old town or castle area to stay?

better to stay in old town area or right by castle...how far are they from eachother on foot?

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old town and castle area are 20 minutes between - they span both sides of the river. Castle area tends to be quieter, but if you stay halfway up the hill in the castle area, ask yourself do you want to walk up the hill every day at least twice. There are though many good hotels down the bottom of the hill in Mala Strana

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ive been to prague 4 times and stayed by the castle and belive me you dont want to be walking up and down to it more than you have to(my husband had to pull me several times)as its very steep.we have also stayed nearer the bridge(quiet)in the lesser town and in the old town twice.My advice is the old town. Good luck its a beautiful city.

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I would go with an Old Town hotel for your first trip to Prague. We stayed there last March at Hotel Metamorphis. The city is very easy to to walk around. If you want a Mala Strana location, you might try a hotel closer to the bridge and avoid the hill.

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We come to Prague regularly and always stay in the old Town area. Had a change and stayed in apartments on the riverside last time - opposite the dancing buildings and about a 20 minute walk to everything.

Spoiled the holiday really, as it was an effort to go out every night knowing we had a long walk home.

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If you stayed either in Mala Strana or the other side fairly close to the Charles Bridge in Old Town, you%26#39;d be within 15 minutes or so of the major attractions. The main thing: learn to use the trams and Metro. Our first trip we only walked and there were 12-15 mile days that left my legs numb. The second time we used the trams and subway and saw 3 times as much with 10% of the walking. We could get from our apartment on Malostranske Namesti to the State Opera at the top of Wenceslas Square(probably a 40 minute walk, maybe more) in 17 minutes by taking a tram one stop to the Metro and riding it to the Museum stop. The extended days passes are really cheap(about $9 for a week) and even include the funicular that goes up Petrin Hill and buses to more outlying places.

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We are also considering staying on the riverside across from Old Town (as HighlySociable did) and are wondering if the walk back each evening will be a problem. We are a large party (5 adults, 1 toddler) and are having problems finding accommodation, so our options are limited.

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I was not staying in the Charles Bridge or Kampa Park area, but two bridges further down, were there was no access to trams or the Metro. It took around 30 minutes to walk to the main areas, but in cold weather and with 2 children in tow this was a bind.

If you are near the first two mentioned areas, you will be OK. Are you looking at hotels or apartments?

We always stay in apartments now as with 2 children we find it much cheaper and with apartments with 2 or 3 bedrooms we all get a bit of privacy.

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Look at www.athos.cz for a good range of apartments all over Prague 1 and 2.

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We are looking for apartments, as we thought we liked the idea of having a kitchen (we%26#39;ll be traveling with a 2-year-old).

Thanks for the website recommendation -- the Janacek Palace Apartments on that site looked apealling, but as you said, they are 2 bridges down from the Charles Bridge. Are these other bridges accessible to pedestrians, or are they for vehicular traffic only?

Perhaps we should look for alternatives in the Old Town, even if they are not as spacious...

The other accommodations I found were all near Wenceslas Square, which I understood is not very safe in the evening. Did you find this to be the case? I am also concerned about staying in a very noisy localle (we are traveling in July -- tourist season...).

Thanks for all your help. You%26#39;ve been a great help.

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All bridges in that area are accessible to pedestrians.

Wenceslas Sqaure is safe. When I travel with my husband we stay in the Ambassador, which is on the sqaure. We only use apartments when we have the children with us. You won%26#39;t be spending much time there anyway as the majority of the sights are elsewhere. You may see stag parties wandering around, but we now deliberately avoid Friday and Saturday night stays to escape from these. Prague is also busy all year round. We have never been effected by excessive noise.

Look at their Vodickova 40 apartments as we will be staying in these later this month.

After Ballet 2

Thanks peb7. We are staying at the Don Giovanni Hotel, Vinohradska so will need to get back there at some stage - any further advice please?

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Don Giovanni is next to Zelivskeho metro and from there you can get right to the centre (either Mustek or Starometska). Cafe Colonial is a good restaurant on Siroka street 100 metres from Starometska metro and about 15 - 20 minutes walk from the National theatre (or you can catch number 18 tram from outside the National Theatre to outside the Rudolfinium). With all late eats, I would advise booking in advance, as otherwise sometimes people get turned away because the chefs want to go home.

At the Don Giovanni, you will need to use public transport every day in and out and so you are best to buy either a 3 day metro ticket (cost 220 crowns) or a 7 day metro ticket (cost 280 crowns), just to avoid the hassle. You can buy these at the Prague Transport Authority Desk at the airport on the right once you have come through customs

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Thanks peb this is really helpful.

