What to do in Prague between two flights

This post could have been titled : What to see in Prague if you wanted to go for a roughly 10km walk. Or what to do in Prague if you've only got one day. Or better yet, what to do in Prague when there is no flood warning In fact this is my essential guide to Prague so enjoy :) First things first, link to the map of the itinerary I suggest you, this is from mapy.cz.

So you came here by plane, I already gave you the how to get to Prague from the airport in my previous post, here. Let's say for example, you get off the udnerground at Malostranska station. You are at the foot of the castle and you can go against (one) flow of tourists by climbing the old castle steps and going to the Castle by what is usually considered it's back door. In Prague you will never be able to avoid all tourists all the time : they come at you from all directions, every time. But they normally come down from the Castle this way (so not up) and you should have less of them to worry about. Bonus point is the Castle wineyard.

Now, visit the Castle, of course. But remember you don't have a lot of time so don't buy tickets to visit the inside rooms, leave that for another time. Just visit the part of the Cathedral which is free and you can even take pictures, the entrace gives you a good view of the inside, as well, a teaser in case you want to see more next time. There will be a next time, trust me.

Walk out of the Castle (notice the big Hercules figures at the main gate?). Don't forget to take pictures of the panorama from both the entrance and exit. Just try to find a space among the tourists perched on the wall.

You can continue your trek through the square in front of the Castle and are now faced with 2 options: 1. continue to the Loretta Church - worth while especially if the bells will be rung, or 2. go down to Nerudova street and walk towards Mikulasske Namesti and the Church of St Nicholas.

At this point you will be faced with two options again. First is to go to the Charles Bridge, cross it and head into Old Town or to go into Kampa. I suggest you go to the area of Kampa, there you will find some nice streets and restaurants as well as the Kafka museum. I know you don't have a lot of time but just go inside the courtyard and take a look at the David Cerny statues in front of the museum.

Going around you can pass through a garden or park, these are hidden gems of Prague: the Vojanovy sady or the Valdstejnska zahrada. Attention, it is a lot of walking around so go there only if you are ready for it.

Next, cross the bridge, of course, but take care, it is usually full of tourists. So full that it takes longer than you would think to cross. Once on the other side of the bridge, go into Josefov, the Jewish quarter by passing through Old town. Take a look at the Castle from the Rudolfinum, a great concert hall and then continue to the jewish cemetery's back door for a peek at the tombstones without paying the exaggerated fee.

Continue exploring the Jewish quarter and it's many souvenir shops while paying attention to the architecture. Have your picture taken with Kafka in the square of the same name. There is a big statue of a headless guy holding a small one on his shoulder. I'll let you ponder on that one.

No tour of Prague would be complete without the Clock in the Old Town Square. It is easy to find: just look for were there are the most tourists. Take a walk around the Square. Sometimes there are some attactions or a market. Go inside St Tyn, the Church with 2 black belltowers.

Go towards the Municipal House, Obecni Dum, a jewel of Art Nouveau. Next to it is the Powder Tower, a remnant of the old city walls. Pass underneath and continue on the very shopping street Na Porici, towards Vaclavske Namesti. If you are not too tired you can head into one of the shopping galleries and go to the Ovocny trh street to the Stavovske theatre where Mozart played his operas. In Prague, just walk around and you will be surprised.

By going around this way, you can find a market on Havelska street and get some souvenirs and cheap post cards before finding yourself back on Vaclavske Namesti at the place called Mustek. This is the rendez-vous place in Prague, everyone meets up at the New Yorker store.

Now you see the National Museum, walk up to the Statue of Vaclav. This is a historic place because Czech people like to start their revolutions from here. The museum offers another pretty view of Prague. After you finish taking your pictures, go to the underground station and take the tube back to the airport (towards Zlicin and then bus 100 or to the train station and then the Airport Express bus).