My birthday always falls on or around the August bank holiday. So, lucky fiancé that I am, Rhian bought us a two night break in Prague to celebrate.
Not arriving at our accommodation Salvator Superior Apartments on Revolucni until the evening and after trying to work out the unfathomable house numbers (there seems to be two or three numbers for each house in Prague, anyone that can shed some light on this please do as I would be really interested!), we were looking forward to dumping our stuff and getting out for a drink and to explore this picturesque medieval city. We were met with a locked door and a sign directing us to another hotel for ‘late check in’. Fortunately however, this was only 5 minutes’ walk away which lessened the inconvenience. The room was fairly basic and I would suggest that there is better accommodation out there for the price.
Having already eaten, we decided we would just drop into the Museum of Beer for a few drinks. This was a fairly rustic old place on Dlouha with a bar area at the front and a rather dark and smokey seating area at the rear. At one point I was sitting under a leaky pipe. This may not sound appealing but what it lacked in finesse it made up for with choice of beer. It had an extensive menu and we opted to have a taster stick of local beers and the waiting staff were only too happy to suggest suitable ones to go for. Worth a visit for the beer connoisseurs.
The next morning we stopped in the local shop opposite our hotel which did unbelievably good vegetarian samosas, then took in some sights including the Powder Tower, Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock (get there on the hour to see it in action). A short walk from the latter led us down a small alley off Karlova 25 where we found a tiny bar called Cafe Arieta which, to our surprise was advertising vegan cakes. Despite the early hour we accompanied our vegan treat with a local Czech Pilsner. We both had chocolate cake which were very good and definitely worth popping in for if you’re in the city.
From there, walking over Charles Bridge and taking a right we grabbed some lunch in Pizzeria Canzone on Josefska. The range was limited for vegans but the staff spoke good English and were able to assist with dietary requirements.
Rhian had booked us onto a beer tour later that afternoon via Expedia. It started badly as the directions we had been given led us to the wrong place. Eventually finding where we should be through a bit of investigation, we were led to a bar on Ramova. Even though we were told to wear comfortable shoes for the ‘tour’, this was the sole (no pun intended) venue for the event. Despite this, some dubious ‘facts’ about the alcohol consumption of the average Czech man and the presence of a rowdy Swiss stag do we actually had fun. Not so much due to the tour guide as meeting a couple of nice groups from York (England) and Louisiana (USA) who were up for getting in the swing of the beer tasting and exchanging ever more inappropriate yet entertaining stories as the beer flowed.
Having consumed enough alcohol to sink a ship we ploughed on to the obligatory Hard Rock Cafe visit and they were more than happy to accommodate Rhian’s vegan needs as usual. It’s worth a visit there for the enormous guitar chandelier alone.
Afterwards we found Svejk Restaurant U Zeleneho Stromu on Betlemske Namesti. As it was a warm evening we sat outside in the large beer garden which had a great vibe aided by an accordion player in the corner providing the background music. The beer was good and we managed to get through several Pilsners each (plumping for Pilsner having discovered earlier in the evening that in the Czech Republic they consider dark beers to be “for girls”, the tour guide’s words, not mine). It was at this point I derived the alcohol fuelled theory (from then on known as “Prague Theory”) that as the beer gets cheaper you get less drunk from it, can drink it quicker, can drink more of it and don’t get as hung over. That last part was dispelled by the next morning.
Another corner shop samosa later and a bit of exploration around the centre, we headed over the river and up towards the palace and monastery. We decided to visit the brewery which is located underground in the old wine cellars of the monastery and is a must visit for the novelty factor alone. From there we headed to the restaurant in the monastery grounds (Klášterní pivovar Strahov) for some food on the terrace. This was certainly not awash with vegan options but Rhian did manage to order chips and bread whilst I had beef and dumplings.
Suitably full, we started back down the hill, soaking in the panoramic views of the city as we did so (it is worth heading up to the monastery for this alone). A perfect way to end a great birthday weekend (plus we did manage to find a bar to watch the Swans beating Manchester United!).
Whilst this was a great trip it probably wasn’t such a culinary delight for Rhian. The couple of vegan friendly places we did find were reasonable but limited in selection. Although the lack of vegan options we discovered is probably more down to the lack of effort to find suitable outlets than anything else (must try harder). The city itself is stunning and well worth a visit. Don’t waste it on a stag or hen do, go there and take the time to soak in the vibe and atmosphere (and maybe try the odd 80p beer – see our PPI page for a list of the cheapest beers we have found in each city). You won’t be disappointed