BoneyZ

VIP tickets

I have got VIP tickets for a Best of Mozart concert at the Estates Theatre ,does anyone know what I will actually get for my money

(1200kcz)?Not that I am bothered ,I know I will get good seats ,and i think the price is great compared to what i pay in Britain.

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Load of tourist music played by a tourist orchestra with bits of Mozart being played; in other words, nothing like a proper classical concert. But at least the seats are good

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thats what i though Peb,but thanks anyway.

the operas that are on in Prague during my stay i have seen before more than once,so i thought this might be a change.

so no free glass of champagne then?

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no free champagne and definately no priority for your coat in the queue at the garderobe either

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well we will just have to console ourselves in the pub afterwards.

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You in a pub. Never!

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Sarah,I am only visiting pubs in Prague so i can write a report about them on this forum.

normally you would never find me in one!

I do believe they serve alcohol in them,I wonder what it tastes like?

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so good of you to provide a public service by testing the pubs out on our behalf. No idea on the alcohol front let me know if you think I%26#39;ll like it!

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I sur will sarah....I know it is a lousy job ,but someone has to do it.

I just wish someone would pay me!

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I%26#39;ll fight you for it! Wonder what sort of hourly rate we can charge for testing pubs?

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Seriously, you can apply to the Prague City Council to act as a dummy to test out restaurants and pubs to see if you are being ripped off and that the pub is obeying licensing laws etc. They need foreigners to pose as tourists because when the local inspectors come in, they can spot them a mile

prague in feb

hi there . i will visting prague next month . i am an arab american whit ha darker skin. would that be a problem for me there ? and i am also intersted in doing some clubing would that fact that i have a dark skin be a problem?

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If you stay in the tourist areas, you shouldn%26#39;t have much of a problem. you will expect to be questioned at the airport passport control, but it will be positively mild compared to the treatment that foreigners receive when they fly into America. Just remember, walking round saying I am an American in Europe doesn%26#39;t have the same effect that it did a few years ago

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Peb, As an American and avid travelerI do not find your comments very kind. Is this what I have to look forward to in Prague?

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I think Peb7 means there is absolutly nothing novel about Americans in Prague any more - we are just everyday normal there. In two previous visits we detected no animosity except when because of dress and perhaps appearence we were once mistaken for Russians. Of course as soon as we spoke everyone was smiling. Just don%26#39;t be pushy or too loud (Americans and Brits have a rep for that), and remember that Czechs are more formal with strangers than citizens of most English speaking nations are.

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i travel a lot but i never been to prague before . and i%26#39;m very proud american and love my country like i%26#39;m every else love there%26#39;s but i fell if i%26#39;m not gonna be welcomed as an arab american in prague meybe i should look for another more american friendly country to visit.

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I thought Peb%26#39;s comments were very accurate actually. As an englishman who has travelled to many countries I can confirm that the only real hassle I%26#39;ve ever had was when entering the USA.

As far as being made welcome. Being just another tourist and not being lound and brash might help.

Keep up the good work Peb.

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why am i getting this feeling about the nigative attitude towards the united states from people here? if anything the united states did help most of the europian countrys in the 40s and still does . and i do understand about that american need to respect peoples cultures and all that . but when also the other countries should welcome there guests specially if they need there monet to help there economy.

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Hazahdeh,

I think you need to relax a bit, and not take things so personally. The fact is that not only is it no longer novel to be an %26quot;American traveling in Eastern Europe%26quot;, the fact is that the United States are not revered across the world. While it is true that the US has done much good over the years, our government%26#39;s policies of late are not embraced by much of the world, and not even by the majority of the United States. We have put ourselves in a position to be distrusted and disliked as a whole, more so than in recent memory. Not that this SHOULD be any reason to dislike any particular person just because he is an American, but the reality is that people are often, right or wrong, judged by the country that they hail from and thus grouped in with the overriding politics of that country.

I really don%26#39;t think that Prague would harbor any ill will toward you as an American or an Arab-American any more than any other country and I am surprised that you felt that Peb%26#39;s comments reflected that stance. In fact, I would bet you would be more welcome than in a country like France for instance.

As far as changing your travel to a more American-friendly country... if you find one, let me know.

Jay

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Wow, sorry everyone. I commented because Peb made me feel like being an American was like being the village idiot. Fortunately, I am not. However, I get it that our President has really changed the way the rest of the world views us. Sadly. However, half of us did not vote for him and I think the world knows that too. My husband and I always embrace the local custom and try to speak the language to fit in as much as we can, not because we get negative reactions by being American but out of respect for the country. Travel has never been an unpleasant experience with the locals. As for the way foreigners are treated here....most of us are foreigners in some way and have to respect the security protocol after 9-11, otherwise we would be reliving that constantly. Cheers to all of you that travel and experience the wonderful places that are still safe to travel to, Prague being one of them. I for one, am enriched for it.

