More than 15 years ago, one of my co-workers vacationed in Prague. The Czech Republic was only a few years out of communism at the time, and she described an Old Town Square with exquisite architecture and locals overflowing with gratitude for tourists. That image hung in my head like a ripe plum waiting to be picked, growing juicier and more delicious with every passing year, so when I finally arranged to visit Eastern Europe this summer Prague was my obvious first stop.
I wish I could say that it met my expectations. The architecture of Old Town Square was stunning, including the magnificent Disneyesque Our Lady before Tyn Church, whose twin spires peek over the square like a Gothic castle, and the equally beautiful baroque St. Nicholas Church. Off to one side of the square, the famous Astronomical Clock is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall. Installed in 1410, it is the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still functioning. Each hour, animated figures representing the twelve apostles, greed, vanity, pleasure and death emerge from doorways in the face of the clock while the skeleton (death) strikes the hour.
Unfortunately, Old Town Square is the place to be in Prague. From early morning until late at night, it was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists and crowds began to assemble in front of the Astronomical Clock a quarter before each hour. Though I spent two weeks in Prague, I could never get close enough to see the show due to the massive crowds.
The pedestrianized Charles Bridge is the second most popular attraction in Prague. It is, indeed, a beautiful structure, however not much of a pleasure to walk due to the mass of humanity streaming across and kiosks selling junk merchandise and caricatures along its entire length. On the far side I fought the crowds once again to see Lesser Town, and made my way up the hill to tour Prague Castle and St. Vitius Cathedral (you’ll have to pay if you want to see the front of the nave inside the cathedral). Here the legions were fewer, but still too large for my comfort.
In an effort to escape the crush, I did seek out alternative sights. I spend one lovely afternoon wandering through Petrin Park’s rose gardens and climbing Petrin Tower for a fabulous view of the city. Another delightful afternoon was spent investigating the nooks and crannies of the gardens on the southern slope of Prague Castle. And my visit to the John Lennon Wall was a very moving experience. But all-in-all, I found the city to be extremely touristy and incredibly overpriced. The day I tried to buy a small bottle of water in Old Town Square and was told it was $4 (double what I’d pay in the U.S.) was the day I hit my limit of patience with Prague. I handed it back to the vendor and said, “ridiculously expensive.” He shrugged his shoulders and replied, “This square is the most expensive place in all of Europe to buy anything.”
Frankly, I could have dealt with the crowds and the prices if I had been made to feel welcome, but I wasn’t. Though I tried mightily, very few Czechs were willing to have a conversation with me. Wait staff suffered me only long enough to collect my money and it took me ten days to coax a smile out of the woman in the shop where I bought my tram tickets each day; in the beginning she refused even to say hello, and I seriously doubt that my pronunciation of the Czech greeting was so bad she couldn’t understand me. With one exception, the only friendly people I met in Prague were from Poland. I broached the subject of unfriendly Czechs with my Polish tour guide one afternoon and he laughed. “Many Czechs go to Poland for vacation,” he said. “I’ve asked a few of them why and they tell me it’s because Poles are so friendly.” It seems even Czechs think Czechs are cold and unfriendly.
There was, as I said, one notable exception. One day I was feeling quite sick to my stomach and popped into a Bohemia Bagel shop to rest. The young man who waited on me could tell something was wrong and asked if he could help. When I explained, he said, “I know just what you need.” Within minutes he delivered a pot of tea with fresh mint leaves and honey, a bowl of soup, and a bagel. I returned several times to that shop and absolutely everyone who worked there was pleasant, the food was delicious, and the prices were reasonable. I later learned that this particular chain, which is a partnership between Americans and Czechs who wanted to bring a healthier menu to Prague, has a reputation for having the friendliest employees in Prague. They opened their first shop in 1996, featuring a variety of bread with a hole in the middle – thus the bagel was introduced to Prague – and the previously unheard-of policy of providing free refills of coffee. Today there are three Bohemia Bagel restaurants in Prague, all offering salads, sandwiches, soups, desserts and a variety of grilled options in addition to coffee and bagels.
I had no commitments or plans at the end of my visit. I was free as the wind and could go anywhere. The question was where to go. I was intrigued by other possibilities in the Czech Republic. To the southeast lay Brno, with its inspiring architecture, including the restored Villa Tugendhat, designed by architect Mies van der Rohe; the medieval Špilberk Castle; and the baroque Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. Alternatively, the many things to do in the South Bohemian region of the Czech Republic were pulling me toward the southwest region of the country. As often happens, the answer came in the form of an invitation. I received an email from the town of Poznan, Poland, inviting me to visit their lovely city. I hadn’t planned to visit Poland on this trip and had never heard of Poznan, but based on all the friendly Poles I met in Prague I figured, why not? I departed Prague on the PolskiBus, bound for Wroclaw (pronounced VRO-shaf), where I transferred to a train for Poznan. As my bus pulled out of the station, I said a sad goodby to Prague, knowing that I would probably never return.
