"Operas and cycling in Prague" Prague by Nemorino

Prague Travel Guide: 11,426 reviews and 23,093 photos

Three opera houses in Prague - Prague
Three opera houses in Prague

My first visit to Prague was on the ten thousand nine hundred and fifty ninth day of my life. I later described this day in a story that was published in a small magazine called The Remington Review. The story is in my travelogue in case you would like to have a look.

I returned to Prague fifteen thousand one hundred and twenty six days later and everything was different. The sun was shining, the Soviet Union had ceased to exist, digital photography had been invented, Czechoslovakia had broken up peacefully into two countries and I did not have the runs.

Láska on the John Lennon Wall - Prague

Láska on the John Lennon Wall

Besides the State Opera, where I saw Giuseppe Verdi's Aida the next night, there are two other opera houses in Prague: the National Theater (by the Moldau River in the middle of the top photo) and the Estates Theater, which is where Mozart's opera Don Giovanni had its world premiere in the autumn of 1787.

Unfortunately there were no performances at the Estates Theater during the week I was in Prague, but at the National Theater I saw Donizetti's Nápoj lásky, better known in Italian as L'elisir d'amore and in English as The elixir of love. The word LÁSKA means love in Czech, as I knew because it is painted in large letters on Prague's John Lennon Wall. (Láska means "love" and lásky means "of love".)

From my 2011 visit I have posted thirty Things to Do tips about Prague, divided up as follows:

Bicycle tour of Prague - Prague

Bicycle tour of Prague

Things to Do 1-10: Three opera venues, two music museums and one theater.

Things to Do 11-20: Prague Castle, Lobkowicz Palace, Franz Kafka Museum.

Things to Do 21-30: A bicycle tour of Prague.

Except for the tour groups I didn't see many people riding bicycles in Prague, and those I did see were mainly dressed up in tight-fitting lycra to look like racing cyclists.

Cycling as a form of everyday urban transportation is still rare in Prague (as of 2011), since there are hardly any bicycle lanes in the city and often little or no room for them. Those few people who do ride bicycles often ride on the sidewalk, which would be illegal in Germany but seems to be accepted or at least tolerated in Prague.

The Old Town is mainly pedestrianized, which is fine except that the streets are paved with large cobblestones and are very crowded with people, leaving practically no room for bicycles.

I did see some indications, though, that the city council in Prague is preparing for an increase in bicycle traffic in the near future. It will be interesting to see how the use of bicycles develops in Prague in the next few years.

The only cycling I did in Prague in 2011 was on the bicycle tour that I took with a shop called Praha Bikes. Otherwise I traveled mainly by tram, for reasons I will explain in one of my Transportation tips.

  • Last visit to Prague: Apr 2011
  • Intro Updated Sep 23, 2011
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Reviews (44)

Bicycle stand behind the Estates Theater - Prague The first bicycle stand in Prague Transportation (8)

In April 2011 this was the only bicycle stand I saw in Prague. Maybe there are others? Or perhaps this is just the first... more travel advice

1. Bicycle signs - Prague Rudimentary bicycle routes Transportation (8)

This is the only street I saw in Prague which allows bicycles to go against the traffic in a one-way street -- but... more travel advice

1. Entrance to City Bike - Prague City Bike Transportation (8)

This shop calls itself "Prague's Original and Finest" bike shop. I had a chat with them and they seemed very friendly... more travel advice

1. Praha Bikes meeting point - Prague Praha Bikes Transportation (8)

This is a bicycle shop which rents bikes and also runs bicycle tours. I took one of their "classic" city tours, as I... more travel advice

Comments (44)

  • brendareed's Profile Photo
    May 19, 2013 at 1:17 AM

    Another brilliant page, Don! I can always count on you to provide insightful tips with interesting lessons from history, literature, and music! Tom and I are heading to Prague for a long Memorial Day weekend so your page has been most helpful in our planning. Crossing my fingers that we have great weather - it looks like a wonderful city to photograph! Thanks :-) ~Brenda

    • Nemorino's Profile Photo
      May 20, 2013 at 4:15 AM

      Brenda, thanks for your many ratings and nice comment. Have a great time in Prague! I always forget when Memorial Day is, but I suppose not until next weekend. The seven-day forecast is for cool and showery weather in Prague, but for seeing a city that’s better than a heat wave.

  • Reply
    Yaqui's Profile Photo
    May 1, 2013 at 6:56 PM

    The whole city looks so tranquile and inviting! An excellent page Don!

  • GentleSpirit's Profile Photo
    Apr 21, 2013 at 2:44 PM

    Don you had a number of reviews about some really neat looking museums and things to do. I was looking forwad to hearing your impressions about how Prague had changed since you last saw it, of course that was during a totally different time. Great read, thanks !

    • Nemorino's Profile Photo
      Apr 22, 2013 at 5:15 AM

      Thanks for your ratings and nice comments on my Prague tips. I don’t really remember much about my first visit, since it was just a stopover on my way to meet some relatives for the first time.

  • Reply
    TooTallFinn24's Profile Photo
    Jul 1, 2012 at 11:26 PM

    Don- I enjoyed reading some of your Prague pages. While not a bicycle friendly city it seems that you had a good time on your bicycle tour.

  • Reply
    nighthawk's Profile Photo
    May 11, 2012 at 2:52 PM

    thank you for visiting my prague page! and your comments! your prague is quite different .. as you yourself describe in your intro ... wonderful work!

  • Reply
    lmkluque's Profile Photo
    Apr 29, 2012 at 7:18 AM

    I had to laugh at your comment on the "Erotic" shop next to your hotel. In Slovakia, after the Velvet Revolution, many new political parties sprang up, including a type of erotic party!

  • Reply
    Yaqui's Profile Photo
    Apr 18, 2012 at 8:38 PM

    I'm in awe of some of the wonderful place you've been too. Such beauty, music and history here is fantastic. Thanks for sharing a special place in the world with us and me. Excellent page!

  • Reply
    Regina1965's Profile Photo
    Mar 25, 2012 at 1:22 PM

    As always, the best transport and opera tips on the Internet :) I agree with you that the trousers could have been a bit shorter ;) It is agony listening to a speech when one doesn´t understand the language. What are the 3 words you know? I bet you know more... I see some similarities between some words in Czech and Serbian.

  • Reply
    kris-t's Profile Photo
    Feb 11, 2012 at 7:43 AM

    I’m thinking about visit Prague again. Tim have not seen it yet. Thanks for interesting tips!

  • Reply
    mustertal's Profile Photo
    Jan 29, 2012 at 1:26 PM

    Prague is my favorite city.My boss is Czech and we went there for her 80th birthday.Just after the Russians left, we camped by the Vlitava for a couple of weeks, it was quite a different Prague then.

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