After our journey from Passau to Prague, our first full day in the city was a planned day of iconic sights.

Today marked our first full day in the interesting and magical Prague. It was a planned day of sightseeing, hitting some of the major icons of the city.

Prague Castle: Not the Early-Morning Escape We Planned

First up was Prague Castle. We mistakenly believed that if we arrived and toured the castle complex first thing in the morning, we would avoid the crush of tourists. Not true. People everywhere, and group after group after group kept coming. Nonetheless, we trudged through.

We are staying in Old Town, so we hopped a tram over to Malá Strana after buying 72-hour passes for public transportation. Once at the castle, we realized it is not so much a “castle” as we would normally think, but more a collection of buildings, churches, and residences in a complex of sorts. In total it is over 70,000 square meters. Founded in 880, it has been the seat of power for centuries through Kings and Emperors, and now it is even the official residence of the President.

St. Vitus Cathedral

Rising from the grounds in its Gothic dominance is St. Vitus Cathedral. While Gothic churches are striking from the outside, they are not always as glorious inside. St. Vitus struck us from the moment we entered thanks to the amazing stained glass windows. The color and light were awesome.

St. George’s Basilica and the Golden Lane

We also toured the 12th-century Romanesque St. George’s Basilica. This was more delicate in its adornment, and one can really feel the history in the walls inside.

Outside of walking the grounds and a quick trip to the Golden Lane, we headed away from the throngs of tourists to our next stop.

Petřín Hill by Funicular

A quick couple of stops on the tram brought us to the newly reopened and refurbished funicular to Petřín Hill, overlooking central Prague. A bit of a line greeted us, but it moved fairly quickly and we were on our way up. A side note: if you have a 24- or 72-hour pass, the funicular is included in your pass. Also, similar to Budapest, everyone over 65 rides public transportation for free, including the funicular. When asked, just show ID.

Petřín Hill has many attractions, such as the Petřín Tower, gardens, lookout points, and it is itself a beautiful park. In our opinion, on a beautiful day like we had, it is worth a stop of any length.

Goulash in a Bread Bowl and a Walk Over Charles Bridge

After descending via the funicular, we stopped for a quick bite of goulash soup in a bread bowl before walking back to Old Town from Malá Strana via the famous Charles Bridge across the river. We took in the astronomical clock and admired central Old Town.

The Church of St. Giles: A Quiet Surprise

We happened upon the 14th-century Church of St. Giles, a small but important church in the history of Old Town. It was almost completely empty of visitors despite the massive number of tourists about. Which goes to show you, sometimes the wandering and just popping into something that may seem unassuming is so worth it while everyone else sticks to the guidebooks or Google. Baroque in design, the interior décor was predominantly a palette of greens, browns, and mustards, which was unusual, as so many trend toward reds and golds. Simply beautiful, calm, and serene.

A Well-Earned Gin and Tonic

All this sightseeing required a rest with a gin and tonic.