Cruising Along the Vltava River: Prague Dinner Cruise Review
Prague, the City of a Hundred Spires, home to the infamous Charles Bridge, endless beer gardens, colourful buildings, and the UNESCO historical old town center. It’s a fairytale destination that will surely leave you planning your next return if you ever get the pleasure to visit. Prague feels a little like a different world, somewhere where gothic and medieval structures are the norm and serve as a staple to the city’s impressive architecture. I like to call Prague the Gotham City of Europe, and quite frankly, I think it’s one of the most beautiful capital cities in all of Europe.
I had always wanted to do a dinner cruise on the river, ever since the first time I stepped foot in Prague and noticed how the city is perfectly positioned along the Vltava river. I soon realized that it’s a very popular tourist attraction, as the river is virtually filled with these small cruise ships on any given night. The thought of a dinner cruise was very inviting. To stuff my face, sip on wine, and take in all the marvelous sites in Prague. That sounded like a fabulous evening in my book.
I gave in and bit the bullet. Sure, it might be a little touristy, but I really wanted to do it. I invited my friend Carey as my hot date for the evening. As we picked up our tickets at the box office before boarding, we realized the return time, 3 hours later! Wow, that’s kind of a long time to be on a boat, but it should be fun.
View of Prague from the Vltava River-Notice the infamous Dancing House on the left
Onboard the Cruise
~The food~
A small buffet was offered onboard, offering an assortment of grilled chicken, pork, rice, pasta, vegetables, fruit, salad, cured meats, traditional Czech dumplings, and a few desserts. As someone who suffers from a Gluten allergy, my options were limited and could only try the grilled chicken, vegetables, and salad. The staff were great in letting me know the ingredients of each dish to make sure it was safe for me to eat. The food was flavorful and was good for buffet food, but not great. To this day, I have yet to experience excellent buffet food.
~The atmosphere~
There were about 25-28 passengers onboard the 2 story small cruise ship, mostly age 30 and up, and consisting of mainly couples. Also onboard was an instrument player, who would entertain us throughout the evening with soothing melodies. There is something about live music that is just so calming and stress relieving.
Prague Dinner Cruise, Top Deck
~The Top deck~
After dinner, we quickly darted to the top deck where we could admire the sites and take a few photos. This was the place you wanted to be with drink in hand. The top deck offered the best unobstructed view of all the sites, and was the perfect spot to catch the sunset with the medieval architecture beautifully framed in the backdrop. After dark, it was also great to view the spectacularly lit-up Charles bridge in all its glory as the cruise slides right underneath of it, giving you an in-your-face view. It really is a breathtaking structure, and a key architectural symbol of this unique city.
Spectacular Prague by night, photo courtesy of Tinggly
Good to know before you board
- Drinks, including water, are NOT included in the cruise ticket.
- They only accept cash onboard the cruise so that caused a little problem because, ironically, neither me nor Carey had any cash on us at the time. During dinner we were parched and just wanted some water. When we were told they didn’t accept cards we were slightly panicked. After we expressed our concerns to the waitress, she appeared empathetic and went to ask what could be done. Upon returning, she informed us that when we finally dock, they could borrow a credit card machine from another boat and we could pay with our cards. Now that is some good customer service, something that is extremely rare in the Czech Republic.
Views of Vyšehrad from the Top Deck
Pros
- Very friendly and accommodating staff
- Relaxing atmosphere with live music
- Top deck with excellent views of the sites, especially the Charles Bridge at night
- Romantical (I know that’s technically not a word, but it should be in my opinion)
Cons
- Way too long. Could have been perfect at 1.5-2 hours max
- Drinks not included and slightly pricy
- Older crowd
Would I recommend this dinner cruise?
For someone who does not have a long attention span, 3 hours was extremely long to be stuck on a boat with no escape. Honestly, the last hour I was just itching to get off. Otherwise, I would say yes. But in this case, I would recommend one of the shorter cruises they offer.
Go on this dinner cruise if you:
- Have patience and don’t mind being stuck on a boat for long periods of time
- Are very hungry, as 2nd (or 3rds) are not frowned upon
- Want to see the sites from a different perspective
- Want a romantic evening with the Mr. or Mrs.
- Are traveling with your parents and want to show them the city in a relaxing environment
Final Thoughts
As a guest on this dinner cruise, It’s tempting (as you might feel obligated) to want to report that it was the most amazing experience ever. But, I also need to be real and give my honest opinion. That being said, I have been on a few dinner cruises before, some in the USA and one in Egypt. They were all pretty much the same, one not better than the other. The purpose of a dinner cruise is to have a nice dinner, relax, and take in the surrounding sites in a calming atmosphere, and it accomplished just that. And for that, I am grateful I was able to experience it.
Note: A special thanks to Tinggly for hosting my experience. My opinions, however, are completely my own.
