Discovering the World with D

Welcome back to my first post that doesn’t involve travelling to Albania. Today, I’ll tell you about the weekend I spent in Prague. Me and my boyfriend were gifted a 2 night stay in a Hotel of our choice, so we ended up in Prague.

Hotel

I stayed at the Occidental Hotel Praha Five. It’s a little outside the city centre, but not to bad either. It’s quite easy to reach too, weather you’re coming by airport shuttle or from the city centre. I found it to be very clean, modern and breakfast was included. The room was extremely spacious. All in all, I would recommend the hotel as it’s not very expensive and if you don’t mind taking public transport or walking a bit, then it’s perfect.

Things to do

Of course there a lot of landmarks that you shouldn’t miss while in Prague. The most famous probably being the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge and the Castle. But if you’re short on time, it can be difficult to fit it all in. But don’t worry, I have the perfect solution for you!

Here are my two favourite ways to discover a city, whether it’s your first time visiting or whether you want to see new places and learn about things you hadn’t even heard of before.

Do a Questo! You might ask yourself what I’m talking about, but let me explain. Questo is an App that allows you to buy a quest in the city that you’re in. Each quest costs between 5 and 10€ and is made up of around 15 riddles (sometimes more, sometimes less). To start the game you have to got to the starting point and from there you have to solve riddles to be able to continue. The story in itself can revolve around anything – you might be a detective, you might find yourself in the Middle Ages, anything is possible! What I love most about it, is that you get to see a lot of a city in a relatively short amount of time and each time you solve a riddle, you will actually learn something about the place you are standing in. Definitely give it a try!

Do a Segway Tour! This is another thing I love to do when I’m in a new city. It gives you the possibility to cover a lot more ground than on foot and the guides are always very knowledgable and friendly. I do have to point out that I was always lucky enough to have my own private group but it’s probably just as much fun in a group. I did encounter a small issue in Prague: Segways are not allowed in the historic town centre. However, the company was very friendly and suggested we try their electric bikes. And when I say electric, I mean electric. They were quite fast and I didn’t have to pedal at all. It also allowed to cover more ground in the same amount of time, so it was a good alternative. Don’t ask me why Segways are forbidden but electric bikes aren’t – not even the guide was able to answer that question.

Once you’ve done both of these things, you will have plenty of time to go back to the areas you enjoyed and spend more time there.

Another thing I loved in Prague was seeing a ballet. Prague gives off quite a romantic vibe and so seeing a ballet was quite fitting. The ballet was at the State Opera and I decided on the story of Sleeping Beauty. Everything about that evening was magical, the building was stunning inside and out and everybody was dressed up in their nicest clothes. You aren’t allowed to take any pictures during the show, so you will just have to trust me that it’s beautiful. They have lots of other shows going on at the opera, so I recommend looking into that. I’m sure there will be something for everyone!

Bars you can’t miss

When going to a new place, I love visiting fancy cocktail bars and Prague doesn’t disappoint. There are two bars that belong to the same people and have a similar concept. One is called Anonymous Bar and the other Anonymous Shrink’s Office. You have to reserve in. advance to be guaranteed a table (I waited over 1 hour at one of the two bars because I didn’t reserve). I don’t want to tell you everything about the experience as I think it’s best to go there without having all the information, but here’s a few tips:

Both bars are quite hidden and part of the experience is finding them. Don’t hesitate to look in places you wouldn’t normally look for a bar, even if it seems wrong. I used Google Maps to have the rough location and the rest was up to me to find.

At the Anonymous Bar, make sure to have two drinks, not just one. You’ll see why.

Prices are definitely not as high as you would expect for such a sought after place! I paid around 10€ per cocktail, which is more expensive than other bars in Prague, but way cheaper than Western Europe.

Make sure to take it all in and enjoy it. You probably won’t find another bar like that anytime soon.

That’s all for this week! Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss another post and contact me if you need any information about Prague. Until then, don’t forget to “Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain)

D.x