Prague Traction
In June 2012 I was attending two conferences in Dresden,
Germany. Dresden will be a subject of a future article. I had a weekend off
between the conferences. I had purchased train tickets to go to Prague in the
Czech Republic, which is just over 2 hours away by train.
I boarded the 9:00am Intercity train to Prague at the
Dresden Hauptbahnhof. I had reserved a window seat in a compartment. There were
5 other passengers with me. The train ride started along the Elbe River to the
Czech border, then across the Czech countryside and other rivers before
arriving in Prague. Announcements were poor on the train. We pulled into a
station called Praha Nadrazi Helosovice. I panicked, and grabbed my suitcase to
get off the train. A young girl was doing the same. The door in our car did not
want to open. We went to the next car, and its door did open. We jumped off the
train just as it started pulling out of the station. That was a thrilling experience. Later I
figured out I should have gotten off at the next Prague station, Praha Hlavni
Nadrazi, but so be it.
I found the Transit Ticket office and bought a daypass and
got a map of the metro/tram system. I worked my way down to the metro to head
towards my hotel for the evening. I was so turned around by getting off at the
wrong station that I boarded the subway going the wrong direction. I quickly
figured it out at the next station to head in the right direction.
The Prague metro is the first Soviet style metro I have ever
been on. The first line opened in the early 1970’s. It is a three line system
with all 3 forming a triangle in city center. Some stations are deep underground
which of course doubles as bomb shelters. The escalators are long and steep,
but move very fast, faster than any escalator I have been on. The stations are
not nearly as ornate as Moscow or St. Petersburg, but the typical Soviet design
is evident in the older stations.
I wound up at my hotel about 20 minutes later and they
allowed me to check-in despite it being only 11:30am. I stayed at the Hotel
Ibis in Mala Strana. It was a quick five minute walk from the Andel metro stop
and a major tram junction. Right next to the hotel was a shopping mall, which
was originally a factory that made streetcars for Tatra as well as tanks and
such during WWII.
After having lunch at the shopping mall I headed out for a
full day of walking and riding. I boarded the metro again to head towards the
north end of the city. I then boarded a tram to take me to the Prague Transport
Museum. The museum is located inside an old carbarn. They have a huge
collection of trams with some busses, and trolley busses. Unfortunately each
car had locked gates to prevent entry into any of the vehicles. As I was
walking around the museum, I heard classical music. At first I thought it was
background music. Then I realized the music would suddenly stop and restart. I
turned the corner down one aisle, and there was a small orchestra with singers.
They were playing Bach (I believe). I later found out they were rehearsing for
a performance later that day inside the carbarn. How neat is that? The acoustic
in the carbarn was very nice for classical music. But, I did not have time to
wait for a concert. I had only 24 more hours in Prague, and there is so much to
do!!
From the museum I boarded the Tourist/Museum tram line route
#95. It leaves from the museum on the hour for a trip into the old city and
back. This was a neat way to see Prague via tram. The daypass is not applicable
to this line. After a 45 minute ride into town they kicked everyone off the car
for its return trip to the museum. From here I boarded other trams to see the
city. I walked across the famous Charles Bridge. I eventually wound up at the
city’s only remaining funicular at Petrin park. I rode it to the top, and then
went up the tower for an amazing view of the city and its surroundings. My feet
were getting sore and my belly was hungry. At the bottom of the funicular
across the street was a pub. I sat outside and enjoyed a nice meal and a find
Czech beer. The purpose of sitting outside was to watch the trams parade by J.
After my meal I did a bit more tram riding, but my feet were
killing me so by 7:30pm I went back to the hotel for the night. The hotel was
abuzz in the bar since it was Euro Cup Soccer (football) time, everyone was
watching the TV and drinking…..
The next morning I had a nice breakfast included with my
room rate at the hotel. I thus checked out, leaving my luggage at the hotel.
Today would be another busy day. I headed out to first find a few geocaches (my
other hobby which uses a GPS to find objects that others have hidden around the
world). I used the metro to get to a location with a cluster around the main
train station. I walked along an esplanade overlooking Prague’s main train
station. I was soon back on trams to head to Prague Castle. Instead of taking
the long stairway up to the castle, I took the tram up the hill. I spent a good
3 hours touring the massive castle complex. I also enjoyed a find lunch there.
I could have spent all day touring the grounds, but I did not have all day.
I walked down the steps to board trams to head the old city.
I got to the town square by the Astrological clock which is a glockenspiel that
plays every hour. My feet were again killing me, so I sat down in a café and enjoyed
another fine brew will waiting for the top of the hour. The square gets quite
crowded waiting for the clock to chime. With much fanfare the clock declared it
was 2pm, and then the crowd dispersed. It was time for me to leave as well to
get back to my hotel to grab my luggage and head to the train station. I used
the metro to get to my hotel and back to the train station.
My train was a little late. I had several people coming up
to me asking questions on where there train would be and such. I would always
figure out the answer, but I must look like I know about trains or something.
For the trip back to Dresden I was in a window seat in a
regular coach. The train was super crowded to begin with, but at the last stop
before Germany many people left the train. Once in Germany, train announcements
started again. Apparently the German rail system was having problems due to a
fire along the line. Passengers with connection to the high-speed ICE trains,
they were advising different routings to Frankfurt and Munich and some
passengers had no options due to a line closure. Good thing I was getting off
at Dresden.
My brief trip to Prague was great. It is a beautiful,
tourist friendly city. The metro is the fastest way around town, but the trams
are definitely a better way to see the city. Prague has an immense tram system
with up to 5 lines running on certain streets. There are major tram junctions,
even a few Grand Unions. You definitely need a tram map to identify which line
you want. Most lines run every 10 minutes, so waits along busy stretches can be
as short as 2 minutes. Another great aspect of the tram system is the variety
of equipment in operation. Cars from the 1970’s thru 2012 are all in operation
in several different designs. The fare structure is very complex; I highly
recommend buying the 24hour day pass. It is good on trams, busses and the
metro, for about $8US, a real bargain for the amount of service provided.
Prague Castle is a must for any visitor. For bare minimum
touring allow 3 hours, but 5~6 would allow a complete visit. Seeing the
Astrological clock and crossing the Charles Bridge are also a must. The
architecture around the city is simply marvelous. I would recommend taking a
cruise along the river and through the locks, but I did not have the time.
