Top Tips for Prague

What I found to be helpful:

Transportation

Get the travel card.

Although most of the sites are clustered together and thus are within comfortable walking distance from each other, if you want to make the most of your time in Prague, you can still opt to use the transportation system to save time (e.g. walking for 40 minutes versus riding the tram for 12 minutes to get from one side of the Vltava River to another). 

The travel card comes in 1 day, 2 day or 3 day unlimited use of all kinds of transport. Just don't forget to validate it once because officers in casual attire regularly check and you don't want to pay a hefty fine if you get caught. It is very convenient, really.

Knowing the City

Join a walking tour.

Because what's the whole point of going to a place and just looking at the buildings or surroundings and not knowing what they meant or what history they possess?

Walking tours in Old Town Square

Join a free walking tour first. There are loads of types of tours to choose from. We chose Discover Prague tours because they got the best ratings and their schedule fitted ours. We didn't regret attending their Royal Walk free tour, and as a result, we ended up booking for their Prague Castle district tour which was 300 CZK pp.

Discover Prague Tours: David from Colorado

 It's a good way to learn about the city - especially if the tour guide is good and fun (we had David from Colorado). It is also a fun way to meet fellow travellers.

Go inside Museums.

We went inside the Museum of Communism as majority of Prague's history includes the bloody events brought about by the communistic era. Entrance fee is 290 CZK pp.

Money

Bring your Euro or GBP.

Instead of changing your money straight into CZK before going to Prague, bring your local currency and have them changed to Koruna in Prague. You'll get more out of your money because the exchange rate is higher, believe me.

Change your currency at Mango or Praha Exchange in Jindřišská, or at the International Currency Exchange in Mala Strana. They have 0% commission fee - so what you see in the exchange rate is what you get. ATMs or banks have lower exchange rates and they also have a processing/commission fee. 

Must do

Cross the Karluv Most (day and night).

Karluv Most early in the AM

Cross it as often as you can. I guarantee - you it's a different experience each time. The ideal time would be real early in the morning when there are only literally a handful of people present.

Karluv Most at night

See the Old Town Square (day and night).

Old Town Square at daytime

Sit back and relax at the square both during day and night. There are simply loads to see: the Astronomical clock tower and its show, St. Nicholas church, Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, etc. The same goes with sitting/strolling along the Vltava River.

Old Town Square at night

Cruise along the Vltava River.

Either have a lunch, snack or dinner, or just a simple cruise sans food/drinks along the Vltava River to enjoy the sights that the city has to offer.

Vltava River view at night

Vltava River at daytime

The Castle and the Changing of the Guards.

Prague Castle Complex - St. Vitus Cathedral

The castle complex is a must do in Prague and so is the changing of the guards at midday in the first courtyard. I suggest that you watch it instead in the gate near the Stag Moat/Jelení Príkop to be able to watch it with less people around. Be there about 30 minutes beforehand to secure a good spot in front of the gate.

Changing of the guards at the side gate

Panoramic Views.

Go up to Letna Park observation deck, the Petrin Hill, Prague Castle's South Gardens and Strahov Monastery for different panoramic viewpoints of the city. They're all free and breathtaking.

View from Strahov Monastery

View from Letna Park

View from Petrin Hill

View from Prague Castle's South Gardens

Find David Cerny's works.

Prague is known to have bizarre and provocative works of art scattered throughout the city. Look out for David Cerny's works, those dedicated for Franz Kafka, Sigmund Freud, and many more. Can you find them all?

7ft Sigmund Freud

Franz Kafka statue: a depiction from his story "Description of a Struggle"

Anna Chromy's Il Commendatore (Hollow Man)

Broken Men: A memorial to the victims of Communism

David Cerny's Piss

Nightlife

PubCrawl

3 pubs. free shot per pub. 1 hour open bar in the first pub. freebies. games/activities. Get to know people. For the nights we won't remember.

Drunken Monkey Pub Crawl

Food/Drinks

Koleno

Pork knuckles marinated in beer.

Duck confit (front) and Koleno (rear)

Trdelnik

Rolled dough which is grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix.

Trdelnik

Goulash

Beef cooked with sauerkraut paired with bread dumplings.

Czech Beef goulash

Oplatky

Spa wafers with cream flavouring sandwiched between layers.

X-Beer 33

With an ETOH content of 11.8%, this is the strongest beer in Prague. The dark bittersweet lager ferments for 6 months in oak barrels and can be found in U Medvidku Beer Hall and Restaurant - Prague's first cabaret, the city's largest beer hall, and smallest brewery.

