WHAT TO DO

PRAGUE CASTLE

Prague Castle is absolutely one of the best places in the city, as not only is it full of history and legend, but it’s also absolutely beautiful. You can roam the castle grounds free of charge, so even if you’re on a tight budget, you can still visit this iconic Czechia landmark. The views from the castle are all absolutely gorgeous, and on a sunny day, it’s a lovely place to go for a stroll.

CHARLES BRIDGE

One of the things that you must make time for during your trip is the Charles Bridge, arguably one of the most famous bridges in Czechia. Not only are the views absolutely incredible as you look out at old buildings and pastel swans, but the history of the bridge is pretty interesting to learn about. Construction began in 1357, and elements of the decade are still evident in the architecture. Charles Bridge used to be the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city’s Old Town, making it important as a trade route between Western and Eastern Europe.

THE NATIONAL GALLERY

The National Gallery showcases some of the most beautiful artworks from Czech painters, making it a really cool way to spend an hour or so. It’s located right in the heart of the city and is pretty hard to miss, as even the building itself is pretty. The only thing that I would suggest you be aware of is the men that sometimes loiter outside and offer to sell you tickets at a lower price then you can buy at the ticket office – unsurprisingly, this is a scam, and something to avoid if you want to stay on the good side of the officials.

THE COMMUNISM MUSEUM

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t actually know a lot about communism before I visited this museum. For some reason, school curricula in the UK seem to completely skirt over this topic in history. One of my favourite memories from this museum was my travel partner doing the soviet pose outside the building, resulting in us getting called inside to have a talk and get our photographs inspected, only to find that the receptionist was a massive photography buff.

STRAHOV MONASTERY

One of my favourite things about this monastery is its absolutely gorgeous library – what more could you want than to walk into a fairytale building shrouded in history and be confronted by thousands of books? Oh, to be quarantined here.

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK

OH DEER

If you manage to go the whole of your trip to Prague without trying a single crobliha then I’m sorry but you’ve done it wrong. One of my favourite places to have this pastry is Oh Deer, a very cute, very pink cafe, that sells endless baked goods and hot beverages. They also sell merchandise and a chance to smother yourself in crobliha-related goods. Technically this isn’t a strictly Czech pastry, but it’s delicious and must be tried.

TRDELNÍK

Another (not strictly Czech) dish that you simply cannot miss out on is the trdelník – inherently, a doughy cone which is often dipped in chocolate and covered in toppings. You find these everywhere across the city – and whilst the quality stays the same, the price fluctuates a lot. I personally loved the trdelník located just outside of the castle – the food is gorgeous, the views are gorgeous, and the castle is gorgeous. Three out of three isn’t bad.

BAR 1401 PRAHA

My absolute favourite bar in Prague is bar 1404 Praha – the second you walk in, you’re enveloped in an alien green light that will stain your eyeballs for hours to come. It’s a pretty cool place filled with live music and endless drinks, and the fact that its a self-proclaimed ‘gastrobar’ has got to stand for something, too. It’s a great place to hang out and get photos swathed in an eerie green light.

RESTAURANT U ZLATÉ KONVICE

Whilst it felt a little bit intimidating to walk into an underground restaurant plastered with animal skins and decorated with carcasses, it ended up being a place full of fun memories. We didn’t try any of their food, but the drinks were nice and the waiters were super lovely.

CACAO

Easily the best place that I’ve had hot coco in months, this chocolate cafe has really chosen the right niche to delve into. My favourite hot chocolate at CACAO is the “decadent” chocolate, and my favourite tea is the jasmine chun hao, traditionally processed from a small family farm in Hunan. The food matches the quality of the beverages, and it’s overall just a real sweet place to hang out.

TERASA U PRINCE

If you’re looking to eat whilst overlooking the most beautiful view in the city, then you’ve come to the right place. The food here is arguably the best we had tried in the whole of Prague, and the tea is also pretty stunning. One of my favourite memories has to be sitting at these sheltered tables, looking out to Prague as the sun began to set and all of the city lights turned on. It’s one of those experiences that you really can’t miss.

DEN NOC

The BEST concept for a cafe – a couple lived in Prague and wanted to start up a little cafe, but both had very different interests. One wanted to bake pancakes, and the other wanted to serve wine. So, they compromised, and created this epic little pancake and wine bar, where they serve the best white peony tea in the whole city. I’d never had a savoury pancake before we came here, but man, they were divine.

