Prague trip for 2

Prague has a special place in my heart and I will always recommend it to my customers as a lovely place for a romantic break. Because let's face it, even when you are parents and love your children with all your heart you sometimes need time to be just a couple. If you are lucky enough to have someone to baby-sit your little ones for a weekend, Prague is perfect for a little romantic getaway. The flight takes two hours and there are plenty of offers on flights all year round. The cobbled streets, majestic churches, rich architectural heritage and romantic atmosphere of the old town are custom made for a short, romantic break.

Having just visited Czech Republic over Easter, my other half and I were lucky to get a few days on our own in Prague, courtesy of my parents watching our trio. As I know Prague quite well I thought that I would share some tips from our trips over the years to make your getaway perfect :)

Most people in Czech Republic do speak some English and especially the younger generation are pretty proficient so you should not have issues with communication.

First of all transport.

If you are arriving in the morning or during the day the easiest way to get into Prague from the airport is the public transport. (Evening flights are not as easy but I would recommend only using approved taxis and agreeing price before you get in the car. ) Public tansport is cheap and reliable. And pretty easy too. Once outside the terminal look for the bus stop for bus number 100 (Zlicin) You can buy your tickets at the yellow machines and you can pay by cash or card. The 90 minute ticket is probably the best(about 40 Czech Crowns), although you can also buy a day or even a few days tickets to save you having to think about getting a ticket each time you travel. You do need to stamp your ticket in the machine as you enter a bus or tube station (you only stamp once, the machine puts a time stamp on the ticket and you need to keep the ticket on you in case an inspector comes to check it once on the tube or bus).

The bus will take you to Zlicin (there is a very large shopping centre there which is lovely and we tend to stop there on our way back to the airport https://www.westfield.com/czech-republic/metropole ). Zlicin is a tube station and it is on line B (the yellow one). The tube will take you all the way into the town centre, most of the tourist areas are within walking distance of the triangle where the 3 lines meet.

One thing I would say though, keep an eye on your belongings. Pickpockets are rife all over Prague but I don't think that is very different from London.

Accommodation:

There are SO many options out there. We have stayed in many places but I will point out the hotel we stayed at last two times as it is located right next to Charles Bridge and the area is nice and quiet too. Archibald at the Charles Bridge is a lovely small hotel with some very cute rooms. You do need to request one of these while booking, which we did this time round but how cool is this room? The hotel was quiet even though it is right in the middle of the historic part and just a few steps away from the famous Charles Bridge.

Food:

Again, many options for places to eat and you can find all sorts of cuisines here. I will point out a couple of our favourites from the last trip though. One thing I would say is to avoid eating in the main areas (Vaclavske Namesti, Staromestske Namesti...) these are super popular with tourists and you will pay the higher prices. If a pint of beer costs over 100 Czech Crowns then I would say the place is too expensive (Czech beer is famous and cost of a pint is a very good indicator to see if the restaurant is overpriced :) )

Czech food is very much meat based, pork is very popular (Pork knuckle with horse radish is a very popular dish). You can expect to find dumplings with many dishes, one of my favourites is duck with red cabbage and potato dumplings.

The restaurants we visited that were lovely and reasonable priced were these: Nebozizek. To get to this place you can either walk up half way up Petrin hill or take the funicular up to Nebozizek. The views from this restaurant are wonderful and the atmosphere was relaxed. They do have an outside seating area too (it was a little bit too cold for us so we sat inside).

If you are planning on eating at Nebozizek you can do what we did and visit Petrin Tower first. It is on Petrin Hill and you get amazing views of Prague from there. You can either take the funicular as mentioned, walk up the hill or do what we did and take the stairs from below the Prague Castle area. (It is a LOT of stairs!!!). To get to the top of the tower, which is a smaller replica of the Eiffel Tower, you can either walk up the steps or pay a bit extra and take the lift (the queue for it can be rather long as the lift is tiny). The views from the top are stunning and on a good day you can see a large part of Czech Republic!

Another wonderful restaurant is Botel Admiral. This floating hotel is a little bit further down the River Vltava but definitely worth a visit. The interior is very nautical saloon like and the food and service were absolutely impeccable. Perfect romantic evening. The boat is a hotel as well so if this is your kind of thing it might be a great place to say too!

If you are a fan of sushi like I am and fancy a great poke bowl for lunch I can definitely recommend Oishi House at Narodni Trida (line B on the tube but easily walkable from the main or Old Town Square or Charles Bridge). This little gem of a place was a really pleasant surprise. If you do visit ask to sit downstairs as the basement room is decorated with many Japanese theme items. The food was fresh, delicious and again very reasonable, the Poke bowl was really yummy and came with a miso soup as a part of the lunch time deal!

Places to Visit:

If you are visiting Prague you will want to hit all of the main tourist areas. The good news is all of them are near each other and you can easily walk from one to the other (or hop on a tram if easier). Old Town Square with the astronomical clock (chimes on the hour with a little show going on with the movable parts of the clock). You can also get to the top of the tower the clock is a part of for another great view of Prague. You can visit shops in Vaclavske Namesti (the main square) with the brilliant National Museum. Don't miss Pasaz Lucerna in one of the side streets with an upside down statue of St. Wenceslav and a cosy wine bar next to the statue.

Stroll down Charles Bridge, take in the history at Prague Castle and see the tiny houses people used to live in in Golden Lane just next to the Castle.

If you are into magic, alchemy and all thing weird and wonderful like I am, then I would definitely recommend a visit to the Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague. You will learn of some of the tales of magicians and alchemists and their search for the philosophers' stone. Upstairs offers a guided tour where you will learn a lot of interesting things about Edward Kelly and John Dee and possible links of Prague with William Shakespeare. The museum also has a bar called Kellyxir which is worth a visit for their funky cocktails and great atmosphere (the cocktails look impressive and are very reasonably priced).

The best way to get to know Prague in my opinion is to just take a stroll. See where your feet take you down the cobbled streets. Look around you at the amazing architecture, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy.

Oh and if you fancy a little river cruise don't be lured in by the boat trips being sold along the main part of the river, walk down to Manesuv most and near there is a dock for smaller boats. The cruise is a lot more intimate, friendly and a bottle of Czech Prosseco costs around £10 :) Perfect afternoon activity on a warm day :) The Marina Restaurant by Manesuv Most is another floating restaurant with very tasty food and a lovely view of the Prague Castle, great for an evening meal.

If you can't get baby sitting for your kids, by all means bring them along. It might not be a romantic getaway but it is a great place to visit for all. Just be mindful that the cobbled streets are not very buggy friendly and there is a lot of walking involved. The kids will love trying the Chimney Cake and Kofola (sort of a version of coke but quite different :) ) and there are many fun places to visit with the children from parks to museums and one of our favourites the Museum of Fantastic Illusions