PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Dates: 28.11.2019 – 03.12.2019

RIX – PRG

28.11.2019: We take the new CityBee Corolla to the airport. Well, almost to the airport. You have to leave the CityBee in a specific parking lot about a 10-minute walk from the terminal.
We arrive about an hour before boarding. At security, they confiscate Krišjānis’ power bank from Madara because the capacity isn’t visible on it. Nobody had ever asked us to show the capacity of a power bank before, but oh well. Looks like Krišs will need a new one.
We quickly grab something at the café and then it’s time to board. By 19:05 we should be in the Czech Republic.

PRAGUE: ACCOMMODATION

28.11.2019: We land on time. Public transport tickets are very easy to buy at the airport – 24 CZK per person and valid for 30 minutes. First, we have to take a bus to the metro and then ride another 14 stops.
We don’t quite make it within those 30 minutes, and we’re not brave enough to risk riding without a valid ticket, so we buy another one.
We get off one stop early so we can stop at a shop and pick up something for dinner.
Checking into the apartment is easy. It’s a cosy one-room loft-style apartment split over two levels because the ceilings are ridiculously high. Considering this was basically the cheapest place we could find, it’s actually really good. It’s a little way out of the centre, but we’re pretty good walkers, so an extra 20–30 minutes on foot isn’t much of a problem. We pay €152 for five nights.

PRAGUE: PRAGUE CASTLE & OLD TOWN

29.11.2019: We’re not in any rush to get out early. We have a slow breakfast with the porridge we brought from home and head out a little after 9.
Instead of going straight into the centre, we first make our way towards Prague Castle. Along the way, everyone seems busy building little stalls and huts. The Christmas markets open tomorrow.
Since we’re not walking in a straight line but zigzagging wherever our noses take us, progress isn’t exactly fast. But then again, there’s nowhere we need to rush to.
We take some photos by the Prague Astronomical Clock, but even at 10 in the morning the place is absolutely packed. I’m actually quite surprised by how many tourists there are in Prague. It’s off-season, almost December, yet there are people everywhere. And it still feels a little early for the proper Christmas tourism season.
We cross Charles Bridge and make it to the castle, where it starts raining, so out come the big rain ponchos. Because of the rain, we consider doing the castle tour, but tickets are €13 each. This time we decide to save the money.
Wrapped in our plastic ponchos, we wander around the castle grounds instead. To be honest, Prague Castle – supposedly one of the largest castles in the world – is a bit… not quite what I imagined. I had pictured one gigantic building, but the “huge castle” is actually made up of at least ten fairly average-sized buildings with a massive cathedral in the middle. It feels much more like a castle complex than one enormous castle.
We have lunch at a pub we found on YouTube yesterday as a good budget option. And it really is pretty decent. We eat well for around 350 CZK.
Next, we climb the Astronomical Clock Tower. Entry is 220 CZK each, but the view is beautiful, especially looking straight towards one of Prague’s most recognisable churches – the Church of Our Lady before Týn.
Basically, today’s minimum sightseeing plan is already complete, but it’s only three o’clock.
I finally try a trdelník – some kind of local sweet treat. Basically a pastry filled with ice cream. The portion is generous, the taste is decent, and the price is exactly what you’d expect in the Old Town – 160 CZK.
We spend a bit more time wandering through the small streets and along the canal before slowly making our way home via a supermarket.

PILSEN

30.11.2019: Today is our day trip to Pilsen. As usual, we get up around 8 and roll out at 9. We need to walk to Prague’s main railway station, where we’ll catch the train to Pilsen.
At the station, we buy tickets for the 9:45 train. Return tickets for both of us cost 528 CZK. After a minimal amount of stress, we manage to find both the ticket office and the actual train.
At 11:00 we arrive in Pilsen – or Plzeň, as the locals call it.
We’re hungry, so the first mission is finding a café. On the main square, we discover a really nice little place called Le Frenchie Náměstí, which also seems popular with locals for breakfast.
I get a pancake, orange juice and cappuccino combo for 139 CZK, while Madara has blackcurrant yoghurt and coffee. Really tasty.
After breakfast, we’re supposed to have a 13:00 tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery. Unfortunately, every tour until 16:30 is fully booked today. We’ve already bought beer glasses and some beer from the souvenir shop, so we head back into town to kill a few hours.
We walk through the Christmas market on the Old Town square. There are plenty of nice stalls, but somehow it feels like something is missing. I’d like to see more locally made crafts and random little Christmas things. Here, the locals seem to focus almost entirely on food and drinks.
What’s even more interesting is that it’s almost December and properly cold outside, yet the stalls selling classic Christmas mulled wine are nearly empty, while the beer stalls have long queues.
Maybe the whole Czech-people-love-beer thing really isn’t just a stereotype.
Over the next couple of hours, we wander through as many streets as we can. Most shops are closed, because apparently everyone is outside drinking beer at the Christmas markets. We actually come across three separate markets in Pilsen today.
Seeing how much beer everyone is drinking, I honestly don’t understand why anyone even bothers trying to sell mulled wine here.
Bad business idea.

