one Sunday (was in Prague for the entire month of August) and took the tram to Prague Castle. Walked around an amazing place and took pictures before the crowds arrived. Then walked to Charles Bridge and took more photos. As a treat, I went to Cafe Slavia and ate the best breakfast there.
Nov 12th, 2003, 06:05 AM
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Hi djl,
I spent 6 days in Prague in 1995. Everything in Prague was fun and very interesting since few folks spoke English and there was no traditional TI.
We took the little train with commentary around town and got off at the castle, toured the castle area and then walked to the Charles Bridge.
Watched the clock chime the hour lots of times; listened to the Danish Men's Choir practicing in one of the churches (it was during Prague Spring); went to a concert in a church.
Just walking around the streets and looking at the beautiful architecture and artwork on the buildings was a treat. The Jewish cemetery was a highlight.
Prague had some very nice art galleries and I bought a couple of prints. We even went to KMart since I needed socks. That was an experience. They had all the socks up on a wall and they're by shoe size, rather than the usual woman's one size fits all. It took a long time to figure out which ones would fit me by looking at them.
One day we just hopped on a tram to take a ride (the ride wasn't terribly interesting but we ended up in a super market which is always interesting).
We took a day trip to Karlstein Castle which involved using 3 guidebooks and 4 modes of transportation (tram, subway, train, and minivan). This trip allowed us to see a bit of the lovely countryside.
You'll love Prague!
I spent 6 days in Prague in 1995. Everything in Prague was fun and very interesting since few folks spoke English and there was no traditional TI.
We took the little train with commentary around town and got off at the castle, toured the castle area and then walked to the Charles Bridge.
Watched the clock chime the hour lots of times; listened to the Danish Men's Choir practicing in one of the churches (it was during Prague Spring); went to a concert in a church.
Just walking around the streets and looking at the beautiful architecture and artwork on the buildings was a treat. The Jewish cemetery was a highlight.
Prague had some very nice art galleries and I bought a couple of prints. We even went to KMart since I needed socks. That was an experience. They had all the socks up on a wall and they're by shoe size, rather than the usual woman's one size fits all. It took a long time to figure out which ones would fit me by looking at them.
One day we just hopped on a tram to take a ride (the ride wasn't terribly interesting but we ended up in a super market which is always interesting).
We took a day trip to Karlstein Castle which involved using 3 guidebooks and 4 modes of transportation (tram, subway, train, and minivan). This trip allowed us to see a bit of the lovely countryside.
You'll love Prague!
Nov 12th, 2003, 06:31 AM
#8
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In 1997, backpacking. Found a great pension that had a beer hall on the first floor. My cousin was trying to drown the pain of just having had her tongue pierced. We drank Budvar in a hall full of loud czechs who were singing, and laughing on a Friday evening. Made friends and one guy brought us a bag of fresh cherries. It was as simple a night as could be imagined, but it really crystallized Prague for us, and made it special.
Nov 12th, 2003, 06:49 AM
#9
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We enjoyed the whole experience of being in Prague. It was particularly special for me since my roots are there and it was our first visit.
Things we had fun doing: Touring the Staropramen Brewery, cruising the Vltava, walking across the Charles Bridge and photographing all the statues, visiting the castle and buying a couple of things in the tiny shops on the Golden Walk, going to the Mucha museum, walking around Old Town Square and watching the astronomical clock go through its paces on the hour, window shopping in Wenceslas Square, admiring all the beautiful architecture, visiting the old synagogue, drinking fabulous beer and eating dumplings and goulash and pancakes with fruit and whipped cream, seeing Smetana's The Bartered Bride at the National Theater and going for dessert and coffee afterwards at Slavia. Most of all visiting with and sharing Prague for a few wonderful days with the gracious Czech people we came in contact with.
It was truly one of our very best trips to Europe.
Things we had fun doing: Touring the Staropramen Brewery, cruising the Vltava, walking across the Charles Bridge and photographing all the statues, visiting the castle and buying a couple of things in the tiny shops on the Golden Walk, going to the Mucha museum, walking around Old Town Square and watching the astronomical clock go through its paces on the hour, window shopping in Wenceslas Square, admiring all the beautiful architecture, visiting the old synagogue, drinking fabulous beer and eating dumplings and goulash and pancakes with fruit and whipped cream, seeing Smetana's The Bartered Bride at the National Theater and going for dessert and coffee afterwards at Slavia. Most of all visiting with and sharing Prague for a few wonderful days with the gracious Czech people we came in contact with.
It was truly one of our very best trips to Europe.
Nov 12th, 2003, 07:55 AM
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SLHogan, we did almost the exact same thing last winter! Every morning we woke up at dawn (this was early January and around 6 degrees F!), went to the old town and Slavia (to have coffee while looking at the castle and Petrin hill) or Imperial (both are wonderful cafes), then walked around or went sightseeing.
djl, for a great day of walking around the most beautiful places in Prague, I recommend waking up and heading to the Slavia cafe, having breakfast (it's pretty cheap by US standards but expensive by Czech standards), then walking through the winding streets toward Betlemske Namesti, a charming little square, then down Liliova to the Charles Bridge. Then cross the Charles Bridge, and just before you reach the Malostranska side, take the stairs down (you'll see them on the left toward the end of the bridge, just before you reach the tower). You'll find yourself on a lovely little square. Walk through it toward Kampa park, which is a lovely riverbank park. Once you reach the end of the park, head right, and you'll walk toward a street called Ujezd, which runs alongside the bottom edge of Petrin hill. You can either walk up the hill, which is lovely if you feel like taking your time, or you can take a cable car (you'll see the little station once you get to Ujezd). Walk along the ridge, and you'll have breathtaking views of the old part of the city and castle. You can stop for lunch at this great little place near the castle (I think I told you about it in another post--it's the one you find halfway down the narrow staircase). It's not exactly a restaurant for locals, but I love it anyway (and I generally hate tourist restaurants). After lunch I would highly recommend visiting the Strahov cloister. Enjoy.
