Prague, Czech Republic
I was so excited to be heading to Prague, a city I’ve heard nothing but good things about. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Czechia, but I was really excited to learn more about the country and finally visit “the city of spires”. Prague, which ended up being my favorite city on my trip across Europe, was easily the most beautiful city I’ve ever been. The architecture was stunning, the people were super friendly, and they had the best beer I’ve ever had in my life! I was also very excited to be staying at another OneFam Hostel, OneFam Home, which was easily the best hostel experience I’ve ever had! As always, the OneFam staff was incredible and the other backpackers I met there were just as awesome! From the family dinners to day trips around town, there was always something to do and someone to do it with! I genuinely made friends that’ll last far beyond our time in Prague, and I can’t wait to meet up with them again!
Prague was absolutely beautiful. The entire city skyline was filled with towers and spires; cobblestone streets lead to beautiful bridges lined with stunning statues. The town square was surrounded by medieval buildings and home to the famous Astronomical Clock! Across the river overlooking the city was the stunning Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, by far one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. I was immediately awestruck by the beauty of the city, and it only gets better at night when everything is lit up!
One day we went up to Riegrovy Sady, a beautiful park overlooking the city, to enjoy the nice weather and stumbled upon a beer festival that was absolutely delicious! We ended up hanging out there for a few hours enjoying pints of Czech craft beer for £2.50 or less! This was just one of the few positive experiences I had with booze in Prague. You can find it literally everywhere and it’s all authentic to the Czech Republic! A really cool place I enjoyed visiting was a the famous Jelínek Distillery, home to a surprisingly delicious and locally sourced plum brandy. My personal favorite was their honey plum brandy; sweet and smooth, but still strong! I am definitely going to be looking for it the next time I’m in New York! I really enjoyed the tour of the distillery and loved the samples and unique local snacks at the end including a sweet plum and plum spread, a roasted plum wrapped in bacon, and a gritty yet flavorful fatback all served on fresh rye bread. It was a really unique experience and I definitely recommend it to any alcohol fans visiting Prague!
I’ve had a lot of fun during my travels around the world, but The Drunken Monkey pub crawl in Prague was by far one of the craziest experiences I’ve had. Two hours of all you can drink followed by a handful of bars and clubs all giving you a free welcome shot. It was a so much fun meeting people from all over the world and just having a blast! Free shots, beer pong, shotgunning beers, body shots, and so many drinking games was the perfect pregame to a wild night out on the town!
The food in Prague was also super delicious! The most iconic treat to get was the chimney cake! Imagine a hollow sugar donut filled with ice cream and topped with just about anything you can think of! It was absolutely delicious and by far the most popular snack in town. Sausages were also very popular, and made the perfect paring with a Czech lager! Schnitzel and fried cheese were another delicious meal you can find all over town. I tried a super local spot once and I felt like I time traveled back to the Cold War… The dish was some kind of goulash with bread. The taste was surprisingly okay, but I imagine this is what prison food looks like. Regardless, it was fun to try a more “authentic” dish.
One day a group of us from the hostel checked out Vyšehrad; a historic fortress that now serves as a park. The views over the river were incredible and there was a beautiful church as well! This was a cool place to explore and learn a bit about the medieval history of Prague.
Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral was definitely the best part of Prague for admiring gothic architecture. The castle grounds were huge, and the cathedral was absolutely massive! I regret not climbing the narrow stairway up to the top of the tower, but next time I’m in Prague I’m definitely going to go up for a view of the city. The mosaic on the entryway was absolutely stunning! By far my favorite cathedral on the trip so far.
I was so sad when I had to leave Prague. I cannot tell you how badly I needed this trip after such a lackluster time I had in Germany. I fell in love with this city and everyone who I met while visiting! The city just had this vibe about it that’s hard to put into words; simply put, it was amazing. I will definitely come back to visit this city and to explore more of Czechia! Prague, this isn’t goodbye, but see you later, and that time can’t come soon enough!