When KLM and De Jong Intra Vakanties sent us on a blind city trip last week, we didn’t know where we were going but we kind of hoped it would be a city of culture, food, sunshine.. and that’s exactly what we got! Last week we gave you guys a few clues about the city we were going to visit. Our guess was as big as yours until we heard the news when we arrived at Schiphol airport and a KLM flight attendant gave us a small present with a guidebook of.. Prague! Did you guess it right? Then keep an eye on this page here during the end of May to see if you are the lucky winner of a Blind City Trip for 2!
Bye Bye Amsterdam
We had no idea what to expect of Prague. All we knew was that the local currency is Czech Koruna, it’s very affordable and beer is the national drink. Time to explore! Our hotel was only a short walk from the center so we walked almost everywhere. Sometimes we even walked for 2 hours straight! Although we were given a guidebook of Prague, we didn’t even open it. We are all for getting lost and discovering the best places by talking to the locals. So that’s exactly what we did.
The city is divided by the Vltava River. You can get across the other sides by using one of the many bridges. The most famous one is the Charles Bridge which dates back from 1402 and features 30 statues of saints. One side of Prague features the vibrant “old town”where it all happens at night and the other side is has many cute restaurants is great for hikes, castles the the famous “Eiffel Tower“.
Looking at the famous Charles Bridge
MUST DO’s:
» The John Lennon Wall, created by rebels to express their feelings against communism. Find messages of love and peace are written down with musicians singing John Lennon songs. Awesome.
» Parziska is the high end shopping street where you can go crazy on window shopping and enjoy expensive cars driving around.
» Go on a bicycle tour, this is the best way to see the city, hands down. We recommend “mijn praag tours” with Dennis. (Dutch and English speaking.)
» Michalská is a quiet street in the center of Prague where you will find a few cute restaurants and shops.
» Zlute Lazne, is city beach which opens up during the summer months. Bring your flipflops! www.zlutelazne.cz/en
» Narodni Divadlo (The National Theater), a gold-roofed neo-classical building, Statni Divadlo, (The State Opera), a sumptuous nineteenth-century opera house.
» Naplavka farmers market, Every Saturday visitors can purchase goodies made from high-quality ingredients situated by the river underneath the Vysehrad fortress, some 15 minutes by walk from the National Theater.
» U Prince Hotel for a fresh Ice-tea on the rooftop overlooking the old town square. They also have a nice cocktail bar called the Black Angels Bar. Info
TIP » Eat a Trdelník! You will find this sweet pastry on almost every corner of a busy street and they all cost about 1,50 euro’s.
Wander-Lust at the John Lennon Wall
Amazing views from Hotel U Prince where we enjoyed some fresh iced-tea
Prague features many views like these
“Prague totally surprised us and made us fall in love instantly”
WHERE TO EAT:
On the first night we really lost our way back to the hotel and walked past a cool Vietnamese restaurant called U Fughio. Cool hiphop tunes blasting through the speakers and we think that all the hip crowd of Prague must have been sitting here. After dinner we discovered that there was a downstairs club/bar where you can smoke shisha and drink cocktails. The owner (28) who’s also a hiphop dancer, build everything himself. Prague is full of places where you can eat. Yes, the Asian cuisine is on a high but you can also find lot’s of Italian, local, vegetarian, vegan and other international restaurants here.
Acai bowls at Herbivore
» Eska, they’re the new kids on the block but probably the best lunch and dinner place in Prague. It’s fine dining combined with a downstairs bakery. Enjoy forgotten vegetables and see the passion which the chefs cook with. We enjoyed a tasty lunch for only 20 euro’s! www.eska.ambi.cz
» Herbivore, amazing breakfast, lunch and juices. Try the Acai bowl or their vegan buffet! Facebook
» Etn Svêt, go here for an all vegetarian buffet for only 6 euro’s per person! www.etnosvet.cz/en
» NOI, the best Thai food in Prague! Cool house tunes and a nice bar. Perfect to start the weekend! www.noirestaurant.cz
» U Fughio, Go for the cool vibes and try Vietnamese dishes (they also serve Thai food but we preferred the Vietnamese food) Facebook
» Kolkovna for the best local Czhech food! Make a reservation during the weekends! www.kolkovna.cz
» Naplavka farmersmarket, mentioned before, this is where you won’t find any tourist. Simply because they don’t know how good this is. You will find homemade soup, crepes, vegetables, juices and flowers. Bring cash!
Extra tip » Visit the Starbucks Coffee in the castle! This is probably the best Starbucks location ever, overlooking the city.
Fine dining at the newest hotspot Eska
Dinner at U Fughio, Cakes at Eska and fresh soup at the farmersmarket
WHERE TO DRINK & DANCE:
One things we’ve learned about Prague is that there are plenty of places where you can have a great night out. Friday is when all the locals go out so plan your evening well. As you may expect, women get into every club or bar without any problem and many times you don’t even have to pay an entrance fee. We drank amazing cocktails at Tretter’s and Bugsy’s (a huge price difference between these two!) and we danced at Chapau Rouge goes on until the early hours.
» Tretter’s, great cocktails for a small price! Men in tuxedo’s shake it up for you.
» Bugsy’s, a high class cocktail bar. Expect to pay European prices.
» Chapau Rouge reminded us of a club in Berlin. 3 area’s including a dark basement with techno and drum & base tunes
» Roxy, check out their flyers to find out what’s on as some of the biggest DJ’s play here
» James Dean, ladies be warned, your bum will be squeezed a few times. This place if for dancing to rock & roll music and drinking lot’s of beer.
» Cafe Cafe, a gay friendly bar with lot’s of hot men plus great coffee and cakes!
From left to right: Trendy Cafe Cafe, Cocktail at Tretter’s and Bugsy’s interior
WHERE TO SLEEP:
» Emblem Hotel, they’ve opened 2 years ago so this hotel it very fresh and in the middle of Prague’s epic center. As a guest you can use the spa, rooftop jacuzzi, gym, enjoy evening snacks with Prosecco (which we tried of course!) and enjoy a great breakfast buffet. The staff is extremely helpful and one of the owners gave us some great dinner tips! Website
» Aria, if you want to feel like a king or queen, you should stay here. This music themed hotel has Dali’s and Picasso’s hanging on the walls and has a beautiful rooftop terras and garden where you can find some time to relax. Website
» Travellers hostel, if you’re on a budget, this hostel is pretty cool and clean plus it’s right in the center of Prague! Website
Relaxing at the rooftop of The Emblem Hotel
The beautiful garden at Aria hotel
Our verdict is simple: Prague is an amazing historical city with lot’s of modern hotspots where you wander for days! We can really recommend you to visit Prague this year so you can fall in love too..
Love,
Wander-Lust
* all pictures where taken with the Olympus PEN or OMD E-10
