Picturesque Prague // Day 1 Itinerary
Prague is one of my favorite European cities. Walking down the streets of Old Town, you really feel like you’re walking back in time. The medieval influences are literally everywhere and the history is so evident. Not only that, but it’s absolutely beautiful. I’m talkin’ like… eye porn everywhere you turn. I know most European cities are older than the entire United States, but Prague was the city where I most felt the whole “Holy crap, these streets, these buildings, EVERYTHING I’m seeing here is older than my entire country.” It was such a cool and surreal feeling to think about how far back the city has existed.
Here is a recap of our first day in Prague, including recommendations and things to do!
On our itinerary for our first day in Prague was basically an all-day trek up to the Prague Castle, one of Prague’s main tourist attractions. We weren’t necessarily staying super close, per say, but we decided to make a day of the journey up the hill to the Castle. We had an absolutely amazing VRBO apartment very close to Old Town, so we headed there first.
A Visit to Old Town Square
It was a beautiful day, so Old Town Square was bustling. There were tourists walking around, lots of people eating at outside cafes and restaurants, street performer and bands playing.
We saw the famous Astronomical clock and went inside the Cathedral…
Crossing the Charles Bridge
After seeing Old Town, we headed to the Charles Bridge (“Karluv Most”) to cross the Vltava River and continue to the Castle. This famous pedestrian bridge is from the 1300s and connects Old Town with Lesser Town. Its full of musicians, street performers, artists, vendors, puppeteers (Prague loves puppets!) and tons of tourists. It has these amazing Baroque statues lining both sides. It took us a while to cross the bridge because we kept stopping to look at/watch/buy something (and because it was super packed).
Check out these amazing views from the Charles Bridge…
A Stroll around Lesser Town
After crossing the Charles Bridge we were in Lesser Town. It’s a maze of beautiful, cobbled streets all along the foothills of the Prague Castle. On our slightly uphill walk to the castle, we encountered so many things in Lesser Town. Quirky stores, tons of cafes, restaurants and pubs, and so many buildings untouched by time.
Absinthe is, like, a “thing” in Prague, so we checked out this cool Absinthe shop.
One of the many views uphill on the way to the Prague Castle
Goulash for Lunch
We got hungry, so we stopped at a restaurant on the way up and had some tradition Czech goulash! Sooo delish.
Exploring Prague Castle
We FINALLY made it to the Prague Castle. It’s the largest ancient castle in the world and consists of multiple buildings, gardens, and churches. It was once the seat of the King of Bohemia. So basically, it does NOT disappoint. One of my favorite parts of touring the Prague castle was actually medieval St. Vitus Cathedral, within the castle grounds. Its stained glass windows were seriously amazing!
Golden Lane
Another thing I really loved was the Golden Lane, a row of small picturesque houses straight out of the Middle Ages. Each house is set up to look exactly the way it would’ve looked back then. You could walk in and see the tailor’s house, the baker’s house, the sorcerer’s house, the blacksmith’s house, etc. They were even set up with a bed, clothes, and tools recreated like they would’ve looked at the time. Some houses even had an upstairs. At the end, there was a tour of the prison with all kind of medieval torture equipment.
We spent lots of time in the Prague Castle complex visiting the Cathedral and Golden Lane, the actual palace with the crown jewels, the medieval prison, the gardens, and the courtyards. It was an all-afternoon affair, but so amazing.
Views from the Castle
Since the Castle is situated on top of the hill, it also offered AMAZING views of Prague. I sat on a ledge and stared out into the sea of orange rooftops for far too long. I was just completely mesmerized.
After spending the remainder of the afternoon browsing the castle grounds, we made our way back to our apartment. On the way back, we were so tired that we didn’t really stop and ogle as much as we had on the way up.
It was definitely a full day of walking, eating, browsing, and wandering. Prague is an amazing, beautiful city with so much to offer.
