Wenceslas Square is named after ‘Good King Wenceslas’, even though it turns out he was only a Prince. This square has changed a lot since my last visit in 2000. It’s much more commercial than I remember but that’s not really surprising.

The gorgeous National Museum sits at the top of the hill but I didn’t have time to go in. I read a funny story about this building which said that when the Soviet forces moved into Prague in 1968 they attacked the National Museum thinking it was the Czech parliament because it’s such a grand building. Oops! I don’t know if that’s true though.

Prague’s main square in the old town would have to be one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. I love the varied architecture and the fun atmosphere.

I’m always drawn to Tyn Church which dominates the square. Every building is of interest though with most of them being pure works of art. The astronomical clock is a bit overrated, I think, but plenty of tourists hang around on the hour to check it out.

I’m staying in Mala Strana in Prague which is just at the base of Prague Castle and about a 2 minute walk from Charles Bridge.

The pedestrian only Charles Bridge is famous for its statues of many saints and offers great views of Prague Castle and riverbank buildings.

The only negative is the millions of tourists you have to push past to cross the bridge but that can be avoided by an early morning or late evening visit. I would have taken photos of Prague Castle at night as it looks really beautiful when it’s all lit up, but my camera sucks.

My first day in Prague was spent exploring Prague Castle. The first thing I saw was the changing of the guard. This was quite an event with all the guards marching and music playing. I didn’t have a very good view but it looked impressive.

You can walk around much of the castle for free but to go into the churches and walk down Golden Lane, you need a ticket which costs 250 crowns which is around 10 euros. I think the ticket is worth it mainly to see the cute Golden Lane.

The people selling the tickets really push you to get an audio guide for an extra 300 crowns. The guy wouldn’t let up when I said I didn’t want it and then his manager came over and wanted to know why I didn’t want it! Crazy! I had my guide book with me so really didn’t need it. They were like dodgy used car salesmen who won’t let up.

The other reason to visit Prague Castle is for the view overlooking the city. You can see Charles Bridge and all the other main monuments in the city.

Watch out for scammy taxi drivers near the castle. We paid 170 crowns to get a taxi up to the castle and when we wanted to go back they wanted us to pay 500! Then they said 370 or 300 crowns but we already new it was less than that. They refused to take us with the meter running so we walked back to the hotel instead. This obviously wasn’t a problem for me and F who can walk all day long without any problems but the hundreds of steps down the hill was a bit tough for my parents.

About half way between Vienna and Prague is Brno, a fairly large Czech city which was the perfect place to break up the 4 hour drive between the two cities.

Brno

I was surprised to see that Brno is a very pretty city with many of the Habsburg era buildings you see in other cities in the region. There is a castle high up on the hill where you find great views of the city including the imposing cathedral as well many ghetto type apartment buildings in the suburbs.

We stayed for lunch and then spent an hour or so walking around. I think it would be worth exploring a bit more if we had the time.