Our first day in Prague began as all good days spent on holiday in Europe should – with Lidl pastries for breakfast (if you’ve read my other travel post about Budapest you’ll see this is a bit of a running theme). Once we’d fuelled you on pastries, we headed out for our first explore of Prague. Whilst I’d been before with my family, it was everyone else’s first time in the city!
We were staying in an AirBnB – not too far from the centre! This meant we had lots more space to relax in and a kitchen to cook ourselves meals, something we made full use of! If you’re travelling in a group, I’d definitely recommend at least checking out AirBnB as in lots of cases, it worked out cheaper per person than staying in a hostel. If you want to book your first AirBnB use this link here to get £34 off your first stay, whilst helping me earn some AirBnB credits for my next trip too! Now that’s what I call a win win!
So to start off our time in Prague we went for a wander in the Old Town centre, and just enjoyed strolling through the cobbled streets and admiring all the beautiful old architecture. Naturally we ended up in the Old Town Square and in a stroke of good luck pretty much on the hour, so we got to watch the famous clock strike the hour! Unfortunately since that’s such a popular sight it’s always pretty crowded and is probably a bit underwhelming to be honest.
Tip top – admire the beautiful clock when it’s not chiming. Watching the clock strike the hour is underwhelming and leaves you being crushed in a crowd of tourists.

Once we’d crossed the famous Charles Bridge, we decided to make the most of being in Prague and have their famous Chimney cakes for lunch. Whilst not the most nutritious of lunches, it was delicious! A chimney cake (known locally as a Trdelnik) is thin strips of dough, wrapped around a wooden stick (which is called a Trdlo). After being glazed with sugar, the dough is grilled over open coals until it’s brown and caramelized and super tasty! Then they roll the Trdelnik in trays which are filled with what I assume is sugar and cinnamon. After that it’s ready to be filled – my preference is melted chocolate and strawberries and then topped with ice cream!

Once we’d feasted on our delicious chimney cakes for lunch, we headed over to admire the John Lennon Wall. This is one of the quirkiest features of Prague and is definitely not one to be missed! It’s basically a wall covered in John Lennon themed graffiti that has been there since the 1980s. Whilst it was once a symbol of fighting against the regime and searching for love and peace, it’s now a tourist spot and a great spot for a colourful photo!

Next, we headed up to Prague Castle. Whilst actually going inside the castle was more money than we wanted to spend, you can wander around the complex for free. I’d previously been inside the castle before and I’d say if you had the day to spend there, it’s definitely worthwhile. But since we were just popping in for an hour or two, we were satisfied with just walking around the castle (and avoiding the massive queues to get into all the buildings). If you did want to buy a ticket for the castle, I definitely recommend using Get Your Guide – this stops you from waiting in line to buy your ticket on the day and includes an informative overview about the castle before you start exploring.
Fun fact – Prague Castle is the largest castle complex in the world – with an area of almost 70,000 square metres.

Then we headed to walk down Prague’s narrowest street – something I’d never even heard of the the first time I visited Prague! The street is so narrow (only 50cm wide) that it has its own set of traffic lights to let you know when you’re safe to walk and won’t end up needing to hold your breath to try and squeeze past someone going the other way. Whilst it was originally a fire brigade pass, since the installation of traffic lights, it has become quite the tourist attraction!
After that, because we were tourists after all, we did a spot of souvenir shopping. In the main touristy areas of Prague there are so many souvenir shops, so to be sure to at least check out a few if you’re wanting to get the best deals! Don’t just buy whatever you’re looking for in the first shop you enter because there could be a way better deal in the next shop along. Once we’d shopped until we dropped, we headed back to our lovely AirBnB via Tesco (which is surprisingly big in Czechia).
Once we’d made our dinner – another interrailing classic of a pasta dish, we decided to have a girls night in the best way we knew how – with Czech cocktails we’d bought in a little grocery shop by the Charles Bridge and facemasks!
The next day we spent in Prague was my friend’s birthday so the plans for that day were all up to her! This meant we started the day with a lie in (which was a blessing after so many days of getting up early to sightsee).
Then, because it was her wish, we had a Czech inspired English breakfast. With some delicious but distinctly Eastern European sausages, some Parma ham esque stuff we fried as bacon, some potato smiley faces, scrambled eggs and baked beans. Whilst it was a somewhat random English breakfast it was delicious nevertheless.
To celebrate her birthday, we really splashed the cash (and by that I do mean spent over a tenner on an activity) and went on a boat tour of Prague. It was such a cool way to see the city and allowed you to get a completely new view of this stunning capital. You can book your very own boat tour here if you too want to explore Prague whilst relaxing on a boat on the river. It makes for a great treat if you’ve got the money to speak or just want to rest your aching feet after all that walking!

Then because we’re classy we headed to McDonalds. I know what you’re thinking – you went all the way to Prague and then ate McDonalds? Yes, yes we did. We actually visited multiple McDonalds in the course of our trip and seeing all the different options that they have in all the countries. But that’s another story! We just had a quick snack – McFlurrys and chips etc before heading over to climb the clock tower and enjoy the views of Prague.
One of my favourite things to do in a new city is climb a tall tower and check out the views you can see from there. It’s one of the best ways to see a city. As well as being beautiful thing to admire from the Old Town Square, you can actually climb the Old Town Hall Tower to admire the red roofs of Prague. There is both a staircase and lift, so if you don’t want to climb all those stairs don’t worry!

As a celebration for my friend’s birthday and also as a way of making the most of our final night interrailing, we headed out for a fancy (or at least our budget backpacking equivalent) meal which compromised of pizza and cocktails! What more could a girl want?
So have you ever been to Prague?
Would you like to?
What part of my trip most appeals to you?
I miss Prague! It’s just a great city. I loved riding the trams everywhere. Sounds like you enjoyed your time there.
LikeLike
Sounds like you had a fun trip, Prague is such a great city – I visited it in December and loved it!
LikeLike
Prague – definitely another one for me to go to! Especially now I know about chimney cakes!
LikeLike
I went to Prague many years ago and loved it. So interesting and so many bars and restaurants to choose from
LikeLike
The Orloj is still more fun when it’s moving, it’s the engineering beauty of action in 4D. Also, it is really a duty to visit McDonald’s in Czechia because the father of the de facto founder of the company, Ray Kroc, was born in a Czech village of Stupno, now a part of Břasy, North of Pilsen. So to quite some extent, McDonald’s is our Czech national cuisine! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha I never knew that about McDonald’s! Makes me feel better about having it!
LikeLike
I’ve been to Prague a few times over the years, and I’ve never had the chimney cake with ice cream in it! One time was in winter, where it was fresh off the spit.. warm and delicious 🙂 🙂
thank you for the walk down memory lane!
LikeLike
I went to Prague just under a year ago and this post has given me so much nostalgia for it. We did exactly the same things – even down to the Lidl pastries, chimney cakes and Mcdonalds!
Tash – http://www.agirlwithview.co.uk
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had no idea Prague Castle was so huge. And those chimney cakes look delicious!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I was supposed to be in Prague this week!! Had to rebook for next year due to the current situation! 😦
Looks fab though, I really cant wait to go
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you have an amazing time when you do get there!
LikeLike
Oh my god, that chimney cake looks amazing! Prague is a lovely city, but I visited in winter with my ex (yes, he was my ex at the time!!!) and it just wasn’t a great trip, so I really want to go back and do it some justice.
LikeLike
Prague is wonderful xx
LikeLike