PILSNER URQUELL

30.11.2019: About an hour and a half before our tour, we’re back at the brewery. It also has the largest restaurant in the Czech Republic, with around 500 seats. Naturally, we have a beer there while waiting for the tour.
The tour normally costs 250 CZK, but today we make use of our slightly outdated student status and get in for 150 CZK each.
The tour is both educational and genuinely interesting, covering the history of the brewery as well as the production process. We visit both the modern and old production facilities and then head underground into the historic brewery tunnels, where enormous wooden beer barrels are still stored.
Down there, an old gentleman pours everyone a glass of unfiltered Pilsner straight from the barrel, and that’s basically the grand finale of the tour.
I really enjoyed it. The only thing that would have made it even better would have been seeing the giant “snake” of bottles moving through the bottling line.
Pilsner Urquell used to have several production locations around the world, but nowadays every single bottle is produced and filled here in Pilsen.
By the time we get outside, it’s already dark, so it’s back to the train station, back to Prague, a quick supermarket stop and then home!

KARLŠTEJN CASTLE

01.12.2019: We start the morning by getting on the wrong train.
Luckily, at least it’s heading in the right direction, so we can simply jump off at the next station and switch to the correct one.
Around 40 minutes later, we’re in Karlštejn. Return tickets for both of us cost 189 CZK.
It’s quite chilly today, but not freezing. The walk from the station to the castle takes about 20 minutes. A few cafés are open, but it looks like most businesses have already gone into winter hibernation. Or maybe it’s just because it’s Sunday.
Once we reach the castle, we confirm that we won’t be going inside. There’s only one available tour and it costs 320 CZK per person. We’re not convinced. Especially considering foreigners have to pay 100 CZK more than locals.
Instead, we explore the courtyards that are accessible for free and continue walking. We decide to make a loop through the park and forest trails around the castle.
On the way back to the station, we take a different route. It starts off looking like a small hike but eventually turns into a walk down a random residential street and across a field.

PRAGUE: ŠVEJK PUB

01.12.2019: Back in Prague, we start looking for somewhere to have a late lunch. As usual, finding a place takes longer than it probably should, but eventually we settle into a baguette café.
I have a large baguette and coffee, while Madara survives on a croissant.
Next, we head to the main square in Prague’s Old Town, where the Christmas markets officially start today. Oh. My. God. So many people.
And this is supposedly the tourist off-season. After exploring Prague’s Christmas markets, we once again conclude that people in Prague – or maybe Czechs in general – mainly care about eating and drinking. The craft stalls seem almost boring to them, while ten nearly identical beer and mulled-wine stalls all have queues. Slightly warmed up after the market, we walk back to Charles Bridge once more and then head to a Švejk-themed pub for dinner.
We’re immediately shown to a small corner table. Nice spot. Without even asking, beer appears on the table, and only then do we start choosing our food. I go for the goulash, while Madara gets pork. Every dish comes with four slices of white bread that you’re supposed to soak in the sauce and shovel in. There’s a fun atmosphere in the pub – lively, but not annoyingly so. They only serve their own beer, and they serve plenty of it. Prices are perfectly reasonable. Dinner for two, including wine for Madara and three beers for me, comes to around 800 CZK.

PRAGUE: PETŘÍN TOWER

02.12.2019: We take public transport to Petřín Park, where a funicular takes us up the hill. Interestingly, a normal Prague public transport ticket is also valid for the funicular.
We’re heading up Petřín Tower, which offers panoramic views over Prague’s Old Town. Entry costs 150 Czech crowns each.
The sky is slightly overcast today, but it doesn’t really ruin the view. Maybe it’s because it’s early, maybe because it’s cold, but there are surprisingly few people here. After the tower, we walk to the John Lennon Wall, where we immediately return to tourist reality. Nearby is Prague’s narrowest street – only about 50 cm wide. There’s even a pedestrian traffic light at the entrance because two people physically can’t pass each other inside. Probably best to visit this street before lunch, just to reduce the chances of getting stuck. Walking back towards the centre, we pass a pretty funny sculpture – two men peeing onto a map of the Czech Republic. And yes, certain parts of the statues move… Right next to it by the river, we come across something else unexpected – swans. A ridiculous number of swans.
There must be 40–50 of them just wandering around and begging tourists for bread. We stop at a shopping centre to look for some souvenirs to take home. Madara buys sweets for her colleagues. Overall, the shopping centre mainly succeeds in making us tired without achieving much, so I insist that we go back to the apartment for a power nap. Our original plan to visit Prague’s TV Tower falls apart because the bistro where we wanted to sit and maybe have dinner closes at 16:00. So after resting at home, a new plan is created: Bar tour.
We visit three different bars serving locally brewed beers. The finishing beer is on Prague’s main square, where I enjoy an extremely overpriced Pilsner. I don’t think Madara has drunk this much beer in one day for a very long time. But where else, if not in the Czech Republic? Even ordinary cafés include a glass of beer in their lunch specials.

PRG – RIX

03.12.2019: We have to check out by 9 in the morning, but our flight isn’t until 16:15, so we throw all our bags on our backs and head out for one final walk around Prague.
At last, we manage to be at the Astronomical Clock exactly on the hour and see the little show with its moving figures. We also walk along Paris Street, where all the ultra-expensive designer shops are lined up next to each other. Inside the stores, there seem to be considerably more security guards than customers. We grab lunch at a shopping centre and then hop on the metro.
Time to head home.

Total trip costs
Total costs (transport, accommodation, entertainment): 620 EUR
Total cost per person per day: 52 EUR