PRAGUE VISITOR PASS IS YOUR PASSPORT TO THE CITY
Sometimes a city visitor card is worth its weight in gold. Ramy James Salameh discovered as much in Prague, where it helped him see a familiar city, one he’d visited many times before, in a whole new light, revealing fresh experiences and perspectives at every turn.
Prague Old Town
Mention that you’re visiting Prague, and you’re met with a chorus of oohs and aahs. It’s a city everyone seems to know and nearly everyone longs to see. And once you’ve been, you’re already dreaming of returning.
The first time I visited Prague was interrailing in 1992, just a few years after the velvet revolution, several trips have followed. On this most recent occasion, I had the opportunity to use the ‘Prague Visitor Pass’, which proved to be a game-changing way to see this beautiful city in so many different ways and perspectives.
The Prague Visitor Pass became my 48h to 120hr flexible-friend giving me access to all public transportation and entry into more than 70 major historical and cultural sites. The pass can sit in your wallet as a physical card or virtually to your mobile phone via the app.
High points of the city
Prague is fondly known as the ‘City of a Hundred Spires’ and as such, has an inordinate number of viewpoints to climb and vistas to admire. This includes the mighty Prague Castle complex, looking down upon the warm ochre rooftops, clustered above a medieval maze of lanes and market squares, to the church spires reaching skyward; the Vltava River winds through its heart beneath the ancient 14th century Charles Bridge, where rows of saintly stone statues keep watch.
Prague is also a city of striking architectural contrasts, which the pass allows you to explore. To the west is Petřín Tower built as part of the Jubilee Exhibition of 1891 and reached by funicular; it is a miniature-style Eiffel tower surrounded by the greenery of Petřín Hill and Park.
Also, the main landmark of the Jubilee Exhibition of 1891 is the newly reopened Industrial Palace in the trendy Holešovice district of the city, an area worth lingering in. This much loved art-nouveau heritage landmark is now an events venue, but worth a quick tram-ride from the centre to see its dramatic façade gleaming with a mosaic of stained glass, punctuated by the bohemian Lion crest, St. Wenceslas’ Crown and the 51-meter-high clock tower.
Rising just east of the city centre is another lofty landmark, which is the architecturally controversial Žižkov TV Tower the tallest building in Prague. This striking post-modern structure has a viewing platform, restaurant and even a 1-bed hotel. The TV Tower is a ‘must-visit’ and not only for the views but also for the art installation of 3.5m-long toddlers crawling up and down the outside walls, created for Prague during its status as Capital of Culture and the brainchild of renowned artist David Černý.
Branching out from the Medieval Town Square
The best starting point for any Prague tour is the medieval Old Town Square, which has been operating as a market place since the 12th century. There is always a crowd amassing below the Astronomical Clock (dating to 1410) to watch the mechanical apostle procession; try to arrive early for the first of the days “walk of the apostles” before the square becomes a sea of people.
After witnessing the clock chime, head immediately into the Town Hall, making full use of the pass by heading up the 80m tower, then onto the state rooms, Virgin Mary chapel and then below ground for a tour of the Romanesque-Gothic underground vaults which served as the centre of the Prague Uprising against the Nazis.
Walking distance from the Town Hall is Prague’s Jewish Quarter with Europe’s oldest synagogue, the Jewish Cemetery with 12,000 visible tombstones layered across centuries and the poignant Pinkas Synagogue with the names of the many who perished in WWII, hand-painted on the walls. These and other Jewish sites come under one ticket provided free with the pass.
Ticket to ride
What makes so many of these sites and attractions accessible during a short city break, is that a variety of transportation options are available for free with the Prague pass. This means the metro, trams, buses and the Airport Express, but also experiential (river cruise) and heritage (Tram 42) modes of carriage.
I set sail from Čech Bridge & Dvořák Embankment on ‘Bella Bohemia’ one of Prague Boat’s fleet of electric cruisers which serenely and silently glides passed Charles Bridge, Kampa and Prague Castle. Not only does this give visitors a unique perspective from the water, but also a moment to relax away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Next, I boarded the historic ’Heritage Tram 42’ which meanders a circular route beside the city’s most important attractions, allowing one to hop-on-and-off at will. This 24-hour-ticket is a nostalgic way to travel back in time, as you might be seated on a tram car from the era of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, from the 1950s or 1970s.
Another important part of Czech life is beer. The population are the largest consumers of beer per capita in the world. Part of the journey to understand why, can be found at the ‘Pilsen Urquell - Original Beer Experience’. This was one activity I could not miss and was just a short walk from Můstek metro station. Inside, ticket-holders wind a route through the history of brewing beer and how this famous Czech brewery is very much entwined with the history of Czech beer. The tour ended with two shiny coins being deposited in my hand to exchange for a tasting at the in-house bar and all I had to do was show my pass once again.
Time to Stroll
All of that said, do take time just to wander the cobbled streets of the old town and stroll beside the river’s edge. I chanced upon Náplavka Farmers' Market running along the embankment on Saturday morning, where I sampled from, and pondered over, stall after stall of fresh produce and artisanal products from the regions.
In this part of the city one can locate the wavy glass façade of the dancing house, celebrating its 30-year anniversary this year. Hidden just around the corner is the 'Cathedral of Saints Cyril & Methodius' on Resslova Street, whose crypt is now a memorial for those involved in ‘Operation Anthropoid’ which resulted in the assassination of Nazi kingpin Rheinhardt Heydrich; the unfolding story of how these brave parachutists trained by the British governments Special Operations Executive in WW2, came to their demise in the crypt. It is free to visit, highly recommended and an evocative interlude.
Even after all these experiences, I had barely scratched the surface of everything included in the Prague Visitor Pass but that just means one thing, I have to return to the City of a Hundred Spires!
*Ramy stayed at the Prague Hilton Old Town / Image Credit: Ramy James Salameh