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I have traveled to Europe ( England, Germany, Hungary and the Czech Rep....Prague and Cesky Krumlov) on both business and pleasure. I must say that I have never encountered any hostility based on my being an American. My wife and I tend to be %26quot;low key%26quot; people and appreciate the fact that the people in hotels and restarants are accomodating us by speaking our language. We used to joke that if we had any problems we would tell people that we were Canadian....not really we would never deny being American. However, it has never come to that.

If I were to rank European countries in how friendly they are to Americans, I would say that based on my experiences in Germany they are tops......Very friendly and interested in us. I do speak a little german so maybe that was a factor.

One side note. It makes sense but I always cuckle when my Italian surmane is pronounced perfectly in all parts of Europe but it gets butchered in all parts of the USA except the northeast.

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I now realise that Americans are well balanced people

they have a chip on both shoulders.

get a life people Peb gave a very good answer to this question.

Hazahdeh will probably have more trouble getting back into his own country than getting into the Czech republic.

In the Czech republic they don%26#39;t ask you haow much money and what credit cards you have when you enter but they sure do in the states.

having a dark skin in Europe will give you less problems than having a dark skin in the states,no matter what your nationality.

Girls On Tour

Hi Everyone!

I%26#39;m a university student who is planning a trip to Prague with our american football team and cheerleaders in early April.

I%26#39;m doing a bit of research because for one night or day the cheerleaders are going to go off and do their own thing. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good night or day out for a bunch of young girls? I heard Tretter%26#39;s cocktail bar was good but any recommendations would be gratefully received!

Helz x

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Jame on V Jame street just off Wenceslas Square is a close call on an authentic American college bar

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For bars, Ocean Drive almost next to Tretters is also interesting. But both tend to be a 30ish crowd. Tretters can be cool but also sometimes can be a bit of a pick up bar. Another bar, that falls into that category, and has dancing, is Solidni Najistota (Solid Uncertainty):

http://www.solidninejistota.cz/

I%26#39;ve heard La Fabrique can be fun but never been:

www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp…

A younger cool bar is M1 Secret Lounge at Masna 1, near Old Town Square.

http://prague.tv/prague/nightlife/bars/m1

Another place is Chateau Bar, which is kind of a grungy bar upstairs and a disco downstairs (also near Old Town Square).

www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp…

A cool, big beer hall you could try is U Vejvodu:

www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp…

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Oh yeah, and for a cool disco, you could try Radost FX. Funky bar/lounge with couchs upstairs, big disco downstairs. Also a decent vegetarian restaurant there (quesadillas and salads etc). Popular with hip Czechs.

www.radostfx.cz/homepage.asp?lang=en%26ver=htm

general advice needed

me and my boyfriend are coming to prague sunday 19th feb to wednesday 22nd...its our first trip abroad so we%26#39;re kind of nervous about the language..i%26#39;ve got some basic phrases in my book but i was wondering if anyone had come across a specialist food glossary to use or whether this isnt really necessary. Also, whats the weather like at the moment and are there any activities or sights that we really shouldnt miss..are most tourist sights e.g. the castle closed on a monday?

thanks, cate

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Hi,

you do not need to worry about the language, when you have money and want something it is world wide that you will get understood?.

we have been a few times and have had no trouble at all even though we do not speak a word of czech i am embarassed to say.

i think you will find it is quieter on mondays than other days, but to get loads of info about everything, log on to livingprague.com

enjoy yourself

dave

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Cate,

My new wife and I are also going to Prague dueing the same time period (arriving on Feb 16th and leaving on the 21st). We have done a lot of planning and would be happy to share what we have found.

Also, perhaps you would be interested in meeting up for a pint or two if time permits. If you would like, you can always e-mail me at jay.knott@comcast.net.

Looking forward to the trip...

Jay (and Lara)

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B-girl, Prague is my favorite place in the world. It will be COLD! Learn to use the subway. You buy a ticket for a specific time-- the longer the less expensive. We usually get a three day pass. You stamp it the first time you use it and after that just make sure you have it if it is asked for either on the train or on the concourse. Very expensive if you don%26#39;t have one. Getting around on the subway with the map is easy and quick. There are pickpockets -- so be careful! Don%26#39;t keep anything of value in pants pockets and hold on to purse. We met a lady who had her purse unzipped, wallet taken and rezipped and she never knew. A man lost his wallet in the old %26quot;stuck subway door%26quot;trick. We had no language problems and ate only at Czech restaurants which are cheaper usually and why go to Prague for pizza? Many places can be reached by walking from one to the other except the castle. The shops around the Charles bridge are fascinating It really is a town for just poking around. If you get too cold try the hot wine sold in the central market. M.

