On a Sunday afternoon our excursion began at the Střešovice Public Transport Museum, a vaulted old depot where history stands still. We spent the first half of our afternoon exploring decades of transit design, admiring how horse-drawn carriages rest quietly next to the iconic lines of the legendary Tatra T3. Inside, the children had the opportunity to step into the shoes of vintage motormen, proudly taking the seat of the bus driver for a fleeting moment.
Leaving the quiet sanctuary of the depot behind, the second half of our adventure brought history to life. The real gift came when we boarded a working tram from 1920. We were remarkably lucky with the weather; just as we set off, the clouds parted and the sun broke through, bathing the city in a brilliant light. Inside, we enjoyed the charm of wooden seats and views of the castle and Malá Strana as the Vltava River slid past our windows. But the joy of the ride wasn't ours alone—every time our conductor leaned out of the rear doors to blow his sharp whistle, heads turned on the pavements. Bystanders paused and smiled, watching our century-old carriage rumble down the modern streets.
Our guide was the kind of person who makes history feel like gossip. At one point, he shared a detail about Charles Bridge that's hard to forget: the foundation stone was laid on 9 July 1357 at 5:31 AM — written as a sequence, that reads 1·3·5·7·9·7·5·3·1, a perfect palindrome of odd numbers, chosen on purpose. He also told us about František Křižík — the Czech Edison — whose electric tram experiments helped put Prague on the map of the modern world. Rolling down Národní třída, he reminded us that this boulevard was where the Velvet Revolution began: students, riot police, and the end of an era, all on one street we were now crossing in a century-old tram.
These excursions are a regular part of the Welcome Centre’s programme, helping international scholars and their families discover Prague beyond the university campus. Thank you to everyone who joined us. For our next event, we will be exploring the city again—this time on foot.