Rick Steves' Best of Eastern Europe in 15 Days
Czech Republic
Rick Steves' Best of Eastern Europe - Days 1 and 2
Prague
We flew from Houston to Prague a few days before our tour began. We wanted to get acclimated to the time change and spend a little more time in this beautiful city.
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Rick Steves' Tip Moment!
Our flight from Houston to Prague connected in Frankfurt, Germany. I had a choice of a 1 hour layover or a 5 hour layover. As we needed to go through customs, I chose the 5 hour option. We got off the plane with our Rick Steves' backpacks and headed straight to customs. As customs was quick, we went to the gate where the earlier flight was currently boarding. I explained that we just arrived and asked if there was any way we could get on this earlier flight. The desk attendant told me that she was sorry, but our bags would never make in in time. I pointed to my backpack and told her that we didn’t have any checked luggage. She asked me to wait a moment and handed us 2 tickets on the earlier flight! We arrived in Prague in the afternoon, instead of after dinner. It was a great way to start off our trip!
After arriving in Prague, we walked past everyone at the luggage carousel and out to purchase a bus ticket into town. The bus dropped us off and we walked to our hotel in the heart of Prague.
Pre-Tour
After checking into our room, we went out to walk around the square, get acquainted and have something to eat.
Tip:
Rick Steves' tours sent us our hotel list before the tour. I called the hotel and asked to book the room we would be assigned during the tour so we wouldn’t have to move. They said it was no problem and gave me a great RS discount!
The next morning, after a tasty breakfast at the hotel, we took an e-bike tour of Prague. It is a beautiful city and it was a gorgeous day.
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Tip:
When we travel we like to start off our stay with a guided food or e-bike tour to get acquainted with the city. We used to do this all on our own. But over the years we have come to learn the tremendous value of having a local guide. It makes our travel so much more full and interesting.
In the morning before our tour started, we walked over to the Jewish Quarter and toured the museums. What an unforgettable experience. As it was early on a Sunday morning, we had it mostly to ourselves. Each Synagogue is unique and tells a different story.
Seeing the Old Jewish Cemetary with tombstones stacked one on top of the other was something I will always remember.
The Tour Begins!
In the afternoon we met up with our tour group back at the hotel. George started us off with information about Prague and a local drink. We all introduced ourselves and then we were off to do our get acquainted walk and head to dinner.
We had a lovely walk through town and over the Charles Bridge to our dinner spot. Dinner was excellent and we were surprised by a private performance of local music!
WOW Moment!
After dinner, we all walked back toward the hotel. As we crossed the Charles Bridge, we were in the middle of an breathtaking festival of lights and music! We all stopped and stared down to the water where the orchestra and singers performed. The orchestra floated on a platform while boats circled and the light show played. It was a magical start to what would be an unforgettable tour!
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Our first full day in Prague, George got us acquainted with the transit system and we headed to Prague Castle. We met our local guide for an tour of St. Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle. The cathedral was fascinating both inside and outside.
After the tour, George and our local guide made suggestions and answered our questions before we all focused on our own plans for the rest of the afternoon. We chose to walk to Strahov Monastery where we had a great lunch and a few beers. We sat at a long table with a couple of Germans that were on holiday. It was so much fun.
