Prague With Teens On A Budget

To be honest, I was concerned about our time in Prague. Everyone I asked said it's the most beautiful city in the world. But when I asked about things to do, everyone said you walk around. 

Walking around may be tops for adults, but it's not even in the top 10 for teens. 

But Prague lived up to its reputation and we found plenty to do. 

First of all, Prague was the only city in Europe that was not destroyed in World War 2. And to be honest, it kind of looks like Disneyland. 

We booked a private tour guide for the afternoon after we arrived. I am not big on tour guides, but my husband likes them and since I was kind of at a loss about how we would fill our time here, I went with it. And it was amazing. Our guide was Kristian from http://www.praguelocalfriends.com/en/

He was funny and engaging for the kids. We sat down with him before the tour began and he reviewed the history of the Czech Republic. Then we left for a 3 hour walking tour. Kristian did not show us the Charles Bridge, the castle or the astronomical clock. 

This was Kristian's off the beaten path tour. He took us to his favorite cafe for typical Czech sandwiches and desserts. He showed us the secret passage ways around the city. He showed us art and architecture, hidden messages in the sidewalk and walls, gardens and birds. 

Sandwiches and dessert at Kristian's favorite cafe

Kristian's favorite cafe inside a hidden passage

Hidden passageway in Prague

Dessert case at Kristian's favorite cafe, I can see why this is his favorite

Giant moving sculpture of Franz Kafka's head

 We stayed at the Ramada City Centre which must be the best deal around. Ramada is part of Wyndham. So every night is 15,000 points. My husband and I each opened a Wyndham credit card so we were awarded 45,000 points each. We used 30,000 points each to book 2 rooms for 2 nights. This Ramada includes a buffet breakfast. If you follow my blog at all, you know how much I love hotels that include breakfast. The rooms were clean, the staff was nice, the breakfast was yummy and the location is very central. Rooms run about 130 Euros per night so this was a huge savings.

Changing of the guard at the Castle

The next day, we walked around Prague. We toured the castle. You can take the tram #22 from the city centre to the castle and then walk down the other other side. Tip: if you want to buy tickets, look for ticket booths away from the entrance gate, the lines will be shorter. Second tip, you don't need tickets to tour the grounds and this might be enough for you. Check the trams for a pass which will be cheaper than paying for each ride.

Check out the architecture in the square across from the castle and check out the view from on top of the Starbucks. Then walk down the other side to check out more small streets. We ate lunch at a medieval cave restaurant which was just okay. There were tons of other restaurants though. 

Prague has one laundramat if you need do a load here. 

This is the turtle

Heading out the gate to walk across the Charles Bridge. Yes, it's crowded. Yes, it's still cool.

One of a million turtle dessert shops in Prague

 There are so many turtle dessert shops in Prague, you will be tempted many, many times to buy one. They sell it as a traditional Czech dessert. But guess what, it's not. And on top of that, it looks way better than it tastes. So consider yourself warned.

Awesome off the beaten path Pizzeria. 

 Besides pizza, we ate a lot of doner kebap. It's filling, yummy and cheap. For dessert, we probably visited Angelato Ice Cream Shop at least twice. You don't want to miss it!
No visit to Prague is complete without touring the Jewish Quarter. You can buy a ticket at the various synagogues and at the tourist office across from the synagogue. Buy the ticket that includes everything....the cemetery, the old synagogue and the spanish synagogue. You will need half a day to see everything and you will want to see it all.

Prague was definitely a highlight of the trip. It is beautiful and there is a lot to do here with teens. And you can definitely visit Prague on a budget.