Last week I ticked off a major bucket list item and traveled solo to Prague, Czech Republic. After a lot of research, I read Berlin and Prague were one of the few safest cities to travel to so I booked the tour with TourRadar, starting in Berlin on Saturday 23rd and ending up in Prague by Monday. This is my travel diary.
Our adventure
After travelling to Prague via bus with my Berlin tour group of 10 people, I was dropped off at Panorama Hotel Prague at 5 PM (LINK). Two hours later, I went down to the lobby to meet my next tour guide and a group of 30 people. I’m not too sure why TourRadar divided my journey up like that. It was a bit confusing and I found it time hassling having to change groups and re-introduce myself to people.
Once we were acquainted, the bus dropped us off at Old Town Square at 7:50 PM. The guide walked with us, giving us a brief history of Prague. This was shit because he kept talking to one couple and it was 8:05 PM and he wanted us to meet back at the bus at 9 PM.
Mind you, I was HANGRY 😠 at this point and it felt rude to leave without being dismissed. I had googled a high-rating restaurant, Mlejnice, and was excited to try it but after exchanging money, deciding what to order, and waiting for the food to come out, I only had 10 minutes to devour the flaming hot chicken wings and potato cheese.
Once we were acquainted, the bus dropped us off at Old Town Square at 7:50 PM. The guide walked with us, giving us a brief history of Prague. This was shit because he kept talking to one couple and it was 8:05 PM and he wanted us to meet back at the bus at 9 PM.
Mind you, I was HANGRY 😠 at this point and it felt rude to leave without being dismissed. I had googled a high-rating restaurant, Mlejnice, and was excited to try it but after exchanging money, deciding what to order, and waiting for the food to come out, I only had 10 minutes to devour the flaming hot chicken wings and potato cheese.
Then I was sprinting my food coma ass back to the bridge (which is normally a 10-minute walk), getting there at 8:59 PM and in my hurry, I hopped on the wrong bus. Turned out to be my Berlin tour bus 🤷🏻♀️. I hopped back off and ran along the buses waiting there, finally finding the right bus number and hopping on. The guide seemed annoyed and said they “waited 10 minutes for me”. I checked my watch, it was 9:01 PM. I was super annoyed right back because I felt this guide’s lack of self-awareness and time management led to this whole ordeal 😠
The next morning, we were scheduled to leave at 9 AM on the dot to see Prague Castle. Learning from my mistake, I was in the lobby by 8:55. The guide started counting heads, and after realising a few people were missing, he said: “let’s wait 10 minutes for them”. 😡😡😡
And then, after the guide started ushering everyone on to the bus and we were all seated and ready to go, one of the late people wanted to run back into her hotel room to get her beanie. And the guide said “sure, we’ll wait 10 more minutes”… 👊🏻🤬 WTF. We didn’t leave the hotel until 9:30 AM and this tardiness cascaded to a bunch of other problems like traffic, no parking and huge queues for our tickets 🙄
And then, after the guide started ushering everyone on to the bus and we were all seated and ready to go, one of the late people wanted to run back into her hotel room to get her beanie. And the guide said “sure, we’ll wait 10 more minutes”… 👊🏻🤬 WTF. We didn’t leave the hotel until 9:30 AM and this tardiness cascaded to a bunch of other problems like traffic, no parking and huge queues for our tickets 🙄
We went to tour Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral (LINK). The architecture was really fascinating. The tour finished at 1 PM and we walked towards Old Town Square. We got there at 1:45 and the guide dismissed us to get some lunch.
This is the astronomical clock. Built-in 1410, this clock is the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world. The original clockmaker was blinded after making this clock, forcing him to disable it. It took 80 years to repair the clock and it has been working since 1490 😱.
Every hour the clock rings in the new hour. At the top, the doors open for the walk of the Apostles. The “Death” on the left rings the bell. It was really fascinating to witness.
Every hour the clock rings in the new hour. At the top, the doors open for the walk of the Apostles. The “Death” on the left rings the bell. It was really fascinating to witness.
I went to have a traditional Czech lunch at U Parlamentu (LINK).
After lunch, I walked across the Podul Carol bridge down to Naplavka, an observation point of Charles Bridge. It was very peaceful. I loved the colourful buildings and greenery.
There were these cute swans and a copyu hanging out at the base of Naplavka. I took a bunch of photos of them but the one selfie I got, I was blurry, omg 😒…
I stumbled upon the Piss Sculpture. Founded in 2004, this sculpture was literally two bronze men, peeing on the outline of the Czech Republic 🤣.
I kept walking along the riverside, heading for Charles Bridge. This historical bridge is one of the famous and Instagrammable spots of Prague. It allowed Prague to open its trade borders and symbolizes the connection between East and West Europe. There were a lot of merchants and panhandlers on the bridge.
My guide had decided for the group to meet back at Old Time Square at 4 PM. Since I was 20 minutes early, I stopped to have a trdelnik, a sweet spit cake.
While waiting for the group, I noticed there was a lot of homeless people in the square. I was watching one man make his way to different bins, trying to find some food. Luckily I only had a few bites of my trdelnik. I offered it to him around the same time someone else offered him KFC. I felt bad I handed him something sweet 😅.
While waiting for the group, I noticed there was a lot of homeless people in the square. I was watching one man make his way to different bins, trying to find some food. Luckily I only had a few bites of my trdelnik. I offered it to him around the same time someone else offered him KFC. I felt bad I handed him something sweet 😅.
Yes. That was a panda, or should I say, Prague-da 😉
At 4 PM, we started making our way down to the river for our included boat ride. The group was walking very slow so by the time we got down to the dock, our boat had already left and we had to wait 20 minutes for the next available tour. Again, poor time management 😑.
After our boat ride, we had two options; either go back to the hotel with the bus right away or stay in the Town Square until 8 PM. Despite how cold I felt, I definitely opted for the latter.
I kept warm by ducking into a cafe for a hot chocolate and then Lokal for dinner (LINK). I met up with the guide at 8 and headed back to my hotel for a good night’s sleep.
I kept warm by ducking into a cafe for a hot chocolate and then Lokal for dinner (LINK). I met up with the guide at 8 and headed back to my hotel for a good night’s sleep.
The next day, I checked out of my hotel and flew back to London (LINK)
Overall, I really enjoyed Prague. I found the city to have a very peaceful and calm vibe. Despite my issues with the tour guide, I still had a great time. I know I would not travel with TourRadar ever again 🙅🏻♀️. There was so much to see and explore and eat but it will have to wait until next time.
Thanks for reading.
Overall, I really enjoyed Prague. I found the city to have a very peaceful and calm vibe. Despite my issues with the tour guide, I still had a great time. I know I would not travel with TourRadar ever again 🙅🏻♀️. There was so much to see and explore and eat but it will have to wait until next time.
Thanks for reading.
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Wow, amazing weblog format! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging glance easy. The whole glance of your site is excellent, let alone the content material!!
Wow, wonderful weblog structure! How lengthy have you been blogging for? you made running a blog glance easy. The entire look of your site is magnificent, let alone the content!!