Eight Days in Prague in October: a Solo Traveller's Trip Report

Private Guides

• Michal from Real Prague Tours. I did a day trip to Saxon Switzerland and Bohemian Switzerland with Michal, the 30-something-year-old owner of Real Prague Tours and the winner of Dave’s award for Favorite Prague Guide. Granted, Michal’s subject matter was great – Bastei Bridge, a hike to Pravčická brána (an arch in Bohemian Switzerland), a short boat ride through Wilde Klamm (Gorge), and traditional Czech food. But Michal's knowledge and experience of Czechoslovak and Czech Republic life (which he freely shared) and his personable, pleasant, patient nature made a tour with him something truly special. I hope to return to Prague in the next year or two, and Michal will without doubt be my choice for a guide on my return.
• Peter from Real Prague Tours. Michal created a custom-made day trip for me that was done with Peter to (1) Konopiště Castle, the home of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (of Sarajevo 1914 fame), and (2) Tabor, a 15th century fortress town of the Taborites, a Hussite (Protestant) faction led by a warrior’s warrior, Jan Žižka, who lost sight in one eye as a child and in another eye late in adulthood after taking an arrow to the face during battle (despite that, he never lost a battle). Great sites for Dave the history buff -- holy cow, at Konopište, I stood in a room in which Austrian Emperor Franz Josef once slept! Time in Tabor included a tour of cellars and tunnels under the city plus a visit to the Hussite Museum. Peter was a professional, experienced guide.
• Martina with Art of Your Travel. I did 2 tours with Martina: (1) an 8-hour Operation Anthropoid tour that included a trip to Lidice to see the field where the razed old village once stood and to see the nearby new village whose construction began in 1949 and (2) a 2.5-hour tour of Vyšehrad including the cemetery and the church. The Operation Anthropoid trip was much enjoyed by this history buff, and the Vyšehrad tour felt like I was wandering the area with a friend. Martina is a smart, spunky guide who does not shy away from sharing her views on anything, from Prague drivers to Czech/Slovak politics. She is young and fun.
• Jason with Living Prague Tours. My 6-hour walking tour included the Old Town, Jewish Quarter, Lesser Town, and Castle. Jason provided a professional, efficient, polished tour that was packed with information and included suggestions for restaurants and other activities.
• Rick Steves. Okay, so Rick did not directly give me a tour, but his Old Town/Charles Bridge and Wenceslas Square walking tours in the guidebook were excellent. I walked the path over about 6 hours, supplementing Rick’s walks with information from the Honest Guide while also following my nose a bit where it led me.

Food Tours

• The Delicious Food Tour through Prague Food Tours. This tour covered traditional Czech food and is the winner of Dave’s award for Best Food Tour. My tour was led by George, one of the owners of the company; he’s one of those super friendly guys who is always smiling and whose dynamic personality creates an experience that exceeds expectations. The tour had very good stops with very good food; George supplemented the food part of the tour with much discussion about Prague, its sights, and Czech life as we moved from restaurant to restaurant. Portions and total food consumed were appropriate – not over-the-top as I have experienced on some food tours in the past. Highly recommended.
• Prague: Iconic Cafes Early Bird Morning Food Tour. I met my guide Václav at the Powder Bridge at 9 am and then we visited 4 cafes (plus did a lot of walking) over 4 hours. I liked the selection of cafes, and the food was great. Václav was eager to talk about the city and Czech life. The tour had room for 10 participants: I was the only one to sign up for it. The tour ran anyway because it is a new tour, and the company was looking for a good review to help push it up the algorithm of the platform it is on. The tour was a bit on the pricey side, but since I ended up with essentially a private guide for a cafe tour, it ended up being pretty reasonable.
• Prague Foodie Tour by Taste of Prague. This food has some traditional Czech food plus some more contemporary dishes. This tour was focused tightly on the food and its story. There was less talking about Prague as we walked from place to place. The guide was super knowledgeable and friendly but did not have the charisma of George. The tour finished with a traditional Czech cocktail, which was a nice way to end the experience. The company provides a Prague Foodie Map immediately after registration for a tour, which was a nice touch. Again, reasonable portions and reasonable total food consumed. A very good tour.

