WROCŁAW-PRAGUE
My tickets to Prague I’ve bought really early – October, 2017. Well, in fact, it wasn’t because of my scrupulousness and amazing planning skills. I decided on buying this ticket in advance mainly because of the Polski Bus (currently Flixbus) new timetable. Because of the new schedule, the company offered some tempting limited amount of cheap tickets (e.g. 1 zł per ride!). Thanks to it, my round-trip ticket to Prague costed only 18 zł.
The date of my trip wasn’t random at all! I decided to give myself a small birthday gift and decided on visiting the Czech Republic on 16th of March, which occurred to be Friday.
Also I wanted to believe that the spring will slowly show itself by then and visiting this magical city in the warm March sunlight would occur to be a sheer enjoyment. I’ve already managed to imagine taking pictures while wearing gauzy, summer clothes and elegant coats.
Unfortunately, reality is cruel and once again we were forced to fight for survival, wearing huge, downy jackets and sweaters.
But well, let’s start from the beginning.
FLORENC STATION AND ACCOMODATION
We arrived at Prague at 10 p.m. We started our trip at the Florenc bus station and headed to the extremely atmospheric underground.
Just like in other stations in Europe, Florenc is not a great place to visit at night. Underground ticket prices hover around 24 CZK for a 30min ride and 32 CZK for a 90 min ride.
We arrived at the Mustek Station and moved on to the Bonvolon Hostel. Is it worth recommending? If you’re priority is to stay in the city centre for an affordable money (50 zł per night) – it is a great place. However, if you’re looking for a good standard and comfort, then you should probably look for something else.
On the other hand, I’ve been to much worse hostels, so the Bonvolon Hostel deserves 2/5 or even 3/5. I’ve heard that many cheap and atmospheric hotels are located in Žižkov district – next time, I’ll look for something there.
BREATHTAKING PRAGUE
We left our luggage and headed for a quick walk and some birthday beer/wine. We had no idea where to go, so most of the time we’ve spent wandering basically in circles.
It was really late and cold. Unfortunately, the weather took away all of the pleasure of first contact with magical Prague. Finally, we managed to get to the solitary Charles Bridge.
Living in Florence taught me that sightseeing is most successful during nighttime – with no tourists sneaking around. Take my advice and feel the true spirit of the city. By the way, Charles Bridge and its neighborhood strongly remind me of Florence and Ponte Vecchio. Standing there and observing the river I felt some kind of nostalgia and yearning for Tuscany.
Despite the terrible weather conditions, walking down the Mala Strana I managed to see how beautiful Prague really is and how many breathtaking and numerous monuments are there. I’ve never thought that Prague would evoke such a feelings in me.
The next day we started our sightseeing, wandering around historic alleys and streets. Wandering aimlessly is my favorite type of entertainment – it is a way to discover some unspoiled places and get to the popular monuments via unpopular paths.
FOOD
Let’s get to the point – where to eat tasty in Prague! Wanting to avoid this nasty weather, we’ve spent most of our time trailing from one restaurant to another. Meanwhile we were hoping that the “appetite comes with eating” saying is true, especially that Czech beer is very clogging.
Havelská Koruna
Many people recommended Havelská Koruna – it is located in the city centre and prices are really low (around 90 – 120 CZK for a main course). It is not stylish nor classy – it reminds more of a canteen than a restaurant but the quality of food is outstanding.
Do not get disaffected with huge queues during lunch time – the service is brilliant and very quick. This was the place where I’ve eaten my first knedliki – and well, I guess I would never understand its phenomena.
My perception of this typical Czech dish was totally different, probably mistaking them with Polish knedle. However, Havelská Koruna stole my heart with my first smažený sýr. Tell me, is it even possible not to fall in love with fried, breaded gouda cheese?
Localisation: Havelská 21, Praha 1
LOKAL
Lokal is a trully great place – it is perfect for tasting national czech meals, wide variety of apetizers and trying some delicious Pilsner. Before visiting Prague I was searching through the Internet in order to find some cool restaurants – basically everybody recommended this one! In fact, I also strongly recommend Lokal!
Localisation: Dlouhá 33, 110 00 Staré Město
U HOUDKU
For sure, U Houdku is one of the best places to try traditional czech dishes – large portions, affordable prices and heavenly food! I found there the best smažený sýr that I’ve ever eaten! Hospoda is located in a very atmospheric district called Žižkov (I will describe it below).
So, how do we get there? You may use the underground’s A line when starting from the city centre, from the Mustek Stop. Then it only takes 3 more stops to arrive at Jiřího of Poděbrad.
Localisation: Bořivojova 693/110, 130 00 Praha 3-Žižkov-Praha 3
MODRY ZUB
Wanting to taste something different than czech cuisine you may try visiting nearby Asian restaurant called Modry Zub. I strongly recommend it – I’ve tasted there an amazing Pad Thai (195 Kč!)
Localisation: Dlouhá 21, 110 00 Praha 1 – Staré Město
PIZZA IN PRAGUE
Pizza – our cherry on top, was left for the end of our trip. However, now I believe that eating it by turns with regional Czech food is a better idea – getting filled with local goodies might take away your appetite for a good, old pizza. After coming back to Poland I needed some kind of a fat detox and for a next 5 days after arrival I was eating only fruits and veggies.
Basically every person enjoying Italian pizza in Prague recommended San Carlo restaurant. It has two locations – Dittrichova 1942/20 (which is next to the Dancing House) and Tržiště 369/7, Mala Strana. Later I heard that the second location is much better.
In San Carlo you will find Neapolitan pizza which is made of high quality ingredients. It was delicious, event tough I have to admit that I’ve eaten some better ones – maybe it’s just because of my high expectations or I simply had bad luck. Margherita costs 175 CZK. A huge advantage is the magical atmosphere of this place which is full of friendly and smiling Italians.
FUN FACT
To be honest – we had no idea where to eat our breakfast. Finally we got ot the Bagaterie Boulevard which are really popular in Prague. It some kind of a chain restaurant like Mcdonald’s, however they are serving delicious baguettes. If you plan on eating some yummy breakfast, I strongly recommend this place!
STREET-ART
Each street-art lover sould visit the Wall of John Lennon which is perceived as the modern symbol of love and peace. It located close to the Charles Bridge.
The city centre of Prague is filled with eye-catching and amazing street-art, have a look!
After visiting some basic “must-haves” of Prague you have to visit Žižkov district – it is known for its romantic character, huge number of bars, hipster-like style and tempting prices.
What in your opinion is worth seeing when in Prague? Where should one eat? And where’s the best pizza? Let me know below!
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