Pre-Tour Solo Adventures
Arriving in Prague
I arrived in Prague on a beautiful Friday afternoon and was warmly welcomed by my airport transfer. I arranged the airport transfer before the trip for peace of mind, and it was a great decision because I arrived in Prague exhausted after almost 20 hours of travel.
The drive to the hotel was about 30 minutes, and I was slowly dozing off in the back seat until my driver yelled, "Look left!". There to my left was the Charles Bridge and in the distance, St. Vitus Cathedral. It was at that moment that reality set in...I was finally in Europe!! And I guess the driver noticed my smile cause he said, "Prague is an amazing city, you'll love it". He was very right; Prague was an amazing city and later, Budapest would go on to steal my heart.
After checking in at the hotel, I ran toward Old Town Square to see the Astronomical Clock. When my parents shared pictures and videos of their Prague trip, the Astronomical Clock was one of the things that made me fall in love with the city. To finally see the clock in person and hear it strike the hour was a definite "wow moment" of the trip!
Airport Transfer: There are several options to get to your hotel from the Václav Havel Airport. For those who prefer to arrange the airport transfer prior to arrival (like me), you can do so via your hotel or a 3rd party company. Otherwise, at Václav Havel Airport, you can request a ride from UBER Airport, hail a cab, or take public transportation.
My airport transfer, reserved via Get Your Guide, cost $32.80 and included a few items, such as a water bottle and a guide map. The driver also offered me a voucher for a walking tour and shared some great local travel tips.
This evening, I opted for a simple meal as I was still quite tired from the trip. For dinner, I stopped at Bageterie Boulevard, a great local sandwich shop that I recommend if you are looking for a quick, inexpensive meal. I ordered a tuna sub, drink, and chocolate croissant and decided to take my meal to-go to enjoy dinner with a view from my hotel terrace!
My peaceful dinner lasted about 10 minutes as I was approached by a gang of pigeons who were eyeing my food. I quickly learned that while Prague locals were friendly, that was not the case for the Prague pigeons.
Conquering Prague
I had quite an ambitious to-do list this Saturday, so I woke early to beat the crowds and make the most of my day. After a delicious breakfast, I was off for my first European sightseeing adventure!
To-Do List
✔️ Old Town Square
✔️ Charles Bridge
✔️ National Gallery of Prague at Schwarzenberg Palace & at Šternberský Palace
✔️ Church of Our Lady Victorious & Infant Jesus of Prague
✔️ Classical concert at the St. Salvator Church
Image: Hradčany Square
Stop 1: Old Town Square
Early waking was a good idea because when I got to Old Town Square at 8:50 a.m., it was empty. The square is usually bustling with crowds and vendors, but that morning, it was quiet and peaceful, which added to its beauty.
Exploring Old Town Square
A few of the sites you can see at the square, aside from the Astronomical Clock, are the Church of our Lady Tyn, St. Nicholas Cathedral, Storch House, the Jan Hus Memorial, and Kinsky Palace. There are also some beautiful, colorful buildings around the border of the square.
Images: Church of our Lady Tyn, Jan Hus Memorial, Old Town Hall
Stop 2: Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge is a cobblestone paved bridge that crosses the Vltava River and connects Old Town to Lesser Town.
Recommendations when visiting Charles Bridge:
✔️ Stop by early in the morning ~ I got to the bridge a bit after 9:00 a.m. and was able to enjoy a lovely stroll with no crowds.
✔️ Don't just cross the bridge ~ Charles Bridge is lined with 30 magnificent sculptures, so take your time to view them.
✔️ Stop by at sunset ~ A good time to enjoy some beautiful views while listening to the many musicians who play on the bridge.
When crossing the bridge, you'll see three distinctive plaques. Two are under the statue of St. John Nepomuk, and the other is beside it.
Legend says that rubbing the dog will bring you good luck and a long-lasting relationship. Rubbing the other plaque under the statues means you'll return to Prague. For the final plaque, you are supposed to make a wish.
The towers at each end of the bridge are open to the public, and for a small admission fee, you can climb to the top for views of the river and the city.
Stops 3 & 4: National Gallery of Prague at Schwarzenberg Palace & Šternberský Palace
Göttingen Altarpiece with the Passion of Christ painted by Hans Raphon
It was a definite "wow moment" standing before this beautiful altarpiece.
