Prague Blog

Prague spring

5/21/2022

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.

Český Krumlov – a Southern Bohemian Fairy tale

8/18/2020

Český-Krumlov

View from the castle in Český Krumlov

I mentioned in my last blog post that I’ve been using my free time - resulting from (sadly) the lack of tourists - to travel around the Czech Republic. My first stop was Hluboka Chateau, next was the fairy tale-like town of Český Krumlov.

Český Krumlov is one of my favorite places – not just in the Czech Republic, but in the world. In fact, though it had been more than a decade since my last visit, I realized that this was my 11th visit to the town, and with the exception of one business trip, all were for pleasure. It’s a great weekend escape from Prague.

Austrian charm

Located in Southern Bohemia near the Austrian border, you’ll notice an Austrian feel in Český Krumlov (Krumlau in German). With a castle that sits atop a bluff overlooking a hairpin turn in the Vltava river, sloping medieval rooftops and a Rumpelstiltskin tower, this medieval town is dripping with charm. And the views from the castle are simply stunning. No matter where you’re perched on it, each view offers a picture-perfect photo op – or plein air site for the artists among you.

Prague day trips - hluboka chateau

7/17/2020

Prague-Day-Trips-Hluboka

Hluboka Chateau in South Bohemia

There are many places in the Czech Republic beyond Prague that are well worth a visit. And due to the Coronavirus and related travel restrictions, I don't have a lot of tour clients at the moment, unfortunately. But that means I have a lot more time on my hands in the summer than I usually do, so once we eased restrictions earlier this month, I hit the road!