Prague, Czech Republic
Why Prague?
Prague is a beautiful medieval city that still maintains much of its medieval era architecture in the Old Town area. Rumor has it that Hitler did not bomb Prague during WWII since it was one of his favorite cities. Thus, the architecture is preserved to this day. With just shy of a week including travel time, we chose Prague because it can be fully enjoyed in just a few days. Also, Prague is one of the few Christmas markets that stay open until after the new year. In the Catholic religion, the Christmas season actually does not end until the Feast of the Epiphany, which occurs in early January.
Prague Itinerary
Tuesday, December 26
- Depart DFW to PRG (Prague, Czech Republic)
Wednesday, December 27
- Arrive in Prague
- Took taxi from airport to hotel
- Arrive at our hotel – Hilton Prague Old Town
- 5-10 min walk to Old Town Square
- shopped at Christmas markets
- ate sausage, turkey leg, trdelnik
- admired the Astronomical Clock and Church of Our Lady Before Tyn
- Walked 5-10 min to Wencelas Square
- stopped at the Sex Machines Museum on the way
- shopped at more Christmas markets
- Walked 10-15 min back to the hotel
- admired the Powder tower on the way
Thursday, December 28
- Free breakfast at hotel
- Walk to main train station (hlavní nádraží)
- 1 hour train ride to Kutna Hora
- In Kutna Hora
- Short local train to Sedlec
- walked 2 miles through town then to St. Barbara’s
- stopped at a couple shops along the way
- walked back to town
- took a short taxi ride to Sedlec Ossuary (aka “bone church”)
- Ate a quick snack at a cafe
- Short local train to Sedlec
- 1 hour train ride back to Prague
- Walked from main train station to hotel
- 25 minutes walk from hotel to restaurant Hergetova Cihelna for dinner
- strolled across the Charles Bridge
- back to hotel
- back across Charles Bridge at night
- stopped and bought an original water color from an artist on the bridge
- walked back through Old Town
- back across Charles Bridge at night
Friday, December 29
- slept in!
- ate free breakfast at the hotel
- took the tram to the Malostranska stop
- uphill walk to Prague Castle
- long line to get in
- lots of beautiful views
- shopped at street markets
- walked to St. Vitus Cathedral
- lunch on-the-go
- found an area by the river with tons of beautiful swans
- walked around and shopped
- crossed back over Charles bridge
- walked to Lennon Wall
- dinner at U Tri Ruzi
- back to hotel
- shopped a little more
- ate another trdelnik
Saturday, December 30
- early morning flight PRG (Prague) to LHR (London Heathrow)
- connected LHR to DFW
Prague Trip Details
Wednesday, December 27
Taxi Ride from Prague Airport to Hotel
After arriving at the airport, we went to the taxi counter and purchased a prepaid taxi to our hotel. Historically, Prague was known to have scam taxi services, but that has been cleaned up in recent years. Either way, you’re safe if you go to one of the reputable taxi counters in the arrival lobby at the airport. After an interesting taxi ride in which the driver kept speaking Czech and we kept speaking English, we arrived at our hotel, the Hilton Prague Old Town.
Our Hotel in Prague
There are two Hilton hotels in Prague. The Hilton Prague Old Town is the better option due its central location. It’s a very short walk to the Old Town Square and subway stops. And, It took us about an 8-10 minute walk to get to the central train station. We were able to book our stay at a pretty reasonable rate of $170 USD per night. Our stay also included a free massive breakfast buffet. My heart and my belly were happy.
Old Town Christmas Market
So after settling in, we set out for what we came for, the Prague Christmas markets. The biggest market is in the Old Town Square, so we made the short walk and immediately indulged in a kielbasa (klobása in Czech), smoked turkey leg and a trdelnik for dessert. Mr. Jo got a trdelnik with nutella and I got a plain one. Definitely go with the nutella.
