PRAGUE: A bridge, a castle and a spontaneous sunrise

Sunrise at 7:30 am in Prague 

7:30am. This was the time we were able to see the sunrise from the Charles Bridge in Prague. During the day, this bridge was chaotic and filled with tourists. It was impossible to truly stand and enjoy one of the most iconic views of the city. It was the best way to enjoy this view and even though we were all tired and cold, it was definitely worth it.

Sunrise at 7:30 am in Prague 

From October 1^st to the 3^rd, the other co-op students and I decided to plan a trip to Prague, a city in the Czech Republic. In Germany, October 3^rd was a holiday so we had a long weekend and we decided it would be well spent if we all went to this city together. It was also the first time we all traveled together and spent an entire weekend bonding. We took a 7-hour bus from Hanover to Prague in which we all slept. We decided to take a bus because the train was a lot more expensive in comparison, and even though it was faster, at the end of the day the time difference was not a lot. All the buses I have booked in Europe have been with the same company: Flixbus. They are usually a bit more expensive sometimes, but if done with time you can find really good prices for nearby cities/countries. If not, make sure you compare it with other bus lines and see which one is the best option.

Clown & Bard Hostel in Prague, Czech Republic

We arrived around 10am and here goes my first recommendation if you ever go to Prague: do not take a taxi. This was something a lot of people had told me before and even the hostel we stayed at sent a notice saying the same thing. We took the subway and it was a pretty easy system to figure out. Our hostel was incredibly cheap, and although located about 15 minutes away from the Old Town, it was very easy to get around with the subway. The hostel name was The Clown and Bard in case you want to check it out.

View from one of the stops during the free walking tour

As I had previously recommended in one of my posts, we decided to do a free walking tour of Prague the first day at 2pm. This way we were able to know which places were the best and have tips from a local before we started exploring on our own. The day was perfect for the walking tour and surprisingly, everyone was really well rested after the bus even though we all wanted to change and freshen up a bit. When we arrived at the hostel, they could not find our booking. The hostel was completely packed and for some reason, our reservation had not gone through. Thankfully, I had taken a screenshot of the booking confirmation number because they never sent an e-mail. This occurrence goes hand in hand with my second recommendation: always take a picture or save a copy of everything before you travel. It does seem pretty straightforward, but I have forgotten to do this several times and if for some reason, your phone dies and you have a problem, it is always nice to have things printed out; old school. In this case, if I hadn’t saved a copy of this booking confirmation number, we probably would not have had a place to stay.

The manager came down and spoke with us. They genuinely seemed surprise about what had happened so this is how I knew it was not something that was common. Since I had the proof we had payed and booked a room for five people, they were able to offer us a private apartment which was not in use since every other room was already taken. In the end, the apartment ended up being even better. It was very spacious and comfortable. I guess this is why they say everything happens for a reason. They were very nice and hospitable so even though this happened I still recommend this hostel if you ever find yourself in Prague and you are on a budget.

Jewish Quarter, Prague, Czech Republic

I had heard that Prague was one of the cheapest cities in terms of food. But I never expected it to be so cheap. This was one of the first things I noticed when I went to buy a coffee and a croissant which ended up being about 1-2 euros. I was already loving it.

As I mentioned, we had booked a 3-hour walking tour of the city with a local. I was really excited to get to do this that first day because I had a lot of energy and the day was simply perfect. We took the subway from the hostel (which was pretty easy) and went to the Old Town Square, where we would meet our tour guide. I highly recommend this tour in Prague. It was really good and it gave you a little bit of everything: history, art, things to do, things to see and fun facts that not a lot of people (or other tour guides) would know. Our tour guide specifically made it fun and it was the best possible way to start our trip.

View from Letna Park 

One of the places the tour guide recommended was at the other side of the Charles Bridge and up the hill. It was a park called Letna Park.  Even though it was raining when we went, it still had a spectacular view of the city (like no other). You HAVE to go if you ever find yourself in Prague. In this same side of the city you can find the Prague Castle. It was so beautiful. Here comes my third recommendation: take at least half a day to explore the castle. The same company that does the free walking tours of the city, also has another tour (cheap for students) that is specifically for the Prague Castle. I highly recommend doing this because we did not have enough time to do a tour and just went on our own. Sadly, for most of the buildings you had to pay and we would have, but we did not really know what we were looking at. So yes, I recommend you go with someone who knows about the history of the castle that can explain everything you would like to know about it. However, we did enjoy a nice coffee in a patio that had a spectacular view of the city as well.

View from the patio where we had coffee inside the Prague Castle

Traditional food from the Czech Republic

Food. Like I said: incredibly cheap. We really wanted to eat a nice dinner by the water near one of the bridges so we found a really nice restaurant called Marina Ristorante that offered a spectacular view from inside. However, if you really want to experience fast and local cuisine from the Czech Republic go to Ceska Kuchyne. It is a good place for lunch as they serve big portions, are fast and give you many different options for a very good price. Locals love it. Even our tour guide suggested it.

Restaurant recommended by locals

View from the restaurant Marina Ristorante where we had dinner

I fell in love with Prague. The environment and vibe of the city was so relaxed and refreshing. Walking around was very easy and I felt like me and my friends truly got to enjoy the city at its finest. It was also really nice to have had the chance to go on this trip with the other co-op students. Even though we already knew each other and had shared some moments here and there, this trip really brought us together. It was nice to share this experience and my experience in Germany in general with them. I cannot wait for our next trip altogether. Around the Old Town area there are a lot of nice places to go at night as well. Once again I recommend you use the app “Like a Local” where it gives you a bunch of different options of where to eat and what to do. In Prague it worked really well as everything that it suggested ended up being great. I only hope that if you ever find yourselves in Prague you love the city as much as I did.

One of the first stops during the walking tour