Way to make a Travel > World Tours > Why is Prague known as the Magic City?
The magic city of Czech capital is not solely based on the large number of its monuments, but derived from the primarily distinctive city escape and the specific atmosphere. The picturesque city in the hilly terrain along the river of Vltava and more than a thousand years of architecture history left Prague become one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
Prague’s greatest treasure is its historic city centre, which covers an area of over 8 km2 and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992. Its unique contribution is based on the picturesque coexistence of monuments of all architectural styles, from Romanticism to Modernism. A particular feature are buildings in the Cubist style. Prague is not only a historical reserve, but also a city where the life of a modern metropolis flourishes, a cultural and social centre of European format.
For centuries Prague has important venue of the European trade. It has become the meeting place of the renowned scientist and visual artist. Prague University is the oldest university in the Central Europe.
It is quite possible to trace the stream of European culture and become familiar with the traces of reformers, artists, rulers and army of leaders that shaped the intellectual, artistic and political face of Europe. For this reason, the historical center of Prague as a gallery of historic architectural styles, remain the Gothic and Modernism trademark. A walk through Prague presents a walk through the centuries, thats why Prague is known as the magic city.
Short history of the Magic city of Prague
The oldest written record of Prague dates back from the end of the 10th century. Since the ruling princely family already resided at that time in the Prague Castle, Prague is more than a thousand years capital of the Czech state. One of the most important rulers of the Bohemian kingdom in the middle Ages was King Karl the IV. During his reign, among the other structures built, was the stone bridge that connects two banks of the river Vltava, and the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, the central church of the country.
Prague Baroque deserves a separate chapter of the Prague history. Without many Baroque churches with their magnificent fresco ceilings, without Prague magnificent aristocratic palace and its extensive gardens, without the known sacred sculptures and countless towers, Prague by cannot be described as a magical city admired and loved worldwide. By the main Tower near the Town Hall begins the way of the kings. From this point the way leads through the historic city center, up to the Charles Bridge and on to the Prague Castle – a distance passed by the Bohemian Kings on their way to the St. Vitus Cathedral. Therefore this corner of Prague has maintained a strange charisma attracted by the unique atmosphere of the city.
How to get to Prague?
Prague is extremely accessible due to its central location in the hearth of Europe. The most convenient ways to get to Prague are via airline or rail.
If you prefer to take the train, the cheapest tickets are available from Graz or Budapest, with prices starting at €28 one way.
If you arrive by plane you have two options to get to the city center. The first option is Uber, and the fare is about €20. Second option to reach Prague downtown, is to take bus no. 59 to the “Nádraží Veleslavín” station and then transfer to the green metro line.
Getting around the Magic City
The best way to get around the city is using the public transport, which is very well organized. Tickets can be purchased at the bus entrance and paid for with a credit card. The prices are as follows: 30 minutes – 30 crowns; 40 minutes – 40 crowns; 24 hours – 120 crowns.The purchased ticket is valid on all public transportation.
Best time to visit Prague
Avoid visiting Prague during peak seasons, such as summer and Advent, when crowds are at their maximum. Although you may miss out on some of the seasonal vibes, Prague is genuinely magical city all year round. The most comfortable time to visit is at the end of May or the beginning of October, when temperatures hover around 20°C. Those who don’t mind the cold can try visiting Praque in November or from January to March, when there are less tourists and rates are lower.
Places of interest in Prague
Prague has a wide range of sightseeings recommended to visit, so we will list the most important ones and the prices, and you can certainly expand the selection. Among the popular must see sight-complexes in the Czech Republic is the Prague Castle. Located on a high plateau above the left bank of the Vltava River, with its characteristic silhouette and pointed towers of the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Prague Castle presents the dominant landmark of Prague and its panorama.
Prague Castle
Prague Castle represents a complex of buildings from the Romantic style to the Neo-Gothic. The heart of the area is the old Royal Palace, which is currently predominantly Gothic to Renaissance in style, and also includes two floors of the original Romanesque princely palace.
- A striking dominant feature is the St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert Cathedral, a Gothic work by the architect P. Parler from the second half of the 14th century, with the mausoleum of the Bohemian princes and kings.
- Hunger Wall (Hladova zed), part of the medieval fortifications of the Lesser Town, built in 1360-62. It is 1179 meters long and 7.5 to 8 meters high, complemented by defense towers.
- The 1928 th Stefanikova Hvezdarna observatory is open to the public on this wall.
- Another tourist attraction is the cable car that runs from Ujezd in the Lesser Town (Mala strana) to the top of Petrin. It was opened in 1891 and extended to its current length of 510 meters in 1932.
Prague Castle has undergone through some structural transformations for several times in the past, and now it serves as the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic. The Prague Castle entrance tickets depend on the desired visit starting from 8 to 30 € p.p.
Worth visiting are not only St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace and Prague Castle, but also the extensive Castle gardens that offer a unique view of the city and the valley below. And those to whom this vast panoramic view is not enough can climb the Tower of the cathedral. From there you realize why is the Magic City of Prague worth visiting.
