Grant had visited Prague when backpacking after college and loved it. He always wanted to return. It wasn’t on the top of my list (My only connection was Chuck Bass getting shot in a seedy area there in Gossip Girl.), but unlike Rome, Paris, and the usual tourist fare, Prague seemed exotic to me and I was excited to check out the unknown of Eastern Europe.
Prague with Toddlers Travel Guide: Day 1
Funny story: When we first arrived from the airport at 8 AM we wanted to drop off our bags at the apartment and explore. Because it was an apartment and not a hotel the address was tricky so I put a nearby gelato shop I saw on the map into the Bolt app. (Bolt is like Uber). When he dropped us off on the literal side of the road in a part of town that did not look like I expected we figured out our mistake.
Little did I know, we had gotten off at the wrong gelato shop…it was a chain! No wonder it didn’t look like I had imagined. Hungry and a little cranky we walked to a nearby cafe and the service and food were terrible and the Prague hype was not meeting my expectations. Turns out we were just in the wrong area of town. Once we rerouted to our correct apartment the location was great but we had nowhere to drop our bags. We paid a nearby hotel to watch our bags. Another odd spot, they had an aquarium with a shark in the lobby! Weird start to our Prague trip.
Exploring Prague’s Historical Center
After all this, the boys needed a nap and we needed a beer. Grant was in search of Velvet, this beer he had in Prague 15+ years ago that he had been thinking of ever since.
We strolled across the iconic Charles Bridge while the boys napped in our travel stroller and Ergobaby carrier. The Prague Gothic architecture was beautiful…now it really felt like our Europe trip had begun! Unable to find Velvet beer, we settled for a Guinness at an Irish bar and people-watched while the boys snoozed. Once the boys woke up we let them pick out a toy duck and we headed back to our place, stumbling upon the beautiful Čapadlo Summer Terrace, the perfect spot to soak up some sunshine riverside.
Where to stay in Prague with toddlers
I loved the apartment we stayed in. It was spacious and in a great location. We were right by the water and close to the bridge to walk to the city center.
Visiting the Střelecký Island Beavers
After checking in our apartment, we checked out Střelecký Island. Marin loved feeding the beavers and there was a cute food garden with cocktails and coffees! We had an early street food dinner and headed back to crash before a fun-filled day.
Prague with Toddlers Travel Guide: Day 2
Breakfast at Bella Vida Cafe
We initially came here due to the proximity of our apartment (toddlers get hungry asap in the morning!), but we returned literally every morning of our trip because the food was delicious and the view amazing. (And they had a high chair!)
We stopped by Střelecký Island again (it was on our way into the city center) to grab a coffee and of course, see more beavers! It has a great natural playground too!
St. Nicholas Church and the Astronomical Clock
While the city is extremely walkable, Marin wanted to ride “the monorail” aka the above-ground trolley so we went for a joy ride to check out St. Nicholas Church. We climbed to the top of the Bell Tower for amazing views of the city.
We also noticed the beautiful Astronomical Clock and wondered why so many people were standing around. We didn’t realize until afterwards that it opens like a cuckoo clock. We walked by this several times during our time in Prague and always managed to miss it!
The Jewish Quarter
Hungry after sightseeing, we headed to The Jewish Quarter for lunch at V Kolkovně. Our landlord at the time was from Czechia and said this was his favorite restaurant. It was great!
Shopping and Treats
After lunch, we stopped for a pastry treat at Cafe Madona near Grand Cafe Orient and headed to the shopping district. I was in search of some mascara from Sephora. I didn’t find what I needed but we did find some delicious beer at a Pilsner Urquell tasting room (Both boys were napping so we got to enjoy a little day “date”.).
Then after a treat for us, it was time for another treat for the boys (do you see a theme while we’re traveling?)…chimney cakes! These traditional Prague treats are delish! Be sure to try one while in town. We wrapped up our day with a rooftop drink at Terasa U Prince. The boys were over it and kind of a mess, but you can’t beat the view!
Prague with Toddlers Travel Guide: Day 3
Petrín Park
After another breakfast at our favorite spot, we visited nearby Petrín Park. We were expecting a playground and a simple day in the park but it had way more! We rode a funicular and a carousel plus visited the observatory and a beautiful rose garden.
Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral
We walked through the park to get to Prague Castle stopping by Strahov Monastery Brewery on the way. Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral are absolutely stunning! Even the boys marveled at the stained glass.
We hopped on “the monorail” back to our side of town and took the boys took naps while I got a little work in. And by “the boys” I mean Grant crashed with Marin while Hobie distracted me from working!
Staropramen Brewery
For our evening of our Prague trip we decided to check out Staropramen Brewery so Grant could find his elusive Velvet beer. (If you haven’t noticed, Prague has great beer by the way!) It was a super cute, family friendly tasting room and restaurant. We sampled beer flights while Marin sampled Bavarian pretzels! As for Grant’s quest for Velvet? It’s no longer made because they got bought out by Coors!
Afterward, we grabbed dinner at Lokál Dlouhááá. We had to wait a bit for a coveted table, but it was worth it (in terms of Czech fare, not really my favorite cuisine in general).
Lesson learned traveling to Prague with toddlers:
Sacrifice the naps to explore the city at night. This was early on in our Europe trip so we were sticking to our “schedule” with an early-ish bedtime for the kids. Obviously, you miss the nightlife when you bring toddlers along, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stroll the streets at 9 or 10 pm to get in the mix while a little one crashes in the stroller. One night we took turns walking outside just to see the city lights at night! In retrospect, I wish I would have ditched the early bedtime and kept the boys out a bit later. (We did this later in our Europe trip.) A city aglow at night is a different (good) vibe.
Next stop: One more breakfast at our spot on the river before hitting the road for a good ‘ol fashioned Czech road trip!
Pleased in Prague,
-Ray