Nothing planned for today, so we were able to wake up without setting the alarm and do things at our own pace.

We bought a couple of 24H transport tickets, and got a tram across the city.

Very clean and quiet, with free WiFi and a good route display, so it was fairly easy to work out where to get off.

We then took the funicular up the hill:

There was a good display showing the history of the various Prague funiculars – this is the 3rd one on this route.

At the top is a nice park, with a tower supposedly based on the Eiffel Tower:

It was too crowded to consider going up the tower, so we had a walk instead and found a geocache:

On the walk back down to the city, we passed a wooden church that had been in various locations before being given to the city:

By then, it was time for a beer and another tram to an island in the River Vltava:

There is a small hydro-electric station using the water drop over the wier; this is an old turbine:

The locks bypass the wier in the earlier photo:

From here, we just missed a tram, so had a bit of a wait in the hot sun for the next one.

This took us to a suburb of Prague, with a nice quiet bar serving good food and Hoegarden on draft:

Suitably refreshed, another tram took us near the main train station, and we saw extensive renovation of the rail lines:

A steep climb up a hill took us to yet another museum on the top:

This statue is BIG – note the man sitting underneath!

Nice views across the city though:

Then a nice walk through the park to yet another tram back to our hotel.

We then walked back to town across the oldest bridge, now pedestrianised:

At which point, it was time for a beer and some lunch:

In the afternoon, we explored the city, including some interesting markets and the Jewish quarter:

Then caught the metro back to our hotel.

It’s been a lovely day here in Prague, not too hot, not too cold, and a lovely and interesting city that seemed much calmer than Vienna or Budapest.

We started with a tour of the Castle area, on the opposite side of the infamous River Vltava. We all had to go through police security before being allowed inside:

It was busy but not quite so crowded inside. First was the cathedral, with fantastic and varied stained glass windows:

Then St George and his dragon (he gets everywhere…):

Then various other buildings, some of which you couldn’t take photos inside.

And a good viewpoint, assuming the selfie stick holders got out of the way:

We then had some tables reserved in a nice cafe, which provided a welcome break:

Followed by various other buildings and squares:

Finally, some preserved ‘workers’ houses, most of which are now tourist shops:

And another viewpoint overlooking the city:

Then the long walk down the hill back to the city itself:

A fairly early start today to catch the train to Prague. The rain has finally caught up with us, though it’s not much more than drizzle, and we’ll leave it behind on the train.We’re in the last coach of the train, and can see out from the connecting doors:

All in all, a smooth journey

We had a dining river cruise tonight. Nice to see the city from the river:

Our coach then took us to the citadel, overlooking Budapest, for a night time view of the city:

And as a real bonus, the thunderstorms that had been forecast never happened.

We had a free day today, so we bought a 24H transport pass and explored the city.

First was a tram, then one of the older Metro trains to the city park:

The park is large, with a spa, lake and a reconstructed castle:

We got a tram back to the city, but our map was a bit out of date and we ended up on the Buda side of the river, so it took a while to guess the right tram to get us where we wanted to be…

We got there eventually though, and it was time for a beer and mint lemonade:

We then investigated the Grand Central Market, an impressive building with stalls selling food, souvenirs and similar:

We then caught a tram along the river bank – good views across the river and of the amazing Parliament building:

Time for lunch and another beer – this was a local IPA and really nice:

The food was good too!

After lunch, we caught a bus to Margit Island in the Danube, which is nearly 2 miles long. It’s mainly a park, but with a hotel, theatre, restaurants and sports facilities.

And a lovely Japanese Garden:

And then it a bus and tram back to the hotel. An interesting but exhausting day – thankfully the weather was a bit cooler today than it has been.

We had to find our own restaurant for a meal tonight, so we managed to get a table at a small place that I’d spotted last night not far from the hotel .

An excellent meal and wine, and music provided by a chap playing a hammered dulcimer…

And some excellent mint tea (served with a choice of honey, sugar or lemon). And for the gentleman, an excellent local beer.

We drove into a nearby forest to catch a train on this railway. Originally built in the communist era to transport children to a camp high up in the forest, this was, and still is, staffed by children (who get 1 school day off in 15).

They don’t drive the train though!

We walked from the end of this line to a rack railway, and used this to get back to our coach:

And so ended a very full day!

Next to the church was this elegant viewpoint; originally a fish market!

Fantastic views of the River and City from here:

We then crossed the Danube to the Buda side of the city, and up to the old town around Buda Castle.

After a walk around, we visited St Mathius Church, which has an elegant roof:

And a nice interior.