Travel guide for PRAGUE

Information

Climate

Prague has a mild climate with warm, wet summers and cold winters. Average summer temperatures are 24-26°C, with chilly nights. In winter daytime temperatures hover around freezing, falling several degrees lower at night. Spring is generally sunny, the wettest months being in summer, May to August. Snow is rare in the city.

Location

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic.It is located in the north-central of the Country.

Money Issues

The currency is the Czech Koruna (CZK). One Koruna is 100 haler. The EURO is also welcome in most tourist establishments. You may also use credit cards (American Express, Diners Club, Visa and MasterCard) as the majority of them are accepted even if you are going to buy just a souvenir. Traveller cheques and foreign currency can be exchanged in banks and in currency exchange offices. Commission is much higher (some of them claim that there is no charge but this is not true) in the currency exchange offices so try to avoid them. Their advantage is that they stay open until late at night and at weekends. Banks are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. only in the weekdays.

How to get there

By plane which takes you to the Ruzyne Airport 15Km northwest of Prague. The most comfortable way to arrive in Prague center is to hire a taxi which will cost you 400 – 650 CZK depending on your destination. Alternatively a cheaper solution is to take the local bus (take the bus 119 or 100 if you want to reach the underground) which is convenient for the city visitors. If you buy your ticket from the vending machine next to the bus stop, you will pay 20 CZK. Do not forget to validate your ticket as soon as you get on the bus. Otherwise there is penalty of 100 Euro. By train since Prague belongs to the central European artery. It is a relatively fast way to arrive in Prague and a cheapest solution compared to a flight. It is important to note that travel within the Czech Republic is not included in the Eurailpass.

Trasportation

Use the underground while visiting Prague which is fast, effective and highly reliable. It has three lines the red, yellow and green. Buy your ticket at the vending machines which are found in any underground station (you may also buy 24-hours, 3-days and 7-days tickets at ticket offices in some underground stations). Do not forget to validate your ticket at the entrance of each station since a ticket collector will ask you to show your ticket. Another means of transport is the tram. The timetables are a little confusing but are frequent. You can buy your tickets from kiosks and the underground stations. Prague is great for walking. Walking in the only way to explore the biggest part of the city center. Prague city center is only 7km and most of the sights exist in pedestrian zones. Avoid rent a car as a visitor. There is heavy traffic, there are no parking facilities and most of the streets are narrow. You may also hire a taxi for your transportation in Prague. Taxis in the past had a very bad reputation, but in our days most of the taxi companies are reliable. Nevertheless I suggest that you call a taxi from your hotel for security reasons and a better price.

While there

Accomodation On-line hotel reservations in PRAGUE

I have been in Prague for a couple of times. Both of the times I stayed in a pretty good hotel called Diplomat. It is a big hotel with many amenities and very comfortable rooms especially for professionals. Besides it is located close to an underground station (I don’t remember its name) and you can reach the city center in almost 10 minutes. If you are looking for cheap accommodation you may rent a room at a hostel. The Sir Toby’s hostel has a very good reputation and its owners will try to find you another room in case they are overbooked.

Food

Try the Gulas (well done beef but not so spicy like the Hungarian Gulas), Svickoza na smetane (the Havel favorite plate, a sweet version of Gulas), Smazeny syr ( fried chesse filled with butter served with mayonnaise), Utopence (sausages) and Knedliky (a kind of pasta).

Amusement

Prague is full from restaurants, pubs and clubs for all tastes. The best way to make your choice is through a city’s magazine. The newspaper PraguePost (weekly in English, can be found in any kiosk) contains full information for restaurants, bars, theatres, festivals and etc. You may also visit the Prague Information Service offices (at Staromestske namesti ) and ask for a free monthly magazine that contains info for discos and galleries.

Activities

Culture

There are many Opera and Black Light Theatre performance groups in Prague. The best Black Theatre is the Divaldo Ta Fantastica.

