There’s something special about traveling with your adult child.
This winter, I spent a week in Prague with my son while he attended a conference. Our days were different, his structured and scheduled, mine open and wandering. It turned into one of my favorite kinds of travel.
Because here’s the truth:
You can travel with someone… and still travel independently.
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Quiet Mornings and the Moving History of the Jewish Quarter
One of my most meaningful days was spent at the Jewish Museum in Prague and the adjacent Old Jewish Cemetery.
It’s hard to describe the feeling of standing among centuries of layered gravestones, some tilted, some crowded together, each one holding a story. It was solemn. Powerful. Human.
Travel isn’t always fun and games. Sometimes it asks you to pause and reflect.
Holocaust memorial with 80,000 names on the wall
Snow Along the Vltava
Another morning, I walked along the Vltava River as light snow began to fall. The city felt quiet and magical.
I passed a man swimming in the icy river, completely unfazed by the temperature. Later I spotted a tiny snowman perched carefully on a bridge railing. The kind of small, fleeting detail that makes you smile.
On the iconic Charles Bridge, a group of bundled-up schoolchildren shuffled past, laughing and loud against the winter sky.
Travel gives you these contrasts: stillness and energy, solitude and community, often within minutes.
A Cold Morning at the National Museum
One brisk morning, I visited the grand National Museum. The air outside was sharp and damp, the kind that makes you grateful for warm museums to wander through.
Inside, history unfolded through art, science, and culture. I learned a bit of history from this region and geography.
I was bummed that I missed the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy skeleton fossil exhibit (she left in November 2025) but enjoyed seeing the Wooly Mammoth – my mom loved to tell the story of the Wooly Mammoth to children in classrooms she visited and I know I had a moment with mom in the museum that day.
Lunch Where Legends Once Sat
One afternoon, I made my way to Café Louvre — once frequented by Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka.
It felt quite romantic dining where brilliant minds once lingered over coffee.
I ordered lunch, sat alone at a small table, and felt completely content. In fact, after I ordered a cup of tea, an older woman came and sat next to me. We smiled and we ate lunch together.
She didn’t speak English but it is just the kind of place where two women alone can sit together.
Who knew?
A Show and Dinner for One
Knowing my son would have a late evening, I decided to indulge and attend the concert at the Mirror Chapel in the Klementinum. It’s a fabulous one hour intimate performance with 5 string musicians, and organist, and an opera singer.
In the city where Mozart once conducted the premiere of Don Giovani (1787) it felt like the thing to do in Prague.
After the concert, I treated myself to fancy dinner at Restaurant 420.
Yes, alone.
And yes, it was wonderful.
Confidence is gained by ordering what you want, lingering over a glass of wine, and not needing conversation to validate the experience. Travel after 50 has taught me that being alone is not the same as being lonely.
It can be luxurious.
The Klementinum and a View Above the City
Having just finished reading “Secret of Secrets” by Dan Brown which takes place in Prague, I was curious to see some places he mentions in the book. The scene where he is hiding in the Klementinum library was especially intriguing.
I purchased my ticket online and went one afternoon for the tour.
Climbing a steep spiral staircase, our guide brought us to the doors of the library. We were not allowed to enter, but spent time admiring the ceiling frescos and what many consider the most beautiful library in the world.
Then we climbed more steep steps to the astronomical tower where we enjoyed 360 degree views of the city.
Climbing the narrow stairs to the top rewarded me with sweeping winter views across red rooftops and cathedral spires. Prague from above looks like a storybook — especially under a dusting of snow.
Castle Walks and St. Vitus Cathedral
Of course, no week in Prague is complete without wandering up to Prague Castle. I had been there before on a 3 day extension for the Viking River cruise, but did not have the opportunity to enter the cathedral.
I recalled the guided tour we had of the castle and some excellent stories our guide shared at the time.
I chose to walk the 20 minutes up hill from our Airbnb in Old Town instead of taking the tram. You can really walk everywhere in Prague and always find more to see, just wear good sturdy shoes as many roads are still cobblestone only.
I purchased tickets to explore the stunning St. Vitus Cathedral, where stained glass windows glowed even on this cloudy day.
The cathedral is stunning but I would advise getting at least the audio tour. The local guides do such a good job of telling stories and if I planned in advance, I would have used 100 Spires Free walking tours – just be sure to tip the guides.
Since the castle and the cathedral are also home to the president of the Czech Republic, don’t miss seeing the guards at the gates. If you are lucky, you may even witness the changing of the guards at noon.
Take your time. There’s a cafe to relax in and for an additional charge, although included in Prague Castle Tour, you can enjoy a visit to the quaint Golden Lane featuring 11 tiny houses built in the 16th-century for the castle guards.
A Day trip in Nature
One of my favorite memories of the week was the day my son and I stepped away from the conference schedule and took an eight-hour snowy adventure together to Bohemian Saxon Switzerland National Park.
I booked this day trip through Viator and highly recommend it!
The landscape of towering sandstone formations was used in the film Narnia.
We attached spiked crampons to our boots to manage the icy trail, then with a small group slowly walked through the mist, trees dusted in snow, and between tall rocks literally made of sand.
Halfway through the day, we warmed up over a cozy lunch in a small local restaurant. The hot meal that tastes better because you’ve earned it.
