Prague: A city it's well worth your time Czeching out

It took until a 1995 trip to witness the first McDonald’s open. I’ve just been back to the capital of Czechia for the first time in a decade to find a city much changed.

The first time I wrote about Prague there were precious few decent hotels.

This time I stay at two corkers. Hilton Prague Old Town enjoys a brilliant location and a striking art deco interior. The Zinc Restaurant is worth staying in for – I savour a traditional barley salad, then a perfectly pink sirloin with truffle mayonnaise, washed down with a Czech Pinot Blanc. Their Hilton Prague twin just down the road also offers a summer beer garden with food, as well as some of the city’s best cocktails at Cloud 9 Sky Bar, with city views to match.

For the perfect day in Prague, take Tram 42 to witness stunning views over the Vltava (Image: Robin McKelvie)

The NH Collection Prague Carlo IV is a graceful old-world charmer nearby. It feels palatial, but there are only 152 plush rooms. Their 1890 Restaurant is excellent: I kick off with beef carpaccio followed by a delicious Czech duck dish with dumplings. They mix a mean cocktail too, served in the bar that reclines in their grand palm tree-kissed lobby.

Prague’s main attraction remains undimmed – the superlative old town. The Old Town Square looks even better thanks to the Dance World Cup. Thousands of young dancers are in Prague to meet and compete – including my eldest daughter, 16-year-old Tara. She is here with her dance company Centre Stage as part of a Scotland team who grab the attention of the locals with their Saltires and rousing renditions of “No Scotland, no party”!

I find many Scottish connections with Prague. One of the deepest cuts are the Czech pilots and paratroopers who trained in Scotland during the Second World War. Some of them returned in the successful mission into occupied Nazi Czechoslovakia to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich. 

Another I hear a lot about is the Czech Republic and Slovakia managing to go their separate ways back in 1993 in the peaceful “Velvet Divorce”, which one guide tells me is “a model Scotland could perhaps follow”.

Pushing away from the square, I’m struck at how well all the buildings have been tarted up. On every visit, Prague gets more and more polished and now its core is a joy with the baroque, medieval and modernist buildings vying for attention.

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They are alive with a legion of cafes, bars and restaurants to cater to all tastes, including the Trdelník, a sweet treat that is on seemingly every street corner.

The general standard of dining has rocketed up. I still enjoy tucking into hearty pork with dumplings at U Fleků – which has stood here since 1499 – but I also savour gems like epic steak restaurant Čestr.

Their hallowed aged meat cuts hang in a dry cabinet. The local T-bone is delicious, as is a chunky pork cutlet, with a red Moravian wine to match. Mlýnec brings Charles Bridge and river views, with a creative menu that takes fresh Czech ingredients and gives them a creative twist. Their tasting menus are superb.

There are always downsides to the expansion of tourism. The football crowd-style jam of tourists between the Old Town Square and landmark Charles Bridge is a pain, but even the latter is still blissfully quiet first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

A major improvement since my first visit is the public transport system. It is much more efficient and easier to use, with the regular trams and metro trains snaking around all parts of Prague. It’s still great value too in a city that has seen prices rise over the last decade, with a 24-hour pass for only £4. Another option is Tram 42, a vintage tram the tourist office has started that opens up the main sights as you travel back in time.

There are now integrated city passes  to make sightseeing easier. I try Go City.

Public transport has improved since my last visit to Prague (Image: Robin McKelvie)

This app proves brilliantly easy to use and covers many of the big hitters like Prague Castle – the world’s largest ancient castle complex – and a cruise on the lifeblood River Vltava. It also includes a Hop On  Hop Off bus ticket for one of the three days  my pass covers.

I use the Go City app and advice from the helpful tourist office on Old Town Square to check out some less-heralded attractions that show Prague really has added strength in depth. The Railways Museum is a joy.

I take my youngest daughter, 13-year-old Emma, and we drive a bus, have a snack on a train, play Scalextric and lose hours checking out the myriad model railways.

Other highlights include the Museum of Bricks Lego museum and – solo this time – the Pilsner Urquell Experience, which delves into the country’s most famous beer.

As I settle back into my swish hotel after another day of sightseeing that could scarcely have been slicker, I try not to be seduced by the romance of rose-tinted memories about the “old Prague” of the early 1990s.  Prague today is an even greater joy,  and it’s even easier to savour in all its eternal beauty.