In my three weeks of travelling around Europe and the UK, Prague was the first destination on my list. It was definitely a bumpy start. I had flown from Manchester to Munich and was supposed to take a bus overnight to Prague; however, my flight was delayed and I was unable to catch my bus. What followed was the struggle of finding a way to get to Prague, while being in Munich in the middle of the night, where hardly anyone spoke English. Luckily, I was able to find a bus departing at around 3 am that would bring me to Prague. Finding the bus station was another story; I wandered for hours trying to locate it and almost missed my bus. Later on, I also had to switch busses, and winded up standing outside in the cold at 6 am for an hour. Nevertheless, I made it to Prague, and I was super excited when I finally arrived! Some of my friends had travelled to Prague and described it as one of their favourite places, so I set about exploring to see what this city had to offer.

I walked around for awhile and winded up in Old Town, which is basically the main sight-seeing area of Prague. Since Easter was quickly approaching, there were a lot of markets set up in Old Town, providing various foods and drinks and souvenirs-all traditional, of course. It was so neat to wander about and try some delicious foods! Mmmmm, crepes. Afterwards, I decided to head towards my hostel, which was located in New Town (also, I had been walking around with my backpack all day, and it was starting to get really heavy!). The hostel I stayed at was called Hostel Advantage, and it was close enough to everything (plus the staff were really friendly and breakfast was included!) but I would recommend staying in Old Town if you visit Prague. Some of the observations I made from my first day include the fact that Prague is much cleaner than Manchester (plus there are less people who smoke cigarettes), and Prague seems to me to be a compilation of many of the other European cities I’ve visited (particularly Zurich, Paris, and parts of Italy). Yet, Prague is unique in its own way, particularly with all of its colourful buildings!

The next day I decided to explore the other side of the river, but first, I found myself back in Old Town and decided to explore the Astronomical Clock Tower. The clock can be seen from the outside in the square, but if you buy a ticket (which is relatively inexpensive), you can climb some stairs to the top of the tower to take in some views of the city. There aren’t that many stairs, and the view is SO SO SOO worth it!!! Absolutely incredible panoramic views of Prague. You can look down on Old Town Square, see towards New Town, and also look across the river and see the castles. The top of the tower is outside, with a narrow walkway all the way around. There is a barrier all the way around as well but you are able to lean over it (as I did a few times to capture some photos where I almost lost my phone!) so be careful. I can definitely say this was one of my favourite parts of Prague, and some of the best views I took in throughout my whole trip! A must-see for sure.

Afterwards, I crossed the river to the Lesser Quarter, which houses many of Prague’s castles. The Lesser Quarter itself is also a neat area. It’s very quaint with many restaurants, shops, narrow streets and colourful buildings-definitely one of my favourite areas. I also explored Prague Castle, and was able to witness a procession of the guards, which was neat to see. There was some great views from the castle as well, since it is up the hill from the Lesser Quarter. Another neat feature about Prague is all the cool little restaurants and shops it has with amazing scenery. For instance, in the hillside of the castle there is the tiniest Starbucks with incredible views of the Lesser Quarter below. (the Okanagan needs to step up their game with restaurant views!) Following this, I headed back to the Lesser Quarter to explore the John Lennon Wall (pretty neat to see) and the historic Charles Bridge, a footbridge covered with statues. Shortly, the sun began to set, and it was so beautiful. I walked along the river for awhile and then headed back to the hostel to collect my backpack. Then I needed to get back to the bus station, which I thought would be easy enough to walk to (since I walked from the bus station when I first arrived), but I winded up getting very lost. Luckily I met many strangers who were able to help me find my way so I didn’t miss my bus!

In conclusion, Prague was lovely and I am so glad that it was the first place I went to on my trip! Having two days was enough, but I would have enjoyed being able to spend an extra day there. Prague is definitely friendly and safe; I didn’t feel out of place or threatened at any time. The top sights/areas definitely include Old Town, the Astronomical Clock Tower, the Lesser Quarter, and Charles Bridge. To anyone travelling to Prague in the future, I hope you enjoy your time there, and I hope I will be able to go back someday!