I love art museums, so one of the first things I did when planning my trip to Prague was to search for art museums in the city. That is how I discovered Narodni Galerie Praha (National Gallery Prague); a series of galleries featuring paintings from the Renaissances through the modern era and everything in between.
I picked the galleries at Schwarzenberg Palace and Šternberský Palace as they focus on the Old Masters, such as El Greco, Peter Reubens, Rembrandt, and Jan Gossaert. The Šternberský Palace also houses a collection of rare Russian Christian Icons. Both palaces are located in Hradčany Square, which is just south of Prague Castle.
These museums were well worth the visit not just because of the beautiful artwork but also the palaces themselves, especially Šternberský Palace, had some gorgeous murals on the ceilings.
In the captions, SC means the artwork is at Schwarzenberg Palace and ST means Šternberský Palace.
St. Bartholomew & St. John the Baptist
by Paolo di Giovanni da Visso (ST)
Adoration and Saints
by Antonio Vivarini (SC)
The Lamentation of Christ by Lorenzo Monaco (ST)
Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist by Fabian Frohlich (SC)
A Scholar in His Study
by Rembrandt (SC)
Ceiling Mural in Šternberský Palace
These museums are not open on Mondays. Also, to get to Hradčany Square, you can either climb a few hills and about 200 steps or you can take tram 22. Bonus on taking the steps is the views and a great Christmas store along the way.
Special Experience
Every day at noon, there is a changing of the guard ceremony. At 12 p.m., the soldiers march down Hradčany Square towards one of the courtyards in Prague Castle. I saw the ceremony twice, and it was a neat experience!
Lunch Break
Making my way to Šternberský Palace, I saw a sign for a cafe, and I figured it was a good time to take a break and get some much-needed coffee. The Café Šternberk - Mezi řádky is a lovely coffee shop tucked into one of the palace's courtyards.
Special mission: Mezi řádky is a chain of eateries that hires individuals with disabilities to give them an opportunity to learn and grow.
I grabbed an iced coffee (it was rather warm that day), sundried tomatoes and olive quiche, and a plum crumble. It was a simple but satisfying meal!
Stop 5: Church of our Lady Victorious and the Infant Jesus
My final sightseeing stop of the day was the Church of Our Lady Victorious and the Infant Jesus. This historic church is a significant holy site for Czechia's Catholics and was visited by Pope Benedict in 2009. One thing I greatly enjoyed about this church is visiting its museum, which houses a collection of nativity sets from around the world. The museum also has an interesting collection of robes for the Infant Jesus.
Statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague
Nativity Sets from Czechia
Nativity Sets from Israel, Burma, China, Congo, Central Africa, Guinea, and the Phillippines
Robes from Mexico (right)
and South Korea (left).
Robe from Brazil.
Robe from Colombia.
The gift store at the church sells these nativity sets that are travel friendly. They are sold as a flat, one piece unit that take up minimal space in your luggage.
Classical Concert
After booking my airport transfer via the Get Your Guide app, I received an email from the company listing things one can do in Prague. Something on that list quickly caught my attention ~ Prague: A. Vivaldi - The Four Seasons at St. Salvator Church. The only thing I love more than food is a violin concerto so I ran back to the app and bought a ticket!
The musical ensemble was absolutely magnificent and half-way through their performance they were joined by a soprano who sang an amazing rendition of Ave Maria. Not a dry eye in that church when she was singing!
The concert was definitely a lovely way to end a great day of sightseeing.
St. Salvator Church is just one of a handful of churches and historic sites that host classical concerts on a regular basis. During the orientation meeting, our tour leader highly recommended attending one of these classical concerts. While I purchased my ticket before the trip, a few of my tourmates were able to buy their tickets in person on the day of the show.
Dinner Time
After the concert, I was quite hungry, so I headed to Kogo Havelská, an Italian restaurant right next to the hotel. Despite being a Saturday night, the restaurant was not full, so I was quickly seated. I ordered a lemonade and the risotto mare e monti (risotto with shrimp and porcini mushrooms). The meal definitely hit the spot after a long day of sightseeing!
Unlike the previous night, this evening, I did enjoy a peaceful dinner as I did not need to contend with pigeons!
