I did plenty of research for this trip. The original plan was to go to Prague castle as our first Czech sight seeing option. I still blame Czech websites for that plan going downhill, figuratively and literally. Learning from my mistake, I came up with the perfect 2 day updated itinerary that eliminates the stress and can be found here.

See what happened was, we got into Prague and casually settled into our Airb&b. With no rush we walked over to Old Town Square and had an authentic (read: all the meats sauerkraut) looking on to the square.

As planned after lunch, we casually made our way over to Prague Castle. When we arrived there was a long line which naturally we waited for. Once at the beginning of the line, we were told while we could technically buy tickets, but we weren’t going to be able to see much because the buildings closed in about 20 minutes (at 1700). The website I had looked at was totally misleading. It stated that the complex is open until 2200, however everything worth seeing closes at 1700! Rough time to find out.

On my best vacation behavior, I avoided a meltdown and we figured we had just enough time to make it to Klementinum instead (about half an hour before the last tour). We decided to try to get an uber from the top of Prague Castle –not a good option. No uber ever made it, no cabs were nearby and we wasted time waiting! Not to have my color coded itinerary be defeated, I decided to make a run for it, literally. We sprinted down all the stairs back to the city and zigzagged around tourists and vendors on Charles Bridge (the only time we got to see it). In case you’re wondering, Prague Castle to Klementinum in 15 minutes can be done!

Prague Castle in the background for context

We managed to do our tour and as luck turns out, they even had an extra tour after us because there were so many people waiting (so I ran for nothing). From there we got to relax a little before our rooftop dinner at Hotel U Prince. The food may have been a little overrated, but the view was 100% worth it.

The next morning we were apparently missing the U.S. because we decided to go to James Dean to have a traditional American breakfast. Literally omelettes and breakfast sandwiches. Pretty on point.

With full bellies we made our way back to Prague Castle. On this hot day we realized how much we missed all the foreign street vendors we had encountered in other countries. Not a single one euro water bottle to be seen. Long lines, mark ups, and tiny water bottles were the only thing to be found. The castle and the rest of the grounds were beautiful though!

After working up an appetite we made it to the famous Good Food Coffee and Bakery to get our chimney cakes. Delicious! Make sure you ask for strawberries because I didn’t get any! We made it down the river and onto a paddle boat at Slovansky Ostrov. Don’t settle for the row boats. And make sure you paddle up to a bar and grab a beer. Pro tip, pee first. We had to cut our river time a little short and I managed not to pee my pants by about 15 seconds. Finding a public restroom is the hardest thing to do when you need one.

Naturally after this day we needed a nap, which proved to be nearly fatal. In the process of napping, waking up, and getting ready somehow it got closer and closer to the time that the pub crawl we had signed up for took off. Slowly but surely, we ran out of time for dinner. Heavy drinking on an empty stomach started to look like the theme of the night.

While I don’t really remember the names of all the bars we went to, I recall the first one was Red Room. Here we had an hour open bar, and we took on that challenge. To clear up that haziness, when the hour was up we snuck away from the group and ate the first pizza we saw before finding the next place. Once we got all our dancing done there, and headed over to the next place, I saw a Burger King glowing like a beacon of hope. Kevin snuck over with me and we had what was honestly the best chicken sandwich of my life. Prague does Burger King right.

We ended up meeting up with a friend and going to M1 lounge which was pretty cool. But I do regret ditching the pub crawl and not making it to the Karlovy Lázně, the five-story club. While some say it’s “overrated,” I think that is what visiting a new city is about! Especially when it’s free. So when you go, do the pub crawl beginning to end…and get Burger King.

The night ended by getting some late night kebab and the boys falling in through the window, a couple of times. 10/10 would do Prague again!

Lessons I Learned

1. Read attraction hours carefully
2. Always have a plan B
3. There’s nothing smarter than practical shoes
4. It’s okay to have some non-authentic food
5. If you don’t eat before binge drinking you will either die or end up eating way more than you should
6. Do all the touristy crap!

Find a video version of our trip here.