Have you ever wanted to soak in a vat of beer?

Let me ask you, have you ever wanted to just soak in a vat of beer? Or how about drink a beer in the same bar Mozart used to frequent? Or here’s a fun one, have you seen Spider-Man: Far From Home? Regardless of your answers, you’re in luck because today we are going to do a little TBT and share with you our amazing 12 hour adventure in Prague!

Medal from the Berlin Marathon in the foreground and a beautiful building in the background

After the Berlin Marathon in 2018, we rented a car drove down toward Munich for Oktoberfest. (Which doesn’t actually mean “Okay to Beer Fest”, in case you were wondering if the Sam Adams ad was correct.) Since we had a week and a car, it seemed like the PERFECT opportunity to adventure and our first stop was Prague.

The Arrival

We got in around 3pm and the first thing we learned about Prague, is that their streets are narrow and congested. In the US, we are used to parking under an awning by the hotel’s front door to register and get your key. In Prague, we looped around blocks and drove through alleys until we found a spot a few blocks away to park and walk. Navigating that area was so dicey, we decided to do all of our exploring on foot. Fortunately for us, our hotel was very near the city center.

The City Center

Colorful buildings in the old city center in Prague — City Center

Monument in front of colorful buildings in Prague — City Center

The old town square is one of the most picturesque places I’ve ever seen. We strolled the uneven cobble stone streets past colorful Romanesque and renaissance styled buildings.

5 spits on a grill with pastries wrapped around them in Prague — On the spits

Man holding a pastry that is shaped like a cup, filled with frosting — On the spits

With no plans until dinner, we had plenty of time to explore and to try a trdelnik pastry from a street vendor. These sweet treats are made from pastries wrapped on a spit, grilled over an open fire, filled with Nutella or frosting, and rolled in cinnamon and sugar – just what you need for a little afternoon “pick-me-up”.

Clock tower in Prague — Clock tower with Astronomical Clock…under a TARP!

Seeing the famous astronomical clock in Prague has been on my “to-do” list since I first read about it years ago. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered it was being renovated and was covered in tarps. In the picture above, you can just see the blue tarps hanging on the left side of the tower. Similarly, the interior of St. Nicolas’ church was filled with scaffolding and drop cloths. These two things have cemented our running joke about the biggest tourist attraction being closed while we are in town. (I feel an upcoming post of all the things that were “under construction” might be in order!)

The Bridge and The Hike

The Charles Bridge is amazing but here’s a little tip…it is AMAZINGLY crowded during the day.

Charles Bridge with hundreds of tourists — So. Many. People.

If you wait until the evening, all those horrible tourists go home and you can enjoy some un-paralleled views.

St Dominic, the Madonna and Thomas Aquinas

River with colorful buildings around it in Prague — St Dominic, the Madonna and Thomas Aquinas

After crossing the bridge, every bit of the walk to the Palace was uphill.

Stairs heading upward as far as the eye can see — Stairs

Stairs heading down as far as the eye can see in Prague — Stairs

Stephen was barely 18 hours from running the Berlin Marathon, but he managed all the climbing like a champ. Along the route, he found a nook for a brief repose. We decided, this was his “St. Stephen”. pose.

The Cathedral and the Palace

A large gothic facade of a church with two spires and a huge window — St. Vitus Cathedral

Finally near the top of the climb, we were treated to the exterior of St. Vitus’ Cathedral but we decided against going inside when we saw the sheer number of humans who were milling around it.

Gate in front of Prague Palace, with a statue of a man holding a sword on one side and a club in the other — The unfriendly gate at Prague Castle

Check out the violent statues that adorn the entrance to the palace! It’s a wonder ANYONE would ever decide to visit it. Also, this the location of the “Defenestration of Prague” incidents. Apparently, it was very fashionable at one time to simply throw someone out a window if they annoyed you.

The Medieval Pub and the Beer Spa

A woman standing in front of a medieval pub

We navigated our way back to the old town center to this inauspicious door way. Talk about “old town”! Having a drink inside this pub was LITERALLY like stepping back in time. Printed on the menu is the history of the pub which was, thankfully, in English.

Two glasses of beer on either side of a candle

In continuous operation since 1375, legend has it that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed “A Little Night Music” while staying here and that Czech kings used a secret passage from the castle to come here and drown their grief in Bohemian beer.

And speaking of drowning your grief…have you ever wanted to soak in a vat of beer? Well, let me tell you…it’s ah-maze-ing! We were taken to a private room with two tubs full of hot water. The hops and grains were added to the water for a relaxing, restorative soak. Of course, I think the taps of beer and the liter mugs didn’t hurt either!

Have you ever wanted to soak in a vat of beer? Two wooden tubs with two beer taps between them — Two tubs and two taps

If you've ever wanted to soak in a vat of beer - this is what it looks like — Two tubs and two taps

After the soak, we dried off in front of the fireplace while we nibbled on freshly baked beer bread and followed by a short nap on the straw bed. I felt like a new person as we strolled back to hotel to get ready for dinner.

Fancy Dinner and Spiderman

Boats under a bridge in Prague — Boats under the Charles Bridge

Woman holding a glass of wine — Boats under the Charles Bridge

The Mlynec Restaurant sits along the Vitava River and is considered one of the top dining experiences in Prague. We were fortunate to snag an outdoor table where we could watch the boats go by and the sun set on the Charles Bridge.

Bridge lit at night — Charles Bridge at night

From our table, we could see that big white tents were setup on the Charles Bridge and that there were large cranes on boats hoisting things that looked like Volkswagen Beetles covered in canvas.

Since our plan was to cross the bridge, to see the Lennon wall sans tourists, we asked someone who was working there what was happening. Apparently, they were about film a scene from Spider-Man: Far From Home.

A crowd of people were standing behind yellow caution tape, hoping to watch the filming or at least see the actors. But since we had a date with a wall across the river, we lifted the caution tape and walked on through like we belonged there.

The Lennon Wall and Hemmingway’s Bar

A wall full of graffiti — The Lennon Wall

Empty street next to the wall — The Lennon Wall

Choosing to see the Lennon wall after dark was absolutely the right call. As you can see, we were completely alone and had the time to read all the thoughts and hopes people had left there.

It was a perfect day and a perfect evening, so it seemed only fitting that it had a perfect end. We strolled back across the bridge to bar that was a little piece of home – Hemmingway’s Cocktail Bar. Under the portrait of the writer, we were treated to a dark and cozy bar, bartenders dressed like it was 1920, and two delicious craft cocktails.

Portrait of the writer Ernest Hemmingway

If you don’t count the time we spent sleeping, our entire adventure was only 12 hours long! Prague is HIGH on our list of places to visit again, once we’ve seen the rest of the world.

Don’t take our word for it for how great it was, if you ever want to soak in a vat of beer…you can do that right here in the US!

I hope you enjoyed reading about this wonderful place. If you’d like to stay up to date with all our adventures and travel tips, please consider subscribing for free!