Travel diaries 7: The Best of Prague

Prague is one of the most popular tourist spots in Eastern Europe and it is easy to see why. Things are very affordable, the city is beautiful and everything from the culture to the food is exotic. A couple of my friends have been there and they absolutely loved the city.

I personally felt my experience there could have been better if I had gone to Prague during the winter. Even though temperatures in summer were no different from those in Singapore. it felt sweltering hot there because the sun was so strong and there was no breeze. Also, many people smoked and some people we encountered simply weren't so pleasant, but I guess give and take, no holiday destination is perfect!

One of the most interesting things I've found in Prague is this special kind of ice cream where they mould a sugar-coated piece of bread into a cone, line the inside with Nutella and fill up the cone with a soft serve and various other toppings. Sometimes they also fill it up with whipped cream if the weather is too cold for an ice cream. It is amazing for those times you need a sugar fix.

Picture taken from Out and About (it's in Prague, though it says "Paris")

Picture from buzzfeed

If you are willing to climb up flights of stairs to enjoy a great view of the city (not recommended in Summer though, it is way too hot), just in front of the Prague Castle there is a perfect spot just for that. However, expect it to be a crowded spot. It is not difficult to find a good spot for photo-taking once you're up there, but there will be quite a number of tourists in the vicinity.

Cuisine-wise, you can get pretty decent food, coffee and/or alcohol are relatively reasonable prices. My friend and I grabbed breakfast at this cosy brunch location called IF Cafe 2. Remember that it is IF Cafe 2, not IF Cafe as the latter is a bakery and only sells cakes. This is a decent portion, not too much carb and the egg is much bigger than it looks on picture. Top it all off with a moose or a slice of cake to satisfy your sweet tooth.

IF Cafe 2
Tylovo nám. 645/2, 120 00 Praha, Czech Republic

If you are down to try some exotic, giant chicken skewers, look no further than this restaurant called Cafe Hybernia. I must warn that as Singaporeans, we tend to take anti-smoking laws in Singapore for granted, so imagine my very unpleasant surprise when this couple of chain smokers started lighting up one after another, three or four cigarettes in a row, at a table just next to ours. However, slight unpleasantries aside, I was very impressed with the menu at Hybernia. I would recommend sitting indoors, though.

My friend's giant chicken skewer

My mum and I were not that hungry at that point and decided to go with chicken wings, which were pretty amazing too.

Restaurant and Cafe Hybernia

Hybernska 7/1033 Prague Czech Republic

Accomodation in Prague is, fortunately, pretty affordable as compared to the rest of Europe. My friend and I got an Airbnb apartment pretty close to the main train station, and so did my parents. The only thing I perhaps disliked about my apartment was that our host had two cats in her apartment, and I hated cats so it was pretty inconvenient getting the cats to stay out of our room and out of our shower while we brushed our teeth and all. I even nearly accidentally murdered the cats because I shut them in my host's room two days in a room (I genuinely thought her room was another house, joined with ours via the bathroom, and that the cats had food and water over at the other side as well!). Thankfully, the cats were still well and alive at the point when we left.

Look, out of nowehere, a random photo of me!

Things to note

I always recommend getting data when you're out travelling, even in a group, as it is always better to have an extra line of defense should accidents happen while you're abroad. Data allows you to navigate conveniently even if you did not speak the native language, and allows you to research about anything under the sun on the go lest you get cheated/ripped off. It is also more convenient for you should you decide to pre-book train tickets.

I must caution, however, against getting mobile sim cards from Vodafone. The four of us purchased faulty SIM cards which did not activate until almost 24 hours later, and this was after we made another trip down to Vodafone to get the issue sorted out. That was a lot of time and money wasted considering we were there only for 3 days. I recommend getting your mobile data elsewhere to avoid such inconveniences.

Till next time.