djl, for a great day of walking around the most beautiful places in Prague, I recommend waking up and heading to the Slavia cafe, having breakfast (it's pretty cheap by US standards but expensive by Czech standards), then walking through the winding streets toward Betlemske Namesti, a charming little square, then down Liliova to the Charles Bridge. Then cross the Charles Bridge, and just before you reach the Malostranska side, take the stairs down (you'll see them on the left toward the end of the bridge, just before you reach the tower). You'll find yourself on a lovely little square. Walk through it toward Kampa park, which is a lovely riverbank park. Once you reach the end of the park, head right, and you'll walk toward a street called Ujezd, which runs alongside the bottom edge of Petrin hill. You can either walk up the hill, which is lovely if you feel like taking your time, or you can take a cable car (you'll see the little station once you get to Ujezd). Walk along the ridge, and you'll have breathtaking views of the old part of the city and castle. You can stop for lunch at this great little place near the castle (I think I told you about it in another post--it's the one you find halfway down the narrow staircase). It's not exactly a restaurant for locals, but I love it anyway (and I generally hate tourist restaurants). After lunch I would highly recommend visiting the Strahov cloister. Enjoy.
Nov 12th, 2003, 10:56 AM
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Our 2nd visit to Prague was for a week at Christmas in 2000 (www.nat.k12.la.us/ta/pra) Everything we did was great, but the most fun we had was watching the housewives select their carp for Christmas Eve dinner. All over the city, there were big plastic tubs along the street filled with big carp swimming around. The shopper would pick out the perfect carp, the man running the tub would pull it out with a net, and they would gut it, scale it, and wrap it in paper right on the street. We decided to try the fried carp Christmas specialty at our restaurant on Christmas Eve, and I can assure you that I still prefer turkey! Afterwards, we were walking along the street and saw the Christmas specialty listed in English on the window of one of the restaurants as "Fried Crap." We both decided that might have been just about as good! Even with the carp, Prague remains one of our favorite cities in all of Europe.
Nov 12th, 2003, 01:40 PM
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Don't diss the carp! It is the traditional Christmas Eve meal because it was the only thing affordable/available to the majority of Czechs. (I eat it ever year though and have to say it ain't my favorite meal!)
One more suggestion: at night, if you're so inclined, it is lovely to walk up/down Nerudova street. It stretches from Malostranske namesti (just to the NW of the St Nicholas cathedral) up to the castle. It's a lovely walk, with cozy shops and a couple of more touristy restaurants. It's really lovely at night. When you reach the end, at the top, you'll see a staircase straight ahead of you and a street curving off behind you on the right. The latter takes you up to the castle (breathtaking views there), and halfway up the former is a great little pub.
My former music teacher, Tony Ackerman, performs pretty regularly in Prague with his partner Martin Kratochvil. They are an amazing jazz duo, frequently accompanied by a fabulous percussionist whose name I can't remember. If you're in Prague I would pick up a Prague Post and see if they're playing. It's great fun. My favorite Czech band, Vladimir Misik Etc., don't perform as much anymore, but I caught them last time I was there. They were very political in their heyday (1960s-70s) and still play great music.
One more suggestion: at night, if you're so inclined, it is lovely to walk up/down Nerudova street. It stretches from Malostranske namesti (just to the NW of the St Nicholas cathedral) up to the castle. It's a lovely walk, with cozy shops and a couple of more touristy restaurants. It's really lovely at night. When you reach the end, at the top, you'll see a staircase straight ahead of you and a street curving off behind you on the right. The latter takes you up to the castle (breathtaking views there), and halfway up the former is a great little pub.
My former music teacher, Tony Ackerman, performs pretty regularly in Prague with his partner Martin Kratochvil. They are an amazing jazz duo, frequently accompanied by a fabulous percussionist whose name I can't remember. If you're in Prague I would pick up a Prague Post and see if they're playing. It's great fun. My favorite Czech band, Vladimir Misik Etc., don't perform as much anymore, but I caught them last time I was there. They were very political in their heyday (1960s-70s) and still play great music.
Nov 12th, 2003, 08:53 PM
#14
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Our favorite things in Prague this past August: 1.Bach organ concert at a gorgeous church @ the foot of Charles Bridge. 2.Dinner @ Kampa Park restaurant which was atmospheric, right on the water, excellent cuisine. It was a little pricey by Czech standards but OK for a splurge. Everything else seemed so very reasonable. 3. Walking the city and experiencing the humble joy of the Czech people that seemed related possibly to their fairly newfound freedoms. We loved it!!
Nov 15th, 2003, 07:34 AM
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I return to Praha every year to play in a chamber music festival. The most memorable musical things I've done there, were playing in a ballet orchestra in an outside production (under the stars, with views of the church spires!!), and playing with world class Czech musicians in beautiful, historical Baroque churches. The music, architecture, and people keep me coming back every year! Awesome!
Nov 15th, 2003, 11:28 PM
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djl:It was our second day in Prague. We had arrived the afternoon before. The weather was balmy and we were still jetlagged. We lay down on the grass at Kampa Park at the foot of the Charles Bridge and fell fast asleep. Woke up about an hour and a half later, fully refreshed and ready to continue touring.