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Prague is my favourite place in the whole (so far), so much so we got married there last year. Our honeymoon was a tour of the Czech Republic. In all honesty language wise you will not struggle in Prague, however if you choose to venture further out then a phrase book and some language basics are very useful. But having said that on your first visit I%26#39;d stick to Prague there%26#39;s plenty to see and do.

February is cold wrap up warm with lots of layers cos its really warm when you get inside anywhere.

Shout up if you want anything else I usually pop on most days

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thanks for all the advice, especially the website, i%26#39;ve printed off pretty much everything on there..i%26#39;ll warn you dukhi me and my boyfriend are only 18 and 19 respectively but if you think you could cope with us (we can be more grown up than expected) then i%26#39;ll mention meeting up to jay (my boyfriend%26#39;s name-what a coincidence!) and see what he thinks

thanks again,

cate xx

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As dozydai rightly says, if you stay in the centre, most people you come acorss will speak English.

Yes the monuments are closed on Monday, but Prague castle is a public space so you wan wonder in and out of it on all days ,including Monday, and unless you don%26#39;t want to go in the actual buildings themselves, you can still spend a good day looking around.

When you come, bring warm clothes. Layers are better than heavy clothes, but bring good walking boots or shoes to walk on the cobbles, hat and gloves

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Hi Cate...

Well, it%26#39;s getting close now -- have you finally got everything in order? I had to laugh that you would think that we might have an issue with the fact that you two are 18/19. LOL... you%26#39;re making me feel old now. Granted, we are 35 (Lara) and 38 (myself), but I shudder to think that we would ever act %26quot;old%26quot;. If you are %26quot;more mature than your age%26quot;... considering we are probably less mature than ours... we will probably get on just fine. If you and Jay (that is a coincidence) are interested, just drop me a note.

Cheers!

Ramada Grand Symphony Hotel

Hi all, myself and my partner are going to Prague in early February for 6 nights staying at the Ramada Grand Symphony on Charles square. Just trying to find out if any of you out there have stayed in this hotel and what did you think of it.

Many thanks,

JohnnyO

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Uf, you almost confused me. The Ramada Grand Symphony hotel is located on Wenceslas square - down town Prague. What to say - excellent location, high quality hotel. I am quite sure you will like it.

Andy

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Ramada is indeed on Wenceslas Square. Look at the 9 reviews on the reviews section of this site. Most of them are very positive.

There is an excellent restauranat, Hot, just down the street

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You are dead right Andy321 re the location of the hotel. I%26#39;ve done so many searches for a good hotel in a location that we want that my brain has become foggyy!!!! Wenceslas Square is where we want to stay and thanks a million for you comments, they are very helpful.

Peb7 also a big thanks to you for that tip on Hot close to the hotel, we will definitely try it out.

Thanks guys,

Johnny

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We stayed their in November this year. Really great hotel. Great location. No noise heard whatsoever. Got upgraded to luxury suite as we told them we were getting engaged whilst in prague (that was true!). Food really good and staff friendly. Im sure you%26#39;ll enjoy it.

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FOr a few nights Ramada is perfect, but for 6 nights I would rather stay in all Suite hotel such as Julis www.hotlejulis.cz or Bohemia Plaza www.bohemiaplaza.com

The same location, better rooms/suites and even better rate.

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Thanks Shelly and Klanovice for your tips and advice on the Ramada Grand Symphony hotel. They are very helpful. Looking forward to our visit to Prague.

Thanks again guys.

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Hi Johnnyo,just returned yesterday from ramada symphony hotel,and can only rate it as excellent.Rooms/bathroom spacious,and although hotel is situated right on wenceslas square,and we were on 1st floor,heard no noise at all.Plus almost everything was witin walking distance,although plenty of local transport should you require it.Good little bar/restaurant almost opposite called%26quot;Rustica%26quot;,(down some stairs)about 50p a pint,good soup about the same,and a varied and reasonable menu.Have fun

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Hi Caffreys, thanks for your great review on the Ramada. It%26#39;s really good to hear from someone who has just recently stayed there. We will definitely try out Rustic. Have a great Christmas and thanks again for the info.

Johnny

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Stayed in this hotel in August, it was very quiet and peaceful. Great hotel, but we didn%26#39;t like Wenceslas Square in the evenings.

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Johnnyo

returned yesterday from 3 nights in the ramada over the new year, great hotel with good location and will definetely go again, wont bore you any more but i have put a write up on the reviws section

dave