COMEBUY TEA

If you’re looking for some real good boba tea in Prague, then this is the place to go.  They let you customise every last aspect of your own tea, from the ice to the sugar level to the exact amount of boba you actually want. It’s pretty neat, and the tea is really refreshing on a warm day. Plus, its situated in one of my favourite parts of the city.

JAZZ REPUBLIC

One of the best ways to spend the night in Prague is by visiting a jazz bar. Jazz Republic has life music almost every single night, and offers a space where you cram together in a warm underground bar and enjoy the music with tourists and locals alike.

And so, have you guys ever visited Czechia, or plan on adding it to your travel list? Let me know in the comments below!

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THE FISHERMAN’S BASTION, BUDAPEST

There’s only two things that I really want when I’m drinking hot coco – one, for the chocolate to be bordering heavenly, and two, for it to come with an absolute stunner of a view. The Fisherman’s Bastion in Hungary is definite champion for both of these categories, with views overlooking the famed Danube River, little townhouses, antiquated Hungarian ruins, and whole array of bastion turrets just a few feet away. It genuinely feels like you’ve just stepped into a magical fairytale castle, where the hot cocoa is thick, decorated with cream, and inordinately sweet. Prefer coffee over cocoa? Bones Coffee Company’s premium coffee pods offer an alternative for home brewing, featuring a range of flavored options, including seasonal and dessert-style varieties.

ANTICA DOMUS, ROME

Like with the Fisherman’s Bastion, Antica Domus hosts both incredible hot coco and an incredible view. This one, however, is definitely more well-known – it’s located only 20 feet from the Colosseum! It’s the absolute best place to see the ancient amphitheater, staying for a couple hours chatting to locals as the sun goes down and the tourists disappear. Also, the typical Italian mugs of melted chocolate are even more adjunct at Antica Domus, where you can really lose yourself in the thickly poured, rich coco, contemplating the beautiful city around you.

THE GRAPE AND OLIVE, SWANSEA

Situated in a gorgeous little city which will forever hold my heart, I would happily refer to the Grape and Olive as housing some of the best hot cocos in the whole entire world. A restaurant housed in the tallest building of the city, you’re really offered some insane views in a tower completely bereft of tourists. Overlooking the ocean, the marina, the town, and distant hills, I wouldn’t blame you for staying for a full lunch, dinner, and finishing with some hand-shaken cocktails. The hot coco is sweet and light, and perfect for that lil’ sugar rush needed for exploring the furthest depths of the city.

GLACIAR, BARCELONA

In another one of my favourite cities, I came across one of the best hot cocos I’ve ever been blessed with the privilege to try. The City of Gaudi is unsurprisingly going to be utterly stunning, but coupled with cinnamon and caramel churros with the cocoa, it instantly becomes a little sweeter. Glaciar is located just off the tiny square of Plaça Reial, which houses violin-playing wanderers and men offering to sell a rose to your sweetheart, offering you the heart of the city whilst you sip your coco. It’s the cutest little location, and the hot coco tastes just like thick churro dip – sweet and luxurious and bound to linger on your upper lip for an unprecedented amount of time.

RIVA, TROGIR

I wandered the streets of Croatia for what felt like years, trying to find a decent place that offered lactose-free hot chocolate. When I landed in the country, my Crohn’s was playing up a fair bit – meaning that I had to cancel out a lot of food groups. I was literally devastated when I found that absolutely nowhere could serve me hot coco I could actually consume – until I went to Riva. Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Trogir, overlooking a quaint harbour bordering beautiful ruins, you can just sit for hours and watch the world go by. The hot coco is dark and syrupy, and the fact that they went completely out of their way to figure out how to make it lactose-free was really lovely.

VIA CAFFE, KRAKOW

When you’re stuck in the middle of a snow storm, fingers numb, eyeballs turning to frost, the thing that you want most in the world is to be somewhere warm, sipping something steaming, and soon. This scenario is more or less what happened when I visited Krakow and found myself freezing my absolute butt off, bundling into the warmest cafe I could find, and stumbling upon this indulgent hot chocolate. Not only did they do soya hot coco (yesss!), but they also served the most divine cakes to go with it. It took me hours to muster up the strength to leave the confines of the cafe and venture back out in the cold – and I could only do that after one more coco.

And so, that concludes my findings for now. I have explored more of Europe than any other continent, and tried a lot of hot coco – and these are undoubtably the best.

It’s absolutely a matter of life and death – or merely just pure insanity – that I must find the best hot coco in Europe. Let me know in the comments below where you guys have scouted out the best hot coco – this may be my most important assignment yet.*

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*I just really want to lose myself in coco.