InterRail Travel #3: Prague

We are leaving Berlin Early in the morning to meet again 4 hours later at Prague, the 3rd stage of our trip through Europe with InterRail! I had already had the opportunity to visit it a few years ago and I had a pleasant memory of it. Beautiful city, But it was a first for Capucine who was pleasantly surprised by the beauty, the architecture, the romance and the atmosphere. The crazy charm of the Czech capital.

We checked into a conceptual, funky and contemporary hotel that is very popular in Prague: the Fusion hotel. A true marvel… We will return to this place in an article dedicated to the hotel. We were right in the heart of the city, a 10-minute walk from the train station and just a short walk from the shopping street in Stare Mesto.

Here is what we visited during this 24-hour express stay in Prague. There is no doubt that it will take several days to fully appreciate the city, its heritage, its culture and its traditions.

– We descend into the labyrinth of alleys of the old town (Stare Mesto) to get to Old Town Square where one can observe The astronomical clock. Nothing particularly fascinating, but the square is beautiful and very lively, especially at Christmas and Easter time. We were there at the right time! The square is filled with stalls where you can buy local specialties, handicrafts, hand-painted eggs, and more. There were traditional dance performances, musicians, in short, the atmosphere was superb.

One can climb to the top of the tower to enjoy an exceptional panorama of the square with its church Our Lady of the Týn, and its sumptuous buildings. We also went for a drink at the top of the terrace of the U Prince hotel; we also took advantage of the view. Panoramic view of the roofs from Prague. A lovely place that I recommend you visit at sunset; it’s worth a detour!

– Go back to the Jewish quarter see his surprising cemetery and return to the Charles Bridge, The most famous monument in Prague, connecting the Old Town with Mala Strana. And it’s also the most touristy! We recommend that you visit it! go back there Early in the morning or at the end of the day To take full advantage of it, the setting is magical and the view of Prague Castle is remarkable.

– Discover Mala Strana, the neighborhood located at the foot of the Prague castle, by going deep into the old alleys of this Beautiful neighborhood with unique architecture. The setting is very romantic With its old houses, its watermills, its small bridges and canals that would almost make you think of Venice. The further you go up towards the castle, the more you get the feeling that you are in a Traditional rural village.

– See you at the « Lennon Wall«An informal memorial dedicated to John Lennon where visitors leave graffiti. During the Soviet era, young people made it into a place of pilgrimage." symbol of protest of the regime. Click here to locate the wall. Take a walk around the area and along the Vltava river, you will see it everywhere. Beautiful traditional houses and remarkable palaces.

– In Mala Strana, as you go along the river towards Charles Bridge, there is a pier with boats that offer trips to the islands. Commented river walks An hour to admire Prague from a new angle. It really is worth it at the end of the day at sunset…

To learn more about Prague, we did a 2.30-hour tour by Segway gyrocar, the opportunity to discover the most beautiful places in the city while having fun. The guide was very pleasant and it was clear that she was passionate about the history of her city.
More information on the website: segwayfun.eu

In the evening we had an aperitif in a small bar on the water side of Mala Strana, then we went to have dinner in the Stare Mesto restaurant U Vejvodu where we had a nice evening. We met some Belgian travelers there, Jeff and Marc who also went to discover some European capitals, by train and bus, not using InterRail, but GoEuro, one Research platform  To get the best prices on train and bus trips. We took advantage of this opportunity to exchange our tips and recommendations to get the most out of the European capitals.

This is followed by a nighttime stroll through the streets of the old city before returning to the hotel. A part of mystery takes over Prague at night, creating a unique and special atmosphere, especially along the Vltava River. This almost reminded us of the past the atmosphere of the streets of Edinburgh in the middle of the night…