When I came to Europe, Prague wasn’t even on my radar. I’d been looking at the map at spots that were kind of in proximity to Munich – where I’ve been spending a lot of time – and both Prague and Vienna popped up as four-five hour trips that could be cool.

I mentioned the possibility of Prague to a few travelers I know, and every one of them who’d been enthusiastically reassured me that Prague was one of their very favorite cities. I don’t speak Czech and I can’t count korunas, but why not?

My brother and I only spent about two full days in Prague, but this city has been in my top two ever since. It’s an underrated European gem, and everyone should visit. Here’s why:

1. It’s inexpensive.
One Euro is worth about 25 Czech korunas. This coupled into account with street food and vendors makes it pretty cheap to eat and shop your way around the city (although don’t use the term “cheap,” as it’s offensive to the locals). There’s an Indian buffet called “Dhaba Beas” that does a huge discount after 7PM on their food, and we ate there two nights in a row for about 2-3 Euros per person. It was incredible.

2. The architecture is amazing.
On one side of the river, in Old Prague, you have an ancient castle that overlooks the water. You can walk through the area without tickets (although if you want to tour, you will need to purchase admission) and you’ll see St. Vitus Cathedral, a stunning piece of art that any building lover should witness. The Jewish Quarter is also beautiful, with lots of gilding on the archways, and “The Dancing House” is a famous work of architecture on the main drag that tourists love to take pictures of. If you walk a little father south in the city, you’ll come across a second castle, Vysehrad, that has a view to show off all of Prague. Plus, it’s much less crowded than the larger castle.

3. There is art everywhere.
And I’m not just talking about physical art. You should definitely keep an eye out for the hanging Sigmund Freud, Frank Kafka’s shimmering head, the arch at Charles Bridge, and sculptures everywhere – but we also stumbled across musicians, fire-breathers, watercolor painters, illusionists, and graffiti artists. There is something around every corner.

4. It’s a very diet-friendly city.
This was interesting to me because I wasn’t expecting it at all. Prague has a ton of vegetarian and vegan restaurants, much to the sheer joy of my plant-based brother. And, the food is good. You can find vegan gelatos at almost every ice cream shop, which was an excuse for me to try all of the exotic fruit flavors, like dragonfruit and passionfruit.

5. The markets are just really cool.
Havelske Market is full of people with really cool products – i.e., souvenirs that are unlike anything else you’ve seen in Europe for very little money. You can buy everything in Prague, including bunches of fresh figs (which is honestly the most appealing thing I see in every foreign market). There are vendors set up along the castle to sell you Czech trinkets and trdelnik, a cone-shaped pastry that tastes like a cinnamon sugar pretzel. They can fill it with whipped cream, ice cream, Nutella, whatever you’d like.

6. It’s completely walkable.
Prague was one of the only cities where we didn’t need to figure out the public transportation system because it is so damn walkable. You can get anywhere you need to go in about 30 minutes, and you’ll find all sorts of cool nooks and crannies along the way. You don’t need trains or buses or metros, which also makes it a cheaper visit.

Prague is a new favorite for me. If you are into beautiful things (of all varieties), this Czech city is definitely worth a couple days. It is inexpensive, delicious, and very, very memorable.

Bonus tip: Get the Brie and apple croissant from BakeShop. It’s so good.