After all, despite enjoying all the sights and experiencing all the “must-do’s” of a foreign city, it’s those special moments you have along the way – stumbling upon a striking statue, turning the corner and discovering the beautiful façade of a building or being taken aback by yet another astounding view – that remain in your mind when you reflect on your travels.

Here are three walks in Prague that I’ve taken many a time. Each step along their paths still satisfies.

Walk 1: Below the bridge, into the park and along the river

On the west side of the Charles Bridge, take a set of stairs down and into the lovely square Na Kampe. Walk straight ahead through the square and into one of the city center’s most lovely parks, also called Kampa. Keep to the side closest to the river.

Most likely you’ll come upon a number of kids playing around three massive statues of children crawling through the park made by Czech artist David Cerny. The statues are just outside the Kampa Museum of Modern Art. For free, you can walk through the outside entryway of the museum where there are several installations. There’s also an area on the ground where you walk over water that flows through a crack in the building that provides a view of the river. Once through the area, and out by the river, walk along the path that borders the water.

You can keep strolling or take a seat on one of the benches and look out at the island just across the way, the boats and the bridges.

Walk 2: Behind the castle, through the park and down into Lesser Town

For this walk, your starting point is the Prazsky Hrad (Prague Castle) tram stop on the street Marianske Hradby. Take a right at this back entrance to the castle, onto U Prasneho mostu and then a left into one of the Castle’s gardens – Kralovska Zahrada (The Royal Garden).

Inside you’ll find several lovely buildings and some stunning views of the city below. At the end of the Garden, where Queen Anne’s Summer Palace rests, you’ll go out the open gate (back onto Marianske Hradby) and make a right. Just a few steps away and on the right, you’ll walk into a park – Chotkovy sady. Here you’ll see some hidden sculptures and be immersed in the foliage of several big, beautiful trees.

Walking straight, you’ll cross over a small bridge and then you can either keep going straight ahead and into Letna park or walk to the left and around the corner (onto the larger street Chotkova) and down a set of stairs into the charming Mala Strana or Lesser Town.

Walk 3: Along the riverfront and back up to view a cubist gem

Starting at Palackeho Namesti (just look for the tram stop of the same name on a map) cross over the street toward the river. Walk down a nearby set of stairs that will take you to the promenade along the water (walk in the direction that will have Prague Castle at your back.).

You’ll pass bikers, see boaters, and have a full view of the cityscape of Prague’s fifth district across the way. At Vyton, which is near a bridge that trains cross over (there is also a tram stop called “Vyton” that you can look for as a marker) go back up on the street and keep walking in the same direction.

Just after passing under the train track bridge, look on your left for the Kovarovic Villa – a house built in the Cubist style by architect Josef Chochol between 1912-13. On the same side of the street, you’ll also pass by the Neo-Classical house by Emil Kralicek and the Sequens Villa (named after the family that constructed it) by Otakar Novotny in a Modernist Rationalist style.

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Among the many beer garden options the city offers, these four stand out:

Prater

Kastanienallee 7-9, Prenzlauer Berg

The one and only Prater is a mandatory summer stop for locals and tourists alike. Said to be the city’s oldest beer garden (dating back to 1837), this Prenzlauer Berg institution can accommodate up to 600 guests in its garden and indoor restaurant. Forget Oktoberfest–this is the real deal.

Schleusenkrug

Müller-Breslau-Str. 1
www.schleusenkrug.de

Located near the Tiergarten, right on the river, this small bar/kiosk fires up the grill in summer for brats and other goodies. Cold beer, good views, nice people–it doesn’t get much better than this.

Come to Golgatha after the sun goes down. Photo: Eugene Kim

Golgatha

Viktoria Park, Kreuzberg
www.golgatha-berlin.de

Kreuzberg’s answer to Prater, this beer garden inside a public park really gets going later in the evening. Beach chairs complement picnic tables. If you’re feeling anti-social, they offer Wi-Fi. But if you feel like mingling, there’s also dancing.

Loretta am Wannsee

Kronprinzessinnenweg 260, Wannsee
www.loretta-berlin.de

For a day trip, Wannsee, one of the largest and most popular lakes around Berlin, offers a sandy beach, shallow water and Loretta–a beer garden with a good wine selection. Watch the sailboats (or nudists, depending on where you’re looking) pass by as you kick back with a drink.

Other beer gardens

Have another beer garden in Berlin to recommend? Tell us about it in our comments section. Prost!

Also on EuroCheapo: If you’re planning a trip to Berlin and looking for affordable places to sleep, swing by our city guide to read reviews of our recommended hotels in Berlin, all of them visited, inspected and reviewed by our editors.

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Prague is home to about 30 cemeteries that are maintained by the city. Two into which I recommend venturing are located nearly side-by-side in Prague’s third district. Both are free to enter, and hours are posted outside of each.

Olsany Cemetery (Olsanske Hrbitovy)
Vinohradska 1835/153
Praha 3 – Zizkov

Olsany has several entrances. The easiest to locate is the one just to the right of Palac Flora mall. I know it sounds weird having a mall next to a cemetery—and it is—but once down the stairs, through the gate and inside the walls, the mall melts away and is replaced by singing birds, lush trees and ivy growing everywhere.

