- Prague
- (271)
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Czech Republic
Beautiful, stylish and the best hangover curing breakfast I've ever had... that could be because it included Buck's fizz in the buffet.
It's walking distance to the centre of the city but secluded enough within its diplomatic quarter to be quiet.
One of the most reasonable restaurants in Prague is, surprisingly, the level 2 cafeteria at Ruzyne airport terminal 1. Not to be confused with the extortionate establishments downstairs and heavily patronised by Czech aircrews, the cafeteria can be accessed both from the transit lounge and departure hall.
Hearty Czech soups are cooked daily, fresh tea can be had from big caddies or, if you want to spend more, they will cook a steak for you to order and the cook will bring it to the table.
Level 2, Terminal 1. Ruzyne airport Prague.
"A cute 3 bedroom holiday rental cottage in a quiet hamlet just half an hour from Charles Bridge. Sleeps 4-6. From £250 per week."
We stayed for the whole month of August last year (2007). Fantastic time with our two young daughters (7 and 5). Every day doing different things. If it was hot we borrowed canoes and went for paddle on the river, or just hung out in the cottage's pool. On cooler days we went exploring. We had a car with us, but the train stop is just two minutes' walk away so we often went up to Prague for the day or to visit local castles. Beautiful area, very friendly locals in the pub (and cheap food!), and we managed to see a lot of the country. The place was perfect.
But, not recommended for disabled or elderly. There's a sofa bed in the bedroom downstairs, but to reach the two bedrooms upstairs you need to go up fairly steep wooden steps. No problem for agile people like us (!) and the girls didn't have a single fall during our whole stay, but worth bearing in mind. Also, although the cottage has a bathroom inside, the loo is just outside the front door. No problem in the spring or summer, but I wonder what it would be like in the depths of winter! Although it is under the porch.
All in all, a fantastic place, relaxing, in the countryside yet a short (fun!) train ride into the centre of Prague. Recommended!
Oh! Forgot to mention the bikes! Probably the highlight of our stay. We headed off on rides at least three times a week, sometimes taking the bikes on the trains with us. From the cottage itself there are plenty of options- along the river Sazava, upstream or downstream, into the local town, or up into the forests. Great fun!
And the lovely old people in the next door cottage joined us a couple of times for a barbecue in the evenings. We didn't understand very much, but a nice time was had.
Unique qualities: great views, pool, lots of attention to detail (tourist leaflets, dozens of hiking and cycling maps, board games for children, a collection of DVDs etc).
Very comfortable accommodation with nice clean bedding and firm beds. Small but well-equipped kitchen.
Very quiet surroundings - we had deer coming up to the fence at the back of the garden some evenings! And hares and foxes.
Unpredictable weather - ranging from very hot and dry to pretty cool and showery. But always plenty of things to do and places to visit.
Address: Zlenice, near Cercany
Directions: 30mins by car from centre of Prague. M/way in the direction of Brno. Turn off at junction 21. Follow signs. Very easy to find. By train, 1 hour from Prague main station to Cercany. Then change to a tiny train for a couple of stops. Trains run till late.
Web: praguecottage.blogspot.com
Email: praguecottage@telefonica.net
We did not find the shopping great in Prague - nothing different that you could not get at home - and always the same price if not more - and that is bad value!
However, we got a tip from a local shop owner to go to Chodov Shopping Centrum - it was ok -great if you are looking for Zara, M&S etc. There were a few Czech shops - again it was the same price as home but if you don't mind this - it is worth a trip for all those shopaholics!
You take the red line metro to Chodov - which is the third last stop coming from the Museum or Mustek stop (7/8 stops) and the shopping centre is literally outside the Metro stop.
We went to Prague as two couples and booked accommodation in an apart-hotel just off Wenceslas Square - €160 for the four of us for the two nights! The apartment was really nice, clean and more than what we expected or needed. This also included breakfast in the cafe down the road - which is great value - included in the price. It is also very central, we walked everywhere. Approx. 15 minutes' stroll away from Old Town Square, yet close to all the clubs and pubs at night (5 minutes). Would definitely recommend this accommodation and would stay again.
www.booking.com/hotel/cz/jepaparthotelprague.en.html - The picture on all the sites of the pink and white building is not it - or if it is I didn't see this part of it! It is just off Wencesles Square - down a lane to the right of Scorpio Restaurant - this is on the Marks and Spencers side of the road and approx. 200/300 metres up the road towards the museum.
