Prague, Kraków, Bratislava, Vienna..Oh My!
Read all about my adventures in Central Europe, starting in Prague, then Kraków, then Bratislava, and finally ending in Vienna.
Hello everyone and happy April Fool’s Day! For spring break this year, I decided to endeavor on a spontaneous trip around Central Europe. My destinations included the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria.
Prague, Czech Republic
The Heart of Europe
Prague was my first destination and I was inspired to visit because my friend Rachel had studied abroad in the city and highly recommended visiting. It was about a 6 hour bus ride from Salzburg. The concept of traveling for 6 hours and being in a completely new country is so novel to me! In the US, you can travel for 6 hours and still be in the same state sometimes. When I arrived, I was so excited to explore an incredibly historic city with a rich cultural flavor.
Prague is the largest city in the Czech Republic, with a population of around 1.4 million people. It has served as a political, cultural, and historical hub of Central Europe since its inception in the 8th century. Since then, it has served as a seat of power for the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia, and the modern day Czech Republic. The architecture styles include Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Gothic, Art Nouveau, Cubist, Neo-Classical and ultra-modern1.
Prague Castle
The Prague Castle is the largest and second oldest ancient castle in Europe. It occupies around 750,000 square feet and construction began in 870. Since it’s construction, it has served as the primary residence for political and religious leaders. The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, currently resides in the Prague Castle2.
If you would like to see more of the Prague Castle, please check out this virtual tour:
Old Town Square
The Old Town Square is one of the most iconic areas in Prague. Since the 10th century, this square has provided a public space for people to gather, celebrate, and protest. In addition to the Old Town Hall and the Church of Our Lady before Týn, the square is dominated by the Baroque Church of St Nicholas, the Rococo Kinský Palace, and the Gothic House at the Stone Bell3.
Easter Festival
I was lucky to be in Prague during the Easter festival. During this week, local vendors come from all over Central Europe to sell their goods and services in a traditional marketplace setting. There is incredible food, handmade goods, and daily events. On one of the days, there was a traditional folklore event, where dozens of different groups of dancers performed their cultural dances. They even encouraged the audience to learn and dance alongside them for certain dances! It made me so happy, and I couldn’t stop smiling. It was a beautiful experience to see communities gather to celebrate their traditions while encouraging people from all around the world to dance together.
The first group of dancers are from Serbia, the second group are from Poland, the third group is from Romania, and I can’t remember for the life of me where the last group is from. As you can see in the last clip, audience members were encouraged to come and dance.
Prague Astronomical Clock
The Prague astronomical clock is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world. It can be found next to the Old Town Square, attached to the Old Town Hall. It was created in 1410 and still works to this very day. Every hour, the bells chime and the Walk of the Apostles begins, as seen in the video below. If you look closely at the right hand side of the clock, you can see a skeleton representing Death chiming the bell4.
Prague National Museum
The Prague National Museum is one of the coolest museums I’ve ever explored. The exhibit that was the most interesting to me was the Miracles of Evolution. There are thousands of displayed plants and animals, all without the use of shelves or racks, which creates a more immersive viewing experience5.
Kraków, Poland
After spending a few days in Prague, I decided to visit Kraków, Poland. It was about 7 hours by train and bus. I was only in Kraków for about 8 hours, so I didn’t get a chance to explore too much. This city dates back to the 7th century and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, which was one of the first places in the world to receive this honor6.
Bratislava, Slovakia
Bratislava was my next destination, and it was about 6 hours away from Kraków. Once again, I was only in Bratislava for about 10 hours, which didn’t leave a lot of time to explore everything. Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, and is the economic, political, and cultural center of the nation.
Vienna, Austria
After 5 days of traveling, I arrived at my final destination…Vienna. I was very excited to be in Vienna because I would meet up with my friends after solo traveling. We decided to spend three days in Vienna, so plenty of time to explore Austria’s capital.
Austrian National Library
The Austrian National Library is Europe’s largest Baroque-style library, which houses 200,000 books ranging from 1501-18507. This library is extremely majestic and was one of the most beautiful historic places I’ve ever seen.
Historic Center of Vienna
The next day, we decided to walk around the Historic Center of Vienna. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed walking around in the sunshine!
Spanish Riding School
One of the most exciting events of this trip for me was watching the Lipizzaner stallions at the Spanish Riding School. When I was a little girl, I remember watching them when they came to perform in the United States. It was an experience that catalyzed my love for horses. My inner child was so happy to be able to watch them perform again in Vienna. It felt like a full circle moment.
Let’s Wrap It Up!
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the content and the photos. I have a few more exciting trips coming up in April that you will hear all about. Stay Jilly 🌲🫶
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague#History
https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/3129/astronomical-clock
https://www.nm.cz/en/natural-history-museum/the-miracles-of-evolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w
https://www.wien.info/en/art-culture/imperial-sights/national-library-353578
Thanks for sharing such wonderful pictures and stories. Love hearing all about your adventures. Enjoy 🩷