Though often overlooked by tourists in favour of other European cities, Prague has a lot to offer any visitor. With a name synonymous with the city of a thousand spires and also the golden city, you can expect to discover castles, curved bridges, churches, neo-gothic architecture, varied and beautiful landscapes, and numerous sculpted parks.
Národní museum (National Museum)
This beautiful museum showcases natural and historical collections, with displays of musical instruments, art, historical items, coin collections, costumes through the ages, and other collections, totalling over 14 million items! This shouldn’t be too surprising, as the museum was started in 1818. Presently it is closed for renovations, and is expected to re-open in 2016, though that doesn’t stop you snapping a picture outside its gorgeous exterior.
Prague Castle and the attached Saint Virtus Cathedral
Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world, and it looks very much like a small town from a distance. Almost every kind of architectural style through the centuries has been used to create the various castle buildings, such as the armoury, church, etc. It is here that the Czech Crown Jewels are housed, within the St Virtus Cathedral, and they are the 4th oldest crown jewels in Europe. There are 4 churches, 4 palaces, 3 halls, 8 gardens, and 8 other buildings of significance within the castle.
Astronomical clock (Orloj Clock)
Set within the historical 16th century town square, on the Old Town Hall building, is where you’ll find the astronomical clock of Prague, which is also one of the oldest clocks in the world.
Not only is it beautifully painted, with numerous filigreed wheels, but it shows the zodiac and astrological sign positions, has a calendar, and tells the time. The best part for many tourists is the miniature mechanical statues depicting Death, the 12 apostles, a vice (Vanity), a miser, and a Turk, which come out and do a small dance for three minutes, every hour on the hour.
Kaverna café, Municipal House
For a unique experience, and some tasty Czech food, you should check out the Kaverna café, set within the historic art nouveau Municipal House. This trendy eatery offers both local and international cuisines to suit all pallets, and the relaxing background music and views out of the windows make this quite a picturesque spot to reflect on all you’ve seen so far.
The Charles Bridge
If you’ve ever wanted to experience that fairytale moment of walking across one of those gorgeous arched stonework bridges, to gaze wistfully over the side at the twilight horizon and have your picture snapped, this is THE bridge to do it.
It was built between the 14th and 15th century to span the Vltava River, and has 16 arches, 30 statues, and 3 bridge towers. Most of the statues have been replaced with replicas, and during the day it’s quite a busy part of town. The best time to go is in the early morning, or late evening.
Author Bio: Roseanna McBain is a writer for TravelGround, a Magaliesburg accommodation and booking website. She enjoys international cuisines, reading up on various cultures, and exploring the vibrant world surrounding us all.
Images
The astronomical clock of Prague. By Hzenilc (Creative Commons) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schema_Orloj_pragueorlojhzenilc.jpg
The Charles Bridge in daylight. By David Iliff – cropped slightly (Creative Commons) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prague_Vltava_pano_-_Oct_2010.jpg
