My most recent overseas adventure began with Downton Abbey. I am a shameless and devoted lover of that show and have indeed watched each season more than once. This means I have seen my fair share of ads for Viking River Cruises.
Now as a tour guide, I obviously love doing my own research and planning my own routes, but after a couple of long seasons (and a longer Christmas season at the chocolate shop), the idea of floating peacefully down a river while someone else coordinated everything from food to tours, sounded simply idyllic. So when my mom mentioned the idea of taking another ‘big’ trip (our last one having been in the far distant past of 2009), a river cruise was the obvious choice. Viking (and the many many other river cruise companies) offers a wealth of itineraries to choose from spanning all over Europe and Asia (they have recently launched ocean voyages as well on larger ships- more about Viking in another post). We decided to venture to an area neither of us had seen and cruise through Central Europe. The Danube Waltz itinerary offered an introduction to four new countries over eight days, with optional extensions in Prague before the cruise or in Budapest after.
Not one to pass up on seeing more, and having heard nothing but good things about the place, I chose for us to begin our trip in Prague.
Getting There:
Our entire trip was arranged by Viking, including airfare and transfers. Viking does offer Viking Air Plus which, for a small extra charge, will allow you to work with a Viking representative to select your airline (if you have some miles you’d like to use) and upgrade your seats (if you’d like that extra leg room). We used the service to arrange Economy Plus seats on Delta and KLM, and I must say, the extra space and the vast array of available movies and TV shows to pass the long hours in the air, were certainly worth it! Once we arrived in Prague, we were greeted by friendly Viking representatives in their flashy red shirts and escorted in our group to our coach to be transferred to our hotel.
Accommodation:
When I plan my own trips, I prefer small inns or B&Bs (or, if staying in a university town over the summer (eg: London or Oxford) dorms turned into B&Bs) and have had wonderful luck in my selections. On this trip, since Viking did again arrange it all, we were in the Marriott right on the edge of the Old Town- which was perfectly lovely and in an ideal spot. We were close enough to reach everything we wanted to see by foot, and far enough away from the Old Town Square to avoid the constant noise. Also, the included breakfast buffet was ample and delicious.
Travel Tips:
-Currency: The Czech Republic is still using the Czech Crown or Koruna which, when we were there was available at a rate of 24 crowns to the dollar- not bad for the American tourist! (I must say I was incredibly amused at the very pointed and freely shared opinions of all our Czech guides concerning the Crown vs. the Euro). The easiest and least expensive way to get your crowns is just to head to the ATM when you get to the airport. Those ATMs do spit out large denominations, and if you are collecting your money out and about in the city, there are folks who will offer to exchange your big bills for smaller bills and coins- DON’T. Any restaurant or shop will happily exchange those bills for you- they’re not as large as they seem to us.
-Public Bathrooms: You do certainly want to keep some of the smaller denomination coins on hand. There are many public restrooms in Prague, but they cost 10 crowns per use. There will usually be a nice (if slightly awkward) attendant to take your money, but they won’t change the big bills- so come prepared!
-Language: Yet another spot that makes me ashamed to be American- EVERYONE we encountered in the city spoke English. Y’all- we need to step up our language skills over here in the States.
-Eating: One of the loveliest things about Prague (and most of Europe for that matter) is that no one will rush you at your meal. So find yourself a lovely sidewalk cafe or restaurant, flip to the English section of the menu, sit back, relax and enjoy. Depending on how large the bill, grat is often included, so check your bill when you pay. If it is not included, we found that we were most often able to pay the bill on a credit card, but not leave the tip on a credit card, so plan to have about 10% of your charge available in cash to leave as a tip. Also, restaurants and cafes will let you use their facilities free of charge if you are eating there, so its not a bad idea to make sure you go before you leave!
-Tourist Attractions:
We visited in late July and while we were there the city was HOT and very crowded. The hotel was air conditioned, but the museums etc. were not. I would recommend wandering down some of the side streets to find good food with less of a wait, and some really excellent, less-touristy shops.
While you are venturing down the main thoroughfares from the castle across the Charles Bridge, into the Old Town Square, and up to the Powder Tower, do keep a close eye on your valuables and expect lots of pushing and shoving. Needless to say, I was very pleased to have visited the Prague Castle and the Astronomical Clock, but due to the sweaty masses, these were not the highlights for me. In the spirit of keeping these things to a manageable length, those highlights I will included in the next post!
Stay Tuned!
*RECOMMENDED READING: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street: Natasha Pulley – I read this book after returning to the states, but all the big clockwork and the marvelous little watch shop we found in the Jewish quarter in Prague got me excited about the intricacies of watches and clocks- one of the reasons I picked up this book- and it was a very enjoyable read.
I Digress 