Christmas Market Road Trip: First Stop, Prague! (via Frankfurt)

It was 2019 when we first approached the idea of taking the kids to Europe to see the Christmas Markets. Doug had done it when he was a kid, and truly enjoyed it. Our plan was to take a river boat cruise, but once we saw the price tag, we went back to the drawing board. Shortly thereafter, 2020 happened, and the trip fell off our radar.

Fast forward to 2023, when on a whim, I decided to book us tickets to Prague with a return trip from Budapest. I reserved hotel rooms in a variety of cities in Central Europe, assuming we would be rely on the train for transportation. All the remaining details I would sort out at a later date.

After a successful roadtrip around Iceland in April, I felt confident that renting a car was a better option (over the train) as it provided the flexibility and freedom we desired. I subsequently moved all of our hotel reservations to the burbs so that we could make use of the free parking.

Flying on United Airlines

On December 10th, 2023 we departed San Francisco (on a United Boeing-777) bound for Frankfurt. The “pilots” quickly noted that with such a tremendous tailwind, (almost 100mph) we were achieving a ground speed of over 700mph. Fascinating. Aside from that, our journey was uneventful, so long as you don’t count the crying babies and the strong burning sensation I was starting to feel down my right hand. (Will get to that later!) Another thing to point out is that the food on United Airlines was actually quite edible.

We landed in Frankfurt early on the 11th, and had eight hours until our connecting flight to Prague. After clearing customs, we followed the signs to the Bahnhöfe (train station) and purchased an all-day ticket (up to 5 people) for 16.60 Euros. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate a locker to store our carry-on luggage, so had to take it with us. Maybe someone with better German would have had better luck?

Anyway, we boarded the S8 (or the S9) train in the direction of Offenbach/Hanau. We took the train to Hauptwache, the closest stop to the old part of Frankfurt. The train was the kids favorite part of Frankfurt (we love our public transportation!) and took only about twenty minutes.

Frankfurt, Germany

The weather was marginal in Frankfurt, and our backpacks were very, very heavy. Still we were able to walk the eight minutes from Hauptwache to the old town center, Römerberg. Here we appreciated the highly ornate, original and reconstructed, half-timber houses that surrounded the center — including the 700-year old City Hall, and the medieval Old St Nicholas Church. In mid-December, Römerberg was also adorned with a large number of Christmas Markets selling mulled wine, sweet treats, and pretzels the size of a small child.

Just north of the Römerberg, we found one of the most famous stalls of the Frankfurt Christmas Market — Wagner’s Honighaus. This two-story, half-timber constructed cottage is stocked with honey products of all kinds, from intricately carved candles, to flavored honeys, to mead. We sampled a few different types of honey, but because we did not yet have any Euros, there wasn’t much for us to purchase. Cash is typically required at the Markets we visited in Central Europe.

Next we walked through the city’s iconic indoor market, the Kleinmarkthalle, (unimpressed) before landing at a bookstore to browse through Porsche books. (The bookstore was mostly a way to get out of the cold.) I can’t say that any of us loved Frankfurt, everything appeared quite gray and industrial, but we were also tired so we could have been biased. At least it was more interesting than spending eight hours in the airport.

Frankfurt Airport

We arrived back at the Frankfurt Airport to a very short security line. We aren’t sure if the German version of the TSA was bored, or just targeting Americans, but both Doug and I were thoroughly searched – as in the full body type. All Doug and I could do was make sarcastic comments and laugh. By the time we got to our gate, jet lag had hit us adults hard and we both fell asleep draped across a few chairs in the gate area, while the kids played video games. Did I mention that at this point I could no longer use three of the fingers on my right hand?

I do not remember anything about the flight to Prague other than the flight attendant startling me awake to exclaim “CHOC-O-LATE! NOW!”. I guess they really wanted me to sample their Lufthansa chocolate?

