I admit I’m a few months behind on this post as I have been busy traveling to Canada to get married and visiting South Africa for our honeymoon (more on these adventures later on). However, better late than never to post on our wonderful long weekend spent in Prague, Czech Republic. To attempt something new, we tried to do this trip on a backpacker’s budget, just to see if we can have the same amount of fun, and guess what, it was still a blast! So here are some tips to do the same:
1) Eat on the cheap and I mean CHEAP: Prague has delicious food and at a fair price. A lot of restaurants offer great deals such as Lokal (recommended to me by a wonderful friend), which has some of the best authentic food we found. Want something different? Try Kofola; a sweet herbal substitute for Coke. If your budget has tighter purse strings, you can opt to get groceries and live like a real local. Another great thing about Europe is that the booze is much cheaper than North America, at times even cheaper than a bottle of water!
2 ) Learn from Locals: I always suggest it, but pleaseeeeee go for a free walking tour! It is a fabulous way to see the city and they point you in the best direction for more free things to do, places to stay, and hidden restaurants. You will also get a great workout as they often walk for 2 – 3 hours. So turn on that Fitbit.
3) Free Art: Prague itself is a glorious work of art; it also has unique pieces spread out throughout the city. Let’s start with the John Lennon wall. You guessed it, it is a wall. This wall is special in particular because it is covered with colourful inspirational lyrics and eye-catching graffiti. Not too far is the Statue of Two Men Peeing. Again, it is literally what it sounds like; two men peeing. For some added fun, send a quick text and they will spell your name with their “pee”. Next stop is the Library for the bookworms out there. Some of you may want to read, but the real reason to step inside is to get your Gram on with the never-ending book tower. Such a unique piece of art! You can also look for the giant head of Franz Kafka and the Upside Down Horse statue downtown.
4) Smallest Street: This is free entertainment perfect for any time of day. Prague boasts the narrowest street in Europe; it’s so tiny that there are traffic lights to prevent people from colliding in opposite directions. The gap of this alley is only 50 cm wide. Wowzers! (Great for a photo opt!)
5) Castles: If you were looking for medieval architecture, you are in the right city. From cathedrals to castles to cobblestone, Prague is the city for you. One spend I will encourage would be for the Prague Castle grounds, which includes St. Vitus Cathedral, Vladislav Hall, the Basilica of St. George, The Crown Jewels (of course) and so much more. According to the Guinness Book of records, this castle is the largest medieval castle in the world, with over 1.8 million visitors a year. They started to build the Prague Castle in the 9th century and it was finally completed in 1929. I’ll make sure I won’t use the same company to build my next house. Fun fact; on the main entrance of St. Vitus Cathedral, there are self-portraits of the architects from over the years and it is interesting to see how clothing has changed in the last 1000 years.
6) Riverside: Take a romantic stroll along the riverside of The Vltava, or cross one of the many bridges to get a view from the other side. The most famous one being The Charles Bridge which connects Prague Castle and Old Town Prague.
7) People Watching: Wenceslas Square is the heart of New Town Prague with shops, bars, restaurants and more. The great thing about this square, or the many others around town, is that it is free to sit there as long as you like and take in the historic atmosphere. If you know Europe, hardly anything is free and seating in nice areas are typically at a premium. Watch the tourists, lick an ice cream and bask in the European sun imagining what it may have been like back in the day.
8) The Hunger Wall: While you are hiking up windy paths making your way to Petrin Lookout Tower, you can find a unique hidden surprise. Along the edge of the path is an original medieval defensive wall that was built in 1360, and a great view of the city.
9) Railway Station: Praha hlavní nádraží is the largest railway station in Prague. It originally opened in 1871 and still runs today. If you look hard enough you will find the hidden Wilsonova Building. This portion of the station has a small beautifully decorated ceiling dome that was once the main entrance and ticket hall impressing passengers on arrival back during its peak.
10) Get Lost: Some of our most treasured memories and greatest discoveries came from our walks throughout the city that had no planned out route. No map, no destination, just pure exploring. When doing this you will discover markets, new food, meet new friends, see new sites and add a personal touch to your trip. We did this when in Prague and found some local music to enjoy while watching the sun delightfully set over the old picturesque town.
To sum it up, you can splurge or save, but either way, you will have an exceptional time in Prague. With over 200 museums, and many churches (often free or at the very least they’ll allow you to step in for a quick peek without actually paying any admission), there is lots of room to explore and discover your own riches. Have you been there? Let me know about your trip in the comments below!
Cheers,
Melissa
Melissa Verwey 
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