Prague, Czech Republic

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLk5IL_6xWA

I've been fortunate enough to travel to Prague two times, and I can confidently say that it is one of my favorite international cities. It's got incredibly beautiful architecture, loads of nearby destinations to check out, and of course, cheep beer (pivo)!  Here are some of my favorite things to do in the city:

Accommodation
The first time I visited Prague I and my friends stayed at the Mad House Hostel right in the heart of the city.  In all my years of travelling, this is arguably the best hostel I have ever stayed at!  The hostel has a great location and was a great place to meet other travelers.  Every night the employees would lead various social activities and show you all around the city of Prague.  I highly recommend this hostel! http://www.themadhouseprague.com/
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Getting Around 
Overall, Prague is a very walk able city.  That being said, there are also tons of transit options, including an underground subway and above ground trams that take you all over the city.  Definitely spend some time meandering through the curvy streets and getting lost among the many shops and restaurants.  

Things to do / see in Prague

• Astronomical Clock Tower:  This is one of the most famous attractions in Prague.  It is located in the heart of the city center on the main square and is frequented by many tourists.  On the top of every hour you should stand as directly in front of the clock tower to see the elaborate "show" that it puts on; imagine a giant cuckoo clock of sorts.  
  • Don't just enjoy the view from the bottom of the tower, you can also climb up to the top!  The spiraling walkway that leads you to the top of the tower is filled with photographs of the tower that showcase it's rich and vibrant history.  
• Charles Bridge:  No trip to Prague would be complete without a stroll along the Charle's bridge, which is one of the oldest bridges in all of the world.  Stroll along the bridge near sunset to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city, the cobweb filled statues and all of the local artists painting and crafting along the span.  
  • For good luck,  you should rub the statue with the golden dog (it's much shinier than the rest of the statues).  Legend has it that if you rub the dog you will be destined to return to Prague in the future!
• The Castle:  Located atop the hill is the magnificent Prague Castle and Cathedral.  Walk around the grounds and try to catch a changing of the guard.  Definitely make sure to go inside the church, as it is arguably the most beautiful part of the whole palace / castle area.  You'll find a winery and all sorts of small little shops and baked goods surrounding the castle area.  
• Vrtba Garden:  Vrtbovska Garden is a "secret" garden that has beautiful views of the castle area; it's secret in the sense that it is not too easy to find or notice walking along the street.  The garden is accessible from Karmelitska street at Mala Strana.   
• Petrin Tower:  For only $3 you can climb to the top of a miniature Eiffel tower and have stunning views of the city.
  • It is possible to take a trolley up or down to this tower very easily and the trolley ride up the hill is quick and scenic!
  • At the tower they sell klobasa (hot dog) that was quite delicious.  
  • In the park below the tower you can also find some large sandstone rocks where you can “boulder” and rock climb a bit.  It is fun to jump from rock to rock and explore the park right along the path.  
  • You may be able to see massive fields of yellow from the tower, these are rape seed plants (used to make canola oil)
• Letna Park: This is a massive park where you can find a nice beer garden and a bunch of other interesting things going on.  There is a place with some seesaws and other such playground items and tons of locals just hanging out.  
  • Metronom:  One of the main sights in Letna Park, this monument replaced a huge statue of Joseph Stalin.  the monument is located in Letna park near a skate park and has a nice view overlooking the city.  Walk by this on your way to Letna Beer Garden. (Described below)  On Saturday night at ~ 8 PM there seems to be a bunch of people dancing nearby.  It was a pretty neat sight to see.  
• Franz Kafka Rotating Head:  This is a giant metallic rotating head built outside of a shopping mall.  It rotates every minute or so, and is a  cool sight to see.  
• Soviet TV Tower:  There is a massive tower that you can see in the distance on the eastern side of Prague.  It might be hard to see with the naked eye, but if you look closely you'll see that there are babies climbing up the statue, not real ones of course but statues. 
  • ​If you've got the time, you can actually take a ride up to the top of the TV Tower which is not too far from a local subway station.  The view from the top is very nice, and you'll find some very comfortable swinging chairs that are a great spot to take a nap.  
• Rent a Boat / Zorb on the River - While the view of the river from the bridges and all over is great, there is no better way to experience things than to rent a boat!  There are multiple places on the river to rent a a paddle boat or a swan.  I actually rented a zorb, which was very hot inside but pretty fun for the 10 minutes that I did it.  
  • ​Visit the middle island located in the Vltava river.  There is a nice green space that is perfect napping.  
• The John Lennon Wall - This is one of the iconic places in Prague.  Although John Lennon never actually visited Prague, he was a hero to the youth in formerly communist Czech Republic.  When Lennon was murdered in 1980, his face was painted on the wall as a memorial.  Today the wall is filled with graffiti; it is likely that when you visit you'll see someone in the act of spray painting it, and you'll see a musician playing some of Lennon's and the Beatles greatest hits.  
• Pissing Contest Statue - Located at the Franz Kafka museum, you'll find one of my favorite oddities in Prague.  It is a statue of two men peeing (in a rotating nature) atop a pool that is in the shape of the Czech Republic.  Apparently one can go online and have the men pee their name if they were so inclined to do so!
• The Dancing House - Designed by the famous architect Frank Ghery, the building's twisted glass is quite a sight to see.  

