Prague
Prague
Vienna to Prague
My European trip by land has been very smooth so far, but this time I slipped up — I missed my train. I'd bought a bus ticket through REGIOJET, the same as last time, and I was supposed to head to Vienna's main station by metro, but I went the wrong way because I hadn't checked the station name carefully. Luckily, REGIOJET tickets are refundable up to 15 minutes before departure. I ended up losing only a few hours and about €10, which was much better than having to stay an extra night. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic, located just north of Austria, and the bus from Vienna took about 4 hours (the train might be a bit faster).
Prague City
The city itself is smaller than Vienna, and the vibe here felt slightly different too. To me, Vienna's buildings felt more grand, while Prague feels calmer overall — even the traffic and trams felt more relaxed. The local identity also seemed more distinctly Slavic to my eye.
The first place I visited in Prague was Prague Castle. This castle was built over 1,000 years ago and consists of many churches and buildings — an enormous complex! I bought a ticket to go up the observation deck in the southern tower, and the view was amazing. By the way, it was scorching hot during my couple of days in Prague — everyone was visibly sweating.
Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) is the largest ancient castle complex in the world, founded around 880 by the Přemyslid dynasty and serving as the seat of power for Bohemian kings, Holy Roman Emperors, and now the Czech presidents — over 1,100 years of continuous use. Its sprawling 70,000-square-meter grounds span virtually every European architectural style from Romanesque to Neo-Gothic, with the soaring Gothic spires of St. Vitus Cathedral at its heart, housing the Czech crown jewels and the tomb of St. Wenceslas. The castle was also the stage for two of European history's most consequential "Defenestrations of Prague" — in 1419 and 1618 — which sparked the Hussite Wars and the Thirty Years' War respectively. Perched high above the Vltava River with sweeping views over the red rooftops of Old Town, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the symbolic heart of the Czech nation.
I also visited the following places. Czechia is Kafka's home country, and I came across his portraits and statues all over the streets. I'd read one of his novels a long time ago and remembered his work being intricate and dark (not in a bad way), and seeing all this made me want to revisit him.
Beer culture in Prague
Czechia is the mecca of beer, ranked #1 in the world for per-capita beer consumption — and surprisingly, the country has held that top spot for over 30 years. Pilsner is the most popular beer style in the world today, and it was actually invented in Czechia in 1842. Pilsner Urquell is the original brand, and you can find it everywhere in Prague — I had a few at restaurants and they had a great bitter flavor and tasted really fresh. I also tried beef tartare, a popular Czech dish. I'd heard from some travel posts that beer is cheaper than water here, but from my experience that wasn't quite true lol.
I'm heading to Poland tomorrow, and the Baltic countries aren't far off now.
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