Prague: The Perfect First Destination

Jess Boehner
Feb 1, 2023
6 min read

Updated: Feb 4, 2023

Prague, Czech Republic (1/26-1/29)

Ajoy!

After being in Florence for only 36 hours, it was time to head off on my first-weekend getaway. Prague, Czech Republic was the destination of choice for Alexa’s 21st birthday.

The Florence airport is a lot smaller compared to other Italian airports so we flew out of Rome instead. Leaving our place by 8:00 am for the Florence train station, I was anxious but prepared for the long travel day ahead.

Here are some of the things I learned from our first journey:

Traveling with a group of 10 people makes things a lot easier at times. I consider myself a leader but I quickly realized that some people were ahead of the game and knew exactly what to do and how to do it. All I had to do was follow them.
The train employees are extremely nice and when you pretend to be an oblivious American, you can get away with finessing the system and not buying a ticket.
Make sure you know what train you’re getting on before you get on it. Not all of them go fast.

Prague welcomed us with foggy skies and cold wind. I will admit, I was skeptical at first. A lot went through my head during the thirty-minute uber ride from the airport to our Airbnb. At first, I was confused. I didn’t understand why anyone would come here. I’ve never been to Russia but it looked like what I would imagine Russia to look like. There were lots of stone buildings with graffiti and chained fences. Our uber driver also had frequent conversations out the window with the cars in the lanes next to him. However, as soon as we reached oldtown, everything grew. There were tall, historical buildings, tall castles, tall clocks, and tall churches. There was a light pink building that reminded me exactly of the cover of Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Sleeping sixteen of us, the Airbnb was just around the corner from the clock and had a balcony view of the castle. There wasn’t much time to relax because we needed to get ready for our dinner reservation at Stredoveka Krcma. Stredoveka Krcma is a medieval-inspired restaurant that is full of many different experiences packed into one evening. The $65 5-course dinner was broken up by belly dancing, sword fighting, bagpipes, and magicians. To make things better, unlimited beer and wine were included in the deal. This dinner was one of the highlights of Abroad so far and it’s something I will never forget.

After dinner, it was time to hit the clubs. I have not been to many clubs in America so I really didn't know what to expect from these clubs either. The first club we went to was called Dirty Dog. It was filled with a lot of people my age and seemed to be a mixed group made up of locals and students abroad. The bar had a room with three foosball tables so Coburn and I hopped in a game. We got our asses kicked by two short girls who are regulars. I later came to find out that the "third-best foosball player in the Czech region" was playing at the table across from me. I didn't watch him play because, by the time I debated whether this prestige was an honor or nerdy, we took off. The rest of the night consisted of more walking, more bars, and more clubs.

Friday was another gloomy day in the city but it didn’t stop us Coloradans from getting outside. I had a delicious cup of coffee topped with whipped cream along with a bowl of minestrone soup. Lunch gave me the boost to check out Charles bridge. It was there that I experienced a “Woah” moment. I couldn’t believe that I was in a foreign country staring across a river as ancient building lights reflected on the water.

Unfortunately, the Prague National Technical Library was closed to the public so we were not able to go inside. At least I have an excuse to go back soon!

Once the sun was down and we girls were ready, we walked around the corner to our rooftop dinner. Terasa U Prince is located on top of the U Prince hotel. With it being winter, the roof was enclosed and heaters were scattered all around. I would highly recommend this spot in the summer because it would be the perfect place to watch the sun go down and enjoy a meal. I ordered an Aperol Spritz and a salad. Both of them were delicious but the roll of cheese on my salad made it unique. Many of the girls got the truffle pasta and enjoyed it. I’m not a fan of truffle or its smell so I will not speak on that dish.

Friday’s nightlife definitely topped Thursday’s. We met up with our friends at a nightclub called M1. It had a dark, neon vibe and wasn’t too crowded. Despite my overpriced drink, I was in a great mood. The DJ was engaging and the other locals at the bar were friendly.

After warming up for the night at M1, we headed to the destination of the night: Karlovy Lazne. Karlovy Lazne is a five-story club on the Vltava river and is known as the biggest music club in central Europe. I spent time on the second floor called “Robotic Bar.” It was the only bar that took credit cards and turned out to be the biggest waste of time. The robots were slow and shitty drink makers. I understand the concept of a Rob-bartender but this is far from a final product. On the third floor is where I spent most of my time. Titled “Oldies,” it was an old fashion bar with throwback music playing in the background.

Saturday was a slower day. Most of us slept in and later split up to do our own things. I checked out Wenceslas Square on my way to a cafe. The square reminded me much of Times Square with big-name stores, street performances, and bright lights.

On the other side of Wenceslas Square was Cafedu. Cafedu was recommended to me by a friend who studied in Prague for her semester of college I loved it as soon as I walked in. The barista is one of the nicest people I have met abroad so far. I guess I had a stigma in my head that everyone would hate Americans, but if this is true, some do a very good job hiding it. His smile and generosity made me feel welcome to make myself at home.

The main floor of Cafedu was filled with students. It seemed about 50% study abroad students and 50% Czech students. Up the spiral staircase was a library. It was enclosed with glass to block out noise and there was plenty of seating for individual or group work.

Our last supper in Prague was a cab drive down the river at a restaurant called SoHo. That was probably one of the fanciest restaurants I have ever been to in my life. Our table for 16 was in a large, quiet room. Though it was spacious, there were only a few tables in our area and those tables barely made a peep. Surprisingly, our table was fairly quiet as well. It was clear we were all about to crash and we just needed to get food in us to last one more night. The food was delicious but my opinion is a biased one considering how hungry I was. I ordered a tuna bowl and it was good but it just tasted expensive. I guess that's something I will have to get used to.

I turned in for the night once dinner was over. A group of my friends went to a club called "Epic" and said they had a fun time. If I return to Prague again, I will make sure to hit that club to form an opinion of my own.

Sunday was brutal. A cab to the airport. A plane ride to Rome. A train to Florence. Luckily I slept the whole way so I didn't have much time to even complain.

Prague was incredible. Since I've been back in Florence for a few days now I have been able to compare the experiences. The city is gorgeous and it doesn't feel too big. I would recommend Prague to anyone traveling to Europe. I look forward to hearing how future visitors like it.