Tonic Trek: Prague

Your Tonic Trekker has since moved on to Budapest, but before we switch countries, let's take a quick look back at the Bohemian gem known as Prague.

The first question, of course, is where to stay. It's hard to go wrong in the "city of a thousand spires," but ideally you want to stay near the Old Town Square in Stare Mesto (also called Praha 1). In fact, if available, try to stay just north or west of the square (though you'll likely find cheaper Old Town accommodations to the east or south). By going to the north and/or west, it gets you closer to the Castle, Charles Bridge and a very cool Jewish enclave known as Josefov.

Stare Mesto is where most of the action is, but if you want a closer view of the castle or maybe St. Nicholas Cathedral, you can also try Mala Strana (Lesser Town) just across the bridge. You can also find better deals in Nove Mesto (New Town) to the south of the square, though I still recommend trying for Stare Mesto if possible.

In the past two weeks, we've made several recommendations on what to do, but here are some of the top picks. Definitely have a sunset dinner at the Prague TV Tower (and at the Dancing House's Celeste restaurant if you can afford it) and a relaxing lunch on Old Town Square. Check out the Astronomical Clock, but don't be obsessed with seeing the Apostle Dance that comes each hour. Definitely visit the Prague Castle, though you are not missing anything too major if you skip the structure's ticketed sections. And if you have kids, take them to Petrin Hill to see the gardens, mirror maze, the observatory and the mini-Eiffel Tower. Finally, if you are into old churches, definitely check out the two main St. Nicholas structures in Old Town and Lesser Town.

Prague also needs to be looked at in a different way than it has been in years past. People hear all these stories about Eastern Europe countries, and while I don't know what they were really like in the past, Prague certainly is fighting against that image now with everything it's got. First of all, look on a map and you'll see it's technically a Central European country, unless you want to say Vienna is in the east as well (Prague is to the west of the Austrian capital).

Secondly, it's obvious that Prague wants to become an easily accessible tourist destination for Westerners. I don't know if I've seen a Europe country (besides England obviously) that uses the English language more, and it has endless restaurants and snack shops clearly aimed at visiting families. You'd probably have to go to Orlando to find more ice cream shops!

Prague is a truly romantic city that's coming into it own. Sure, things were a bit wild after it gained its independence in the 1989 Velvet Revolution, but this 20-year-old parliamentary republic (with millennia of world history) is officially a soaring nation again that includes membership in NATO and the European Union. Forget what you've heard in the past and come experience the magic that is Prague now.

Next up, those amazing Budapest baths!

Photos courtesy of Stefan Bauer, Che and Massimo Catarinella via Wikipedia.