Cafes

• Café Slavia. Classy place. Wait staff looks sharp. Guy in a suit and tie playing a grand piano in the corner. My favorite café I visited.
• Café Louvre. Another classy joint. Very busy! Great blueberry pie. I got cappuccino but someone told me later to go for the Louvre Café special hot chocolate. Maybe next time!
• Café Imperial. Drop dead gorgeous with amazing blue and yellow tiles. Great food. Reservation needed so I am told – I was here as part of one of the food tours.
• Cathedral Café. Near Týn Cathedral. Excellent Eggs Benedict.
• Grand Café Orient. First floor of the House of the Black Madonna. 1920’s/1930’s décor with smart-looking wait staff and 1920’s/1930’s music playing overhead. Really nice experience.
• Au Gourmand. French bakery with an atmospheric indoor seating area and very pleasant outdoor garden seating area. About a block off Old Town Square.

Restaurants

• Municipal House Restaurant. Great food that is overpriced but baked into that price is the experience of eating in a gorgeous art nouveau restaurant. I was soooo excited and soooo delighted to have this experience. And I met up with a Rick Steves forum member and her travel companion there.
• Las Adelitas. Mexican food! There are a few of these in Prague. It landed on my list due to the Honest Guide. Quite wonderful street tacos. The hot salsa? Pretty mid (as the kids say).

Performances

• Prague Symphony Orchestra at Smetana Hall at the Municipal House. Antonín Dvořák (Slavic Rhapsody No 3 in A flat major Op 45), Max Bruch (Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor Op 28), Josef Suk (Symphony in E major Op 14). Excellent performance in a cool environment. If you go to a performance there, don’t stand and lean back against the seat when someone needs to pass you to get to their seat. The rows of seats are not fixed, and leaning sends the row of seats into the knees of the people behind you. Oops.
• Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Rudolfinum. Jindřich Feld (Concerto for Cello and Orchestra), Joseph Suk (Symphony No 2 “Asrael”). Wonderful concert. Gorgeous performance hall. It hit me at intermission how fortunate I am to be able to listen to classical music in such incredible spaces. As for dress, I was definitely in the bottom decile with my khaki pants and button down shirt.
• Barber of Seville at the National Theater. I chickened out. I forgot to pack a jacket/tie. One of my guides said people go to the National Theater super dressed up. The website said, “Dress codes are only required for special events. By their appearance, the visitors indicate that they are aware of the festive occasion they are experiencing at the theatre.” That seems like code. Plus it was the last night of the trip… street tacos sounded good.

Purchases

• Wooden Czech Republic Travel Tokens. I usually buy a Christmas ornament with each trip. In the Czech Republic, nearly all tourist sites have a wooden travel token with a small metal ring that costs around $2. I bought 4 of these, and they will work great as ornaments.
• Tabor Mug. I also usually buy a coffee mug. Each morning at home, I pull out a different mug and have pleasant memories of a prior trip as I enjoy my coffee. For this trip, I found a handmade mug at the Tabor TI office.
• Colored and Mechanical pencils. Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth carries art products, including colored pencils made in Czechia since 1790. A nice gift for “the young adult,” who likes to draw.

Sights

• Municipal House. As many know, this is a spectacular Art Nouveau building. I took the tour of the interior rooms. Multiple people on this forum recommend just walking around to see the public spaces, but the interior tour is something special. Visitors get to see gorgeous rooms but also get to learn the artistic flow of the building and the overt subversive themes (at least to the Austro-Hungarian Empire) of Slavic unity and independence. The building is a stunning, cohesive masterpiece.
• Old Mucha Museum & New Mucha Museum. I hit both to compare them. The old museum has a great video of Mucha’s life and has a nice collection of Mucha’s work displayed. The new museum is more atmospheric in terms of the building but a little less satisfying with respect to the art displayed. The gift shop in the new museum is superior to that in the old museum. I would give a bit of a nod to the old museum due to its content. My understanding is the new building/museum will be the home of the Slav Epic when it returns to Prague. If true, that will rocket the new museum past the old museum.
• Speculum Alchemy Museum. This is a 30-minute activity, but I thought it was very cool. A 16th century hidden underground alchemy laboratory was discovered at the edge of the Jewish quarter after flooding in 2002. It was associated with Rudolf II, who had quite the interest in alchemy. The laboratory has been opened as an attraction that can only be visited via a 30-minute, cash-only tour. As I recall, entrance was 200 Czech crown – pretty reasonable to me.
• Bethlehem Chapel. The rebuilt chapel where church reformer Jan Hus preached in the Czech language (scandalous!) in the early 15th century (if you don’t know, Hus ultimately was burnt at the stake on July 6,1415, after being declared a heretic by the Council of Constance). The chapel was rebuilt by… surprisingly… the Communists… in the 1950s; they were trying to connect communism to the egalitarian beliefs of Hus (such as communion from the cup for all [not just priests], equal expectations for behavior for all [no indulgences], godly behavior by all [priests and laity]). The preacher’s quarters attached to the chapel are original, and Hus lived there for some period of time.
• The Army Museum at Žižkov. An excellent museum that covers Czech military history from the clans that settled the area in the 7th century AD to the present.
• The National Monument at Vitkov. The monument, a short uphill walk from the Army museum, includes an enormous sculpture of Jan Žižka on a horse. The Czech Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also there. There are great views over Prague from the top of the monument. I liked it!

