Prague in winter – You know you want to!

Tony and I celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary in 2019 and wanted to do something special to mark the milestone. We own our own business so getting away for big chunks of time is difficult. The only time that works is at Christmas because we close the business for two weeks. This time we decided to leave our business in the care of our employees to give us almost four weeks away. Our last trip had been to New York so this time we chose to go back to Europe. We also really wanted to make this trip extra special, because 30 years is a long time!!! So we decided to splurge and go business class on our two long haul flights and boy was it great.

Prague – Old Town

The first stop on our trip was Prague. I’ve always wanted to see Prague in winter and it didn’t disappoint. We stayed in an apartment in the middle of Old Town and the position could not have been better. We were able to walk to everything.

When I’m planning a trip to a new city I like to book a personal tour for the first day we’re there. I do this first because it gives us a really good overview of the city and its top attractions. It’s then easy to decide what we want to revisit or we can spend our time roaming around the city just taking it in. If the weather is good a walking tour is an option but it was freezing in Prague so we booked a car tour. Another reason the personal tours are great is that you get to spend more time in the places you want and less in those that don’t interest you. When you have limited time in a city this is definitely a bonus. It also means that you have someone on hand to take some photos of you together which we often miss out on.

Prague is a beautiful city and we absolutely loved it. It was very busy being right after Christmas but our tour guide took us to places at times that weren’t so busy so that helped. We were also able to experience a mass in a stunning church, thanks to her inside knowledge.

Prague in Winter – Christmas Markets

As a Christmas nut I really wanted to visit some Christmas Markets while in Europe. Prague had good markets that continued on after Christmas which is why we started our holiday there. They were amazing! I purchased some traditional Christmas decorations which were beautiful and I look forward to using them this year.

Food in Prague

Tony and I love trying local food where ever we stay. Prague had some amazing food. Some of our favourites where:-

• Ttrdelnik; Pastry cooked on a rotisserie style contraption, topped which sugar and cinnamon. We had ice cream in ours and let me tell you, I loved it!!!
• Roast Duck;
• I’m not sure what the name is but in the Christmas markets we had ham slow cooked over a fire served with potatoes and sauerkraut. This was sold by the weight which was unusual. Again delicious especially in the really cold weather.
• Svickova, which is a beef dish that does not look so great but was delicious;
• Vepro-Knedlo-zelo, a roasted pork stew with cabbage. Also very good.

Things to make sure you see in prague

Prague in winter is beautiful and if you spend your time wandering the streets you will not be disappointed. If you are like us and want to see as much as you can, don’t miss these things:-

• Churches. There are many beautiful churches in Prague as there is in most European destinations. We visited St Agnes Convent, Church of St Nicholas and St Vitus Cathedral.
• Old Town Square – The Christmas Markets were held here and our apartment was about 2 mins away from here;
• Astronomical clock. Now I’m putting this here because its something that Prague is well known for. I have to say though I was left really disappointed. We waited in a crowd of people, video in hand, thinking something exciting was going to happen. It didn’t. There was a very short display and that was it. It’s in the Old Town Square so you will probably be in the area at some stage anyway but definitely don’t go out of your way to see it in action.
• Prague Castle;
• Lennon Wall;
• Charles Bridge;
• Jewish Quarter and Old Jewish Cemetery;
• KGB Museum. I wasn’t sure I would like this but I found it very very interesting and was glad we put it on the list.
• Clementinum. Also known as the most beautiful library in the world. We couldn’t take pictures inside but it was incredible and well worth a visit. It reminded me of something out of Harry Potter.
• Cafe Louvre is over 100 years old and was visited by Albert Einstein. If you love a hot chocolate you have to visit. It was so good and strangely served with a small glass of soda water, which we later learnt was a common thing.

Leaving Prague

Prague in winter is cold. There is no escaping that but if you dress for the weather its pretty magical and a great time to visit. We spent four nights in Prague then moved on to Vienna. Transport to Vienna was with Mydaytrip with a stop in Kutna Hora to see Sedlec Ossuary, commonly known as the bone church. We were not able to take photos in the church but it was incredible, if not a little creepy!! We did get some photos at St Barbara’s Cathedral which was stunning. Mydaytrip is a fantastic option for getting between cities. You have your own personal driver and can do one or several stops along the way. The drivers are not technically tour guides but we found them very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. It was a great service.