"The most beautiful city in Europe?" a Prague Travel Page by antistar

Coming from Budapest I wasn't expecting all that much from Prague, after all Budapest is a pearl of the Danube. But Prague puts Budapest in the shade. It's Budapest and then some.

For me Prague was very Germanic, which isn't surprising given its Habsburg history. It felt like Germany with a Slavic twist; as beautiful as I imagined many of the German cities would have been today if they hadn't been flattened by allied bombers.

The Czechs also appeared a little more German than their Slavic cousins to the south: The city was clean, everything functioned perfectly, there's little crime, service is an alien concept to many, and the cold shoulder ratio felt quite high.

Despite being a major capital, and jam packed with tourist attractions, Prague is actually quite manageable. The vast majority of everything you might want to see is located in three or four centrally located districts, all of which can be walked around in a single day. For the less energetic, and for reaching out of the way places like the TV Tower in Zizkov, there is an excellent metro system.

The main districts are the Stare Mesto (Old Town), Mala Strana at the foot of the main castle district, the Hradcany where the castle sits upon a hill overlooking the center, and you can also find a few things to see in Nove Mesto (New Town).

The key sights in the city are the Hradcany castle, Charles Bridge, and the Old Town square, but many of the best views are to be had away from the popular sights. Take a trip up the Petrin tower for amazing views of Hradcany, or walk across the bridges adjacent to Charles Bridge to see it in all its glory as it spans the Vltana.

Two days is a minimum to spend in Prague, as you'll easily spend that time just wandering around photographing the many fantastic views you will find. If you want to take it easy and see a museum or two, you'll want to spend up to a week here.

Photo Album on Facebook (better quality).