Jewish Quarter Archives - From Texas to Beyond

The Old Town Square is one of my favorite locations in Prague! I could go back to this place every day. It is a busy place where you can watch people all day and into the evening.

The Square is the center of the Old Town, one of four towns that now make up Prague. Major landmarks within the Square include the Church of Our Lady before Týn, the Church of St. Nicholas, the Jan Hus statue and the Old Town Hall with its famous Astronomical Clock.

Jan Hus Memorial

Standing prominently in the middle of the Square is a statue of Jan Hus. He is often compared to Martin Luther, but 100 years earlier. Hus was a priest who attempted to reform the Catholic Church, but was burned at the stake for heresy. His bravery and willingness to stand against corruption transformed him into a Czech national hero. You will see the image of this cherished priest around town and throughout the Czech Republic, such as in the artistic masterpiece the Slav Epic by Alfons Mucha.

Church of Our Lady before Týn

The Church of our Lady before Týn, aka the Týn Church, is absolutely beautiful! The spires make you feel like you are in a fairy tale. I just loved looking up at them. I had not seen anything like this church before in real life. The entrance is very interesting. It appears as if the property in front of the church was sold at some time. As a result, you cannot see the lower part of the church. To enter the church, a narrow walkway between the buildings leads you to the front door.

Astronomical Clock

The most popular site in the square is the Astronomical Clock. It is on the south side of the Town Hall Tower. The oldest parts of the clock are from 1410! At the top of every hour, two doors open and Jesus’ twelve apostles make an appearance while a skeleton rings a bell. The spectacle concludes with a rooster crowing. We felt completely safe in the Czeck Republic–however, while around the Clock, be aware. While you are looking up at the clock, packed together in a crowd, you may not pay attention to your belongings. This is a perfect opportunity for pick pockets to work. If you have a bag, put it on your chest and wrap your arms around the important zippers and you should be good. Also, do not leave anything of value in your back pockets. This is a general smart travel tip. Now, enjoy the scene! You can also climb the tower for a good view of the Square.

There are tons of restaurants on the Old Town Square. Between the Old Town tower and the Church of St. Nicholas, there are food carts that smelled tasty. We enjoyed a late dinner at Al Minuto Ristorante, an Italian restaurant that shared the wall of the Astronomical Clock. The Staropramen beer they served was cold and refreshing and the pizza was delicious. When the server put the pizza on the table, it was gone in a minute!

Detail of Astronomical Clock

From the Square, you can catch a tour or book tickets for a concert.

To get to the Old Town Square from the New Town, follow the main road through the Powder Tower. If you are coming from the Little Quarter, cross the Vltava River at the Charles Bridge and follow the main road east. A short walk north from the Old Town Square is the Jewish Quarter, another great area to explore.

When Rebekah and I travel, we look for a cheap but comfortable hotel near the town’s center. We do not like to pay a lot of money for a really nice hotel room, especially when we want to leave that room as much as possible to experience the culture surrounding us. To make the most of our time in Prague, we also valued staying in the heart of the city, with convenient access to our points of interest. Hotel Hastal Prague Old Town was the perfect fit!

View of the Square from our Room

Location: Hotel Hastal is located just outside the Jewish Quarter in Prague’s Old Town. The great location makes it easy to access all of Prague’s sights, especially if you take advantage of the subway and above-ground tram system. A tram stop is a short five minute walk east of the hotel. If you walk five minutes to the west, you will be standing in the Old Town Square, featuring the Tyn Church and the Old Town Hall Tower with its popular Astronomical Clock.

Our Double Room

The Bathroom

The Room: The hotel is not fancy, but is very comfortable and clean with a family-run feeling. Art Nouveau prints by Czech artist Alfons Mucha decorate the hallways and rooms. Our room provided plenty of space along with a double bed, desk, chair and closet. The room also included a small TV and a safe. The bathroom was spacious with a corner shower. The large double window overlooked a mostly quiet small square and church.

The Breakfast: A delicious breakfast of hot and cold food is included with the room. The buffet features eggs, sausage, meats, cheeses, breads, yogurts, cereals, and jams. Each day, a different coffee cake is served as well. The options do not rotate much from day to day, so plan accordingly for a long visit. As an added bonus, a coffee machine and tea are available 24 hours a day. This was a great perk, and added to the overall value of our room! We caffeinated up one afternoon before taking to the streets again for a concert at the Municipal House.

The Cost: Our double room cost us only 80 Euros (about $110 at the time) per night. We found the cheapest rate by emailing the hotel and booking directly with them. A credit card number was required to hold the room, but only cash (USD, Euros, or Crowns) was accepted at checkout. Since we knew ahead of time that Hotel Hastal would accept US Dollars, we avoided an ATM/exchange fees by bringing the required USD with us from home. Overall, the payment process was very easy.

Other Noteworthy Items: The staff was incredibly helpful and kind. They even arranged a private car to pick us up at the airport since we were arriving at midnight and were not familiar with the city and public transportation. The transportation cost (29 Euros) was added to our hotel tab. This was great because we had not figured out currency yet. A bar serving Staropramen beer, a Czech beer staple, shares the breakfast room. Although the hotel bar sells some of Prague’s least expensive brews, we were not able to partake due to relatively early closing times.