48 hours in Prague
How I celebrated my 30th birthday in the Czech Republic's fairytale capital
I spent the last weekend of my 20s living my best life in Prague, and this historic city turned out to be a perfect place to decadently welcome my next decade of life.
Already two years have passed since I turned 30, but with my sister reaching that milestone in a few weeks, I felt it fitting to revisit my memorable 30th birthday trip to the enchanting capital of the Czech Republic.
A mere 4-hour train ride from Berlin, where I was living at the time, and teeming with excellent (and affordably priced) hotels, gastronomy, and entertainment, Prague was the perfect place to spend the weekend leading up to my birthday (which fell on a Monday that year).
Booking my train trip from Berlin to Prague a couple months in advance was a blessing, as the ticket was only 18,90 EUR! The scenery was beautiful and the four hours flew by as I caught up with my friend. After arriving, buying a 24 hour ticket on the tram, and dropping off our bags at the hotel, we headed straight for brunch. I was starving, which was a good thing, because this was no ordinary brunch!
I had put my name on the waitlist for a brunch table at Mlynec Restaurant two weeks in advance and just a few days before traveling, I got approved for a reservation. To this day it may be my favorite brunch experience ever! Everything from the gourmet food, to the tasteful beverage options, to the attentive and impeccable service, and the romantic location by the water, this restaurant was phenomenal. The price didn’t hurt either. For a mere 52 EUR per person you get a gourmet multi-course prix fixe menu with unlimited wine, champagne, coffee, and fresh juices (and a delicious self-serve ice cream bar). For your next weekend in Prague, make sure to reserve a table.
After a filling brunch, we walked through the old town to see the astronomical clock on the Old Town Hall and then climbed to the top of it for the 360° view of this charming city. The inside of the Town Hall is stunning. There’s a room with a beautiful 14th century ceiling miraculously saved from WWII bombing by steel doors.
After a peaceful stroll along the river we headed back to our hotel, NH Collection Prague, to finally officially check in. I mainly picked this hotel because you actually have to take a cable car from its sister hotel to get to it (I love a classic cable car ride), and it includes a small but restorative spa to which guests have complementary access. Up on our exclusive little hilltop we enjoyed the hotel’s sky bar and actually saw fireworks in the distance.
After soaking up the sunset and spa at the hotel, we dressed for a night out and called a cab (they’ve got Uber in Prague, in case you were wondering). We arrived too late (10pm) to taste the local cuisine recommended to us at the restaurant Lokal, but a friendly waiter recommended Zakladna across the street instead. It was still very lively at such a late dining hour and we shared a phenomenal beef tartare, a classic dish to have in Prague. After dinner we went around the corner to 1920’s prohibition era vibes at Banker’s Bar.
Our magical day ended with partying to a 3 hour set by Austrian DJ duo Klangkarrusell at Roxy - a club right by Zakladna that also happened to be turning 30 years old! 🥳 The set was phenomenal and the crowd was respectful and mainly there to enjoy some good music. We stayed for the full set and finally headed back to the hotel at 4am with aching feet and happy hearts.
Sunday was just as much of an adventure as Saturday, but with a very different type of music. After a filling hotel breakfast (I love a good hotel breakfast buffet) I decided to take a beautiful walk down to the river through the fall foliage surrounding our hotel.
From the riverfront, I headed over to Vysehrad fort to meet up with a Czech friend I serendipitously met at a concert in Berlin a couple weeks prior. She showed me some sweeping viewpoints of the river from up there and together we looked for the free art gallery I had heard was in the area. At the art gallery, the elderly gallery manager was eager to give us a history lesson about the local mint, but she didn’t speak any English so my new friend kindly offered translation services. I love having local friends show me around, because it opens up to these kinds of moments of connection and learning that would otherwise not be possible.
After descending from the fort, we soaked up the sun right on the river at (A)Void Floating Gallery. I tried some Moravian white wine and my friend gave me a sip of her Czech craft beer.
But I had an important appointment in the evening, so after our last sips and some photos, it was time to go back to the hotel for more cable car rides and spa time before getting all dressed up for THE OPERA!
Yes, the night before I turned 30 we saw an opera recital at one of Europe’s most beautiful concert venues, the Rudolfinum. An opera recital is usually just a musician and an opera tenor providing a review of some of their personally favorite pieces. It was a deeply moving performance, especially the tenor’s delivery of a Beethoven aria and the pianist’s sensitive rendition of one of Liszt’s Consolations. The venue was also stunning! I couldn’t believe our tickets were only 14 EUR each.