I visited the city recently, almost a year ago and was disappointed, to say the least, except for the sausages.
Thanks very much for your honest review. I live in the alps, and had always wanted to go to Prague. So much hype about it. My brother spent a lot of time there, loved it, and married a Czech. Apart from what my brother has said, I have heard only negative things mainly, so I decided to forego any trips there. I am actually more intrigued by Slovenia. The amount of people in Prague would be a complete turnoff for me. I prefer to go where people are not! I watched a Rick Steves program on Prague, and got a good enough feeling about it watching it on my computer with a glass of wine. That was good enough! I’ve seen most of Europe and now only have a few places still on my bucket list: The northern lights in Norway, Sardinia, and Ireland. I don’t travel for the sake of traveling. I need to feel a burning desire to go somewhere. Prague is not one of them.
Thanks so much for your comment Jasmine. I’d like to go back to the Czech Republic someday, but to the less touristy, little-known places in the eastern part of the country.
I totally understand PRG being overrun with tourists but that goes for most popular places everywhere in the world. Gone are the days when there weren\’t huge influx of tourists everywhere and one could always get the perfect photos, prices were not impacted by excess demand and the majority of the locals, perhaps, were more welcoming, but that\’s life. To keep away because of the hordes of tourists, which all visitors are, would be ashame.
It\’s a beautiful city and to not visit would be your loss. Just plan around the peak tourist periods as much as possible and things will work out. Don\’t be angry at the hordes of tourists because WE all are one.
Taking photos of the Charles Bridge at the wrong time is a disaster and I did put my camera away and returned earlier the following day, got my shot. Enjoy and go with the flow
I really enjoyed reading your article. I completely agree with every point you brought up except I don’t think Prague is expensive at all (specifically food and drinks). Maybe I’m just used to the crazy prices in San Diego. Just my two cents. Happy New Year!
Hi Emmanuel, and Happy New Year! Had to laugh at your comment.I live in Thailand, so by that gauge, everything in Europe seems expensive to me.
The problems raised in this article of the side effects of mass tourism in a relatively small area are to be seen in many other tourist hot-spots exacerbated by the ever rise in tourist numbers including those from countries opening up to the concept of foreign travel such as India and China.Berlin, San Francisco, Barcelona, Paris, Rome & New York have all appeared in the press recently suffering from the onslaught of mass tourism in particular the effects of websites such as airbnb on the local property market.I went to Prague a few years back and agree with most of what has already been said although unlike others here I am too self-aware to start complaining about the amount of tourists in a city which I was visiting in a tourist capacity.I guess you are left with two choices: stay at home and appreciate your own country (which most people never do) or else go to places where few people venture – Bangladesh and most of West Africa spring to mind.
Well, for one it is not eastern Europe. It is central and it sucks. I spend a lot of time in Ukraine and that is real eastern Europe and has not been ruined by mass tourism yet. The groups have destroyed the city to the point where I disliked it all. It is also expensive too and walking is a nightmare. It makes Krakow and Budapest look like Paradise . Go to Kiev , Lviv, Minsk, even Poland but avoid Prague. It is so depressing to so how tourism killed the soul of a city. I actually got so angry that I told some to go back to China and that was not okay of me. However,the Chinese tour groups are terrible and ruin travel for all around them.
Tourism brings money into a country, Czech people should realize this. We visited Prague this September and we’re happy to leave. People are rude and will not help you. I was told by a Czech on my flight home that Czechs hate tourists and people with dark skin. I would never recommend this place…..so depressing and never sure if you are being ripped off with their currency, which is a must. They don’t like to take euros, in fact most places wont.
I as a Czech don’t have any problem with dark skinned People. The center of Prague is really small so its very crowded. The last Czech people who live there (most of the flats are Airbnb) still have to hear drunk tourist a? Night etc.. We in the Czech republic use Czech Crowns so you shouldnt be surprised if people here dont accept Euros. Its same if i’d like to pay by Euro in the US. Wish you a better experience next time in Prg.
