how to spend 24 hours in prague.

Every so often - usually when I get very bored during my lunch break and can't be bothered to fight the crowds to go to Pret in Westminster - I find myself looking for cheap holidays and then if I find one, even if I had no intention of booking, suddenly I'm clicking away and moving money around to just about afford it. It's a bit of a problem when the world is so big and there's so much to see, and an even bigger problem when cheap holidays exist and countries like the Czech Republic are cheap to get to and explore.

So me and a couple of friends made our way to Prague for a super short break to scratch another country off the scratch map and here's a few things we got up to.

Joined a walking tour

A lot of people think that going on a walking tour is a bit of a cheesy, crappy touristy way of seeing a city but it's something I pretty much always do when I first arrive in a new city. They're a great way to get your bearings in a new place and there were so many departing from the Old Town Square in Prague that we really had our pick of different tours at whatever time we fancied. Our guide was definitely an unusual woman, but she did take us to Prague's "creepiest church" where a dead man's arm is hanging from the wall. You can read the full story here, but I doubt it's something I would have found on my own, as I'm pretty bad at doing my research about a city before I go on one.  The great thing about these tours is that you can get free ones and pay what you think they're worth, meaning you never feel done in. 

Saw the Astronomical Clock

Yes, it was slightly underwhelming but it's also quite incredible that it's the oldest working clock of its type in existence. It's hard to work out, but once you do it's pretty awesome. I do recommend finding yourself nearby on the hour to watch it chime the hour, but you do have to pay attention to make sure you don't miss it - it's quite quick! 

Spent time in Old Town Square

Prague has two main squares: the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, the latter of which meant that I had the Christmas carol stuck in my head for most of the trip. I was not a big fan of Wenceslas Square, which is a bit of a stag do hotspot with pretty crap architecture but Old Town Square was completely the opposite. The architecture was incredible and you could stand on the Square and just soak in the history. Make sure you pay particular attention to the Church of Our Lady before Týn and Old Town Hall - incredible buildings that I couldn't get enough of. 

Visited the Jewish Quarter

The Jewish Quarter in Prague, known as Josefov, is located between the Old Town Square and the Vltava River. It's one of the most preserved Jewish areas in Europe, partly because Hitler wanted to preserve it as a "museum of an extinct race" which is, of course, bloody vile but a big part of the history of the area. Take a look inside in the Spanish Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue (including its Holocaust memorial) and walk through the Old Jewish Cemetery. Don't forget to pay a visit to the statue of one of the area's most famous residents, Franz Kafka, on Dusni Street which depicts a man riding on another man's shoulders and originally appeared in Kafka's "Description of a Struggle". 

Drank

It's really hard to avoid beer in Prague - it's pretty much the only thing that many bars seem to serve and it's ridiculously cheap. There are quite a few varieties of beer, all among the same light theme which can keep you going for some time. Of course, we tried most of the popular local varieties, like Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen and Budvar. And at around £1.50 for a pint, it's pretty hard to say no. 

Walked uphill to Prague Castle

We walked into the Malá Strana district and started the uphill walk to Prague Castle. If you're not a big fan of hills, then there's plenty of shops, bars and squares to take a rest on the way up. It's worth it! When you arrive, if you ignore the random Starbucks at the top, you get some of the best views of the city that Prague has to offer. Prague Castle itself is a little underwhelming if you're expecting a traditional castle, it looks more like an old-school town hall, but honestly, the views and the atmosphere are definitely worth it. 

Walked across the Charles Bridge

It's a ten-minute walk from Old Town Square and another place in Prague to capture those incredible views of the city. The statues along the way are great to stop and look at along the walk across the bridge. It's absolutely full of tourists, so get there early if you want to be able to get across, or do like we did and head across when there was some rain which seemed to put a lot of the other tourists off! Once you've reached the other side, head to the left and visit the John Lennon wall, which was once a wall full of graffiti where young Czech's would complain about the Communist regime and is now more of a mural to "peace and love". 

If you ever get bored during one of your lunch breaks and find yourself looking for a quick and cheap city break to get away to, then you can't really go wrong with Prague. If you've got any ideas for any others, then do let me know!