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Czech Republic
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.
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.
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
If you are planning trip to Prague or Czech republic I believe that Athos Travel could really help you. Their website with many usefull information (guide, map) also offer online booking for hotels, apartments, transfers or tours. The best of all is their really personal attitude to clients. They are able to help with almost any request, suggest the best place to stay or to eat. I suggest to go through their Special offers section, where you could find really good deals.
St. Vitus Cathedral, one of the most visited Prague Castle attractions, will be returned to the state. This is very good news for travellers.
The Prague Castle Administration have announced that the entrance to the cathedral will be free of charge again.
www.abcprague.com/2007/02/19/no-entrance-fee-at-st-vitus-cathedral-again-soon
If Slavia are Liverpool and Sparta are Everton, Viktoria are Tranmere Rovers. This 2nd division football side play in the Prague 3 district of Žižkov. Games kick off on a Sunday morning and are friendly, intimate affairs with beer and sausages on sale at 10am.
Allegedly with the highest number of pubs per capita of any city district in Europe, Žižkov is a working-class area of Prague, a world away from the gaudy delights of Wenceslas Square. It is home to the television tower visible from all over the city, and can be reached by Metro to Florenc (line B & C) or by tram to Husinecká.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FK_Viktoria_%C5%BDi%C5%BEkov
Metro to Florenc (line B & C) or by tram to Husinecká.
This private airport transfer service will take 1-4 people into the city centre for about £12 (for 5-8, simply double it). There is a stand opposite international arrivals. Pay there and they give you a voucher for the driver outside. Don't get a taxi: at least Dick Turpin, the original highway robber, wore a mask.
If you're on a budget you could do worse than bus 119 from outside the terminal. It goes to Dejvicka Metro station, which is just four stops from Wenceslas Square. You can buy a transfer ticket in the terminal for about 30p. Make sure you validate your ticket in the machine when boarding the bus, or you will be travelling illegally and liable for an on-the-spot fine from the plain-clothes inspectors who target unsuspecting tourists.
In the international arrivals at Ruzyne Airport;
tel: +420 224 281 005;
email: cedaz@cmail.cz
The Czech Inn is Prague's newest hostel and it is fantastic. Great location (walk or tram to centre) with some very cheap eateries nearby. The staff are superb; welcoming , friendly and very accommodating.
If you think a hostel means grubby beds, grubbier people and grubby amenities then think again. Showerheads the size of dinner plates, crisp white bedlinen, polished wooden floors, an 'all you can eat' buffet breakfast, decent coffee, brilliant bar area, free internet and expert advice all contribute to what makes this place rock. They will also arrange transfers and walks for you.
Francouzská 76
101 00 Praha
tel: 267 267 600
email: info@czech-inn.cz;
www.czech-inn.com
Not too far from Prague - a bus ride away - and home to some absolutely beautiful spas. Try and go in the winter for a wonderful contrast between the snow and the hot springs. Restaurants and bars are also cheap.
However, anyone travelling with children - be prepared for nudity - many spa-goers strip off completely.
Flights and accommodation will be cheaper (we got a good offer making the Elite Hotel **** cheaper than a B&B in Brighton). The city will hopefully be covered in a blanket of snow. Not only does this add an extra aspect to this beautiful city but makes nipping in and out of cafes for mulled wine or hot chocolate an excellent pastime. The park is also an excellent place to go sledging (cheap sledges can be bought from Tescos in the city centre). Just wrap up warm and go steady in any slippy spots.
This is a great budget hostel (with lots of character!) within walking distance of the city centre. There is a good choice of rooms, from twin to dorms with eight beds.
Ke Karlovu 7/457, 120 00 Prague 2; www.hostelumelounu.cz; info@hostelumelounu.cz
Part of a pub/bar chain run by Pilsner Urquell. I believe their are three or four situated throughout Prague, the best in my opinion being Celnice (near the Obneci Dum) and Olympia (on the other side of the river). Though they look very plush, the food is great value and delicious. The beer, naturally is divine and very reasonable considering the location of the pubs.
V kolkovnì 8, 110 00 Praha 1; Tel: +420 224 819 701
An ace restaurant serving traditional Czech grub, U Seturu has a lovely cosy cellar feel about it with some brilliant black and white photographs of the city on the walls. The Goulash in particular is some of the est you'll find anywhere, and the best thing about it is the price: around 200 K per person for a slap up nosh and a glass of beer. They also have an even cheaper (and no less delicious) lunch menu.
