What do you think of when you think of Prague, Czech Republic? Do you think of the beautiful Charles Bridge and picturesque streets? You probably don’t think of a lookout tower reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, paddle boat rides on the river, and taking in 360-degree views of the city from the second ugliest building in the world. We definitely didn’t think of these things at first either, but once we saw the touristy side of Prague, we wanted to take a glimpse into some unique things the city has to offer as well.

We enjoyed Prague for a lot of reasons. First off, the city itself was very budget friendly. We found that dinner at a restaurant, food in the supermarket, and activities were far cheaper there than in other major cities we have visited. The city as a whole was very easy to get around as well. There are trams and buses throughout the city, and of course you can easily walk around the city center. We stayed at a hotel that was about a 20 minute walk to Charles Bridge, but it was close enough that we could take a leisurely walk into the center or hop on a tram to get wherever we pleased.

Like a lot of European cities, Prague is located on a river. For a nice change of pace, we rented a paddle boat from one of the many rental companies on the Vltava River. The companies offer a variety of boats by the hour – paddle boats, canoes, row boats, etc. We spent our afternoon paddling around, taking photos and just enjoying the view of the city from the calm river. From the river, we could see Charles Bridge, Dancing House, and many other landmarks. It was a nice break from sightseeing by foot and gave us a different view the city. We thought it was a great way to get away from the tourism hustle and bustle – until we were paddling in the path of a large boat for tourists! The boat honked, we panicked slightly, and paddled as fast as our legs could go to safety. After that mishap, we immediately went back to enjoying the beautiful view of Prague from the river!

 

Prague has an abundance of parks sprinkled throughout the city, which is something that we did not expect. No matter where we were, we were never far from a park. We walked up to Vysehrad, a historic fort located a little outside the main touristy area of Prague. We could have easily taken a tram there, but we decided to walk to see more of the city. We walked through neighborhoods frequented by locals and barely saw any other tourists, so it was a nice way to see a glimpse of daily life in Prague. The grounds were perfect for a picturesque evening stroll, especially with the beautiful views of the city from the top. Wandering around the grounds, there were so many unique views of Prague to take in and enjoy. It was the perfect place to go around sunset.

The hotel we stayed at was right next to Petrin Park, so that park was on our list of places to visit. There is actually a lookout tower there called Petrin Tower that you can climb to the top of. It looks a lot like the Eiffel Tower and opened in 1891. We took a meandering walk throughout Petrin Park, getting a little lost inside. We ended up enjoying the views inside the park, seeing everything from small ponds, to large rock formations, to tons of trees. Once we reached Petrin Tower, it was interesting to see the structure randomly placed in the middle of the park. We took a quick climb to the top to check out the view over Prague. For us, the trip to the park was very enjoyable and climbing Petrin Tower was an added bonus. It was nice wandering through the park instead of the streets, and we rewarded ourselves with ice cream after (duh!). For being so close to the Charles Bridge, Petrin Park is a surprisingly serene and vast oasis where you can savor a few hours of respite.

We also experienced a total different way to take in the views of the city. The Zizkov Television Tower, considered to be the second ugliest building in the world, boasts a 360 degree aerial view of the city. There are even giant sculptures of babies climbing up the side of the tower (I know.. what?!). It is located about 20 minutes outside of the city via public transportation and there were not many people there. Upon entering the building, a quick elevator took us up about 700 feet to the observatory level. We spent a decent amount of time there, soaking in the 360-degree views of the city from the floor-to-ceiling windows. There was also a ton of information throughout the building explaining what buildings and landmarks we were looking towards. Our favorite part (okay, besides the view!) might have been this giant room of hanging chairs. And of course, we had to take some photos in there as well! After we left the Zizkov Television Tower, we headed back to the main area of the city. We were going to spend some time in the area but honestly there wasn’t much more for us to see.

There are a ton of unique activities in Prague to experience. Once you see the main tourist attractions, be sure to get lost in all that Prague has to offer off the beaten path — and don’t forget to stop to take in all the beautiful views!