Prague Blog

Prague Day Trips - Pilsen

8/18/2022

A detail of one of the Loos Interiors in Pilsen

As you will know from my blog posts during the pandemic, I took advantage of the free time I had due to the lack of tourists – and therefore a lack of tours – to travel during both summers (2020 and 2021), the only time most restrictions were lifted. But because of the various restrictions that were still in place during the summers, I was for the most part limited to travel in within the Czech Republic. And it was wonderful! I not only revisited some favorite places that I had not been to in years (such as Český Krumlov), I also made it a point to visit some towns and sites that, despite having lived here for several decades, I had never seen (like Žďár nad Sázavou). And I became fascinated again, and in a different way, with the amazing lands that are the Czech Republic. With its bucolic countryside, royal towns and castles, the Czech Republic has something for everyone. There’s even a wine country in this nation of beer lovers!

Czech Beer - The REAL Czech National Treasure

7/20/2022

Delicious Czech Beer

If you know anything about beer – or even if you’re just someone who likes beer – you probably know that Czech beer is simply wonderful. In fact, many rate Czech beer as the best beer in the world. And if you’re planning to visit Prague, you’ve probably read about how good Czech beer is. The Charles Bridge? The Astronomical Clock? Prague Castle? No, beer is the REAL Czech national treasure!

In any case, if you’re a beer drinker, I would venture to say that you’ll love Czech beer. And many of my tour clients who are not beer drinkers at all want to at least try it when they visit, and even those non-beer drinkers say it’s “very good.” In this post, I’m going to tell you a few things about Czech beer and some of the best places to enjoy it when you’re in town.

Prague spring

5/21/2022

Prague's Vrtba Garden

Prague's Vrtba Garden

Spring is here and you should be, too!

There is nothing quite like a Prague spring. Just the phrase, “Prague spring” has many connotations and meanings. There is the famous “Prague Spring International Music Festival” that takes place every year beginning on May 12 and lasting into June. World-renowned musicians and orchestras – including the Czech Philharmonic, of course, as well as others from around the world – perform in this annual ritual, and concert-goers from all over the world flock to it for a musical holiday.

Will Travel Return in 2022?

2/2/2022

Prague-Private-Guided-Tours

Will 2022 be the year that travel returns? In many respects, it’s looking that way. And for obvious reasons, I certainly hope so. Needless to say, I’m hoping for the revival of my Prague tour business, but I’m also looking forward to being able to travel freely internationally again myself!

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Of course, travel between Europe and America is possible now and has been for some time, and I did have a few tour clients in 2021, which was great. But there have been and still are many restrictions on travel, be they Covid test requirements or multitudes of forms to fill out, not just for your destination, but for transit countries as well.

Czech Wine Country – A Trip to Southern Moravia

9/17/2021

Czech-Republic-Moravia-Chateau

Mikulov and the Mikulov Chateau

As summer wound down, I took advantage of the remaining nice weather to take a few road trips in the Czech Republic. The most recent was a trip to the town of Mikulov and surrounding areas in the wine-making region of Moravia.

10 Things You Didn’t Know about Prague

5/14/2021

There are many fascinating facts about Prague, so it’s hard to select just ten. But here is an attempt at capturing some of the most interesting ones and hopefully a few that you didn’t know:

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein - reprinted with permission from Pixabay & Library of Congress

1. The famous physicist and Nobel Laureate Albert Einstein lived in Prague for just over a year when he was a professor at Charles University, one of the oldest universities in Europe. While he was in Prague, he also participated in the literary-philosophical salon held by a local intellectual, Berta Fanta, operated in her flat on Old Town Square.

Have Vaccine, Will Travel?

4/26/2021

Prague-Charles-Bridge

Prague's famous Charles Bridge

While rollouts of vaccinations against COVID 19 have been happening in many countries to varying degrees since the beginning of this year, it looks as though things have really turned a corner at least in the U.S. when it comes to having well over a majority of its population vaccinated in time for summer.

Other nations, for various reasons, have not had as much success, and that has included the Czech Republic. However, just this week we here are starting to turn a corner, too, when it comes to vaccines. Just today the New York Times published an article titled “E.U. Set to Let Vaccinated U.S. Tourists Visit This Summer.”

Prague’s Orechovka Neighborhood

2/18/2021

Prague-Orechovka-Neighborhood

If you’ve been following my blog, you will know that I spent much of last year exploring more of the Czech Republic than I’ve done in a while. I visited many places for the first time that had long been on my list, and I also revisited some of my favorite places, such as Cesky Krumlov.

Christmas in Prague During the Coronavirus Pandemic

11/30/2020

Prague-Christmas-Market

Christmas decorations and the Tyn Church on Old Town Square in Prague.

Greetings from Prague as we move into the Holiday Season!

Another Spike in the Autumn

In Prague and throughout the Czech Republic, we had another outbreak of the Coronavirus when children returned to school (and locals returned from their summer travels elsewhere in Europe). This caused the government to again enact strict measures to contain the virus, with eventually everything closed except for grocery stores, pharmacies and medical facilities. This time around we even had a curfew imposed from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., and unlike the first shutdown in March, ALL shops were closed on Sundays.

Beyond Prague - Žďár Nad Sázavou

9/30/2020

Zdar-Monastery

Prelate's residence at the monastery in Zdar nad Sazavou

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that this summer I spent a lot more time traveling than I usually do. As a tour guide, my summers are usually spent working – a lot – so the tourist season is normally not that for me! Sadly, due to the Coronavirus, my tour business was virtually nonexistent this year, so I decided to hit the road. But the pandemic also made travel outside of one’s country a bit difficult or impossible – so I did something I hadn’t done since I first moved to Prague: I traveled around the Czech Republic.