Jewish Museum
Jewish Museum built by the Prague Jewish community is an assortment of historical monuments in the Jewish Quarter and among the most valuable complexes in the world. Thousands of Renaissance and Baroque grave stones stand preserved in the old Jewish cemetery. The Old Gothic Synagogue from the late 13th century, presents one of the oldest preserved synagogues in Europe.The building is extremely valuable and despite its age, it still serves as a prayer house and central synagogue of the Prague Jewish community. The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe. Dating back to the early fifteenth century, this cemetery has the oldest tombstones from 1439. One unique feature of this cemetery is having burials in ten layers and housing 12,000 tombstones. The pictures on tombstones are related with the deceased’s occupation or attributes.
Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge is an important Gothic monument from the time of Emperor Charles IV, the oldest pillory bridge over the Vltava, and one of the oldest in Europe. In place of the original Romanesque Judith Bridge from the 12th century, destroyed by a flood, it was built from 1357 to the beginning of the 15th century by the Royal Building Society under the supervision of P. Parler. It is decorated with a gallery of 30 statues and groups of statues from the 17th and 20th centuries, with the majority being from the high Baroque period, which are the most valuable from an artistic point of view.
Old Town Bridge Tower
The Old Town Bridge Tower, a work by P. Parler from the 14th century, guards the entrance to the Charles bridge. On the Lesser Town bank, two Lesser Town Bridge towers complement the entrance gate. The lower one comes from the original Judith Bridge, the higher one, was rebuilt in 1464 from an older building in the late Gothic style.
Old Town Square
The Old Town Square with the Old Town Hall were built in the first half of the 14th century, with the majority of their components dating from the late Gothic and Renaissance periods.
Renaissance graffiti from 1611 can be found on the house “U minuty”. The 69.5 meter high prismatic tower offers a wonderful view. On the tower is the famous Old Town Clock, a work by the clockmaker Mikulas von Kadan.
Other important attractions worth-mentioning here are: Mala Strana -the oldest district in Prague, National Museum, Kafka Museum, Bronze monument to Kafka and kinetic statue, Klementimum Library, Summer Park, the oldest pub in the world – U Flek, Dancing House, Promenade along the Vltava, the narrowest street in Prague, and Lennon Wall.
Money and payment
Despite being part of the European Union, the Czech Republic did not introduce the euro, but preserved the national currency – the Czech crown, hence salaries are everywhere in crowns. 100 crowns equals €3.95.
The main thing here is to avoid exchange offices because they will give you an unfavorable conversion rate, but will only change €15-20 for some small expenses, leaving you to pay everything else with a credit card. In Prague, you can literally pay by card everywhere.
If you have a card on which the bank charges a commission when paying, make yourself a card that we recommend for traveling. The card is free and you add money via your mobile phone, so you have as much as you pay.
Prices in Prague
As we mentioned, we can’t say that it is among the most expensive cities in Europe, but it is not among the cheapest either. Although, as in most big cities, you can pay the same thing much more expensive somewhere much cheaper. Here are some approximate prices in Prague:
- Coffee – from €2.4 to €4
- Tea – from €2.5 to €3.5
- Beer – from €2.5 to €5
- Bakery products, sandwiches, cakes – from €4 to €7
- Trdelnik – €6 to €7
- Restaurants – €10 to €17 per meal per person
Food & Beverage in Prague
Local specialties include tasty Czech goulash, Svičkova (beef in a creamy vegetable sauce), goulash soup with bread, beef tartare, Czech pilsner beer and the most popular dessert – Trdelnik.
Recommended Pubs and Restaurants in the Magic city
- Restaurant Mincovna – a bit more expensive, but excellent.
- Restaurant Havelska koruna – very affordable Czech specialties.
- Pivnica Lokal – good atmosphere, excellent food and drinks, very affordable prices. Don’t forget to try beef tartare here.
- Pivnica Dum – excellent goulash highly recommended accomplished withy any of its 8 types of beer to try. Very affordable prices.
- Restaurant Kuchyn – great view of Prague and a bit more expensive.
Tours.
Our Favorite PragueTour
Nick_A, Dec 2024
” Tour guide (Vojta) was very engaging and extremely knowledgeable about Czech history and the development of Prague over the centuries Visiting in December for the Christmas markets meant the tour was conducted on a wet and cold day but we still thoroughly enjoyed the tour and Vojta made sure we stayed as comfortable as we could A great walking tour in an amazing city”
Read more about – Best of Prague Walking Tour and Cruise with Authentic Czech Lunch.”
Booking hotel in Prague
In general, accommodation and hotels in Prague are very affordable, so you can find a nice hotel to stay between 50 € and 100 € per person per night. As for the location, the closer to the center, the better (up to 2 km from the center) because sometimes you can just walk, you don’t have to constantly look for and wait for public transport.
They also recommend you to take accommodation with breakfast, because Prague is not a very cheap city, so you will definitely save money at the end of your trip.
Are you ready to explore the magic city? Take a trip and enjoy, because you will surely be delighted by its beauties, and extensive offer for all generations.
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