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A week in Czech Republic & Salzburg

What you do when a friend says “I have to go to Prague for work, do you want to come”? Book the flight asap, and start planning! And then decide to fit in a solo side trip to Salzburg 😉. Please scroll all the way down for pictures.


Tips and hints:

  • Prague currency is not the Euro, but the Czech crown. Euros can be used in Salzburg.

  • The Czech Republic consumes the most amount of beer! You can get any type of beer there, and even I who is not a beer drinker was able to find one. Fun fact-Bud Weiser actually started in the Czech! Budweiser Budvar Brewery and the American brewery Anheuser-Busch have been engaged in an ongoing trademark dispute over the name Budweiser since the start of the 20th century. In 1939, only one week before the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, Budweiser Budvar agreed to concede exclusive rights to the American brewery in the United States area

  • There is not a ton to see in Prague, but with any new City, it’s always fun to walk around and explore. You probably do not need more than 3 days.

  • Definitely try a “Trdelník”-which you will see people eating everywhere! Trdelník is a type of spit cake, which is prepared with dough that is wrapped around a stick, before being baked on an open fire. The chimney cake is topped with a mixture of sugar and walnut, or cinnamon sugar. You can get fillings for it as well. I got mine with ice-cream, but be careful since there is no bottom it can get messy! I learned the hard way ☹. Some places will give you a plate/cup for that.

  • I love Austrian desserts and chocolates, do make sure you try some especially the Mozart cake and the delicious marzipan chocolates

  • Side trips from Prague (you can either take the train or do a tour)-Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov are the more popular ones.

  • Side trips from Salzburg-you can visit the lakes area or my personal recommendation is Hallstatt which is gorgeous (but does get crowded). There are other day trips as well if you are in the area for an extended period of time.


Day 1 Prague

Sadly the overnight flight did not give us an opportunity to sleep, so we arrived at the Marriott hotel sleep deprived, but eager to start exploring. After having breakfast, and loads of coffee (for me!) we began our grand exploration.

We walked towards the old town square since in most European cities this is where all the excitement is. Being as it was a Saturday mid-morning in June, the town square was packed. We made our way to the main attraction-the Prague Astronomical Clock. It’s quite beautiful, though covered with netting to protect it from the birds. Read more below.

We continued our exploration of the square taking in the amazing architecture before moving on. We next stumbled upon Wenceslas square. Wenceslas Square is one of the main city squares and the center of the business and cultural communities in the New Town of Prague, Czech Republic. Many historical events occurred there, and it is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings. The National Museum is also located here. Unfortunately, it was closed when we were looking to visit.

At this point, we opted to take a hop on hop off tour mainly because of the extreme heat that day, and the no sleep was catching up. It’s also a pretty good deal since you can a river cruise included, and one of the routes includes the Prague Castle which is a must-visit and is not very close to the center. Next stop was the river cruise which lasts about an hour. Prague is on The Vltava River, which runs north to south, bisects Prague and its old town.

Exhaustion had caught up with us, and we headed to an early dinner by the hotel and a good night’s sleep.


Day 2

We woke up to a dreary rainy day in Prague. Our agenda for today was the Prague castle (it’s quite big), and the hop on hop off included a “free” guided tour. After switching and waiting for buses, we made it to the Castle. We had a bit of a wait, and please note there are only a couple of restaurants before the entrance to the Castle. Our guide met us promptly, however, we did find out that while the tour said “free”-most of the guides are independent, and make money off tips. The tour was approximately 2 hours, and the guide Nicholas was excellent and provided information even beyond the Castle and we each tipped him 10 euros. We grabbed a bite to eat and continued exploring other areas of the castle on our own, got some amazing views, and then walked down (much better alternative than walking up!)


We opted for walking back to the hotel which was about 40 minutes while possibly hitting other spots on our way. My friend opted to go back to the hotel while I continued in quest of Charles Bridge. Walking across Charles Bridge was quite a treat with seeing many artists, musicians, and vendors selling their wares. There are also plenty of stores and restaurants once you cross over the bridge which makes it a very lively area, especially at night.


Day 3

While my friend had to now get to work, I decided to go to Salzburg. After exploring the different options, I opted for the train since it was the most economical and not that much of a time difference when compared to driving. There were a few challenges getting to Salzburg (which I will not get into, but the expected 7-hour train ride turned into a 10 hour one instead. Keep this in mind if you have anything planned for the evening. I had booked a show and was thankfully able to reschedule because I got in too late. I booked a hotel about 10 minutes walk from the train station and after a quick check-in and dinner nearby I was ready for bed!


Day 4 Salzburg

One of the must do’s for Salzburg is the Sound of Music tour. There is a morning and an afternoon one. I booked the morning one. This was a lot of fun, and our guide was terrific.


