Prague is a fairytale city. It really is as pretty as a postcard. It’s little, so makes for a really great city break from London or as part of a bigger trip. I have now visited three times, once as a student on a serious budget (good choice for budget European travel!!), once with Jono to celebrate his birthday and once with work. You definitely don’t need a big budget to visit Prague but if you dooo have a little money to spare you can really treat yourself to some fantastic restaurant experiences. One thing these pictures don’t show and what I seem to forget every time is that it’s unbelievably touristy – which fair play, we’re all tourists who want to visit beautiful places but do remember that! A little patience goes a long way and visiting during shoulder season should help a little too.
Restaurants we loved in Prague
– La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise
Prague has two Michelin star restaurants, this one and Field both focused on Czech dishes. La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise is the more traditional of the two and offers three or five course tasting menus. The venue is gorgeous, the food was delicious and the wine pairing is a must! We opted for the five courses and loved every single dish. Every dish was well cooked, well executed and delicious.
– Field
Of the two, Field is much more experimental. It’s an extensive multi-course, multi-dish experience. Of the two, Field’s menu had more “wow this is incredible” dishes vs La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise BUT it also had more “kind of weird”, “kind of out there”, pushing your palette type dishes. So if you’re looking for a more traditional fine dining experience, I’d suggest La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise. But if you’re looking to try dishes and ingredients you’ve never tried before (think snail liver, blood sausage, deer, pigeon and sweetbreads to name a few!!) then you need to try Field. I loved both but thinking back I’d go with Field if I could only pick one. We had mostly really great dishes but my favourite was the Field picnic box which I would go back for right now! They bake gorgeous bread which they served with baked traditional cheese topped with mulberries, local honey, another local cheese whipped into the lightest cheesy cloud and flavoured butter served with a little flask of the hard stuff. It’s just sensational. Simple components done the very best way. And again I would highly recommend the wine pairing. Service was exceptional.
– Yami Sushi House
I think about this sushi restaurant often. When I visited last for work – I flew out a night earlier just to have dinner here. Yes, I am ridiculous. But my goodness, it’s great! We were so so lucky to grab a spot at the bar and proceed to watch at least thirty people get turned away during our quick dinner. You have to book. Please, book. It’s surprisingly expensive, think London sushi prices, but it is worth every Euro cent. Recommendations include: spicy magura temaki (spicy tuna handroll), double bubble, aburi spicy hotate (spicy scallop gunkan maki, must must order at least two each), volcano rolls and tiger roll. And of course, a bottle of Riesling from Dr Loosen in the Mosel is SUCH a treat.
Things we did when not eating
– Free walking tour
Look, I don’t need to tell you to go see the clock. Everyone will tell you to go see the clock. There’s a long list of must see Prague sites. What I would really recommend you do – is see some of the big sites on a free walking tour to get a little insight into the history of this fascinating city and a little more local knowledge. We started our morning with a free walking tour through the old town. We loved it so much that we actually finished the tour and immediately booked the Prague castle tour for the afternoon. If you only have time for one, go with the old town tour but if you can, joining these tours is a great way to cover a lot of Prague in one day.
– Visit the swans for the best view of Charles Bridge
I love this spot and when I first went a hundred years ago it was a bit of a hidden gem. It’s definitely more popular now but it’s still the best view of the Charles Bridge and a chance to visit the swans. To find this spot pop the Franz Kafka Museum into Google Maps and keep heading down to the water. The other navigation location pin is “Pláž se zvířátky” but it’s a little harder to spell! Time your visit with the sunset if you can to capture the magic lighting.
– Prague Castle
We got unlucky with the weather during our visit and arrived to a castle very much hidden in the clouds! I’ve visited before on a clear blue sky day and it really is magic. A visit to Prague should definitely include the castle! And first prize would be on the free walking tour!
– Beer tasting at the Prague Beer Museum
There appears to be more than one. We opted for the one along the water where we could sit in the window, catch a little winter sun and people-watch. Jono ordered a tasting flight of beers by explaining his beer preferences and leaving it up to them. You can also read the beer descriptions and build your own tasting flight. It was affordable and fun and we got beer! Would recommend.
– Spend time on the Charles Bridge
It’s super touristy but really beautiful. You can spot Prague castle in the background which really helps the fairytale feeling!
Where we stayed in Prague
We stayed super centrally at Maximilian Hotel. The hotel was beautiful, modern and clean. We booked directly on their website and not through booking.com as it was quite a bit cheaper so make sure to check! Our price included breakfast and it was really lovely to start our day with fresh pastries and coffee (tea for me).
Have the best time in Prague
with all my love, Tahlia
