We had our first trip to Prague from Feb 6th to 9th and we loved the place. It was pretty cold when we were there - but we got to see the %26quot;Charles Bridge postcard scene%26quot; in the snow early one morning, which as one of the most beautiful sights I%26#39;ve seen. Here%26#39;s our advice:
Firstly - the BAD...
We were unashamedly ripped off in a bar called U Vejvodu on Jilska. We ordered 4 drinks at the bar, paid and sat down. Then we noticed the price list on our table meant we had been charged roughly double what we should have paid. When we questioned the barman, he palmed us off. We could see other non-locals having similar problems and this was confirmed when we asked them. AVOID THIS BAR - OR AT LEAST ASK FOR A PRICE LIST BEFORE YOU ORDER.
This is a shame because the bar seemed to have a good selection of beers and, as it was very cold outside, we would have stayed for several drinks had the staff played fair.
So that you know exactlt what bar I%26#39;m talking about, here%26#39;s a website link...
www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp…
We didn%26#39;t let this experience spoil our weekend, so now for the GOOD - cos there was plenty of it! :-)
1. Hotel - Tulip Inn Terminus.
I have reviewed this separately, but in short: Good value, clean, helpful staff. A short walk (about 15/20 mins) from city centre. Filling breakfast included. Staff very helpful in arranging taxis to save walking all the way across town on VERY cold winter nights to...
2. Czech opera at the National Theatre.
We got great seats in row 8 of the main stall and paid about £20 each. We saw The Bartered Bride, by Smetana, which was virtually sold out. And not just full of tourists (unlike the many %26#39;concerts%26#39; that we were constantly offered tickets for in the street).
3. Gulas/Goulash.
Sad git that I am, I tried it in 3 different places in 4 days. I got 3 very different variations on the theme and I still can%26#39;t pick a favourite. Try them yourself:
U Orloj (at the clock) - expensive but well presented and fabulous quality of meat.
Two Cats (I can%26#39;t remember exactly where this was - maybe Havelska?) - this place felt more %26quot;authentic%26quot;. Food was much cheaper both in price and quality - but still perfectly edible. Lots of paprika. :-)
Kolkovna (on Kolkovna) - the Czech %26quot;All Bar One%26quot;? Good value. Good quality.
4. Beer (and wine!)
We tried a lot. Well, when in Rome...or Prague...or anywhere that serves beer, actually.......
I%26#39;ve always preferred dark beers, so I tended to stick to those and was never disappointed. Even the lager is much more drinkable than most of the stuff that%26#39;s served in the UK. Found a little gem of a pub tucked off the main street - the White Whale in Karlova/Jilska sort of area. I%26#39;m not going to make it any easier to find than that...
We were also warned away from local red wine when we enquired in a restaurant, and were instead advised to try a local white - Tanzberg. Very drinkable. Went well with my tuna main course in the following restaurant.
5. Restaurant.
If you want to splash out (although still not hideously expensive by UK city standards) try Pravda on Parizska. Classy restaurant with great service and a wonderful variety of international dishes.
We paid around £50 each for 3 courses with drinks before, 2 bottles of wine, dessert wines and malt whisky. Our waiter - Petr - was fantastic. He recommended the white wine (see above) and then directed us to our chosen bar for the evening...
6. Alcohol Bar on Dusni.
One of the longest drinks menus I have seen. Including one of the most extensive malt whisky selections outside Scotland I imagine...
It was sadly very quiet - as was the whole of Prague all weekend we were there! - but the drinks were well made and I reckon this would be a great little place on a busy night.
We%26#39;ll certainly go back - anyone know when Prague gets %26quot;comfortably busy%26quot;?
Oh yeah - we did all the touristy stuff, but there are plenty of reviews of those things already on here, so I%26#39;ll save us all some time...
J.
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Thanks Jiggybunnet
Its always nice to hear other peoples comments especially when they have had a good time .
We usually go in January and it sounds as busy as when you went! We have been in October and the difference was amazing but I didnt like it too many TOURISTS!! I kept getting stuck in the middle of a Japanese guided tours.
Having said that we are going for the christmas market and my daughter informs me I havent seen anything till I see the crowds there,I guess I will just have to steal myself away to a nice quiet watering hole, I know quite a few!!
Hope you get to return soon I am sure you will coz once the Prague bug bites you its quite easy to become addicted and there are quite a few addicts on this forum!!
TORII
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Hello my name is Sarah and I%26#39;m addicted to....
Prague
Glad you had a good time. I have to admit August was really busy, September was nice just starting to cool and a lot quieter. I could fancy a trip in March or April but already used up my holiday allowance for at least 6 months! So might have to settle for our next Prague trip being New Year.
Did you try Kelt beer?
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jiggybunnet. Only come back to Prague when you call Czech beer, beer. It definately is not lager.
Prague empties every weekend of locals as they go off to the countryside either skiing in the winter or enjoying their cottages in the summer, so the only thing you see (unless the weather is bad are visitors). In addtion, most of the shopping centres that locals use are not in the centre but in out of town locations - you can see locals there in their thousands. Spring and September - October are comfortably busy times for the tourist season, if you avoid the European bank holidays in those months
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