Travelling solo: Prague

Final city! And, oddly enough, the one I ended up staying the longest in due to my flight back home (!) being so late in the evening. Many of my friends have been to Prague before, and have told me what a beautiful city it is; therefore I knew this was one I wanted to check out for myself. 

Being in Eastern Europe, it is, cost-wise the cheapest city on my list, so rather than hostelling or Air Bnb-ing, I decided to check myself into a hotel. Why not when it cost the same amount as my hostel in Amsterdam or Berlin did? 

Getting around: 

I would recommend getting the tourist pass, which covers not just entry to many attractions, but covers you for public transport around the city AND the bus going to and from the airport. You can get this for either 48, 72 or 120 hours. 

Attractions: 

Everyone's heard about the Old Town in Prague. The heart of the city really is beautiful if you look in the right bit. I say that because once you've got lost in the maze of streets that all look the same, you notice that they have very similar souvenir shops, takeaways, and cannabis supermarkets that all sell the same stuff. (No wonder you get easily lost). I therefore wouldn't recommend you do all your sightseeing there, however, there are some gems in there. 

The first stop when you get to the Old Town has to be the Clock Tower right in the centre of town. Used as a watch tower until as late as the 19th century, the top of the tower gives you a panoramic view of the city. It felt like I was finally having the Quasimodo moment I couldn't have in Paris (due to Notre Dame being closed): Gazing at the people down below me...

The next stop, whilst the Sun was going down, was to stroll along the Charles Bridge, a stone bridge made up of 16 arches. You know the one I am talking about. Despite all the other tourists, that is the place to be to get some fabulous sunset photos of Prague. 

You can also get a boat from just under the Bridge (on the Old Town side), taking you out on the river and feeding you knowledge about the history of the city, to the films that have used Prague as a filming location: from the Chronicles of Narnia films, to Amadeus, Casino Royale and the first Mission Impossible. The cost of the tour also includes a drink and a snack (a choc-ice or soft gingerbread with plum jam and covered in chocolate).

Any trip to Prague is not complete without looking around the Castle which stands as a focal point on any postcard of the city. Either walk from the Old Town, or hop on the 22 tram if you would prefer to not scale the climb. It's a huge complex with a history ruling over not just the Czech Republic (or Bohemia in those days), but also Lithuania, Poland and Hungary. 

In fact, the complex is like a mini village in the middle of this beautiful city. There's not just the Old Palace you can look around with view of Prague from the top and its rooms covered with the coats of arms of those who held office here. The St Ludmilla Cathedral stands in prime place of the castle hamlet. It's a beautiful church, with the colourful stained glass windows and magnificent organ. Unfortunately, I was following a high school group so it was also quite noisy.... 😑

Keep on exploring to as many areas as your ticket allows access to. But the final bit I HAVE to recommend to you is the Golden Trail, a row of adorable houses that use to house servants, the local tavern, artillerymen and other characters who lived there: including the psychic Matylda Průšová. She was tortured to death by the Gustapo in World War 2 because she predicted an early end to the war, with the Third Reich falling. 

While you can peep inside some of the houses, restored to what they would have looked like back then, most of them have been converted to souvenir shops selling locally crafted goods. I picked up most my souvenirs there rather than the tat that was sold in a lot of the Old Town. 

After exploring the castle in the morning, the next stop needs to be Prague's Jewish Quarter, a former-secluded ghetto that used to populate as much as the rest of Prague did in just a few streets. 

Head to the tourist office in the quarter, where you will be given a ticket for a guide across the various synagogues which are only a few streets apart. (Just note that if you want to take an audio guide with you, you will need to leave behind a deposit of some kind, be it some cash, or a form of ID. It gets returned to you when you give the audio headset back.)

You start at the Old/New Synagogue, which would have had 700 years uninterrupted worship if it weren't for Nazi Germany; then you're taken to the other synagogues and bits of Czech Jewish history, including the Graveyard where many Jews even today pay respect to the Rabbis of old. 

The trail ends at the Spanish Synagogue, which got named as such due to its decoration being similar to that you would find in Spanish and Portuguese synagogues. It's the most intricately decorated out of all the synagogues on the trail. 

I found one final gem in the Municipal Hall, the biggest concert hall in the Czech Republic. As a huge theatre and music fan, I cannot turn down a guided tour for a venue like this. There's one big traditional hall they use for large concerts and events, and many smaller halls (that were traditionally made for either ladies OR gentlemen (unfortunately) to hang out in, and are used for smaller events. One was used when the Czech Republic was formally declared in the early 20th century. 

Every hall you visit is decorated differently - but they were ALL decorated by Czech artists. 

Food: 

If there is one snack you have to try in Prague, most people will agree with me saying Chimney Cake. Well, it is inescapable, with vendors all over the Old Town. The dough is similar to a doughnut or churro, and then it is traditionally filled with ice cream. I had a few of these, must admit. And my favourite, as much as I liked the traditional one, was this Barbie themed one: which was dragon fruit ice cream and decorated with white chocolate bits and bobs! 

For something savoury, there are two things I recommend. The first is that Prague, like a lot of Europe I have visited, loves their red meat, specifically pork. There are vendors next to the Clock Tower that offer you chunks of ham that has been roasted on a spit; and the honey sticky ribs are also delicious. 

The final dish I had in Prague (and my holiday total!!), was Svíĉková. This traditional dish is a cut of beef that pulls apart easy as. It's served with a large dumpling that's sliced up like you would a loaf of bread, along with a sauce that tastes similar to tomato soup, and dollops of both cranberry sauce and whipped cream. (Sounds odd I know, but trust me, the cream works). 

***

And with that, a 10pm flight home, this solo travelling experience was over. It wasn't until nearly midnight UK time I landed in Manchester, and was due to be in work for 8am the following day... oh well. 

This is not something I could not have done a few years ago. Even though it was only just over a week, going around several countries and arranging everything ON MY OWN, especially as a woman... I don't think I would have been able to do it if it wasn't for the Contiki holiday I went on a few years ago. During my last day in Prague, I realised how much I was missing home, and looking forward to going home. And I haven't got anything else planned yet. But this has given me such a confidence boost! So please send me any suggestions!