Cobbled streets leading to bridges and castles, and marvellous baroque architecture easily makes this capital city one of the most romantic cities in Europe.
Along with my friend Harriet, we checked into our very lovely hotel, the Lindner Prague Castle, which is without surprise, very near to Prague Castle. You can wander freely through the streets, courtyard and gardens of the castle and watch the changing of the guards, but if you wish to go inside there is a fee of around £8. Inside the courtyard lies St Vitus Cathedral, a magnificent feast of Gothic architecture that displays some of the finest examples of stained glass windows.
If you love art, Prague is a perfect place to discover it. Although difficult to compete with its European counterparts – London, Paris and Berlin, it is still a leading capital for art, especially by drawing attention to lesser known artists in the Artbanka Museum of Young Art. For bigger names head to the National Gallery to view work by the glorious Gustav Klimt and his protégé Egon Shiele.
For literary lovers, Prague is synonymous with Franz Kafka, the mind behind such novels ‘The Castle’ and ‘The Trial’ and perhaps the most famous novella ever written ‘The Metamorphosis’. If you haven’t read the latter, the opening line will beg you to read further: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect”. Amazing isn’t it?! His city of birth pays homage to him through the Franz Kafka Museum, there you will learn about his life, and have access to his letters, diaries, photographs.
From any direction, with it’s colourful buildings painted in shades of blue, pink, green and yellow pastel and highly detailed structures, you are certain to find beauty on any corner. Prague is a city for the romantics.
