(Just under) 24 Hours in Prague
I’ve been a member of a number of EDT (Extreme Day Trip) groups on Facebook for a while now and realised this is something that aligns really well with my way of travelling.
Thanks to my experiences with cruising, I’m used to having a day (or less) to explore somewhere and get a feel for it. Sometimes it feels like that’s not long enough and I then have a place I can come back to for more, but often it’s plenty for seeing the main things and getting a feel for a place.
Plus it enables you to visit lots of places in a shorter space of time and for less money (I’m all about saving time and money!).
So I’ve had it in my mind that I’m going to do some EDTs this year. I’ve been looking out for cheap flights on days I’m available, and found a bargain for getting to Prague. As it turned out, the flights back the following day were also super cheap, and the accommodation in Prague (especially in January!) are very reasonably priced so I decided to turn it into an overnight.
This was also following advice from a travel friend who recommended I do some of the popular sights first thing - I can’t do that if I don’t get there until lunchtime!
So, my flights were first thing on a Friday morning from Manchester and coming back on Saturday afternoon. Everything went to plan travel wise so we arrived in Prague around lunchtime on Friday and left just after lunch on Saturday and were home by teatime.
Impressions of Prague
I absolutely loved Prague. It’s a place I’ve been hoping to visit for a while now but being in the middle of Europe it’s not exactly on a cruise itinerary so I knew it would take a specific trip. I’m so glad I did!
I really loved the architecture - things in Prague and very pretty and picturesque. Everywhere I turned there were more interesting buildings, sights, and views (hence so many photos and this was just a tiny selection!).
I also loved how quiet it was - even the areas with lots of tourists felt very manageable and safe and not at all overwhelming.
The food was fab - being coeliac I have to follow a strict gluten free diet and that wasn’t difficult at all in Prague (I had arepas at Arepas De Lyna, traditional Czech specialities at 100% gluten free restaurant Restaurace U Agamy, an amazing chocolate croissant from Caffe Bassotto, a gluten free chimney cake from Little Chimney Gelato and Bakery and a gluten free baguette meal deal from the Bageterie Boulevard chain which was fab for taking on the plane with me.
The public transport was super cheap and very easy to use. We got a 24hr ticket and another 90 minute ticket to get us back to the airport, and in total they were around £5. This covered all public transport including buses, trams (of which there are loads!), the Metro, ferries across the river and even the funicular (when it’s open).
What did we manage to do in just over 24 hours in Prague?
We decided not to choose in advance and be opportunistic and just see what we felt like doing. We ended up doing the following:
Visiting Prague castle (just the exterior, we chose not to buy tickets to go inside this time)
Exploring Lesser Town (Malá Strana)
Getting the tram out to Arepas De Lyna for lunch (Venezuelan food, yum!)
Exploring the river and bridges
Checking in to our hotel and having a nap (we’d not slept well the night before and had been up early!!!)
Going to a classical concert in a church (this was fab - we had string musicians from the Royal Czech Orchestra and an organist)
Visiting the famous Charles Bridge at night
Stuffing ourselves with goulash, bread dumplings, potato pancakes and various fried foods at Restaurace U Agamy
Visiting the Dancing House
Going on a boat trip on the Vltava river and to Devil’s Channel
Exploring the Old Town
Getting some ham and potato pancakes from a food truck who spoke perfect English (everyone seems to)
Visiting the Astronomical Clock
Buying a “The Little Mole” souvenir
Watching chimney cakes be made and buying a gluten free one to try
Visiting the famous Charles Bridge in the day
We had an absolutely amazing time and did so much in our day there (plus got good sleep at a very reasonable price and location with our hotel, Quentin Prague Hotel, which I would really recommend).
How much did the trip cost?
We did add a few extras to our flights because we wanted decent seats and chose to sit together (initially I was going to go on my own but my partner couldn’t resist coming along when I asked him if he could give me a lift to the airport!).
So in total our flights cost £182 total; £136 for the flights and £46 for the seats (we went out on Jet2 which cost slightly more but was a personal preference, and came back on Ryanair and upgraded to an exit row seat). So that’s £91 each (though if you were travelling solo you probably wouldn’t pay extra for the seats together so it would have been £68).
Our hotel was £58 for one night.
Most of the things we did were free but we paid for the concert which was £25 each and the boat trip which was £16.50 each.
The main cost whilst we were there, because we’re greedy and like to try different specialities, was definitely food and in total that cost us around £132.25 but prices were very reasonable, we just had a lot of food during the two days! One of the most expensive things was breakfast at Manchester airport as that cost us a whopping £28.25 for a quite frankly very mediocre breakfast (next time I’ll skip that and find an alternative).
We paid £35 for the park and greet at the airport which saved us time but wasn’t the cheapest option - we could have parked ourselves and walked and that would have saved us a bit of money but for an early flight we opted to go for the option that saved us time.
So overall it cost us around £490 total for the trip for us both. We opted for the nice things rather than the cheap things and a two day trip to a new city and country with unforgettable experiences is definitely worth £250 for me. I could have saved a lot of money on food and travel, and probably would if I was on my own.
Would I go again?
Without a doubt, yes, I’d go to Prague again. There were museums I didn’t visit and might like to, there were other concerts and boat trips I might like to do, there were other food places I’d like to explore, I’d like to go into the castle, and I’d love to explore the park too - especially when the funicular is open again (it’s being refurbished at the moment).
I really enjoyed Prague and would love to go back. It felt like a very safe city and one I’d recommend to solo travellers as well as couples. I didn’t specifically focus on things for families but I’m sure some of the museums would be relevant for children, and the sights and architecture can be appreciated by everyone.
It’s also really given me a taste of the (sort of) Extreme Day Trip and I’ll definitely be looking out for more opportunities!
Travelling is something that is really important for my wellbeing, but isn’t something I do by default as I didn’t do much for the first 35 years of life and then we were limited because of the pandemic, so it’s still relatively new to me. But I know it’s important for me, and I know I want to live my desired life, not the life I thought I might live or the one others expected me to live.
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