I am one of the children whose childhood fantasies include magnificent castles, friendly animals and singing princes. I am one of those in the generation who believed in fairy tales and magic, in movies produced by Disney year after year and the books written by J.K. Rowling. I am not that much of a fan, but following all these media made me excited whenever a chance to go to Disneyland or the Universal Studios comes up. But despite all these, I never knew that a fairy tale city exists for real until I saw Prague.

It is such a shame that I came to Prague only to go to Vienna the next day. I must admit that I have underestimated its beauty because it is a less popular destination. When I was sketching my itinerary, I thought that a day is too long to spend on this city, until I woke up to its cool spring morning in view of the bridges above Vltava river. I was awoken instantly without the need for coffee and found myself an hour later to a nearly empty Old town Square, thinking I still must be in a dream. The spires of the Astronomical Tower, and the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn looks as if they came out of the storybook, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see Belle or Cinderella dancing in its cobblestone streets. I continued walking to the Charles’ Bridge, only to be captivated even more. I swear my coffee tasted sweeter that morning.

I joined a walking tour after breakfast to know this city deeper, and as we go along, I felt that familiarity of a place more because of its history. The city of Prague has seen so much, being the centre of Bohemian Europe. It has survived numerous hurdles like conquests, wars, oppressions, dynasties, dictatorships and even the communist rule. But despite all those, remained flourishing and ever beautiful. I never truly witnessed the Jewish oppression by the Nazi in my world history book, until I walked the now affluent Parižská, once a Jewish settlement all cleared out and converted to a shopping district, and the Old Jewish Cemetery, with its gravesites heaped up to twelve layers to accommodate deceased Jews in Prague for three centuries that they weren’t allowed to purchase grounds for expansion. Today, the only evidence of those dark days in history were the gold markers all over the city in memory of those tortured and killed without justice.

On a positive note, thankfully, Prague is one of the cities that survived bombings in the world wars. Leaving to us the State Opera, a neoclassical building in which young Mozart performed his masterpieces in his prime ; the Powder Tower, which is the gate to the old town and has been used as a storage for gunpowder, hence the name; and of course the Pražky orloj, the oldest working astronomical clock in the world. To my amazement, this clock tells us more information than the Apple watch series 5, which apart from time, also indicates the hours left until sunset, the current zodiac, the phase of the moon and the position of the sun all accurately, withstanding all that has transpired since its debut 600 years ago.

At midday, I’ve had the most succulent pork belly matched with a flute of Ryzlink rynsky at Bistro Kaprova before seeing the Rudolfinum and taking the tram up to the Pražky Hrad, the largest ancient castle in the entire world. The massive castle complex, I believe should take a day or two to tour in its entirety. Currently the residence of the President of Czech Republic, each notable building in the grounds can probably represent every architectural style in existence, from the colourful Baroque, the Gothic buttress, the Victorian brick and the Romanesque arches. Being a fortified castle, its grounds are elevated to view the old town from a higher perspective, a perfect sight to end the day. I descended from the castle towards the Charles Bridge which at night is aglow and filled with tourists that like me, is having their fill of Trdelnik or the Chimney cake while walking. I wish I had the river cruise, but then have decided to give justice to this place and someday come back for longer, and see its beauty again that started as a fairy tale then became a history and architecture book simultaneously and all in a single day.

Tips:

Most importantly, do not take this city as a day trip. As I have mentioned, it would not do justice to what this city has to offer. I have done it and regretted having to pack it all in a day. It is a lot worse than overpacking for a trip, believe me. If I had more time, I would love to climb up the Petrin Tower, take the Vltava river sunset cruise while having dinner and listening to jazz, experience the night life and cheap beer, watch an opera performance, explore the Jewish quarter, see the Lennon wall, take time to admire the Prague Castle and probably even take a trip to the Kutna Hora Sedlec Ossuary.

Getting around Prague consists mainly of taking the tram, the metro or the bus and also by good old walking. You don’t have to worry about getting a travel card, because tickets are available at all newsstands and shops across the city and also it is cheap. The Vaclav Havel airport is situated in quite a distance from the centre of town, so its best to take an Uber going to and from the airport.

Being part of the EU, the Czech Republic recognises the Euro as a form of currency, but they also have their own, called Koruna which is more widely used. At the time of writing, €1is worth 25.86 Czech Korunas, so don’t worry if your restaurant bill shows 600 CZK. It is still recommended that you exchange your Euros to Koruna since apparently, you might be taken advantage of when using Euros especially in street markets. And also, beware of scams and exchange your currency in a trusted establishment.

Take advantage of the cheaper beer. Apparently, Prague is the largest consumer of beer in Europe, more than any other city in Germany. Apart from beer, everything seems to be cheaper here than in other European cities, which is good news for holidaymakers like us. But of course, do everything in moderation.

Like what I always do, I also took a free walking tour in Prague, which is one of the best walking tours I’ve had. I have booked mine ahead with Sandeman’s, a company that hosts walking tours in most cities in Europe. This is all free of charge, and if you liked the tour, you are free to give a tip depending on how much you enjoyed and learned from it. You can also book yours at www.neweuropetours.eu so do check them out.

The culinary scene in Prague is interesting, though not that mainstream. Their tastes are highly influenced by neighbouring countries, like their cultural backgrounds. Their version of the Chimney Cake, locally called Trdelnik is a must try, as well as the artisanal chocolate from Steiner & Kovarik. The Prague ham, different versions of beef stew or Goulash, and the traditional Bohemian platter is served as a main course in most restaurants.

The best season to see Prague is probably in late November to December where the Christmas market is in full swing at the Old Town square. Be sure to cover yourself up enough because it can be really cold and windy in the winter, especially when visiting the higher areas like the Castle and the Petrin tower.