My husband and I just got back from Prague, we were there in early to mid May 2018, and I completely agree with you…the old town area, although beautiful, was insanely crowded to an unpleasant degree….weirdly reminded me of Niagara Falls! And lots of kitschy shops, ice cream sellers, etc. But yes, you can escape the crowds by walking away from this area, including the neighborhood below the castle….but the old town part was one of the more beautiful areas of Prague, in terms of architecture. I think next time we visit any place in the future we will go in January and February and bundle up! Or go to some place undiscovered as of yet, if any still exists. It was, sadly, a disappointment. I was thinking of visiting Dubrovnik, then heard that’s also ruined by tourism as well! As a traveller you have to either put up with the crowds, prices, kitchiness, or find someplace undiscovered, and/or travel at an odd time.
Sadly, I have to agree Tsela. Just trying to walk across the Charles Bridge in Prague is a nightmare. Even in shoulder season, the town is a mass of tourists. Can’t really blame the locals for being a bit testy. But fortunately, there are still lots of virtually undiscovered places in the word. You just need to have a good sense of adventure! (P.S.: Dubrovnik is getting touristy, but is still nice enough for me to be able to recommend it.)
O my god! That’s really a bad experience and sorry you did not enjoy in Prague. You have mentioned pretty good points; I will consider these while I am travelling to Prague.
Try visiting again in off-season (off-season= less tourists +affordable prices) as you said. Replace your bad memories with fresh and new thoughts because Prague is a beautiful city with stunning architecture, castles, museums and much more. Finally am happy you had a good time in Poland.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Barbara.
You’re welcome, Helena. I recently saw an overhead photo of the Charles Bridge and, while there were still a lot of people on it, I didn’t see any vendors lining both sides, so maybe the city has gotten the message.
I certainly understand you feeling, from the overcrowded tourist attraction in Prague, it is quite a stampede, so why not try something that is more off the beaten track like , the quiet part of the Prague castle district- called Novy Svet- its narrow back streets, with picturesque little houses, one of these houses, it quite unique, as its one of the only surviving black and white timber built log cabins which are endemic in the Czech countryside.
This parts of the Prague castle, is certainly quiet, and definitely interesting, because it has no great landmarks, but is great to wander around and have a quite coffee
Hi Rob: Thanks for taking the time to reply. There were areas of Prague, well outside the tourist district, that I found more enjoyable. In fact, I stayed in the Prague 3/Zizkov area, so well outside the Old Town. And I did spend a day wandering around Novy Svet(took the trolley up the hill to the castle and walked back), which was much more enjoyable. I should probably give it one more try, but this time in low season.
I was in Prague with my family for 3 days during potato school vacation. It was my 3rd time in Prague and I can say that they are the unfriendliest people of all unfriendly people. They could learn the oposite behaviour in Greece. It is unposible to talk normaly with them, becouse I understand almoust everything in Czech, but couldn’t talk in sentances, so I thought if I talk Slovenian very slowly, they willl surelly understand. Everytime I’ve got back to me – NE RAZUMEM, vhich is the same in Slovene. Of course next thing to do is talk English and that was when we had our amusement every time. They understand English really bad and speak even worse. On the top of it young people in American franchises like Sturbucks want to apear more American as Americans themselves, so this young Czech wanted from us to spell our names in English that he could write them down on cups. The outcome weren’t our names, we were just laughing every time we thought of it.
But I don’t understand how they could have such enormous ahievements in the past, we Slovenians are total peasants towards them in our history.
I am 45 and in my twenties we have theme parties in Maribor called ?eška (Czech) parties, where you have to come dressed like a Czech, becouse in my youth Czech was sinonim for no style at all. Until I came for the 1st time to Prague I didn’t understand the gigantic contrast of magnificent city of Prague, which was Europe’s capital in middle age and industrial importance of Czech before WW2 und totaly unstyleish and indeferent Czech people how we know them in my lifetime.
Hi Barbara, I’ve just discovered your blog and I’m excited to read more and be inspired for my next trip. My husband and I spent two months in Prague earlier this year and we loved it. We did encounter people who could be called cold and unfriendly, in particular a very scary looking lady at the ticket desk at Petrin Tower comes to mind. We were also treated badly by rude staff at a restaurant when we were a little late for a reservation.
But for the most part, we found the Prague people friendly. One woman volunteered to walk us out of the shopping centre we were in to the metro station we needed to get to. We also had a lovely guy drive us around the Castle and charm us with stories of his past life as a musician. And many more similar experiences.
Maybe, we were lucky as we weren’t there in peak season. Even in March, the crowds at weekends on Charles Bridge put us off going there. We do plan to go back to Prague but maybe in winter when the crowds have left and the pace has slowed down again.
Hi Tracey: Thanks for sharing your experience. I did arrive in high season, so some of it was to be expected. Good to know that it’s not so bad during other times of the year.