Top Things to See in Prague, Czech Republic

One of our favorite cities in Europe is Prague in the Czech Republic. With its medieval charm, you could spend hours wandering the streets of old town or the lesser quarter with the castle complex. There are many wonderful sights to see, but these were our favorite ones in no particular order. Because Prague is a popular tourist destination, you can certainly count on plenty of crowds wherever you go.

View of the Castle Complex
  1. Prague Castle – Some of the best views of the castle complex can be found from across the Vltava River where you can get a true sense of its size. Seeing it from the distance isn’t good enough, though, you should take the time to go to the castle and get tickets to tour the grounds and inside. The castle complex is made up of several buildings from the fortress, presidential palace, smaller palaces, as well as several churches.

    Front of the Palace in the Castle Complex
  2. Charles Bridge – With its impressive guard towers, two on the side of the lesser quarter and one on the side of old town, the bridge is truly stunning. There are many statues, all of which are replicas of their original ones, making it one of the most unique bridges in Europe. Throughout the year, you will find musicians playing historic instruments as well as many different artists selling their works all along the bridge. It can get quite crowded on the bridge, so patience is a must.

    View from Charles Bridge
  3. Astronomical Clock – Located in the old town square on the southern wall of the town hall, the Astronomical Clock is quite fascinating to see. Crowds gather at the top of the hour to watch the “Walk of the Apostles” where the figures of the Apostles and other figures, including a skeleton representing Death, move around the clock face.

    Astronomical Clock
  4. Saint Vitus Cathedral – Although it is part of the castle complex, the cathedral certainly stands out as being worthy to visit on its own. With its Gothic architecture, it is the largest and most important cathedral in the Czech Republic. The colorful artwork above the arches definitely stand out as you approach the cathedral. The clock tower is clearly visible from all around the city.

    St. Vitus Cathedral
  5. Old Town Square – With many shops and restaurants, there is plenty to see in the old town area of Prague. Although there is plenty to see in the square itself, be sure to wander the side streets where you will find even more stores with unique items for sale. If you are wanting to taste some authentic, local food, many options abound, but you will likely want to make reservations as they can be hard to get into at busy times of the year.

    Walking the Streets
  6. The Lennon Wall – What started as a tribute to John Lennon after his death, the wall has continued to be a dedication to the artist, the Beatles, and to ideals that they expressed. It is an ever-changing work of art as people continuously add to it with their own interpretations. You will also often find artists there playing songs from the Beatles as well.

    Colorful Lennon Wall
  7. River Boat Cruise – As with many cities, seeing Prague from the Vltava River is a wonderful way to get a different view of the city. Many of them offer dinner cruises or even an afternoon cruise offering wine and beer. Even without the narrative providing the historical facts regarding the buildings along the river, it is a pleasant way to spend an hour or two on the water.

    View from the River Cruise

There are certainly plenty of other places within Prague that are worth visiting, but these were ones that we enjoyed the most. We didn’t make it to any museums during our trip, but there are plenty, including the National Museum, if you have the time to spend to see the various exhibits and collections. Regardless of what sights you decide to see, Prague is a beautiful city and is best enjoyed at a relaxing pace in order to truly enjoy everything that it has to offer. Make sure to take time to slow down and absorb the sights and sounds, you will enjoy the city much more than if you rush from one historic site to another.

Artwork on the St. Vitus Cathedral
Amazing Architecture
View of the City

 

Historic Heidelberg Castle

Heidelberg is a very  popular place to visit in Germany and it is certainly a wonderful city with a charming, historic feel. Clearly it is a popular tourist destination and top among the sites to visit is the castle that looms large over the old town. No matter where you are, the castle is clearly visible on the hillside above the city that lies on the Neckar River. One of the more interesting things is that as you walk around the castle grounds, the castle takes on quite unique perspectives.

View of Some of the Most Preserved Parts of the Castle
Castle Tower
Signs of Destruction
Looming Above the City

When we visited the castle, we decided to take a guided tour since we often like to hear about the history and see sights that are sometimes only available by tour.  Unfortunately we were disappointed with this particular tour although we really enjoyed the castle itself. Our disappointment was partially due to two young children who misbehaved and disrupted every aspect of the tour, however, even if that hadn’t been the case, it would not have been worth the small price that we paid. The castle has been in a state of constant flux since its original construction in the thirteenth century. What is left today is a ruin of a castle, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth seeing, because it definitely is.

Clear Sky Behind the Castle
Gorgeous Castle
View of the Castle
More Signs of Destruction

It is hard to imagine how beautiful it must have been during the height or its glory, but it must have truly been grand. It helps that it was a gorgeous day when we visited, which added to overall beauty of castle and the city. The castle grounds are no longer filled with lavish gardens, but it is still a beautiful place to visit. Today, the castle is rented out for weddings and special events, so one of the reasons that we didn’t like the tour was the subliminal selling message that we heard throughout the tour. Although the castle is clearly in decay, it is still very much worth visiting if you get the chance to visit Heidelberg.

Model of the Full Castle
Open Windows
Another View of the Castle
Gorgeous Autumn Day

 

Hatshepsut Temple and the Colossi of Memnon

There are so many fascinating sights to see when visiting Luxor, Egypt that you could easily spend a week or more in the area. Although the Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple are absolute must-see’s, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon should also be on your list. They are both located on the west bank of the Nile outside of Luxor and we visited them after spending several hours in the Valley of the Kings. As with a lot of the things that you will find in Egypt, these are both amazing partially due to their sheer size.

Statues Outside of the Hatshepsut Temple’s Main Building
Both of the Colossi of Memnon Statues
Hieroglyphs Inside of the Temple
Head of a Collapsed Statue

The Hatshepsut Temple is dedicated to both the god Amun as well as Hatshepsut, who was the greatest female pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Her reign begin in 1507 BCE and lasted for about 50 years. Her influence can be found throughout the temples of Egypt and she was responsible for the creation of the largest obelisks in Karnak Temple. The temple itself is considered one of the greatest architectural achievements of ancient Egypt with a style that resembles the classic Greek architecture that would follow about a thousand years later. It took 15 years to complete the construction of the temple and it is quite impressive, especially with the backdrop of the mountains behind it. Djeser Djeseru (holy of holiest) is the name of the main building and is also sometimes used to refer to the entire temple.

Very Impressive
Close-Up of One of the Statues
Many Steps to Climb
Inside the Temple Grounds

The Colossi of Memnon are two enormous statues representing Amenhotep III who reigned in the 13th century BCE. Both statues, which are about 60 feet high (18 meters), face the Nile River. Although the Mortuary of Amenhotep III, which was located behind the statues, no longer exists do to floods and the common practice of taking stones from older monuments to create new ones, the statues themselves are quite impressive. You don’t need to spend a lot of time to see the statues, but they are definitely worth putting on your itinerary. By the time that we made it to them, we were exhausted from walking through the tombs and temples in the extreme heat.

Huge Statue of Amenhotep
Valley of the Kings in the Background
More of the Hatshepsut Temple

Egypt is such an amazing country with a history that stretches back over 5000 years. Our time in Luxor was definitely one of the highlights of our trip, if not our favorite place. We spent two days in the area and wish that we could have spend more time.