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Prague, the city where beer is
cheaper than water... just my cup of tea.
Prague in the Czech Republic is a great city to visit on a budget, the
food and drink is cheap, the accommodation is reasonable and the city
building have the best architecture and gothic style in the world.
Thursday
We took a Go/Easyjet flight from Stansted leaving on a Thursday 12:20
flight which was great because we didn’t have to get up early and were in
Prague with plenty of time to explore the city and find accommodation.
Upon landing in Prague and carrying only a small rucksack between us
(remember always travel as light as you can) we were straight out of the
airport ready for our adventure. There is a bus stop right outside the
terminal with regular buses to the city centre. We caught the 119 bus for
about 25p for the 20 minute ride in to Prague. You can buy single or
return tickets and you just validate the ticket on the bus by sticking it
in a small machine which prints the date and time. The bus stops right
outside a tube station in Prague and the best and easiest way to get
around is by subway. Don’t be scared, it’s easy to use, there are
instructions everywhere in English and you just pay for the number of
stops you will be traveling. We bought our 3 stop ticket for about 30p to
the central square, Staromestske nam.
We found an apartment/hotel near to the main square down a maze of cobbled
street. The room was on the third floor of a 16th century house with
en-suite bathroom including a Jacuzzi bath, double bed, 2 single beds and
mini bar costing around £70 per night.
The main square is a marvel in its self full of gothic architecture. We
spent the rest of the day exploring the surrounding area which is like a
legoland of cobbled streets and medieval buildings and of course plenty of
bars. If you venture just of the main square the prices are even cheaper
and the cosy bars all have English understanding staff.
Friday
We lay in late, after getting back late and attacking the rooms mini bar,
and made it out of our room at about 12:00. We crossed the Karluv most
(Charles bridge) heading for Prague Castle and food somewhere to eat on
the way (£10 for 2 large meals, coffees, beers, and mineral water). The
castle is very impressive with garish gargoyles and soaring steeples.
There’s plenty of things to see including a medieval streets, fantastic
views and of course atmospheric bars.
After walking what felt like the entire city we spent the rest of the
evening again hitting the bars. Well at 50p a pint we had to make the most
of it!
Saturday
We were leaving and had to be out of the room by 10:00. We hit the shops
for some bargains. Clothes are a little cheaper but designer labels are
not, still there are some great buys in Prague (Tops for £10, Jeans £20,
Shirt £4, T-shirt £7).
We ended, as predictable, in a bar waiting for our bus back to the airport
reflecting on the city. All in all Prague seems a very cultured place with
a lot of great thinkers contributing to the cities development. Chess
seemed to be the popular game, art deco seemed to be the standard and
preservation of the city seems to be of utmost importance.
Highs
Beer is cheap as chips (50p per 500ml)
English speaking throughout
You can walk between all major attractions
Visit the tea rooms they are great
Snowy in winter
Lows
Cold in winter so wrap up warm
Floods can cause major upsets in the city
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