We’ve already spoken about all the crazy and amazing things you can do in Prague when you’re visiting the city in the daylight (you can refresh your memory here) – but have I ever told how absolutely bloody breath-taking the city is after dark? Here’s a few tips on where to go exploring once the night has settled over the golden city of a thousand spires.
‘I see a great city whose glory will touch the stars’
That’s what the great prophet Libussa proclaimed when she first saw Prague. And I ain’t too surprised – especially if the view was from where the Prague Castle is. If you’re staying in Prague overnight then this will be your mandatory stop. The city will be covered in absolute darkness with just a few lights popping here and there – very different from what you see in other capitals which aim for the fully lit skyline. The gothic darkness might spook you out but you will see the city & the stars at once – a sight well worth remembering.
The jazz docks
One of the beauties of Prague is that despite the smallish size for a capital, there’s always something going on. And I don’t mean newspaper worthy bank robberies – I mean pleasant folk gigs in local pubs, violin concertinos in the Royal Gardens or jazz evenings in clubs floating on the river Vltava. These chamber-esque evenings are very affordable and locals enjoy them as much as tourists.
Fancy shmancy evening out on the town
Because Prague is such an affordable city it gives you the perfect opportunity to go all out. Book tickets for the National Opera House, a table in a fancy restaurant where the portions are silly small, drink bubbly overlooking the Cartier & Hermes. The cost of these nights will make you giggle – a night out in Birmingham would cost you at least a triple this much!
Spook yourself out (more than you already are!)
Given the gothic character of most of the buildings in the Prague city centre, the vibe it gives is already pretty damn eerie. And the sinister green glow of local absinth shops doesn’t help either! Take it up a notch & explore the city with a ghostly guide – we went for one of the Mysterium Tours around the Old Prague (this one) and some of the stories we heard were petrifying! I mean – bloody hell, there’s a human hand hanging from the ceiling one of the churches?! (no, honestly, it actually is – go and see for yourself!).
A few centuries ago…
Not bothered about gigs, operas, views and dead man’s hands? Then just wander around the crooked side streets, the ink-veiled alleyways, cross bridges dotted with medieval statues of Christian patron saints, wonder who lived in all those dark unlit houses – was it Franz Kafka or perhaps Mozart?