It was fun to watch the Olympics in the pub with our international group of fellow hikers and the locals during lunch. Lots of cheering for our national teams!
Next our guide drove us easily over the border to Germany.
We walked across the breathtaking Bastei Bridge, high above the Elbe River, bundled in scarves and laughing at how surreal it all felt. The incredible views high about the river made for lots of photos!
All in all, a good time was had by all.
Traveling Together — Separately
In the evenings, my son and I would meet for dinner, compare stories from the day, and laugh about what we had each discovered.
He had his conference world.
I had my exploring one.
Traveling like this allows for:
- Independence without isolation
- Shared lodging, separate adventures
- Built-in connection without constant compromise
It’s a beautiful model — especially for adult children, girlfriends, or even couples with different interests.
Why This Matters
So many women tell me they hesitate to travel if their partner isn’t interested in museums. Or if their friend doesn’t want to dine somewhere fancy. Or if their adult child is “busy.”
You don’t have to miss the experience just because someone else has a different agenda.
You can travel together.
And still fully show up for yourself.
And sometimes, that balance creates the most meaningful trips of all.
Are you considering Prague?
When to go
With all the European river cruises and festive Christmas markets, Prague has become a popular tourist destination. It is a great option to do before or after a river cruise like we did – read about our 3 day extension to the Viking River cruise HERE.
During the busy summer season, tour guides warn you to book tours in advance to avoid long lines and to stay away from the overly touristy areas to get a better feel for the city.
I visited Prague in February and the best part was that those touristy crowds really were not there, and with 6 nights in the Old Town area I really got to know my way around.
Getting to Prague
Coming from the United States, we had to change planes in Amsterdam.
The airport hosts many smaller planes from all around Europe making it a favorite place for bachelor and bachelorette parties.
Once arrived in Prague, we walked through the gate and since I only had my carry on suitcase and back pack headed straight for the exit. We had gone through customs in Amsterdam.
I had read to get the Bolt app, like Uber, but less expensive and very reliable in Prague.
I entered my request to the app and within 5 minutes our car arrived. It’s that easy.
The cost was about $22 whereas a taxi is about $60. (I also nervously ordered one for the early morning that I left Prague alone and my driver was waiting outside the apartment right on time).
Where to stay
Since I was spending the week with my adult son, I wanted to have a place where we could each have our own room. Airbnb or VRBO works best for that so you can find an apartment to stay in.
When choosing an apartment I always read the reviews – in our case we discovered there were two flights of narrow stairs to climb to this place which may not be accessible to some people.
Our apartment located near Old Town Square gave us easy walking access to many sights I wanted to see and close enough to the tram stop for my son to take public transportation to the conference he was attending at the college.
In the summer of 2023 my husband and I stayed in the other side of the Vltava River in Lesser town at Augustine hotel, an old monastery turned into a posh hotel. This part of the city located just below the castle is beautiful and conveniently filled with many shops and restaurants.
What to see
Prague Castle, changing of the guards, St Vitus (Take a tour)
Jewish museum – 5 synagogues, Old Jewish cemetery (audio tour included in price and can be used for 3 days)
Old town square, astronomical clock
Klementinum— library, music concert at 5:00 in mirror chapel , tower for views
Charles bridge
Lennon wall
Kafka museum and statues
Wenceleslas square
National Museum
Powder Tower
Letna Park
Wallenstein Garden
So much more… Walk around and discover the dancing houses, Kafka head, all types of quirky, fun places.
Where to eat
Cafe Savoy – breakfast/ pastries in stunning Art Nouveau interior
Cafe Louvre – historic patrons with traditional menu for breakfast and lunch
420 – upscale dining with Michelin-starred chef
Malostransky hostinec- traditional Czech cuisine, awesome potato pancakes
Lokal – a few around the city offering authentic Czech food and beer
What to pack for winter
Warm coat, waterproof – we didn’t see the sun all week.
Cross body bag – keep your hands free
Umbrella – I bought one there
Good sturdy shoes/boots for all the cobblestones and some hills
Black – leave the Lilly dresses at home.
What to do before you visit Prague
You could exchange money to Korunas – they do not use Euros in Prague, but mostly you will use a credit card.
Get travel insurance – you just never know!
YouTube videos:
I loved watching Valery explain Prague to visitors on the “realpragueguide” YouTube videos. Fun to watch and gets you excited for the trip!
HonestGuide is another serieds of YouTube videos with lots of great information.
Read a book:
Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown – fun book to read that names many sites you will see, and they will be filming the movie this summer, I think.
Prague Winter by Madeline Albright – great memoir/ historical read about the area during WWII. Her family lived in Prague when she was born in the 1930s but left before the war. Did you know she didn’t find out that 3 of her grandparents were Jewish and perished in the Holocaust until 1989? Fascinating story.
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka – If you somehow missed this short story in high school about the man waking up as a cockroach, you can get it on this link for 99 cents and maybe find out why Kafka is so famous?
Watch a movie:
Mission Impossible (1996) – lots of fun locations to recall how Ethan escapes the bad guys!
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Spiderman – Far From Home (2019)
Lastly…
If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out to me!
I recently became a certified travel advisor and would love to help you plan your next adventure.
Where do you want to go next?
Direct Message me here or email me at kristin.markey@cruiseplanners.com
