May 9, 2026
Our plan for the day was to be up early and “Rope Drop” Prague’s main tourist attraction, the Castle Complex, and move on to the lesser visited sites from there. Rope Drop? What’s that? This term comes from a well-used, strategic touring strategy of getting up well before the general crowds and standing at the rope, an actual rope held by staff in front of an attraction. When the park officially opens, the rope is dropped and guests are let in. When you want to have a less-crowded experience, use the Rope Drop Strategy; it works every time!
So, up at 7:00, we found our way to the lovely dining area at the hotel The House at the Big Boot which was only a short 10-minute walk to the Castle area. But first, breakfast… in the European fashion. Fresh baked rolls and breads, spreads, fruit, and coffee. Bread just tastes different in Europe. Maybe someday the US will start to use real ingredients in their food (yes, that’s a generalization) and it will catch up to the delicious flavors that European foods have. All commentary aside, The Boot serves a wonderful and filling breakfast that will hold you until mid-morning snack time. It certainly fueled us for the umpteen zillion stairs and steps we’d do that day!
Here is a map of Part 1 of our walking route for our all-day Prague walking tour. This can be done, but it is a very long walk to be sure. If it had not been a Saturday, and the Synagogues had been open, one long day might not be enough. I will say, I think we both felt like it was enough to be a very good overview of what the city has to offer. Obviously, one could spend a week there probably and be happy doing all the tours and seeing things at a much slower pace.
Onwards!!
The best way to start a day in Prague is by going up.
And up.
And up.
And up a bit more.
Even with my bum knee we made it to the Guard Station by 9:01. That included several stops for photos, a couple of short rest breaks, and a quick pause to watch the last few seconds of their short “Changing of the Guard” ceremony. I was sad to have missed it, but my legs are short and I’m generally out of shape.
Buying tickets was a fairly easy process. There was a small room with cashiers; you pay for the selected areas you want to see, and go on your merry way.
The Castle Prague website is very helpful and provides a ton of good information including a place to pre-purchase tickets. The high season can get quite busy so you might want to consider getting your tickets ahead of time.
The most imposing structure in the Castle, which, by the way, is the largest ancient intact castle in the world, is St. Vitus’ Cathedral. It’s main, original structure is of classic Gothic architecture style, but its building spanned over 600 years. So, there are Neo-Gothic, Renaissance, and even Art Nouveau elements including a piece by Alphonse Mucha in place! (I’ll talk a LOT more about Mucha in an upcoming chapter!) This cathedral has it all- Flying buttresses, stained glass, gorgeous side chapels with exquisite hand-carved pieces. We spent about 30 minutes taking a gross amount of photos and admiring both its interior and intricate exterior before moving on. Prepare for WAY too many photos….!
One of my favorites, and in fact, quite a popular fan fave is the Wenceslas Chapel. It is a roped off small chapel with over-the-top gilded paintings, jewels, filigree, and frescoes that is dedicated to Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia. Apparently, it IS open to the public once every several years while the Crown Jewels are open for viewing. Wouldn’t that be a thing?! Anyway, when I took this photo of it, I didn’t even know really what it was or it’s rich and wonderful story! And that’s part of what makes travel, photography, and writing so fun for me. When I come home to write up my travels, I spend oodles of time re-living the whole trip all over again and making the effort to learn even more. Of course, a whole lot of research goes into my travels before I head there too. 😉
The Alphonse Mucha stained glass window piece:
As I said, this was an extraordinarily long day for us. One of 3 that would have as many steps. We saw and did so much, so I imagine getting through our long day in Prague is going to take a bit. But I want to be thorough in case any of you might ever plan to head there. It’s a city most definitely worth going to at least once in a lifetime. My inbox is ALWAYS open for comments or questions! Just use the “Contact Us” field on the Home Page and I’ll be happy to reach back out!
Next up. St. George’s Basilica and The Golden Lane, both included in the Castle Complex ticket. This is just Day One of a massive journey through Prague, Budapest, Croatia, and Kotor to name a few. Drop your email below to follow along every weekend!
Click HERE to read about other adventures including Greece, Italy, Walt Disney World, and many other destinations including a 2 1/2 week Tanzanian safari coming soon!