It seemed to me that the Czech eat a very meat and potatoes diet. At the Prague Christmas markets, we also saw meat skewers, cabbage and potatoes, fried cheese, mulled wine and much more. The markets run pretty late into the evening so we had plenty of time to stroll around amidst the iconic medieval architecture that Prague is known for. Despite it being after Christmas, the holiday spirit was in full force.
There is stall after stall of food stands and people selling all kinds of Christmas-y things. Prague is known for glass and carved wood, so we got a glass ball ornament and some carved wood nativity ornaments. We did have to search a little, though, to find the non-mass produced items. I have reduced souvenir purchases significantly over the years to decrease clutter, but I still love buying Christmas stuff on vacation. To me, there’s nothing more nostalgic than remembering special events and vacations when we’re setting up our Christmas tree each year.
On the south side of the square, we admired the centuries-old Astronomical Clock strike the hour with the procession of the Twelve Apostles. It was under repair during our visit, so we were unable to go on the guided tour. Finally, we visited the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, a Gothic cathedral which houses the oldest organ in Prague and many Gothic, Renaissance and Early Baroque artworks.
Making Our Way to Wencelas Square
Next, we were headed to Wencelas Square where the other major, albeit smaller, Prague Christmas market resides. On our way, we passed by the Sex Machines Museum, which seemed to be drawing a lot of traffic. We considered for a moment and thought, why not? I’m glad we made the detour because it was super interesting. On display, there were many sex machines dating back centuries. Surprisingly, there were also many chastity belts and undergarments for both men and women. Imagine having heavy metal armor locked around your hoo-haw, ladies, or an iron penis tube with sharp thorns on the inside to prevent male erections. Whoa.
Eventually, we made it to Wencelas Square. We saw a lot of the same offerings there as we did in Old Town Square. Since we were on vacation and burned a few calories walking around, we gave in to another trdelnik, this time with ice cream, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries!
Our energy was depleted by this point, so we made one last stop at the Powder Tower on the way back to the hotel. Built in the 15th century, it served as the beginning for coronation processions as well as a gunpowder store. Mr. Jo said it reminded him of a building straight out of Harry Potter. We took a few nice pictures next to this dark Gothic tower bathed in evening lights.
Thursday, December 28
Change of Plans
Originally, we planned to spend the day in Prague, walking the city center and exploring Prague castle. However, given the forecast for rain most of the day, we decided to venture out to the city of Kutna Hora since we would be on a train for a few hours in total, escaping the rain. Here’s how to get to Kutna Hora.
City of Kutna Hora
Kutna Hora is most known for two things: St. Barbara’s Church and more notably, the Sedlec Ossuary, or “bone church.” After catching a train from the main train station (hlavní nádraží) in Prague we got off at the main station in Kutna Hora. Then, we took a short local train to the Sedlec stop which is near the Ossuary. We decided to go into town first, walk to St. Barbara’s, then double back to Sedlec Ossuary for the big finale.
Perhaps it was the rain, but our walk to the the town was extremely quiet. Mr. Jo and I stopped at a local shop to get me a big yellow rain poncho for $3 USD. After getting soaked in Bath (no pun intended) on our Cotswolds trip, I didn’t want to be wet and cold for the rest of the day. Mr. Jo definitely had a good laugh at my big bird rain poncho.
St. Barbara’s Church
After walking through the city center, we made the slightly uphill trek to St. Barbara’s Church, stopping at a few shops along the way. In total, we walked less than 2 miles from the station to St. Barbara’s. The church’s architecture was similar to that of the cathedrals we saw in Prague. We did a quick tour around the church but what stood out for us were the views at the top of the hill where the church sits as well as on the walk back down into town.
Sedlec Ossuary (aka “bone church”)
Rather than walk all the way back to where we started, we made it on foot to the taxi stand in the city center and took the short ride to Sedlec Ossuary, aka the “bone church”. The nickname is derived from the 40,000+ skeletons that make up the decorations in the church interior… everything from bone chandeliers to a coat of arms.
