As January 1st 2018 approached, I commented to Mitch that for the past three years we’ve always booked a flight to somewhere on New Year’s Day. Often in a tired state, we book an adventure for later in the year or, sometimes, about three weeks time. We joked that we should make it a tradition. So, this year we continued the trend.
What better way to perk up January than book a flight for a week’s holiday? I say holiday; we were working but also holiday-ing. We booked to go for one week to beat the January blues.
There was a cheap flight from Bristol to Prague and we found a decent priced Airbnb just a little outside of the central area. Horray, we were ready!
What is Prague Like?
I’d heard so many good things about the city. It’s beautiful with so much history that’s it’s bursting at the seams. The amount of history that lingers on in the city is amazing, and it’s been so well preserved. The weekend we arrived it was sub-zero temperatures. On our second day, it actually snowed a little, meaning all the roofs were covered in white. It was very pretty.
The main central area was very touristy — even in January. On the Saturday and Sunday, the old town square and pedestrian streets were pretty rammed. Thankfully, when we arrived on Friday night we had a good stroll around and it was much quieter.
Did you Drink Lots of Beer in Prague?
The Czech Republic is well known for its beer. I’m not a huge beer fan but it would have been rude to not drink beer while there. We spent Saturday night at The Beer Museum with 30 beers on tap and a few different tasting options. It was a little more expensive than most other bars, but it was a great experience and they had an awesome live band.
What was The Food Like?
As with many cities we visit, we always try and go on a free walking tour. Prague was no different. Our tour was great and the guy leading the tour was actually from Prague. The other tour guide was American. No doubt he was awesome, but I always prefer having a local guide. Having a local guide means they can share more personal things with you about the city.
Our tour guide explained that much of the food in Prague is traditional to the region of Europe that we’re in. But, he recommended two dishes that were specifically Czech. One – fried cheese. Yes, you read that correctly. Deep fried cheese. With a side of mashed potato and tartare sauce. If it sounds unhealthy, it’s because it is. I had it twice, though.
The second dish is called svíčková (don’t ask me how to pronounce that!) and it consists of beef, covered by a sweet(ish), creamy sauce with a side of bread or potato dumplings. I tried this and wasn’t a huge fan of it. It was just a bit too sweet for me.
Should You Visit Prague?
Of course! Everyone should visit Prague. It’s a perfect city break and ideal even in the winter. If possible, try to visit on the weekdays because it was soooo busy on the weekend. There are countless things to see and do depending on your tastes, but sometimes just walking around and marvelling at all the history and beauty is enough – as well as eating great food and drinking plenty of beer.