Founded in 1680, Olsany is the oldest burial ground outside of Prague’s old city walls and the city’s largest, with nearly 1.5 million people buried within it. Comprised of 46 hectares, it was started to accommodate the increased deaths during a plague epidemic at the end of the 17th century.

The cemetery is notable for its many art nouveau monuments. Its oldest stones can be found in the northwestern corner, close to the 17th-century Chapel of St. Roch (“kaple sv Rocha”). Final resting place to actors, writers, artists, politicians and many others, a few of Olsany’s most famous inhabitants include artist and writer Josef Lada, Klement Gottwald (communist president of Czechoslovakia) and Jan Palach (a student who committed self-immolation on Wenceslas Square in 1969 in protest against the Soviet invasion).

The New Jewish Cemetery (Novy zidovsky hrbitov)
Izraelska 712/1
Praha 3 – Zizkov

Located on the same street, just a short walk west and across the busy intersection at Jana Zelivskeho street, the New Jewish Cemetery was built in 1891 when the Old Jewish Cemetery (located in the city center and the more familiar of the two) ran out of space. The New Jewish Cemetery is still in use today.

Home to some 100,000 graves, the New Jewish Cemetery houses tombstones in a wide range of styles including Neo-Gothic, Neo-Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Classicism, Purism and Constructivism. Many monuments were designed by the country’s best-known artists, architects and sculptors.

For example, renowned architect Jan Kotera designed two art-nouveau monuments for members of the Perutz family. Sculptor Josef Vaclav–creator of the famous St. Wenceslas statue on Wenceslas Square–created two busts that adorn one of the cemetery’s most elaborate tombs belonging to the Waldes family.

The cemetery’s most famous inhabitant is world-renowned writer Franz Kafka. When you walk into the cemetery you’ll see a sign directing you to the grave, just a short walk to the right. Designed by architect L. Ehrmann, the tomb’s shape is a hexahedral, truncated crystal. Kafka shares the burial with his parents. Just across from him on the wall is a memorial plaque to Kafka’s friend and promoter, Max Brod.

Other cemeteries

Another cemetery worth having a look at is located in the Vysehrad neighborhood. Here you will find the tombs of author Jan Neruda, writer Karel Capek, poet Karel Hynek Macha and composer Antonin Dvorak. Read more here.

Do you have a favorite cemetery in Prague? Tell us about it in our comments section.

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A train that runs along the coastline of Dublin can change all that. This affordable option, called the DART, has stations spread throughout the center of the city. For a €2 ticket and a 20-minute train ride, Cheapos can gain a whole new perspective on the Irish capital.

I have a few favorite day trips from Dublin. I choose between them depending on how adventurous (or hungry) I’m feeling at the time.

Killiney Hill
DART south to Dalkey stop.
Web site

This day trip is for the day you wake up free of a Guinness-induced headache and have lots of energy. Climb aboard the DART heading south for the village of Dalkey. From here, consult the map at the station and walk 10 minutes to the entrance of Killiney Hill Park.

Take that “hill” part seriously–it will be a bit of a climb up to the top of the park. Views at the top are the reward. Pass blooming wildflowers and keep following the incline to emerge at the top of the hill, with incredible views north to Dublin and south along the craggy coast of the Irish Sea. (This hike can be challenging at times–good shoes are essential).

Howth
DART north to Howth stop.
Web site

This day trip is for when you’re feeling more like a serious meal than a challenging hike. Board the DART train heading north for Howth, a coastal village known for fresh seafood. After a walk on the scenic pier, it will be time to get down to the business of eating. On weekends, there is a small outdoor market, but if you plan a trip during the week there is still plenty of seafood to be had.

Cheapos might want to fill up on fish and chips from Beshoffs (17 – 18 West Pier, Howth). There are some outdoor picnic tables to soak in the views or you can take a seat at the Oyster Bar in Beshoffs Market for a few just-shucked bivalves. Some visitors might not be able to resist the classic combination of fresh oysters and a pint of Guinness.

Dun Laoghaire
DART south to Dun Laoghaire stop.
Web site

The Dublin day trip for the best of both worlds is Dun Laoghaire. Head south on the DART to this coastal village that offers two lengthy piers where you can go out for a good walk (no climbing over rocks or serious inclines required) and once you return to the village, there’s plenty to eat.

One of the best-kept secrets is a tiny pizza shop called Don Mimi (5 Old Dun Laoghaire Road, Monkstown). After your walk to the end of the pier (where you can see across the water to Howth) dig into affordable pizzas at one of three tables in this authentic shop and chat about the sailboats, seals and fishermen you saw from the pier.

North or south, for a hike or a hearty meal, a ride on the DART train will reveal Dublin’s gorgeous coastal location.

Your favorite day trips from Dublin?

Have you taken any of these day trips — or would you recommend another? Tell us about it in the comments section.

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