Ready To Roll In Prague: Best Ways To See This Beautiful City

Prague is a fascinating and beautiful city with a rich past. There’s history around every corner waiting to jump out and surprise you. Since we were only in Prague for a week we figured help was needed to get the real deal on Europe’s 6^th most visited city.

Segway Tour

There are few things I love to do more than ride a Segway. So when I found out I could combine a Segway ride with a tour around Prague, I was sold. I met Petr from SG-Point at the Powder Tower for a 60-minute tour. After a friendly welcome, short initiation, and safety instructions, we were on our way. I’ve driven a Segway in several places around the world so I found it very easy. But if it’s your first time, rest assured it’s quite simple to pick up, and SG Point have an excellent safety track record.

Petr took photos along the way and emailed them through that evening so I had a record of our delightful tour.

Being a photography fan, though, I couldn’t resist taking a few snaps myself along the way.

The tour covered all the most popular locations like Charles Bridge, Lovers Bridge, The National Theatre and Old Town Square. But he also showed me a few other lesser-known locations which shed insight into the incredible history of Prague. It would have been easy to walk past some of these buildings without knowing what historical events took place, so a knowledgeable guide like Petr is essential.

I really enjoyed hearing about the amazing events that unfolded and before I knew it, the 60 minutes had turned into 90 minutes, which Petr was completely fine with. A 60-minute tour will set you back €40 per person, and I’d highly recommend SG Point. Unfortunately segways aren’t really suited for small kids so Mia & Caius had to sit this one out with Erin. So that means next time another opportunity comes up to roll on 2 wheels, it will be Erin’s turn.

Free Walking Tour

We took a free walking tour around Jerusalem with Sandemans earlier this year. We found that the same company operated a free walking tour around Prague and jumped on board. The independent tour guides work a tips-only basis, so you can just give them whatever you felt the tour was worth at the end. They run 3 sessions each day at 10am, 10:45am and 2pm from the Old Town Square.

Caius’ gas mileage is pretty limited at the moment, especially in the Prague winter weather, so this was an ideal tour to push a pram around town.

We covered a lot of the more popular sites around town including the Astronomical Clock, Old New Synagogue, Old Jewish Quarter, and Wenceslas Square.

Mia was our self-appointed Assistant Guide, carrying the eye-catching red umbrella at the front of the group to keep everyone together. Very cute!

The tour lasted around 3 hours so we were pretty tired by the end of it, and the kids were ready to put their feet up. So make sure you bring comfortable walking shoes and some water. Lunch was available to purchase along the way at a recommended restaurant and the tour guide also offered several other paid tours the company operated.

Prague Castle – The Largest Castle In The World

Built from 880AD the Prague Castle complex sprawls over an area of 70,000 m².

Perched on a hill overlooking the city it commands one of the best vantage points of Prague. It’s easy to see why it’s such a popular tourist destination in Prague.

We took an underground train to the nearest station, Malostranska, which only cost a couple dollars. The walk from the station to the castle entrance was uphill and consisted of a lot of stairs. We made the mistake of bringing a pram along which happened to be carrying a sleeping toddler. So Erin and I lumbered up carrying the pram step by step, slowly, and with substantial groaning along the way. As if it were completely deliberate, Caius happened to wake up once we reached the top, oblivious to the struggles his parents had gone through to get him there. 

Before the main entrance gate, we caught our breath and soaked in the panoramic view of Prague.

Entrance into the complex is free, but a ticket needs to be purchased to enter into specific exhibits and buildings. We chose the “short visit” ticket which was CZK250 (around AUD$14) per adult (kids under 6 free).

St. Vitus Cathedral was absolutely stunning, both outside and in. It dominates the skyline of the complex. If you’re on a very tight budget you can still get into the back of the cathedral without a ticket but can’t take the “full” walk around the interior.

The kids were fascinated by the small groups of soldiers occasionally marching past in formation with pristine blue uniforms.

Monty Python fans would probably recognize one of the (replica) crown jewels as looking suspiciously like the “Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch” from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”.

So there you have it. 3 different ways to see Prague – Segway, walking and from above. Each of them highlighted a different aspect of what makes this beautiful city so attractive. It’s easy to see now why so many people are drawn in by the allure of Prague, and why some can never escape.