Weaknesses of my trip to be corrected on a return trip.

• As usual, I overpacked the trip with scheduled activities. There definitely was some time for wandering, but I think more time to do this – especially away from the Old Town – would be a good use of time.
• I probably also got a little carried away with food tours, which decreased my opportunity to check out restaurants on my own. Dinner a couple of nights consisted of cold cuts, cheese, bread, and blueberries from the grocery near the hotel that were consumed on the balcony of my hotel room. Honestly, that was pretty worthwhile.
• I wanted to try to catch a film at either Edison FilmHub or Kino Lucerna, art house theaters whose films usually have Czech and English subtitles. Film culture seems to be alive and well in Prague, unlike the US. I had three films on my list – one was on the night of arrival (too tired), one was on a tour day that ran long (too late), and one was on a good day to see a film but when I tried to buy a ticket in the afternoon for an evening showing, the film was already sold out.

Conclusion

Prague is awesome. There are beautiful buildings everywhere you look in the city center. There is a lot of activity but also oases of quiet a block or two away from the masses. There is so much to see, do and explore. I think I have a new favorite city.

Great report!

You point us to some great dining possibilities but you don't mention any dishes besides tacos and Eggs Benedict --- tell us me more about the local cuisine.

Thanks for the report, Dave! Excellent writing and great details. I will refer to your report when I return to Prague.

avirosemail --

A fair criticism of the report. The Czech food was quite good. Here is a sampling of what I ate

• Svíčková: a very traditional Czech food with braised beef, gravy-like sauce, bread dumplings, and a garnish typically of unsweetened whipped cream and cranberry sauce. I had it at Cafe Imperial (the reported "best place" to have it) and at Restaurace Na Mělnické, a inexpensive restaurant in Prague 8 that Martina said was one of her favorite places for traditional Czech food. 400 Cz Crown vs 169 Cz Crown on daily lunch menu. Both were good, but the nod goes to the Na Mělnické version.
• On the Bohemina Switzerland trip, I had a delicious garlic soup that also contained ham, potatoes, and cheese at a hole-in-the-wall place on a hike + very good goulasch with bread dumplings at a traditional Czech restaurant near the arch to which he hiked. Both were great.
• I had rabbit with spinach and both potato and bread dumplings at U Dvou Koček (Two Cats), a traditional restaurant in Tabor. It was very good. My guide had duck that was also quite good.
• The food tours included pub food, traditional favorites, some modern food, and traditional desserts -- all were very good.
• At the Municipal House, I had potato dumplings with cheese in a cream sauce with sauteed spinach. It was excellent.
• For cheap eats, I was a big fan of chlebíčky, open face sandwiches that often could be had for around $1-$2 per sandwich.
• I stopped at Kolacherie on Celetná for a kolač, a traditional Czech pastry with poppy seed, cream cheese, or fruit spread in the center, a couple of times. They also had excellent coffee.

Dave, I've read your trip reports before and always enjoyed them. I read this one with an eager eye towards your use of private guides.

After my trip to Romania with a private guide, following on the heels of a couple of large group tours that I tried on for size, I want to sprinkle more private guides into my trips. So I appreciate reading how you did some group food tours along with your private guides and (semi) customized itineraries.

I'll have a look back at some of your prior trip reports to see if you've been where I'm going. Thanks for this one!

