Prague Weekend Guide
Where to run?
Keeping this marathon related we are going to start with talking about where you can run within the city. There a couple of options. Firstly you can run along the river enjoying the sites of the castle and gentle breeze. If you are up for getting a little lost than head inwards and work your way into the Old Town Square. If you wish to run over the Charles Bridge it is best to do you run first thing in the morning if not you will be running at snail’s pace.
Check out our run routes from this year’s trip below.
Tourist Sites to see
Prague is a beautiful city, with cobbled streets and steeped in history and culture. Like all cities there are some must see sites in Prague these include the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square, which is great to wander the past and if wish to wait with the hoards of tourists for the hourly chime and display feel free to do so. The Old Town Square itself is beautiful, historic (dating back to the 12th century), and an essential place to visit while in the city.
If you wander over the Charles Bridge across the Vltava river covered with gothic architecture and via the John Lennon memorial wall (try and find the yellow submarine amongst the artwork) you will eventually arrive at the Prague Castle, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though from the outside it looks more like a palace inside is the largest coherent castle complex in the world. One of the must see building inside the complex is St. Vitus Cathedral. I recommend timing your visit for midday in order to see the Changing the Guard in the first courtyard of the Prague Castle. This is the formal handover carried out with a fanfare and banner exchange.
Where to eat?
All this reading is making us slightly peckish, I suppose I should talk about food and where to satisfy those cravings in Prague. I must point out that it is worth researching where to eat before heading out to Prague as the food is only great if you know where to go. Food in the Czech Republic is very much meat and beer. However, I have found some hidden gems.
(1) Clear Head
Food in the Czech Republic is very much meat and beer. Leaving vegetarians very much struggling for options other than a salad and maybe a cheese board. Clear Head is an amazing veggie restaurant. Described as a place whose “genius loci” (spirit of the place) will clear your head, entice your appetite and delight your soul. Not being vegetarian myself I thoroughly enjoyed by Cantonese tofu, crispy vegetables and jasmine rice with sesame seeds.
(2) U Supa
In Prague, it is a well-known fact that beer is cheaper than water (what a wonderful thing!). U Supa is the oldest brewery with a pub in Prague, dating back to the 15 Century and is situated just off the Old Town Square. Serving traditional food which centres around meat along with (you guessed it beer. This is very much a restaurant for those who wish to sample the alcoholic delights of Prague.
Where to go out?
(1) Funky Bee
With cocktails working out to be around £3.50 it’s a must to visit and has some of the tastiest cocktails. Best cocktail? Honeycomb, a sweet cocktail served with pineapple chunks covered in burnt sugar on the side.
(2) Absinthe Bars
Prague has a selection of small bars centred around the spirit absinthe or “absinth” to use the Czech spelling. At these bars, absinthe is served by lighting the absinthe and then using the flame to light the sugar melting it into the drink until it crystallises. The oxygen is then cut off from the glass (by covering the glass). Another sugar cube is the lit for a few seconds. The absinthe is poured from the glass into a shot glass and you drink it whilst still warm followed by the sugar cube. Every impressive to watch with a large group even if you do not wish to drink the absinthe.
(3) Karlovy Lazne
Describing itself as the biggest club in Central Europe it is an unfortunate that Karlovy Lazne contains so many flights of stairs. Despite this post-marathon is this a must go to. With the favoured floors being Oldies and Hip Hop & R’n’B. You can dance the night away and pop to the takeaway shop across the road for your cheesy chips on the way back to your accommodation. As you can see from the photos below this year’s Prague Marathon team had a brilliant time on the retro dancefloor and in the R’nB den.