As my friend and I exited the concert hall, we realized there was a side room next to the upstairs bathroom where some people were entering and being handed glasses of champagne. We decided to play along and took our champagne flute like we spend every day as Czech aristocrats. The small yet opulent room had a balcony that looked out towards the famous Prague castle, high up on a hill on the other side of the river.
We snuck hors-d’ouevres and hoped the opera tenor, who entered to applause, wouldn’t come up to us and realize we were imposters. Alas, he is a gentleman, and in his rounds of greeting each guest, he inevitably came up and said hi. He instantly snuffed out that we were party crashers upon realizing we do not speak Czech, unlike the rest of the room, yet no one threw us out. To add to the serendipitous magic of the evening, as we wandered out of the impressive Rudolfinum building, we got caught in the filming of a movie set in WWII, right at a scene when a group of costumed actors were entering the opera house for a concert. Truly a movie setting!
After the opera recital we took the advice of my local friend, and caught a bus to the beautiful steakhouse Cerveny Jelen. There we went all out, getting Argentinean ribeye and skirt steak and slow-cooked brisket. If you’re a meat lover passing through Prague, I highly recommend this spot. I barely had room for the fantastic cake!
At the end of the night our plan was to sing karaoke, but the karaoke spot I had found was completely empty on a Sunday night, so at the last minute we redirected to the Prague outpost of a bar I know and love in New York City—Bar and Books. Given my recent trip to Scotland (in which I had deepened my appreciation for single malt whiskey), I was thrilled by their whiskey selection and couldn’t resist going for a flight of 6 (!!) single malts. I may have overdone it, or I may just be living my best life—is moderation or an attitude of carpe diem to define my 30s? Nonetheless, I ushered in my 30th year of life at midnight with a sip of Balvenie 12 and a hug from my friend.
The next day I completed my crazy 30th birthday goal of dining in three different countries in one day—breakfast in Prague, lunch in Barcelona, and dinner in Andorra. Maybe I’ll share more about that in a future post. Needless to say, it’s going to be hard to top that birthday!
Tell me in the comments: In what city do you dream of spending your next birthday?
Some key info for a trip to Prague:
🗣 Language: Czech
💵 Currency: Czech Koruna (1 US Dollar = 23.79 Czech Koruna)
💸 Tipping: not expected, but if service is good round up or give 10%
🚰 Tap water: drinkable!
🚕 Transportation: tram system works well, but they also have Uber
🥗 Dish to try: beef tartar — don't forget to slather your bread in garlic first!
🍷 Drink to try: Czech craft beer or Moravian wine!
🏛 Favorite fun fact: According to legend, the brains behind the creation of Prague’s Astronomical Clock Tower, Hanus Carolinum, was blinded by the Old Town councillors with a hot poker. They did this out of fear that Hanus would recreate the clock in another city and make this one less famous and unique. And yet there is an exact replica of it in the Hongdae region of Seoul, South Korea. Isn't it ironic?
💃 Song to listen to: Antonin Dvorak - Symphony no.9 (a celebrated work by the 19th century Czech composer)
For the next post, I originally hinted at sharing my itinerary for my most recent birthday trip to Ireland, but with the November chill starting to set in even here in Barcelona, I started daydreaming of returning to a warmer destination. So later this month, stay tuned for a spicy and surprising two-week adventure solo traveling in Guatemala!
For paid subscribers, there will be a treat in your inbox already this Friday, featuring my favorite websites and applications for planning a trip. I’ve been busy putting together an itinerary for a 3-4 week vacation in Peru and Chile that I have coming up in March with my boyfriend and mother, so stay tuned for more on those plans too!
Oh, I dream of spending my next birthday, my 65th, next April in Barcelona, my new home! I wonder if I can find an experienced traveler to help me design it? :-)
How fun to read about all the details of your trip to Prague, because while I remember some of it (like that sumptuous brunch!) there was so much more you managed to fit into a mere 48 hours. It left me breathless! As your travel companion on many occasions, I know how much fun and exploration you're capable of. This makes me want to go back to Prague! Looking forward to the paid subscriber treat in my inbox Friday.