This past year I visited Prague and while it isn’t the easiest place for getting around in a wheelchair I had an amazing time and would go again. Everything was affordable for budget travelers – even the beer was a bargain!
Prague is a beautiful, old city. Almost all of the streets are cobblestone and a lot of the sidewalks are small stone tiles which are way better than the cobblestones, but still bumpy, a bit annoying, and probably not good for my electric wheelchair. The sidewalks are uneven and some don’t have curb cuts, but despite these issues, it was all worth it just to see the beautiful buildings, castles and bridges at every turn.
Transportation
Public transportation was pretty good because most of the time I was able to use it without trouble but some stops were not accessible. I’ll start with getting from the airport to either new or old town. Now before you do anything find a ticket machine and get your tickets. The way they do it in Prague is by time – the most common are the 30 or 90 minute tickets and the tickets are good for any bus, tram, or subway and is not limited to just one trip. If you are going to be there for say, four days, I would buy a 4-day ticket. Once you get on the bus or tram, validate the ticket. There should be a yellow ticket validation machine towards the front on a pole.
The way I got to the old town from the airport was by taking the number 119 bus to Nádraží Veleslavín, Then you have to get on the number 20 tram that will take you to your destination. There might be other routes that would work better depending on where you staying. Most of the buses are accessible and all of the new trams are accessible with fold out ramps. They both have buttons with the wheelchair accessible symbols to press if you want to get on, usually in the front of the tram so try to get to the front area. The driver will then come out and unfold the ramp and you are in! Most of the tourists and busy sections have accessible stops but every now and then, there is one stop that is not accessible. This happened on our way to a Balkan Music show so we had to go to the next stop to be able to get off. I did not take the subway so I can not report on that, but I was informed that some stops are supposed to be accessible. I also just drove my chair a lot since our hotel was close to most of the places I wanted to go.
Attractions
I had a big list of museums I intended to visit but didn’t end up going to any because some people I was traveling with didn’t want to go and as it turned out, the city of Prague felt like a museum to me anyway! You definitely need to check out the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and the Astronomical Clock. I heard the best time to see these was in the morning to avoid the crowds but I am not a morning person so I saw the Charles Bridge at night! Other cool things to see for free are the Opera House, the Dancing House, Kafka Monument, the Prague Metronome in Letná Park, and so many more architectural gems everywhere you look.
Prague Castle considered the biggest ancient castle in the world and contains the two churches the Gothic St. Vitus which is one the most beautiful churches I have seen inside and outside and is wheelchair accessible. The other church is St. George’s and is the oldest of the two and it was not wheelchair accessible. As one of the main attractions in Prague it is very busy but was not too crowded during the day when we went. Most of the castle grounds are wheelchair accessible but getting there is a bit tricky. The main way people go is up a big flight of stairs but I just went up a street over and got to the the big ramp up to the castle. It wasn’t the easiest way but it works. You can also take a bus to the other entrance. But I definitely recommend going.
Charles Bridge Gorgeous bridge with a ton of sculptures decorating it. Itis insanely packed during the day. At night it is less crowded but still beautiful.
Vyšehrad ancient fortress that at one point was the place of power and holds within it St. Paul and St Peter’s basilica and the graveyard where some famous Czechs are buried. It is wheelchair accessible but the church is not. It is a great place for a picnic or just for the view.
Astronomical Clock located in the old town square so it is ridiculously crowded throughout the day. Every hour people gather to watch it on the hour to see the clock show with figurines. It is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest still working.
Letná Park is where the Prague Metronome is which took the place of a huge Stalin statue after they established independence from Russia. They chose a metronome to represent the passing of time. On one side of the park is the Letná Beer Hall which has an amazing view of Prague. You can grab a pint of beer and get some food too! A few things about the accessibility that were not ideal: The bathroom is not accessible. The park is on higher ground and if you come to it from below, the way to the Beer Garden is very steep or has a lot of stairs; so it is best to get there from the back.
Restaurants
- Lokál U Bílé Kuželky. There are a couple locations but this one is by the Charles Bridge, was easy to get into, and was one of my favorite places. I recommend the beef tartare, ribs and the goulash. http://lokal-ubilekuzelky.ambi.cz/en/
- La Bastille. Needed a ramp but they do have outdoor seating. French restaurant with a Czech twist and burgers of all things. My friends all got the duck burger and I got the tiger shrimp which was pretty good. https://labastille.webnode.cz/
Strahov Monastery Brewery. Accessible inside to the left, but no accessible bathrooms. Across the way from the entrance however, is a public pay bathroom that was very accessible. The brewery took over an old monastery and the restaurant serves traditional Czech food. The location is very close to Prague Castle. http://www.klasterni-pivovar.cz/
Bibimbap Korea. Located to the east of the old town. We went here the day after a late night and brought us all back to life. It was so refreshing.It does require a ramp. Delicious Korean in the https://www.bibimbap.cz/
U Fleků. This traditional Czech beer garden is one of the most famous and visited brew pubs in Prague. Huge outdoor area, that sometimes has a live band. There are only two beers, light or dark and they will keep bringing them to you until you flip the coaster. There is also an accessible bathroom.
http://ufleku.cz/
- Kantyna. Kinda like a cafeteria style butcher shop where you order by WEIGHT but probably the best chicken I have ever eaten (and I’ve had a lot of chicken!).
Located in an a beautiful old bank but not super accessible. I had to use a ramp to get in and get to the seating area areahttps://www.kantyna.ambi.cz/
Nejen Bistro, Křižíkova 263/24 Karlín. Probably the best meal we had all around. Not accessible even with a ramp but they had outside seating. They were about to close the outside but were nice enough to wait on us. It was a bit chilly but they had blankets for us. My friend who lived in Prague won a dinner-for-two gift certificate to this place but there were four of us and they agreed to use it for half the bill which was another awesome thing they did. This was our last meal before the flight home so we went all out and ate everything and had plenty of drinks. Everything was delicious! From the duck pate to octopus. http://nejenbistro.cz/
Hotel
I stayed in the Pension Dientzenhofer which I thought was great little place to stay with an awesome breakfast included. It was inexpensive very accessible with most of the rooms catering to wheelchairs. http://www.dientzenhofer.cz/ I stayed in a suite with two bedrooms. The main room had a queen bed and the other room had two single beds. The bathroom was huge with a roll in shower but no shower bench or chair. They even had a mini fridge in the bathroom.
