Last month, I was able to visit Prague for a work-related trip. During the week, I was able to do little exploring, but on the weekends I was able to explore the town at my own time. It felt good to not rush to all the most famous sights withing few days as I usually would on a touristic trip, but to only see a few places every weekend and take my time getting to know the town. Here are some of my favourite experiences:
The Prague Castle
This is an obvious one, but it’s popular for good reason. The entire area surrounding the castle is made up of beautiful old architecture and I had a great time wandering around the ancient streets, looking for gems.
Petřín Tower
Did you know that Prague has its ownEiffel Tower? Well, the Petřín Tower is a lookout tower which was loosely inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. While not being as tall as the original, it has a fantastic view nonetheless, as it is located on top of a hill overviewing Prague. If you’re wearing comfortable shoes, it is even withing walking distance from the castle. Bonus point: Right at the foot of the tower you will find a beautiful park area with some lovely cafés to refresh yourself from the walk up the hill.
Lennon Wall
The Lennon Wall was actually one of my absolute favourite attractions in Prague. It has been a wall filled with political messages, often of protest, since the 1960’s and got its name from the portrait of John Lennon that was painted on it when the singer was shot in 1980.
The reason why this wall touched me so much was that it is nothing like a sight in the usual sense: It is alive and ever-changing, and as relevant today as it was when it first became what it is today. Back in the day, people would write and paint on the wall to (among others) protest against the communist government. When I was there, I founds houndreds of poems, caricatures and words of protest against the war in the Ukraine. It felt like a full cyle moment (not in the good sense) and really got me thinking (the good way, but not the comfortable one).
Národní Muzeum
I was lucky enough to work just a few metres away from the Národní muzeum (National museum) at Wenceslas Square and since my very first time seeing the Národní muzeum from the outside on my first day in Prague, I had craved to visit it. The architecture has something to it which just caught my eye immediately. It is grande, it is classic and it truly is the crown of Wenceslas Square, located at its highest point.
It came as no surprise that the interior architecture is just as beautiful as the exterior one. And the best thing: All visitors can go up into the dome of the main building, overlooking Wenceslas Square, for free!
Wandering around town
Honestly, one of the best things you can do is to put on a pair of comfy shoes, pack some snacks and just start walking! I loved wandering around Prague without a specific aim (which is so unlike me, who usually has the netire day mapped out), and often I found myself at the right place at the right time.
For example Kafka’s head: The statue turns once per hours, an event really worth coming for. I was walking by, wondering what all those people might be looking at, and was lucky enough to find it turning in that exact moment. So sometimes just get out there and explore with open eyes – who knows what you might find! Here are some of my personal highlights:
So how about you, have you ever been in Prague and what were your favourite things to see and do?
Love, Carola