Stromovka park is very worth visiting. It's popular but you can find quiet parts as it is huge, and it has a few lakes. The planetarium is here, near the entrance in the park, and is a good diversion. Outside the park and nearby is the Exhibition Grounds, in a few buildings, which I thoroughly recommend as there are very interesting exhibitions for the public on nearly all of the time, and a few really good permanent exhibitions (and a famous big fountain). Take a look at what is on.
The modern art palace of the National Gallery is not far from here and is a great gallery which many tourists miss because it is not near the Old Town, the Castle or Malostranska. It is usually quite quiet and I really recommend seeing it. It could take most of a whole day with a lunch break to visit all of the floors, so one and a half hours is the minimum time I recommend. You can have tea or coffee or a cold drink and snacks there.
The vast majority of people who visit Prague see only the three main areas with maybe also the Jewish Quarter and/or New Town and miss these attractions I mention. But especially if you have been to Prague before, make a point not to miss them. Don't forget the great value of Pension Vltava and recommend it to those who would like a very basic, clean and quiet place to stay with the added bonus of cheap drinks in your room at any hour.
For £7 or £8, have a sauna for a few hours in a basement private day spa near Holesovice station. Another similarly priced sauna in Holesovice is infinit (infinit.cz) which also has a jacuzzi.
Pension Vltava offers a fine stay as it is reliable for really cheap, really basic and very clean rooms. It is great to know about for very cheap breaks to see the city or see a concert, and flying visits when you haven't booked anywhere.
It's also good if you need to to save money and have a private room if you are just passing through the city and need a place you can rely on for a cheap room which is clean.
This guest house happens to have a tiny coffee shop and bar which stays open all night every night and is really cheap. You can relax with tea or coffee, beers, wine, cognacs or becherovkas back in your room at any time.
I recommend this place. I have nearly always got a room when enquiring on the same day (it is a quite a large guest house). The price is around £11 to £14 for a room for one person per night with very clean common shower and loo.
For those who don't know the city and especially for those to whom the central places are familiar, for the lowest budget place to stay the guest house is ideally placed. It is around eight to ten minutes on a tram from near the guest house to central areas. Around it are a few interesting bars and cafes. There aren't very many tourists around here though the area is quite nice and fresh if you know Prague, except backpackers and younger travellers are noticeable as Sir Toby's travel hostel, Extoll Inn, a few other guest houses and a Czech H.I. travel hostel are around here.
The river where it bends is just over five minutes walk away and it is a pleasant walk into the centre along the riverside from near Pension Vltava. Set aside a couple of hours for a great walk across the river, away from the city, to a leafy part on the outskirts of the city, to the Trojska Chateau gallery and courtyard cafe in summer, Prague Zoo and the lovely Botanic Gardens.
It is ideal to walk here, if you have the time, and better than taking a tram, though you can eaily go by tram. Either way, it is a quiet part of the city which is lovely and I really recommend it.
A good walk away of over ten minutes is the nice Cafe Lisbon on the main riverfront road, which has characteristic pizzas especially and is good for drinking at. Just over ten minutes in the opposite direction, toward Stromovka park, is the Absolut Hotel which has an unpretentious and quite minimalist, pleasant bar and restaurant. The Mecca Music Club is a few minutes walk from the guest house. Not far, good food at a good price in the restaurant of Hotel Henry, U Papírny.
www.pensionvltava.o1.cz
(Web site in Czech, with photos and readable contact details and map)
Dělnická 35
Praha 7, 17000
Phone: +420 220 809 795
Email: josefrandak@tiscali.cz
In recent years I've had 4-5 city breaks a year rather than two weeks on a beach.
I prefer to spend as little as possible on flights and then put what I saved towards a good hotel (I normally go for something that's very central).
directline-citybreaks.co.uk let me search for a hotel priced with either an easyjet or ryanair flight. I got £50 off for booking online (not too sure if they're still doing this). I've not found any other site that does this.
This Aparthotel is very nice and cosy. 18 elegant self-catering flats with the service of a three-star hotel!
What is more, staff are kind and always willing to suggest and book excursions. This kind of accommodation also suits businessmen. Last but not least, breakfast is served in a striking cellar with brick walls! Highly recommended.
Opatovická 11/163
11000 - Praha 1
Tel. +420 224930199
Fax. +420 224930199
web: www.aiquattroangeli.com
This is a short-term luxury accommodation service in Prague. The apartment I stayed in was really luxurious and the service was top notch. They never said no to any of my requests, and catered to my every need. I found the website was very easy to use and I was able to book my apartment with my credit card on the site.
During the peak season it is hard to find a reasonably priced apartment in the centre of Prague. I opted to stay in an apartment located just outside the center and yet within easy reach by public transport.