The Delicious Food Tour through Prague Food Tours. This tour covered traditional Czech food and is the winner of Dave’s award for Best Food Tour. My tour was led by George, one of the owners of the company; he’s one of those super friendly guys who is always smiling and whose dynamic personality creates an experience that exceeds expectations. The tour had very good stops with very good food; George supplemented the food part of the tour with much discussion about Prague, its sights, and Czech life as we moved from restaurant to restaurant. Portions and total food consumed were appropriate – not over-the-top as I have experienced on some food tours in the past. Highly recommended.

https://prague-food-tour.com/
Agreed. I did the same tour, mine was lead by Leona. Well worth it.

Las Adelitas. Mexican food! There are a few of these in Prague. Itanded on my list due to the Honest Guide. Quite wonderful street tacos. The hot salsa? Pretty mid (as the kids say).

And then

You point us to some great dining possibilities but you don't mention any dishes besides tacos and Eggs Benedict --- tell us me more about the local cuisine.

I'll say this... for me, the Mexican restaurant near my hotel was Cantina. The tacos were great and I could get cheese stuffed jalapeños. Thank goodness! In this case I could get the spicy food I crave when I travel and Dave is right, the salsa was too mild. There was also a BBQ place that I loved - Hell Smoke. When it comes to traditional Czech food, I just do not know enough about it to say what was good, authentic, correct or what makes a good Czech restaurant. I enjoyed all the traditional Czech food that I had but I'm not qualified to judge any of it beyond I liked it - especially the cabbage. I'm also one that believes food is a product of time, place & always local. That Mexican food or BBQ was as Czech as any other food offered in Prague. Think of how influences moves, travel across cultures, and evolves for local tastes. And "authentic" & "good" are not one in the same. I didn't go into Hell Smoke determined to compare their offerings against my expectations of eastern Carolina BBQ. They deserved to stand on their own and be judged on the quality of their food. Same with Cantina. Can we say Czechs-Mex? :-D

jphbucks -- Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad you found the report helpful

CWsocial -- I love using private guides, especially when they are natives and when they have stories to share as did Michal and Martina. For me, it makes the experience much, much richer. It's definitely a luxury and can be a bit pricey, but I am blessed to be able to use them. They also give me someone with whom to share the travel experience when I'm traveling alone. Also... I have a handful of photos for each day of the trip on Facebook, if you are interested.

VAP -- I like your thoughts on food. I agree that knowing if something is "authentic" is dependent on what someone tells you. As the guide went down the menu at Two Cats, he kept saying, "Ooh. That's very typical Czech food." "Good" is more my assessment of the taste, freshness, environment, etc.

This is just my observation.

What I noticed was that Czechs certainly adapted and absorbed many other cultural cuisines and made it theirs and I enjoyed it across the board. But nearly universally they reject the chimney cakes/Trdelník. On my food tour Leona pointed them out, scoffed at them and said, that's Hungarian. I was aware of them and had no interest in trying them. Struck me as something along the lines of a funnel cake - something that smells tasty beause you're smelling the fat and sugar but never lives up to the expectation. I think what interests me is their rejection by the local culture while embraced by the tourist culture.

Kinda like peanut soup here at home. Gets the lore of traditional - it's not - but we only ever feed it to the tourists.

I liked the koláč or our visit to Myšák and the pastries and sweet dishes there. Much less sugar and the sweetness was more subtle. Something really liked.

Did you try the dill soup with the poached egg at Café Imperial? I loved that and got a recipe.

I did get the dill soup with the poached egg. It was indeed quite good. I enjoyed it!

Peanut soup??????

Thank you for sharing this helpful information, as I am planning a trip to Prague next year, and have written down your recommendations. I am currently reading the new Dan Brown novel, "Secret of Secrets". The book starts off in Prague, with mention of many tourist sites you visited, so you may enjoy reading it since you are now familiar with the setting.

The Dan Brown novel was in the window of every book store!

One of the guides with whom I spoke mentioned that he is thinking about creating a Dan Brown tour. I imagine multiple ones will be coming soon!

Great report. I did WWll Prague with Jason from Living Prague Tours and can second your praise for his guiding abilities. I was impressed that although I was the only person who had signed up for his tour that particular day, he didn’t cancel the tour as others might have done. He told me that as long as one person signs up for his tour, the tour will go on.