Day Trips / Local Cities

• Kutna Hora 
  • This local city is about a one hour train ride away from Prague Central Station.  There are a multitude of attractions and beautiful buildings in this city, but it is most famous for the Kostnice Ossuary, i.e. "The Bone Church".   Inside you'll find sculpture and towers made from thousands of actual human bones.  The rest of the city is also very beautiful, and I'd recommend you walk through the downtown past the Plague Column to the Cathedral of Saint Barbara and then take a quick cab ride back to the train station.  It is pretty easy to find a cab because there is a tourist center and gift shop at the cathedral that can call you a cab.   
• Cseky Krumlov 
  • This is a beautiful castle town that is perfect for a day trip!  My friends and I took a bus ride to the city, which took about 2 hours.  I'd recommend you walk around and enjoy the main small shops and restaurants, and climb to the top of the castle to enjoy stunning views of the city and local landscape.  These are the last 3 pictures in the slideshow above.  
  • If you've got the time I'd recommend that you look into renting a raft and taking a lazy ride down the river.  My friends and I did our own makeshift rafting pub crawl , where we casually rafted down the river for about three hours and stopped inside a couple of riverside bars along the way.  The river is mostly calm but there are a few pretty tame slides  that add a bit of excitement to the ride.  

Food / Bars
Prague is known for some great beers (Kozel, Pilsner Urquell) and some delicious meats, potato dishes and gravy.  Here some of my top recommendations.  

• Letna Beer Garden:  This is a beautiful beer garden that overlooks much of the city.  Grab a beer and enjoy the view and if you are lucky there will be a small stand selling Chicken Kabobs, get one with a garlic sauce on it.
• Old Towne Prague Ham Stands - One of my favorite places in Prague!  You'll find the roasted ham stand right in the main square and several other places throughout the city.  Grab yourself some ham (make sure to ask for a smaller portion) and some of the delicious gnochhi like side dish.  
• Lokal:  This restaurant is closer to the castle area and has a nice basement with various types of beer on tap.  Imagine having dinner in an underground cave / wine cellar and that is what this is.  The restaurant serves all sorts of traditional Czech dishes, like svitchkova.
• Trdelnik:  A doughy Czech treat that is dipped in sugar. It is great to enjoy this as an ice cream cone.  There are many places to enjoy this in the downtown.  
• Drunken Monkey:  An all you can drink bar that contains jenga, beer pong, and other various games.  It is very social and is usually part of a pub crawl through Prague.  Great to meet people from all over the world!
• Jame's Dean Bar - Hear me out...Although this bar has an American name, it's most commonly visited by local Czech people.  They've got some great cocktails, including a White Russian with ice cream!
• Outdoor Market at CTU:  Right at Czech Technical University (Dejvicek metro stop) there is an outdoor market that runs from 8 AM to 2 PM every single saturday.  There a bunch of baked goods and food trucks, and of course Prague Beer!  

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Places Visited

Copenhagen, Denmark