We found it to be fascinating, but it’s definitely not for everyone. There, we noticed at least one person who chose to wait outside while his party went inside. He said he didn’t feel comfortable paying to see human remains utilized as decoration. We learned that the church was initially a popular cemetery in the 13th century that apparently had sacred soil from Jerusalem. The bones were stacked in pyramids during the construction of the Gothic church in the 15th century. Then in 1870, Francis rint, a local woodcarver, was hired by the church create a work of art from the bones. We definitely recommend making the trip to Kutna Hora to see the Sedlec Ossuary. It is unlike anything we have ever seen.
Back to Prague for Dinner
After grabbing a quick bite, we took the train back to Prague and went to the hotel to get cleaned up. We had late dinner reservations at Hergetova Cihelna, which was across the river from the Old Town. Since we had some time, we decided to take the 25 minute walk to the restaurant from our hotel. Our walk was lovely since it allowed us to experience the stunning Charles Bridge at night.
Our dinner spot, Hergetova Cihelna, was located right on the Vltava River. We sat by the windows where the restaurant faces the Charles Bridge and enjoyed the view during dinner. The food was pretty good. After dinner, we enjoyed another leisurely stroll back across the Charles Bridge and back to the hotel.
Friday, December 29
Prague Castle
On our last full day, we started it off by sleeping in and then enjoying another delicious and filling hotel breakfast. Next, we walked over to the Malostranska stop of the tram and took it over to Prague Castle. The line to get into the grounds was quite long with some heavy security checks. Good thing we didn’t bring any large bags with us.
The castle is on a hillside across the river from Old town. So, we took a few pretty pictures with the city center as our backdrop, and then began walking around the grounds. Our first stop was the street market. I spotted a beautiful, but very bulky, hand-carved wood nativity scene.
Of course, Mr. Jo and I began debating the merits of carrying a multi piece nativity scene all the way back to the States. What followed is how we usually end these discrepancies on vacation and at home. I secretly agreed with Mr. Jo that it would be too difficult to lug back, but I guilt-tripped him about not letting me have what I wanted so that I would have leverage for the next object of my heart’s desire. Ladies, hope you’re taking notes.
After Mr. Jo thought he won that battle, we explored many of the numerous buildings at Prague Castle. Next, we climbed the many steps to the top of the tower. Once we reached the top, we saw even more beautiful views of Prague in all directions. Back at the bottom, we explored the main chapel, St. Vitus Cathedral, and the living quarters.
Swans of the Vltava River
We walked around a bit more and then headed back towards the city. After a quick bite, we walked south towards the Charles Bridge again and happened upon a patch of dirt leading to the Vltava River where we saw dozens of swans just hanging out. The swans let us and the other visitors get quite close; they did not seem to have much fear of people and happily let us take pictures with them. There’s no official park name, but it does appear someone has marked the location in Google Maps. I LOVED this part of the trip because it was so spontaneous and such a fun discovery. Jo Jr. and Missy Jo would have loved this.
Lennon Wall
Before crossing back over the Charles Bridge, we stopped at the Lennon Wall. Originally, the wall was used as graffiti for Beatles-inspired messages spray painted by youth to protest communism. We read that, over the years, people have continued to paint the wall with new messages of love and peace. It’s an impressive work of street art that we found very meaningful.
Dinner at U Tri Ruzi
After taking in the wall, we walked back over the bridge and had dinner at U Tri Ruzi. We ordered authentic local foods and Mr. Jo enjoyed a house beer. I ordered the pork schnitzel, which was delicious. Mr. Jo had the duck leg. It was a little salty, but overall good. They advertise themselves as the best price for beer in Prague.
After dinner, we did a little more browsing and another trdelnik along the way back to the hotel. If you’re into knick knacks, the exchange rate is your friend.
Saturday, December 30
Contact us! We would love to hear from you!