Prague reviewed
Prague is a true European city of stunning beauty.
We couldn't quite believe the intricate decoration that covers so many buildings in and around the old centre of Prague (Praha). The entire city is adorned with baroque murals.
After
a week of wandering the decorated streets of Prague we decided that the best
things about Prague are:
- Prague Castle (Prazsky hrad)
- Old Town (Stare Mesto)
- Jewish Quarter (Josefov)
- Charles Bridge (Karlov Most)
- Old Town Square (Staromestske namesti)
- St. Vitus Cathedral (Chram svateho Vita)
- National Theater (Narodni divadlo)
- Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske namesti)
We went to Prague in late November and caught the first snow flurries. The Charles Bridge which crosses the mighty Vltava river is a magical place at any time. but when its foggy and snowing the Charles Bridge and in fact, all of Prague gains an extra etherial quality.
We also caught the opening of the famous Christmas Markets in the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square. This is another great reason to visit Prague late in the year.
The famous
photographer Geoff Watson says that
Prague is best photographed in black and white, early in the morning or last
afternoon on clear days. This is how to get the most out of the architecture.
In the evenings we founds so many venues where they were playing live music. A lot of the jazz and blues clubs are worth a visit. The single event we were most surprised by was a concert in a church. The musicianship was stunning and the setting was perfection.
We enjoyed visiting the Prague Castle (Hrad Vyšehrad) which was founded around the year 880 by Prince Borivoj of the house of Premyslides. The cemetry in the castle is where the bodies of famous czechs including Karel Capek, Antonín Dvorák, Alfons Mucha, Jan Neruda and Bedrich Smetana are all interred.
Take a look at the prague webcam
The old jewish Cemetry is an atmospheric place of beauty and sadness combined. I know a cemetry isn't an obvious place to visit but this one turned out to be a highlight of the trip to Prague. Don't miss it.
Food and accomodation were of a very high standard, although a health obsessive might find the meat and dumplings staple as a little rich. You really have to decide to forget about the diet and dig in. The local beer was the best we ever tasted.
