Prague, Fascinating European Capital

piazza Staromestske namesti , via Karlova

For many years I had wanted to take a trip like this together with my Brazilian friends, and above all thanks to my friend Lilian all this was possible. The real organizer of the trip and of all the bookings was her.....but since she isn't registered on viaggiscoop.it yet you'll have to make do with my information. After leaving the car in the outdoor parking lot of ParkingGO, and arriving at the airport thanks to the latter's bus service (a choice I recommend to everyone, given the prices of the parking lots at Malpensa airport), our first stop of the day is Milan Malpensa Terminal 1 airport, waiting for the arrival of the flight from Sao Paulo with our friends on board. After their disembarking and the first joyful greetings, we immediately tried the free shuttle service found at the terminal exit, to move to Malpensa Terminal 2, where we will check in for the flight to Prague.

The flight doesn't last long, about 1 hour and 30 minutes, but long enough for my wife to order a nice hot Hot Dog directly on the plane! On our arrival a temperature awaits us that is very unusual compared to what we expected. In fact during the day it was more than 10 degrees and I think I saw a few Brazilians walking around in short-sleeved t-shirts! Possible?!?!? I was probably under the effect of some hallucinogen!!! Anyway this temperature, along with the sunny weather, accompanied us throughout our stay, making our movements around the city much easier. (don't take the temperature we found as a reference, since usually in November Prague is much colder!)

To reach the hotel we took an 8-seat minibus from CEDAZ, booking it directly from the stand located in the airport arrivals hall, for a cost of 900 crowns total (40 euros), with the advantage of arriving after 20 minutes right at the hotel entrance. Otherwise it's possible to reach the historic center by taking bus no. 119 at the airport exit and reaching the Dejvicka terminus where you then take the metro to the center.

As said in the introduction, the hotel is of decent level, even though the 4 stars seem exaggerated. The location is very good, since it's at Karlova 44, very close to Charles Bridge and very close to Staromestske namesti square, where you'll find the famous astronomical clock...but also many other monuments. On Karlova street try to be very careful with your wives / girlfriends, because since it's the old street where the coronation route passed, it's currently full of craft shops, made specifically to spend your better halves' money! Joking aside.....the street is really lovely, and it's a real pleasure to take a walk there (which becomes almost obligatory, since it connects Prague's most famous monuments).

After a small well-deserved rest at the hotel, we spent the first evening in Staromestske namesti square, where after seeing the famous astronomical clock, the church of Santa Maria di Tyn (which externally looks almost like Harry Potter's castle), we dined at Ristorante U_Price, also located at Staromestske namesti 29, at a cost of 3700 crowns (for 6 people)...so about 28 euros each. The food satisfied me a lot, but surely in Prague you'll find much less expensive restaurants. (obviously here the cost was increased also by the view of the famous square). But as my friend Lilian always says....."those who count don't have fun", so it was good not to think too much about the bills and enjoy the vacation....but without exaggerating! I saw Gustavo (her husband) several times putting his hands in his hair and cursing after his little wife came out of the craft shops!!! Uh oh.....

Ponte Carlo , Mala Strana , isola di Kampa, Palazzo Ginger e Fred

We spent our first real day in Prague visiting Charles Bridge and the Mala Strana neighborhood. The atmosphere that envelops Charles Bridge is very fascinating, full of musicians, stalls and consequently, tourists. Between photos of the city view and the various stalls, it took us about an hour to reach the other side of the bridge! In Mala Strana we wandered around for a couple of hours, making a little stop to taste the sweets in a little place adjacent to St. Nicholas Church, and had a quick lunch with some pizza-by-the-slice at a pizzeria near the Charles Bridge tower. The neighborhood located on Kampa island is very fascinating and quiet......I recommend everyone take a totally relaxed walk there. In the evening, to build up an appetite, we took a long walk along the Vltava with the goal of seeing the bizarre building called "Ginger and Fred".

Very unusual this building, it really looks like a wobbling building, and the name they gave it is really apt! After seeing the Theater and the whole panorama of the Vltava at night, we arrived at our hotel's restaurant to have dinner for the modest price of 15 euros each.

Castello e Palazzo Reale

The entire day was dedicated to visiting the castle and the Royal Palace, located on the hill that overlooks Mala Strana. At the main entrance in Hradcany Square (Hradcanske namesti), the changing of the guard takes place on the stroke of every hour. But if you want to see the longest and most picturesque changing of the guard, I recommend waiting for the one at noon, where the squad of soldiers comes out of the castle and returns after doing a 20-minute circuit around the surrounding squares. To access the castle, you can buy various types of tickets, where you can choose what to see. We saw St. Vitus Cathedral, the Great Tower, the Old Royal Palace, the Golden Lane and the Daliborka….and by the end we were exhausted!

Piazza Vanceslao

The last actual day of our stay in Prague was dedicated to the women and their mania for wild shopping in Wenceslas Square. Here you can find everything, from fashion shops to shopping centres, or high-tech stores (you can ask my wife for confirmation!). The only real hitch of the day was sending the postcards directly from the central post office, where it wasn't clear which counter to go to! (in any case, even this remained an experience I'll remember with curiosity) Our last Prague dinner was at the restaurant La Scala on Celetna street, 5, behind the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. In my opinion it was the best restaurant we ate at, and also the most characteristic, since it's located in a wonderful cellar. Here too the price was more than affordable, since we spent 16 euros each.

Lastly, all I can do is recommend that you visit this splendid city, which we frequented little at night, but which by day is equally enchanting. It's very pleasant to walk around since the historic centre isn't excessively large, and although there's a very convenient metro, I remain of the opinion that the best choice is to stroll along the streets above ground.