Shopping

Rumple around the Old Town which is full of gift shops selling Bohemian crystal, soccer shirts and many other souvenirs. Buy from Dr Stuart’s Botanicus perfumes, candles and soaps. If you like visiting shopping malls walk the Na Prikope Street, the 18th most expensive street in the world (measured by the price of property). For jewelry and authentic Bohemian Crystal , I advise you the Erpet Bohemia Crystal who also represents and other famous brands like Moser, Goebel and Swarovski.

Monuments

Galleries

The Czech National Gallery, located at the Veletrzini building. The gallery contains many famous works of art from all around the world. Besides a cafeteria exists in the ground floor which operates as an Internet Café too. The gallery is open from 10a.m. to 6 p.m. all days except Monday. The ticket price varies depending on the time of your visit. The Prague City Gallery with contains works of arts from Czech artists in the 20th Century. The gallery is open from 10a.m. to 6 p.m. all days except Monday.

Museums

Visit the National museum which is an association of various museums. The main building is dedicated to the national history and is located at the Wenceslas Square. Other buildings include the Czech Music Museum, Historical Pharmacy Museum Czech Ethnographical Museum and Naprstek Anthropological Museum.

Modern museums

Visit the National Technical Museum which holds a collection of motorcycles, cars, aircraft and other engineering stuff. The Communism museum that try to inform the visitors for how life was look like under the Communism regime. Besides in case you have enough time, the Kafka museum ,the Pedagogical Comenious museum and the Military museum worth a visit.

Historical monuments

Visit the Prague Castle, the biggest ancient castle in the world which rises above the city and offers magnificent city views. It is the seat of the President of the Czech Republic. A big part of the castle was rebuilt in the late of 16th century and became the impressive building in our days. Inside the castle is the St Vitus Cathedral, the White Tower, the Castle Picture Gallery and many other attractions and museums. The Charles Bridge, the most popular bridge over the Vltana River. Its construction started at the 14th century and it is one of the most beautiful attractions of Prague. All statues in the bridge are copies and the authentic ones are kept in the city museums. The old town of Prague (called Stare Mesto). It is the Prague’s historic centre. Many historical and famous monuments are located in the Stare Mesto including the Astronomical Clock, the Storch building and the Jan-Hus monument (Jan-Hus was burned in fire at 1415 because he suggested radicalism religious modifications). The Lesser Town (called Malla Strana) located across the Vlata River from the city centre to the Prague Castle. This nice area has many beautiful streets and many cathedrals like the Loreto (it is really very impressive) and the St Nicholas.

Romance

Visit the Petrin Hill and enjoy the magnificent view (the best season to visit Petrin is the summer). Take a long evening cruise at the Vltana River with dinner and music. Enjoy the sunrise at the Charles Bridge early in the morning.

Not to miss

Spend your days walking through Prague. The city with its cobblestone streets is full of bridges, cathedrals, and impressive buildings. Prague in its own is a city that you should not miss.

Be Cautious

If you don’t like to be tightened, avoid visiting the Charles Bridge in the midday. Most of the visitors arrive around 10 at the morning and up to the afternoon prevail really rush. Do not curry a large amount of cash and valuable objects on the public and always have a copy of your passport.

Green Issues

Prague is a city with a lot of green areas. There are many parks and gardens where it feels as if you are outside Berlin, as if you were instantly transported to a country setting. Some of them are the Vysehrad, the Royal Garden, Vojanovy Sady (the oldest garden of Prague) and the Petrin Hill (offers a fantastic view).

Value 4 money

Arrange your travel to Prague from September until March which is the low tourist period. You may also watch opera or classic music; prices can be relatively low compared to European and American Standards. If you are a fun of beer then Prague is the right place for you. You will find a great range of beers in relatively slow prices. One half of litre will cost from 20 CZK to 30 CZK. Despite the fact than entrance in the famous clubs of Prague is a little expensive, some big clubs like Acropolis have special prices during the weekdays. For cheap food try the Czech style hot dogs, there are far superior to the greasy, messy version you get in the West.

Impressions

Prague is one of the most romantic places in the world. You can simply walk around the city center and admire its beautifull narrow streets, historical buildings, museums and galleries. There are plenty of restaurants and bars where you can relax and enjoy the spirit of the city. You will never get bored. Apart from the rush of the city center, but with easy acces to the heart of town you can find very romantic places.