Our first stop was the Charles Bridge. The bridge crosses the Vltava river and dates to the 13th century. It contains 75 Catholic statues, most added between 1600-1800.
Views from the bell tower:
St. Vitus is 14th century French gothic with gargoyles resembling those on Notre Dame. The cathedral contains the tombs of the kings and queens on Bohemia, King Wenceslas (of Christmas carol fame, "good king Wenceslas") and the Bohemian crown jewels.
We then toured the Old Royal Palace:
St. George's Basilica:
And Golden Lane, which is an adorable shopping street but is where the palace guards used to live and houses examples of their armour over the years:
From the castle we headed to a cute restaurant right on the canal (which runs along the river right near the Charles Bridge.) After lunch we visited St. Nicholas Cathedral, a baroque church built in the 18th century and restored during WWII, when the Czech army was stationed there. It was one of the most beautiful churches I've seen and definitely my favorite of this trip.
After St. Nicholas we headed back across Charles Bridge to Old Town Square. The square dates back to the 11th century when it was a central marketplace along several European trade routes. The main feature of the square is the Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock:
Views from the top of town hall:
Our Lady of Tyn church (also on the square):
After climbing the Old Town hall tower we enjoyed some delicious Trdelnik, a popular Czech pastry which is like a cinnamon sugar soft pretzel except rolled into a cylinder shape:
For dinner, we headed to U Fleku, a brewery and restaurant with a great garden. The beer was excellent and we both had the Goulash, which was delicious:)
Unfortunately, right after we finished eating it started pouring rain. We tried to wait it out under our umbrella for a while but when it wasn't letting up we headed to the bar next door for some more beers before going back to the hotel.
The next morning we visited Prague's other castle, Vysehrad. It dates from the 10th century but not much remains of the original structures or walls. The gardens and grounds are beautiful and the area functions largely as a public park now, with great views of the city and the river.
The centerpiece of the castle is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul:
From Vysehrad, we got on the metro and headed to Wenceslas Square, which is actually a boulevard. It starts (in the south) with the National Museum, an impressive building which unfortunately is closed right now for renovations. At the foot of the museum is the statue of St. Wenceslas on his horse. The boulevard holds a series of beautiful buildings in many different architectural styles, most converted into retail shops.
We then walked back over to Old Town Square to visit the Tyn church and the other St. Nicholas Church. The Tyn church was closed so we were unable to go inside but we went in the St. Nicholas Church. Less impressive than the St. Nicholas Church on the other side of the river, but still beautiful.
On our way back to the hotel, we walked through the Jewish Quarter. Unfortunately, it started raining so we did a quick tour but it was a pretty area. We had dinner that night at a delicious Italian restaurant, La Fenestra and ended our night with a walk across Charles Bridge to take some night photos.
Monday we decided to visit Petrin Hill. We took the funicular railway to the top where we climbed the observation tower for more great views of the city.
After climbing the tower we headed down the back side of the hill to the Strahov Monastery. The monastery area includes two churches and an impressive library housing books dating back to the 9th century. We didn't have time to go in any of the buildings so we just walked around the complex.
We ended our trip with a great lunch at the brewery right next to the monastery; good beer, made right there for less than 1 pound!
Unfortunately, right after we finished eating it started pouring rain. We tried to wait it out under our umbrella for a while but when it wasn't letting up we headed to the bar next door for some more beers before going back to the hotel.
The next morning we visited Prague's other castle, Vysehrad. It dates from the 10th century but not much remains of the original structures or walls. The gardens and grounds are beautiful and the area functions largely as a public park now, with great views of the city and the river.
The centerpiece of the castle is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul:
From Vysehrad, we got on the metro and headed to Wenceslas Square, which is actually a boulevard. It starts (in the south) with the National Museum, an impressive building which unfortunately is closed right now for renovations. At the foot of the museum is the statue of St. Wenceslas on his horse. The boulevard holds a series of beautiful buildings in many different architectural styles, most converted into retail shops.
We then walked back over to Old Town Square to visit the Tyn church and the other St. Nicholas Church. The Tyn church was closed so we were unable to go inside but we went in the St. Nicholas Church. Less impressive than the St. Nicholas Church on the other side of the river, but still beautiful.
On our way back to the hotel, we walked through the Jewish Quarter. Unfortunately, it started raining so we did a quick tour but it was a pretty area. We had dinner that night at a delicious Italian restaurant, La Fenestra and ended our night with a walk across Charles Bridge to take some night photos.
Monday we decided to visit Petrin Hill. We took the funicular railway to the top where we climbed the observation tower for more great views of the city.
After climbing the tower we headed down the back side of the hill to the Strahov Monastery. The monastery area includes two churches and an impressive library housing books dating back to the 9th century. We didn't have time to go in any of the buildings so we just walked around the complex.
Monastery:
Brewery:
We ended our trip with a great lunch at the brewery right next to the monastery; good beer, made right there for less than 1 pound!