X-Beer 33

Comfy Hideouts

Studying in the same place over and over again may take its toll on you. One anonymous person once said that, "we thrive in change". From time to time, it may be good for us to have a change in our surroundings. So if you're just around Mayon St., and you're looking for a cafe or two to crash and read or study, or pretend to study, here are a few places to try --- my Top 5 Mayon-ish Study Places:

#5 Caffe Dolce

Located at Mezzanine Level, #848 Banawe St., corner Linaw St., Brgy. Sienna, Quezon City

Caffe Dolce is a nice mix of restaurant and cafe. Being known as a "healthy cafe," they offer different vegan dishes and drinks for prices being more or less a hundred pesos. Aside from the restaurant atmosphere, its large and soft red sofas add a sense of luxurious feel to the place. While a combination of soft yellowish glow of the lights and a large stuffed bear near its entrance give off the comfy atmosphere of a cafe.

The staff are very accommodating, and the comfort room (which is one of my must-haves when looking for a study place) is clean and divine.

What I really liked about Caffe Dolce was their selection of caffeinated drinks dressed with rose petals. I don't know why, but it's just that I have this thing with tasting petals and or leaves in my drink or food.

The drinks we offered weren't just visually appealing, but also tasted great. We also liked the Grandmother's cake (I think that's what it's called), because it was not too sweet, but tasted just right.

I'm not sure as to the opening, but Caffe Dolce closes at 12 midnight.

#4 Burger King

Welcome Rotunda

Aside from the free wifi, the place is relatively more well lit than most cafe's or study places. Although, during the wee hours of the morning, you'd be bugged by the crew to hop from one table to another because they are already cleaning the area. Still, the food is awesome (even though it's fast food)! And, well, it's open 24 hours.

# 3 Myon's Cafe

Located at #390 Mayon St., Sta. Mesa Heights., Quezon City

This newly-opened cafe atop a luxurious French Mediterranean Cuisine located along Mayon St. should be considered as a 'great find'. I haven't tried the restaurant downstairs yet, but I've tried studying in the cafe upstairs. The cafe was smartly conceptualized, was very "maaliwalas"/looks very clean and is the perfect place to read with natural lighting.

The pieces of furniture were also very comfortable and had that vintage feel, and you can actually choose different spots to love anywhere whether inside the air-conditioned area, or outside with the plants. The comfort room is also very well equipped with lots of paper towels and hand soap.

They offer different pastries, pasta, and caffeinated or decaf drinks with prices ranging from around 150 pesos and or above. However, come dark, you may have to transfer to another study place because I think the place closes at around 8 in the evening. They also have free wifi!

# 2 Jollibee

Welcome Rotunda

Although you may have rolled your eyes when you saw Jollibee at the number 2 spot, it is actually a great study place. It even surprised me too, but it actually is really a great study place. It is relatively well lit (upstairs) and they also have free wifi. Although it looks busy during its peak hours, the secret is that you have to stay at the 2nd floor before they close it for cleaning time. To secure your spot, seat at the corner sofas near the restrooms. Look at the picture below.

Then, come around 9 or 10 pm, they'd definitely start clearing other customers out, but your group probably won't be asked to clear --- ours didn't, except for one time when the lady manager asked as to transfer downstairs (most of the time, with the male managers, they'd allow you to stay upstairs, and you'll have the place all to yourselves). Look at us enjoying our private study place at the picture below.

The staff are also very accommodating, they would even tell you that they are closing off the 2nd floor but that it's okay to stay. How nice!

# 1 Kaffe Cafe

Located at #46 Banawe St., corner Ma. Clara (in front of POC), Sta. Mesa Heights, Quezon City

This would have to be one of the best finds ever. Tucked neatly in front of POC, is a little haven known as Kaffe Caffe. It is a 2-storey cafe offering drinks and food with prices ranging from 100 pesos. But, hell, I'd just have to say that this cafe offers the best-tasting and worth-every-peso drinks  ever --- like Caramel Macchiato. The atmosphere is really comfortable, and the staff are very accommodating as well.

They also have free wifi. And aside from the worth-it-drinks, you can actually leave your stuff lying around and go grab a bite in Yellow Cab, KFC or other fast food chains nearby. Just don't forget to tell the staff that you'll be back.

So, whether you'd be studying, or just simply looking for nice, simple, but fun hideouts, I suggest you try these places. But well, some would say that sometimes, it's not actually in the place or in the food, but in the company that we keep that makes everything seemingly perfect.

Have a nice reading!

xo,

- Keso, OTRP