Prague, Czech Republic

We did not have a rental car reserved for Prague so we took a bus and a train to the Prague City Center. There were a few British people on our bus, so we were all able to band together and figure things out. The bus station is right in front of Terminal 2 (Exit D) and a ticket, valid for 90-minutes costs €1.25 and can be used for any combination of the bus, tram or subway. We took bus 119 to the Nadrazi Veleslavin station, then transferred to subway line A (green) and continued to the Mustek station (in Central Prague). This trip took around forty minutes. We then we had a fifteen minute walk to our hotel, the Hotel CUBE Prague. The walk took us straight through the heart of the Prague Old Town Christmas Market. It would have been much more enjoyable had we not been lugging our suitcase (with a bum wheel) over cobble streets.

The Hotel CUBE was pretty amazing. We had a two floor apartment, with two bathrooms. Upon arrival we were offered a welcome drink, and some scrumptous ginger cookies. There was an elaborate breakfast buffet in the morning, that we took complete advantage of.

Charles Bridge, Prague

For our first day in Prague, we first walked to the Charles Bridge, one of the most famous tourist attractions in Prague. This bridge links the old town of Prague with the newer part of the city. It is also a great way to get from one side of the Vltava River to the other. The Charles Bridge is always crowded, so we did not get many pictures on it that were not full of unintentional photo bombers.

After crossing the bridge, we paid a small fee (maybe $10 for all four of us) to climb the 215 steps to the viewing gallery of the bell tower adjacent to the Baroque Church of St Nicholas. Here we were able to get a birds-eye view of the Charles Bridge and the city. Doug was able to find a local to talk “history” with for like, over 45-minutes. Ugh.

Prague Castle

After descending from the tower, we hoofed it up the hill to the Prague Castle for the ceremonial, 12PM “Changing of the Guard”. We were early, so walked the grounds of this castle, with a history dating back to 870. Just before 12PM we returned to the entry way where the kids were able to squeeze to the front of the crowd and peer through the palace gates. Adults attempting to do the same were promptly shooed away by the menacing looking guards. (I thought it was nice that they let our kids stay where they were.)

It was during this ceremony that I decided that my hand needed some prompt medical attention. I had sliced the top of my hand at the grocery store the week prior, and until our flight to Frankfurt, it had been a non-event. Now, for whatever reason, it was swollen, three of my fingers were no longer working, and it was oozing something, well, orange. Clearly I had an infection. We decided to do a quick tour of the Prague Astronomical Clock, and then find a doctor.

The Prague Astronomical Clock

The Prague Astronomical Clock, also known as the Virgin Mary astronomical clock, was built in 1657 and is located in Old Town Square in Prague. It is one of the most famous astronomical clocks in the world. The clock is said to be able to tell time to within 1/100th of a second and has been running for over 350 years.

“International Doctor”, Prague

But now to find a doctor. After a couple failed attempts, we finally located an “International Doctor”. This “Doctor” was tucked in the back of a shopping mall, complete with dim lighting and a sketchy fish tank. It also had horrible reviews. Desperate times, call for desperate measures though.

Thankfully, the receptionist/nurse spoke English and explained to us how we would be billed and then led me back to said “doctor”. “Doctor” did not speak English but was very kind, even helping me to remove my coat. They made for a highly competent team, however, and cleaned and dressed my wound in less than half an hour. They then sent us on our way with a, “if it gets any worse, do NOT go to OUR hospitals, drive to Germany.” For only $450, I received two doses of antibiotics, a bunch of first aid supplies that you cannot find in the US, and silver bandages. (Silver draws out infections.) “That’s cheap!”, proclaimed Greg as he knew how much his trip to the ER had cost when we were in the US! Anyway, if you are lucky enough to visit “Doctor” in Prague, let him know that we give them 5 stars.

Dancing House of Prague

Feeling much better after a couple doses of antibiotics, we went for a stroll along the river that evening. Here, we walked past the Dancing House of Prague, a swaying building that apparently looks like it’s dancing — but only from across the street. We strolled through the Prague Old Town Christmas Market, and indulged in some “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”. (Yuck) Then the boys got their picture with a Czech Santa. We topped off the night with ice cream (for them) and a crepe (for me).

After one final breakfast in the Hotel CUBE, we grabbed a rental car to make our way to Germany!