Cover photo from my friend Casey.
I introduced my next trip to Europe here where I also talked about planning a budget. (You can check out another post about planning a budget here). Typically when I travel, I prefer being non-stop, on-the-go, never-sleep: doing as much as possible in the little time I have to explore (like my trip to Europe last March to London, Dublin and Northern Ireland). However, I recognize that not everyone likes travelling the way I do and it’s exhausting (see my post here about travelling with friends and talking about expectations).
I also recently read this article about “The Art of Slow Travel” where the traveller spends more time enjoying the new places they visit rather than shove as much into one day as possible. It is a great way to immerse oneself in the culture and atmosphere of the place you’re visiting rather than being a tourist and just seeing the sights. I thought it was a great article and while it didn’t shift my perspective for solo travelling, it did for travelling with others.
That being said, I still did some planning for my upcoming trip to Europe: Prague, Vienna and Budapest. I might be travelling with a friend but, even if she can’t make it, I’ll be taking more the of “slow travel” mindset. I think for this trip, we’ll adopt a new mindset: perhaps spending the first day or two in a whirlwind of sightseeing and the next day or two in the city relaxing and enjoying the city more like a local than a tourist.
Trip Overview
I’ll be flying roundtrip to Prague, so my plan is to spend the first day in Prague, jet down to Budapest and then make my way back to Prague to spend the last few days of my trip. I haven’t booked my accommodations yet, which is totally not my normal style, but I wanted to be able to spend time in each place before taking off. I figured I can find a place to stay the night before I head to the new city.
Friends
The first thing I did for Prague was talk to a friend about her experience. She joined me and three other friends in Berlin, Cologne and Amsterdam but visited Prague for a few days before meeting us. The BEST place to get tips is from friends or people who have been before!
I love reviewing lists from Pinterest and adding the most common ones to my list of places I want to visit.
Google Maps (MyMaps)
This is my number one travel hack for those of you who prefer walking to get to know a city. After I’ve created my list of potential places to visit, putting each location on a “MyMap” helps visualize where everything is in relation to the other. If there’s a cluster of places to visit, you can bet I’ll be heading there first!
Planning
Finally, I love excel and created an excel file to organize where I should go each day. I typically organize based on geographic location of places I want to visit.
- Charles Bridge
- Prague Castle
- Malá Strana
- Old Town Square
- Prague Clock
- Old Town Hall (ascend to the top)
- Wallenstein Garden
- Pub Crawl – I’ll do it my first night in the city to meet new people and enjoy the nightlife!
- Beer garden in Riegrovy Sady
- A day trip to Karlstejn Castle
- Try the Prague chimney cake (Trdelník)
- Jazz Club
- The Royal Garden (should still be early enough it won’t be a wasteland!)
- John Lennon’s Wall
As a solo traveler myself, I find that a good way to combine my desire to be constantly exploring with getting a local flavor is to spend a lot of time walking! Rather than getting a cab or train ride to the other side of town, walking through the local neighborhoods lets me see up close a part of the city that most tourists never do! I was last in Prague twenty years ago, but I still remember the startling discrepancy between the stark post-communist residences and the glittering renaissance old town!
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I definitely agree – walking is a much better way to see a city! I’ve heard Prague is a fairly small city so I should be able to get to see a lot by walking around 👍🏻
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Great cover photo choice lol. I LOVED my trip to Prague, can’t wait to hear about yours!
That’s a great list! I used My Maps as well to create my plan, but I was there, I mostly did it go-with-the-flow style.
A couple things I’d add to check out if time – climb to the top of the Charles Bridge Tower, Wenceslas Square, the Dancing House (and the street that leads up to it, which is the picture you used as your cover photo) and any of the Baroque churches. Also, you ABSOLUTELY MUST try trdelník and order lots of beer (SO CHEAP), or there’s no point in even going to Prague!! Lmao
One of the greatest things about Prague is that it’s relatively small and I walked everywhere! Plus most of the streets are cobblestone and soooo pretty!
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Thanks for the additions!! I’m hoping to do the walking tours you suggested & a pub crawl to meet likeminded travellers & enjoy a beer with someone else 👍🏻
You know I love trying new food and drinking beer!
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