Prague - Prague - TravBuddy

Found transportation is abundant in the city.. People very freindly.. I went March 12, 2008... weather was a bit chilly... 30's , but was cleared and able to take lots of photos.. I just visited the main city.. Used the local trains to get around and walked around..

i visited prague in november 06. it was cold but my bargin of the year! easyjet flights and hotel for 2 ppl £185!
a city to be explored, great bars and restaurants down the side streets and away from the main square is so much cheaper. casinos may give you free beer if your playing! buildings are amazing, we stayed in hotel waldstein it was like an apartment high celings, celler dining room, very atmospheric. visit the castle and xmas market is great. deffinatly worth a trip.

Prague itself is a cowsy city with lots of potential. The Charleston bridge is very beautiful and if you walk on it there are many people that would give you something to do for themselves. Prague is very easily seen on it's own, it's not very big. But at night, that's when the party starts. There is this disco that is 5 stories high and on every floor there is a different kind of music. You really have all the music that you want, so for everyone there is something good. The people there are very friendly and you can always make sure to pay less money, a cap for example. Nightlife in Prague is very good, really and certaintly if you are with a class full of fun people.

Feel free to check out my review on Prague Castle, but I will turn this into a general review of the city. Be sure to take half a day to check out the castle though, it is well worth seeing. Prague feels like a town that's been left in the past, as you walk into the heart of the city you'll feel like you've gone back in time. The tower in front of the Charles Bridge will be one of the first things to give you that feel. The tower also offers great views of the entire city. Take a walk across Charles Bridge and check out the peddlers selling wares; also take the time to check out the statues on the bridge. Each one is significant. As you get into the city centre, you'll be greeted by the town hall and lots of restaurants - as well as Tyn Church. This huge church looks over the city center and feels very medieval. The inside is simply beautiful. There are boat tours on the Danube and other areas of historical importance. It will keep you excited for a while!

What a great city!!! I can't say enough. The people are even beautiful! Not extremely friends, but attractive. And I have to admit they have some of the best food I had in all of Europe!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Prague is the capital city of the relatively small Czech Republic, which lies in the heart of Europe, neighbouring with Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. If like us you are travelling from Europe you needed worry about visas. The majority of locals spoke English, which was a Godsend as Paul, and l spoke zilch Czech and our attempts to do so with the help of our guidebook were pathetic to say the least!

There is a population of approximately 1173000; the city has relatively warm summers and cold winters. Flowing through the centre of the city is the beautiful river Valtava. The city centre can be split in to the following regions all with their own historic interests and sights: Hradcany, Mala Strana (Lesser Town), Stare Mesto (Old Town) including Josefov, Nove Mesto (New Town) and Vysehrad.

At present currency is the Crown but a recent referendum say the people of Czech Republic voting yes to join the EU so watch out for the Euro becoming legal tender in the not too distant future.

CITY TRANSPORT

There are the 3 main forms of public transport in Prague – Metro, Trams and Buses. To be honest the only one l can speak with any knowledge on was the metro as that is the transport we deemed to be the most accessible and easy to use. Friends of mine when visiting the city a few years back favoured the trams. The metros arrive around 2-4 minutes between one another during peak hours and perhaps 10 mins during off peak times. Operation times are between 5am and 12pm. A tourist ticket valid for 7 days is approximately 250 KC and well worth the buy.





FOOD & DRINK

Prague has become very Westernised and so to the prices (although getting a pint of the fabulous Czech beer for around 80p is possible!). There is meals to suit any plate, and if you favour McDonalds or Pizza Hut fear not these too are available. Our hotel provided us with an excellent booklet breaking down all the available restaurants in the city into cuisine type, with an honest opinion of each. We found this our nightly bible and our only problem being not knowing which one to choose for our evening meal!! There was a rather good Thai called Orange Moon which l would recommend (Rámová 5, Staré Město, Prague 1 (2232 5119 / www.orangemoon.cz). Metro Náměstí Republiky/ 5, 8, 14 tram. Open 11.30am-11.30pm daily. Main courses 180-350 Kč. Credit AmEx, MC, V. ), the only downside for me was an obnoxious American who seemed to want the entire restaurant to know about his love life, and the staff who although efficient were not what l would call friendly. We booked the restaurant although it was not required.
Sites such as Time Out etc will recommend restaurants to you also.
I can do no more than to recommend beer in Prague they are indeed the original masters of brewing and if you come across makes such as Pilsner Urquell, Radegast, Staropramen and Gambrinus on your menu sample them. There is also the light and dark beer – both equally as good – give them a sample. Generally speaking you should pay no more than £1 for a pint.

SIGHT SEEING
So what to do in Prague, well readers there is more to do than you could shake a big stick at, lm telling you about my favourite 3 because otherwise l would be writing a guide book!

JEWISH QUARTER
We spent an afternoon just pottering about in the glorious weather, pondering on the sites of the Jewish ghetto. Apparently the area dates back to the 13th century but recent redevelopment has brought it up to 21st century standards. I would recommend a visit to the Jewish museum, which consists of the Jewish cemetery (where bodies and gravestones are so crammed together it simply has to be seen to be believed) and 6 Synagogues including the spectacular Spanish Synagogue. There is one entrance price, which will gain you admission to all the sites of the Jewish Museum bar the Old-New Synagogue, which is a separate entrance price.


OLD TOWN SQUARE

I much preferred old town square to that of the commercial uninspiring Wenceslas Square. The surrounding architecture and ambience is much more pleasant and the winding streets leading off the square are a veritable maze and wonderful little shops are to be found – including a delightful and delicious ice cream shop with an amazing pistachio ice cream – mmmmmm! Beside the Old Town Hal, which is home to the much acclaimed Astronomical Clock (tip – try and visit on the hour to see the clock chime! We kept missing it!) and the Church of Our Lady before Tyn the square has several other buildings dominating its skyline including: the baroque St. Nicholas church, Kinsky palace housing the National Gallery graphic collection, the Stone Bell house - a gothic city palace from the 14th century - now the Municipal Gallery concert and exhibition rooms, and the Memorial to Jan Hus.

CHARLES BRIDGE
Ok l know this is the most popular tourist trap known in Prague but it is extremely pretty. It is the oldest bridge across the Vltava, there is no admission price and the views across the river are spectacular. There are statutes all up and down the river including one to rub for good luck. There are street sellers selling knick-knacks and tourist claptrap up and down the bridge, but there are some extremely good prints of the city for sale too

These are only a few of the sites of Prague we enjoyed, it was an extremely pretty city and it has become extremely Westernised, but this will happen even more so once they join the EU and the Euro means price hikes, so l would recommend a visit soon! We found the Time Out city guide to Prague in valuable for advice on where to go and see and also for metro stops and price indications.
If you love architecture and history Prague is a city you will love.