These apartments are reasonably priced, well furnished and air conditioned. You can reach Charles Bridge from here in 25 minutes on foot. Unlike central apartments I always find these to be available even in high season.
The Alcron Hotel has a long history and Radisson have sympathetically restored it to to create a fantastic five-star venue in the centre of Prague at the famous Wenceslas Square.
I especially recommend the 'Be-Bop' bar on the first floor, which has one of the only live Jazz sessions in Prague on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Stepanska 40
110 00
Praha Czech Republic
Tel: 00 420 2 2282 0000
Tel: 00 420 2 2282 0000
or, to call at 3p per minute, dial 0844 431 2118 before you call.
This is the best Argentinean steak house I've ever been to! The food was unbelievable and the atmosphere amazing. Salsa dancers appeared mid-meal and a band entertained us in the bar afterwards. Mojitos all round!
A chic and, in terms of British prices, good value restaurant on the banks of the Vltava where you can watch the passing tourist boats and the crowds on Charles Bridge. There are plenty of river-view tables. Specialises in fish but also has other dishes and limited vegetarian menu. Approx £50 for 3 course meal with drinks.
200m from the Manesuv Most bridge on the Kampa side.
We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Prague. I would like to recommend www.mi-prague.cz services, who helped us with our trip. They arranged for us all services - hotel booking (we were offered great last minute price), transportation from the airport and back as well as sightseeing. They are very friendly, reply fast and recommended lodging was excellent. Hope we will come again!
www.mi-prague.cz or email iva@mi-prague.cz
Great location within walking distance of many sites including the river Moldavia and the old town. We didn't need to get on a tram/metro: we walked everywhere.
Buffet breakfast included in the room price.
Staff extremely helpful.
Would definitely stay there again if I was visiting Prague!
www.HotelMoran.com
Na Morani 15, Vaclavska 5, Prague, Czech Republic
If there's more than three of you, then I'd always recommend going for an apartment. It usually works out only a little bit more expensive than a hostel, and is worth it's weight in gold for the added privacy and ease of meeting up and/or staying in!
I stayed with 7 other people in Opera 1 through Escape to Prague following the Guardian recommendation, and it was excellent. Lovely place, clean, roomy and three bathrooms/toilets.
If you're going to hostel it, again I'd recommend paying a little bit extra and going for somewhere nice. Miss Sophie's was excellent, and far enough out to avoid the crowds, but close enough to stroll into town.
Check out Banditos opposite for a friendly drink, and The Crow for some late night supping of that gorgeous beer!
I would like to suggest JSC Travel agency, an online travel agency in Prague. I was very satisfied with the kind help before and during my stay in a Prague hostel that they run.
The service included online reservation for accommodation. They just took my credit card number as a guarantee for the reservation. No payment before, no stressed nights.
The office is at the hotel Extol Inn, Pristavni str. 2, Prague 7, close to the railway and metro station Nadrazi Holesovice.
Try www.travelinczech.com or www.czechhotels.net
Hi, a friend of mine lives in Prague couple of moths already and seems to enjoy it so far. He and his wife sent me couple of pictures from recent 650th Charles Bridge Anniversary - and the place really seems to be very pretty.
Now, I have also visited www.traveliana.com for its Prague virtual panoramas and since Traveliana agents claim it is about the time to make the decision I would like to get an answer for my question. Is New Year Eve party in Prague still worth it? What is your experience for that specific term? This forum have a lot of answers but not this one :)
A bit of a hidden gem, the grim street-level entrance belies the splendid interior, and an atmosphere which is reminiscent of the belle epoch.
The service is quite superb, which really stands out after a couple of days of Czech service, which can be surly. Have the Czech breakfast, which includes delicious apple cake. The English breakfast - toast and marmalade, baked beans and chopped up frankfurters, is only worth ordering for its comedy value.
As to Prague, being careful crossing the roads cannot be stressed enough. The drivers only stop on red lights (in theory) or if a pedestrian's corpse jams their wheels. Beware the trams, which are quiet and easily missed above the hubbub.
Try to get off the main streets at night, as the pimps, drug dealers, strip club and bar advertisers are utterly persistent and will follow you for long distances. Unless, of course, you are there for "sucky sucky" or the half price attentions of a lesbian midget.
One more thing: Large numbers of British stag groups are absolutely running riot there, and you can feel the resentment, even hatred, of many of the locals. If you are Prague-bound, start practising your Canadian accent now.
Narodni Trida 20, in the New Town.
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