Visiting Prague

Europe is well known for having some of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I have to admit that if I backpack here for too long I start to become numb to them. Regardless of how much time you’ve spent in Europe, Prague will always amaze you. If I had to sum up Prague in one word, it would be wow! This could quite possibly be the most beautiful city in the world. Rather than being confined to the heart of Prague, impressive medieval buildings and architecture span across the entire city. The picture above shows the famous Powder Gate, which was built in the 1400s and is one of the most famous landmarks in the city. It also happened to be one of the first places I stumbled upon after entering Prague one evening.

Another beautiful building in Prague is the Church of Our Lady before Týn. This ancient church began construction in the 1300s and is one of the most impressive Gothic churches I’ve seen. I photographed only the towers and spires because another building directly in front of it blocks most of the view. To properly see the entire church you’d either need a drone or get onto the rooftop of a high building!

Týn Church is located in Prague’s Old Town Square. The square is filled with memorials, museums, restaurants, and even the famous medieval astronomical clock. I was a bit annoyed to find that the clock was covered for renovations, but this is a place I’m sure to return to. Old Town Square was full of people when I visited one early fall night. The streaks you see in the photo above are from someone blowing massive bubbles to the delight of young kids in the square.

If you visit the square you can’t miss this enormous memorial dedicated to Jan Hus. Hus was a religious reformer who was executed in 1415, helping spark the Hussite movement and the wars that followed. The memorial was unveiled in 1915, exactly 500 years after his death.

The next morning the first place I visited was Prague Castle. I didn’t even realize I was entering the castle grounds until I had walked around the gardens for a bit. The castle gardens required going through security, but afterwards you’re free to explore the gardens and the castle itself. The gardens were vast, but nothing too inspiring to me.

I jokingly told these two women who were waving to me that they ruined my photo. I was actually just taking some sample shots to get my camera adjustments right, but decided to make them famous :). From the gardens, I walked to this entrance leading into Prague Castle, which was guarded by the man below.

Within the castle grounds you’ll find the largest and most important cathedral in Czechia, St. Vitus Cathedral. The cathedral is so large that it’s actually difficult to properly photograph it, and from what I saw online many professional photographers didn’t do much better than me. The cathedral’s roots go all the way back to 1344, when construction began, and like many ancient structures it was expanded and altered throughout its long history.

I think you could easily spend a full day exploring Prague Castle because of its enormous size. Rather than post a hundred photos of the castle, I’ve limited myself to a handful to save space for other places in the city. I missed out on some good people shots, such as what seemed to be a changing of the guard that passed by me unexpectedly. The photo above shows one of the courtyards, where I aimed my camera a bit high to avoid the crowds. Below is one of the massive walls of the castle.

At one end of Prague Castle, the cobblestone streets open up to a ledge with beautiful views of the city. The weather wasn’t too great on this day, but I’d love to return and see Prague during the spring or even after some deep snow. While it doesn’t seem possible to get a good photo of St. Vitus Cathedral while standing directly in front of it, another beautiful view of the cathedral and the castle as a whole is possible from farther out in the city. The picture below is a painting, but I can say it’s pretty accurate in terms of what the view looks like.

During my walks I was lucky enough to discover Charles Bridge. This historic bridge is nearly 700 years old, and I would have been a bit upset with myself if I had missed it. I found it to be one of the most unique bridges I’ve ever been on because, aside from its obvious size and beauty, there are so many things to see along the way. The statues above are some of the 30 that decorate the bridge. There are also historic towers at either end of the bridge, adding even more to its medieval atmosphere.

Along the bridge are multiple vendors and artists. It was actually here that I took the previous photo of the painting showing the cathedral and Prague Castle. Caricature drawings also seemed popular, along with snacks, sweets, and plenty of souvenirs.

On half my pages I probably write about how my favorite activity is simply exploring a city on foot. There’s no better place to do that than Prague. I can’t say enough about how much I loved aimlessly walking around this city. Every street seemed full of magic, especially in the early evening. Even the empty side streets I found myself on were beautiful!

Prague is also known for its dining and beer. I rarely take photos of food, and this has always been a major mistake. These two photos at least show some of the many places where you can enjoy Czech food and drinks throughout the city.

While exploring the city I came across Havelské tržiště, or Havel’s Market. The historic market is open year-round and sells everything from food and produce to clothing and, of course, plenty of souvenirs.

Czechia was actually warmer than I expected during my visits. Even late in the year, many of the trees were still green, and I even came across these ripe-looking berries growing in the city.

Somewhere during one of my random walks through the city I came across this fall market. I probably should have bought something, but after eating at so many other places I was already full. The market had all types of autumn-themed foods and goods, and for some reason in the middle of it all was this blacksmith hard at work.

The shops in Prague are also pretty unique. It’s one of those cities where you can find just about anything you’re looking for. There were plenty of high-end shops, but also countless smaller stores selling interesting local goods and souvenirs. I took this picture of a mask that caught my attention in one of the shops I visited.

Lastly, these pictures are from the neighborhood where I stayed. My hotel was a bit outside the city center in a more typical residential area. Two houses in particular caught my attention: this ivy-covered home and the large house below that looked almost like a compound.