Address: Palackeho 2, a little road running between the main streets of Jungmannova and Vodickova in the New Town (Nove Mesto). It is next door to a hotel. There is a tram stop where these two roads meet. Nearest station is Mustek.
Great pub, popular with students, young crowd. Beer garden out back. Stock Czech menu, so smazeny syr, hranolky a tatarka (fried cheese, chips, tartare sauce) is good stuff. Some other good bars in the area, too, including Akropolis club and not far to walk to see the radio/TV tower with statues of babies crawling up it.
Bořivojova 110, Prague 3 Trams 5, 9, 26, 55 and 58 (stop Husinecká).
Classic beer place in a cellar. Get away from the hordes of tourists. The place is actually two pubs, one upstairs, one downstairs. The downstairs one is the gem. Lovely beer, classic Czech food (full of cholesterol and stodge, but tasty) and the obligatory surly waiters. In the evenings you probably have to reserve. If there's just a couple of you, it's generally no problem to just ask people at a not totally occupied table if they can budge up. Drink: beer, maybe a Fernet to finish off. Food: Vepro knedlo zelo (roast pork, duplings, sauerkraut) or smazeny syr, hranolky a tatarka (fried cheese, chips and tartare sauce)
Pivnice U Rudolfina: Krizovnicka 10, a couple of blocks south of the Rudolfinum concert hall/exhibition space
Mary's is a friendly Czech-run accomodation agency with an office in the streets behind the museum in Wenceslas Square. Their service is quick and efficient (I have always found that they reply within the hour if you email during office hours) and, although they offer the usual hotel booking service, I particularly recommend the apartments which they own and manage. Check out the location of their apartments on Husova - excellent value, right in the middle of the old town, and a place where you can come and go as you please.
When you come to Prague bring Bank of England notes, because the exchange rate for Scottish notes is 25% less than for the English equivalent.
Situated very near to Malastranke Namesti, this is a great place to stop and have lunch, or maybe a couple of beers, while exploring the Mala Strana area.
The atmosphere is friendly and inviting; a largish room decorated with frescos/paintings of Prague. At lunch-time it was very busy with a mixture of visitors and locals, all sharing the wooden tables. The general feel is of a good old-fashioned pub/beer hall.
The food is traditional Czech (Fried fillet of fish with tartare sauce
Pork fillet with cheese, Dumplings
Boiled potatoes,Red beet salad)
with a range of main course and smaller dishes. Service was slow with only one – very friendly and charming – waiter/barman serving everyone in the place. However, while you are waiting you can enjoy the dark and light Staropramen beer.
The food, when it arrived, was good quality and at a very reasonable cost. I’d recommend it.
Karmelitska 25, Mala Strana
Very near Malostranske namesti and St. Nicholas Church
This is possibly my favourite pub/beer hall in Prague. It’s situated very near the Loreto and a short walk from the Castle.
You can’t really see into the pub from the outside so it doesn’t always look like it is open (above the door is a trio of figures in stucco on the façade of the building) but don't be put off as inside is a small traditional beer hall, with long wooden tables and benches lining the walls, serving fantastic Velkopopovicky Kozel beer.
The clientele seems mainly to be locals with a smattering of tourists. It can get quite busy but still retain the sort of relaxed, comfortable atmosphere where at one table someone may be sitting quietly reading the paper while at another a group of colleagues or friends indulge in a lively discussion all seemingly happy and all accompanied, of course, by the wonderful beer.
The pub also serves snack type food such as sausage and mustard, scrambled egg with onion, salted fish, pickled cheese.
Large beers are 21 kr (approx. 0.45 sterling each) food ranges from about 20kr-40kr (0.43 to 0.87 sterling) each
In winter it’s a great place to escape from the cold, in summer a lovely place to rest your feet while exploring Hradcany. Highly recommended.
Loretanske namesti 1, Hradcany
About 30 seconds from the Loreta, 5 to 7 minutes from the Strahov Monastry and 7 to 8 minutes from the gates of Prague Castle
A modern, smart restaurant with Czech and some Italian dishes - reasonable prices with most main courses around 200Kc. Great afternoon cakes.
Tynska 12 (Only 3 minutes from the Old Town Square - go down the alley at the left of the Tyn church.)
tel: 224 829 043
www.restaurantescape.cz
Metro: Namesti Republiky
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