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eaelocin-blog · 7 years ago

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College Budget Backpacking: Prague, Czech Repbulic

With the turn of the economic downturn around the globe, traveling has been put on the back burner for many students who have been indebted with massive amounts of student loans. Yet, even with a strict budget you can still enjoy what Europe has to offer. Prague has become the new "hot spot" of Europe for the past 5 years as tourism to the area has increased dramatically. With the increase in tourism have come higher prices and more cheesy tourist restaurants and shops. Even so, Prague offers some of the most beautiful pre-war architecture that was sparred during Hitler's reign, giving Prague a uniqueness not seen much else in Europe.

For a great hostel in Prague, I suggest Miss Sophie's Hotel/Hostel which is like any other hostel in Europe. Miss Sophie's has the elegance and high amenities that you would find in most high end hotels, but for the price of a hostel. There are many options available at Miss Sophie's from private rooms to apartment style mixed dorm rooms that have an attached kitchen for cooking. The bathrooms are modern, sleek, and large. From all the hostels I've ever stayed at, Miss Sophie's has been luxurious to say the least. Miss Sophie's is also located only 15 minutes away from the town center and a 5 minute walk to the metro. The only downside of Miss Sophie's is that there is no free breakfast but there are kitchen's available to use as long as you buy your own ingredients.

As far as the sights to see, Prague is a city that is full of "must-sees" so it's difficult to narrow it down to just a few.

The St. Charles Bridge is one of those "must-see" places in Prague. The bridge stretches across the river and has some of the most stunning religious statues lining the bridge, as well as is filled is a multitude of many different artists and musicians selling their wears. Crossing the bridges leads you to a part of Prague that houses the Lobkowicz Palace, St. Vitus Cathederal, Prague Castle, and the John Lennon Wall. The Lubowicz Palace is a large and grandeur castle but tends to be crowded with tourists as is St. Vitus Catherderal, expect long lines but they do move more quickly during the week then during the weekend. The John Lennon wall which is wall that has been graffiti with images and words that inspire peace has been a long standing tradition that was brought about during the Cold War. It's free and tagging the wall as a memory has been a long standing tradition for those who can find it. It is now located on just about every map of Prague so finding the Lennon wall should be a breeze.

Prague was once also the home of the great Franz Kafka and therefore a large museum is located in the city centered dedicated to his art. Unless you're a Kafka fan, I feel like many people would find this museum boring and therefore I would just skip it all together, but if you are a fan, the museum has many interesting personal artifacts of Kafka.

The Old Town (Stare Mesto) is the hub of everything Prague cultural and cool, with some greats bars and eats but do expect to pay higher prices. You can however stop by for a beer at a pub and sit outside and look around at the church and the astronomical tower. Since more tourists visit Prague for a weekend, avoid the crowds, wait time and higher admission prices but just avoiding these sights and spend your weekend relaxing.

If you are a person who enjoys the club scene then Prague offers some wonderful clubs but I must warn all tourists to stay away from the highly publicized "5 story nightclub" which is the biggest tourist trap I have ever seen. The club itself is targeted only for tourists and you will get ripped off on everything, especially the drinks. The bartenders enjoying never giving you your change back as they keep it themselves for their "tip", or they will play the famous, "you never paid for that drink" trick even though you just paid for it. If you do want to go out for the night, I suggest you ask a local student to give you the tip of the best club that night, for it changes everyday depending on whom the DJ is.

For some cheap drinks though, I suggest you hit up the famous Prague beer gardens which are located all around the city. Those of you who have not traveled around Europe before will find it unusual that many times beer and wine will cost about the same or even less then a bottle of water. Forget about free tap water as this does not exist anywhere in Europe. For a nominal entry fee to these beer gardens you get to drink as much beer as possible and I suggest the local "Budweiser Czech" beer which is Prague's pride and enjoy. If you want a great place to drink and eat, I suggest you go and visit Pivovarsky Dum, a restaurant that has some great food for cheap prices and beer towers. A beer tower is a 4 liter tower that is placed on your table filled with whatever beer you would like and is the best deal around, only costing around $12 for a mid-priced beer. This place was also extremely convenient as it is located only two streets down from Miss Sophie's. Another great place to eat especially for breakfast is Alexander's Café which is located on the same street as Pivovarsky Dum, just another block over. They have breakfast specials that will run you $5 or less for a decent breakfast including eggs, toast, bacon and coffee. This place becomes crowded quickly since it is a small café so don't be surprised if the café is full. As in my time in Prague I've seen many locals stop by here in the morning giving me hope that the place was legit and not a tourist trap, you'll also see these locals drinking beer with their breakfast.

Prague is a beautiful old city that will take you back in time and enchant you with the traditional way of life Europe once had. It is a walking city, so remember to bring some comfortable shoes with you as you explore everything that Prague has to offer. Being able to travel on a limited budget is still doable as long as you stay away from tourist destinations and live like the locals do, allowing you the best of both worlds.

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