There was a time, not long ago, when this great, historic city, full of architectural delights, was in danger of attracting what snobs might call the wrong kind of tourist. Cheap beer and stag nights were tarnishing its image as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
I have recently returned from a marvellous city break there with my wife, Mary, and our guide, a charming young man called Frankie, who could not have been more emphatic: ‘Those cheap buses from Germany and other places, full of backpackers, don’t come here any more. Prague has moved on.’
This all came about for the best possible reason. When the Berlin Wall came down and political freedom spread like a forest fire across Eastern Europe, it was young people who led the celebrations.
Many of them yearned to travel to areas which had opened up. Frankie was a university student in Prague and has vivid memories of that time.
The Czech authorities welcomed the tourists and, if they liked to down large quantities of beer, the more the merrier. But 30 years on, the aim is to put their capital back where it belongs, as an inclusive tourist destination, where expensive wines are just as likely to be on the menu as cheap beer. Prague is going upmarket.
Historic: John Sergeant celebrates his 80th birthday in Prague. Above, the city’s Old Town
As we were being driven from the airport in a luxury car – courtesy of Kirker Holidays – the sun was shining across the city of a hundred spires.
Mary and I were here soon after the hated Soviet regime was sent packing. It was easy to imagine how a new sense of freedom has settled on this capital. The old buildings shone in the sunlight and the streets were full of well-off visitors.
We spent our three nights in the Hotel Aria, in what many regard as the most attractive quarter of Prague, the Mala Strana.
It has cobbled streets, grand palaces and secluded gardens. From here you can walk across Charles Bridge to the centre. Although most key areas are pedestrianised, it is worth getting used to the trams and the metro. Some tourists aren’t impressed by those little trains that trundle along the streets of many cities. We love them.
John and his wife Mary dine outside at an riverside restaurant, looking up at the Charles Bridge
There is a good one in Prague, which starts at the Old Town square and takes you across the river and up to the Castle quarter, before returning to the centre.
With that and our guided walking tour with Frankie, it was easy to feel you were getting to grips with the place.
The long, complicated history of Prague has often involved occupation by outside powers. Some of them have been hated, including the Nazis and the Russians, and some have left a glorious legacy, particularly the Habsburgs when Prague was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. The range of different building styles going back more than a thousand years gives the city its fairytale quality.
But even today there is no escaping the grim influence of outside events.
John stays at Hotel Aria (seen above), in the ‘most attractive’ quarter of Prague, the Mala Strana
The Czechs have taken a firm stand against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have been officially listed as an enemy by the Kremlin.
There are many reminders of the capital’s troubled past. One of the most moving is a memorial to the 2,500 Czech airmen killed serving in the RAF during the Second World War.
The only popular legacy of the 30 years of Soviet rule, which I could find, is their metro.
Built by Russian engineers, it has high ceilings and goes deep underground. It is hardly an object of beauty but about a million people use it every day.
John says Prague’s mix of buildings that go back thousands of years give the city its ‘fairytale quality’
John attends a ‘terrific’ concert in the Mirror Chapel, pictured above
Prague has many interesting restaurants, such as the newly refurbished Cafe Louvre, which was once the haunt of Albert Einstein. Meanwhile, you don’t have to be mad on classical music to enjoy Prague, but it helps.
Mozart enjoyed several trips here and his work is adored. We went to a terrific concert in the Mirror Chapel.
Our musical highlight was a humorous version of opera The Bartered Bride, by Czech composer Smetana.
Afterwards, we dined outside at an expensive riverside restaurant, looking up at the Charles Bridge. Posh Prague at its best.
It was the perfect way to celebrate my 80th birthday.