I had the rest of the afternoon to explore before my evening event, so it began with walking towards the square and the Cathedral. After exploring the little streets, the many delightful choc shops and sampling both desserts and chocolates I took a break with a glass of wine and just people watched for a while.

Salzburg and Vienna are both known for its art and music, with Salzburg being the birthplace of Mozart. In fact, there’s a Mozart museum which you can visit but there is an entrance fee. There are a few options to experience some of this firsthand in Salzburg with mini-concerts at Mirabel gardens, and the fortress to name a few. I had opted for dinner and a concert at the fortress. This gave me a chance to visit the fortress with the funicular fee being included as part of the package. There is also an option to include a river cruise as part of the package, but due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to include it.

I personally thought the fortress didn’t have much too offer but did have some spectacular views. And the restaurant along with the view did not disappoint. The concert was a little tricky to get to and quite a few stairs, so keep that in mind if you have any severe physical issues. The concert lasted about 1.5 hours and was very enjoyable if you appreciate classical music (which I do).


Day 5 Obetraun and Hallstatt

This was my challenging day as I had a lot to cover with significant travel time involved. I decided to visit both Obetraun and Hallstatt. Most people may recognize Hallstatt, but Obetraun is the next town over and is also extremely picturesque. It has now become famous for Dachstein ice caves (see link below). Since Hallstatt is such a small town, I decided to make the most out of the travel and the day by combining both places.

Having a car for both of these is probably the best option. I had to take both a bus and a train which was about 2 hours each way. Obetraun is not very touristy, with the exception of the caves attraction, so once you get off the train you are pretty much on your own. There is a bus which can take you to Dachstein and it also goes to Hallstatt, however, it’s not the most frequent, so make sure you build in enough time if on a schedule.

Dachstein is physically challenging so please research well before you decide to visit. It’s an attractive option for those that enjoy nature and hiking. Getting to the ice caves is a good 20-30 minutes uphill walk straight up the side of a mountain. The caves themselves have about 500 steps give or take, and light is limited in there.


Hallstatt is a beautiful little town, and I was able to appreciate it’s beauty even on a rainy day. You can easily walk the town in about 2 hours. The train is on the opposite side of the lake, so you will need to take a ferry back. Please make sure you check the timings so you have plenty of time for the ferry to catch your train

While it was a long, exhausting day, the places I had a chance to visit definitely made it worthwhile.


Day 6

I had an afternoon train back to Prague so I had an opportunity for some more exploring in the morning. My first stop was the Salzburg cathedral since I had not had a chance to visit yet. To my surprise, most of Salzburg was closed that morning due to a festival! However, after some processions with people dressed in all different outfits, the crowds quickly dissipated and the cathedral was open again. I was lucky enough to witness this event and also enjoy the nearby festival music, food and activities for a while.


Thankfully my trip back to Prague was uneventful and 7 hours later I was back at the hotel.


Day 7 Kutna Hora

Kutná Hora is a city east of Prague in the Czech Republic. It’s known for the Gothic St. Barbara's Church with medieval frescoes and flying buttresses. Also notable is Sedlec Ossuary, a chapel adorned with human skeletons. On the site of a former Cistercian monastery is the Gothic and baroque Cathedral of the Assumption. The Czech Museum of Silver recalls the city’s silver-mining history with a replica medieval mine.


There are a few options to get to Kutna Hora including guided tours, we opted to take the train since it was quite convenient and between 45 minutes to an hour. It was a quick walk to town, and our first stop was the ossuary which was of high interest to my friend. It’s quite small but definitely something different.


Our next stop was St Barbara's church very close to the Ossuary. The Czech is known for its garnets and crystal and Kutna Hora seemed to be a popular spot especially for garnets. If you are looking for souvenirs it’s worth looking around for some unique things.

We didn’t make it to the other places mentioned above since it was not walkable and we had a train to catch back home. It’s advised to leave ample time for the museum of silver, so bear that in mind when planning this trip.


Day 8 Cesky Krumlov


Český Krumlov is a city in the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. It’s bisected by the Vltava River, and dominated by its 13th-century castle. The castle has Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements, an 11-hectare garden, and an original 17th-century baroque theater. There are panoramic views of the old town and the river from the top of its round belltower.


Again many options to get there including tours and trains. We opted for a bus tour since it included a tour of the castle. It takes about 2.5 hours to get to Cesky Krumlov.

To be honest, we weren’t very impressed by the tour guide, or the castle tour. Additionally, you are not allowed to take pictures inside the castle. The town itself is very lively and perhaps the best part. We arrived the day of the rose festival so it was even more lively with people dressed up, music and food. Wish we had more time to explore the town.


Day 9


Time to go home!


My final thoughts:

  • Prague- wish I had spent a little more time in exploring the St Charles area and visiting a night club since they are famous for that.

  • Salzburg-loved it! Austria continues to be one of my favorite countries, and if given the chance, would love to move there!




 
 
 
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