Prague Castle and Public Transportation

4 May 2022.

After another in a long (and growing) line of leisurely breakfasts, we dressed and headed out for the day. We had several objectives: dry run the public transport for returning to the train station Friday morning, visit Wenceslas Square, find the Mysak pastry shop, and head up to the Prague Castle. Located on the other side of the river the castle is one of the tourist high points, literally and figuratively.

So, we walked around the corner from our apartment and waited for the no. 9 tram to take us directly to the station. The tram system really dominates public transport in central Prague and very few busses are to be found. While the underground metro is useful for traversing long distances in the city, it's the tramway that holds the key to getting around downtown easily and quickly.

Also, it is free for anyone over 65! All trams, busses and the metro. FREE. And we learned that only by chance when we stopped by a nearby tourist office to ask about day pass fares.

After some confusion on our part as to where exactly to stand, the Nine arrived. We boarded and in less than 10 minutes were at the stop near the train station. It was a 5-minute walk to get inside. While there we thought to do some reconnaissance on the platform system and location.  

For our return from the station we wanted to check to see if the metro might work better for us on Friday (the short answer is no.) We followed the escalator down to the C line took it one stop (Muzeum)  to the A line. Since we were heading to the castle we remained on the A which took us across the river and (sort of) close to our objective.

waiting for the no. 9 tram

v

on the metro, switching from lines C to A

waiting for the A train

Our maps were a bit unclear as to which stop was the best for getting to the Prague Castle and so we found ourselves in a quiet residential neighborhood some distance from our objective. Even though the walk was uphill the weather was sunny and warm and the walk took us through a lovely area where even the tram tracks were lined with trees (see photo below, the tracks are to the right).

We soon found the entrance to the castle. Once inside the location we were confronted by a small challenge of finding exactly where we were to get tickets. Once that problem was solved we were again confronted by the (now old) issue of what did we want to see since there were a variety of ticket bundles. 

We opted for the so-called "Castle Circuit" and off we went. 

looking back to the entrance; we would return this way to a nearby tram stop

inner courtyard

Saint Vitus cathedral

how many have stood right there looking up century after century?

the tomb of Jano Nepomuckeho, I have no idea who he is but the sculpture is incredible

back outside close to the cathedral

From the church it was a short walk to the palace.

the large audience hall

the chapel where Saint Ludmilla, patron saint of Bohemia, is buried

the area called the Gold Lane, where many of the local workers lived

Leaving the castle we retraced our steps and near the exit picked up the no. 22 tram going back across the river close to home. We got off relatively close to our another objective for the day: Wenceslas Square.

Sloping down from the square was a small cluster of food stands selling mostly tasty looking sausages, peppers, potatoes and other goodies to grab on the go.

good King Wenceslas himself with the National Museum in the background - note the Ukrainian banner

mushrooms with peppers

According to my pastry shop guide (AKA the French Tarte) the pastry shop she was keen on visiting was on a street just off the square. So off we went down one of the main streets bordering the square

After a few minutes walk we found the pastry shop Mysak. We settled in for awhile. I had a glass of crisp white wine and Susie had a cappuccino with a tasting of three small pastries: a lemon tart, glazed choux bun, and an interesting chocolate cake ball. They were tasty indeed. (Susie will have a post up soon on Mysak.)

lemon tart

choux bun

the chocolate thing

After returning home and taking care of a few chores we went back out in the evening for supper. Again we went next door but this time in the opposite direction from Pilsnerka Narodni. We popped into the Pho Bar. Susie had chicken curry with rice and I had shrimp fried rice; we each had an order of spring rolls. The food was fresh and so very tasty. 

Tomorrow is our last day in Prague and we plan to play it by ear, so to speak. Stay tuned!