Going to Prague...
Jul 17, 2003 | 1:40 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 34
Going to Prague...
around Christmas and more than likely over New Years. Though I've consulted all of teh appropriate travel resources, I just wanted to know if any of you had any thoughts???
Places to go, things to see, new year's celebrations??
Places to go, things to see, new year's celebrations??
Jul 17, 2003 | 6:00 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: JFK, LAX, LHR, DUB, MIA, ORD, MAD - heavy travel to all
Programs: EXP: 2014, 15, Final 7 Mo of 16, and all of 17 (soon to be '19-20). Big Bonvoy Users
Posts: 774
I, too, am travelling to Prague (Sept) and am finding some info at this site:
http://www.pis.cz/a/index.html
Good luck and if you find more info ... then drop a response here.
http://www.pis.cz/a/index.html
Good luck and if you find more info ... then drop a response here.
Nov 17, 2003 | 9:00 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: YYC
Posts: 1,876
Some of the sites worth seeing
-Hradcany (Prague Castle) and within it: St. Vitus Cathedral, Zlata ulicka (Golden Lane)where Franz Kafka lived for a little while
-Karluv Most (Charles Bridge)
-Orloj (Astronomical Clock)
Within 1 hour of Prague
-Karlstejn Castle
-Konopiste (Mansion/Chateux)
Note that this is just a very small sample of what is available to see.
Be sure not to skip out on any of the czech beers: Pilsner Urquell of course, Radegast, Budvar, Velkepopovicke Kozel, Staropramen and more.
-Hradcany (Prague Castle) and within it: St. Vitus Cathedral, Zlata ulicka (Golden Lane)where Franz Kafka lived for a little while
-Karluv Most (Charles Bridge)
-Orloj (Astronomical Clock)
Within 1 hour of Prague
-Karlstejn Castle
-Konopiste (Mansion/Chateux)
Note that this is just a very small sample of what is available to see.
Be sure not to skip out on any of the czech beers: Pilsner Urquell of course, Radegast, Budvar, Velkepopovicke Kozel, Staropramen and more.
Nov 18, 2003 | 12:51 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Once Seattle...then DC....now PMI.
Posts: 4,061
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by chexfan:
Any must sees for Prague? Any tips for getting to/from the airport? Thanks in advance!
</font>
Any must sees for Prague? Any tips for getting to/from the airport? Thanks in advance!
</font>
Nov 19, 2003 | 12:21 am
#7
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: PDX
Programs: TSA Refusenik charter member
Posts: 16,126
Second the suggestion on the Jewish Museum (and be sure to check out the cemetery -- it's really beautiful).
Also a walk across the Charles Bridge late at night is mandatory! Really!! Just be sure you know where your wallet is at all times. I never had any trouble, but I know of many others, even ex-pats, who have.
Other great stuff I've seen/done on my 4-day and 2-week trips, respectively:
House at the Black Madonna, "the oldest and most famous Cubist building in Prague." (Avant Guide - Prague.) As an architectural style Cubism is exclusive to Bohemia and this is but one example. The House is also home to the Cubist Museum. [i]At the corner of Celetn and Ovocn in Star Mesto (Old Town - sorry, can't find the right inflection for 'Mesto').
Tn Church and the Old Town Square (where the Astrological Clock is). Definitely a must-see. "Walk to the pavement in front of the Old Town Hall clock tower, where you can see 27 white crosses embedded in the cobblestones. These pay homage to noblemen who where beheaded on this spot in 1621 after their failed uprising against the Habsburg monarchy. The names of the nobles are on a large plaque that's affixed to the adjacent wall. Another plaque here commemorates the destruction of Old Town Hall, which was blown-up by the Germans in May 1945." (Avant Guide - Prague)
Thing to remember about Prague is that since Bohemia and Moravia was once considered part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the Nazis basically had control of it pretty early on so they inflicted very little damage on any of Czechoslovakia during WWII.
Still in Old Town, at the end of irok Street is a small square, Jan Palach Square, where you will find a small memorial to him and to Jan Zajic: Obetem Komunismu or "Victims of Communism." Palach is to this day a heroic martyr of the post-Prague Spring year of 1969 (he set himself on flames in that square). People still leave flowers there all the time.
IIRC I also saw a makeshift memorial and the top of Wenceslas Square. But I could be wrong.
Near Kampa Island, right next to the French Embassy, is the John Lennon Wall, which is pretty cool more for its history than for asthethic reasons. "After his death in 1980 a giant and colorful picture of Lennon's head was painted here, where it became the centerpiece of unique graffiti-covered wall dedicated to free speech and expression. Needless to say, the authorities were not exactly excited by this unsanctioned Democracy Wall and the City of Prague regularly dispatched a whitewash crews to cover up the troublesome individualist propaganda. After the Velvet Revolution (1989), the story goes, The French Ambassador (whose embassy is across the street) asked the Mayor of Prague to call off his rollerboys because he liked to look at the urban scrawl from his office window. Over the years, souvenir-hunters have picked off pieces of Lennon's face - almost up to the eyeballs ... (But) locals and visitors will add their marks, often affixing poems or posters announcing marches or demonstrations." (Avant Guide - Prague)
I cannot recommend the Avant Guide to Prague enough. It's extremely hip, irreverant and packed with info. Definitely not your father's Fodors. Even better than Lonely Planet. Mine's marked up to smithereens. I love it. Check out www.avantguide.com for more info.
BTW, I have this working hypothesis about the world, and that is that there's an Irish pub in every reasonably-sized city in the world. Prague is no exception. If you want directions to the one Irish pub I know of, e-mail me. It's a rather convoluted path to get there and even I, with my 1/4 homing-pidgeon instincts, had trouble finding it the second time. Great burgers and fries, BTW.
Also, I enjoyed Radost FX at Belehradska 120, Praha 2. (Metro: I.P. Pavolva). One of the few places you can get decent vegetarian fare and it's open late late late: til 2 a.m. Su-Th, 4 or 5 a.m. F and Sa. There's also a raucous club downstairs.
The other cafe I had consistently good luck with was the cafe at the Globe Book Store, Janovskho 14, Praha 7. (Metro: Vltavsk.) The Globe is the major Enlgish-speaking bookstore in the city, and it's easy to find. The cafe is patronized by both the ex-pat crowd and young locals, so it's no tourist trap. This is the place to go if you're craving a large green salad. Good sandwiches and soups, too.
In terms of getting to and from PRG, for godssakes do NOT grab one of the mafioso cabs right in front of the terminal. There ARE legit cabs available, you just have to know what to look for. I kind of know and it's difficult to describe how to tell which from which. The easiest thing to do, if you have a fair amount of luggage and don't want to do the bus-to-Metro thing (which is a real pain in the @ss I can assure you), is to call one of the two taxis companies that I can vouch for as legit: AAA Taxi at tel. 1080 or 2432 2432; or ProfiTaxi at tel. 1035.
TravelBuzz is down right now, but when it's back up tomorrow, do a search on my username and the word "taxi" or "Prague" and you'll find a whole thread on this topic. And I think someone verified that either or both those taxi companies are still in business. They speak excellent English and will give you a good estimate on the fare over the phone. The drivers WILL NOT rip you off. They don't expect a tip, or much of one, but I rounded up generously nonetheless.
Fare to/from the airport ran me about 300kc in 1997, and I was waaaaaay the hell out in Skalka. So it was very, very affordable at the time. Probably still is, esp. if you have a lot of luggage.
Couple more things. I had a great day trip to Karlovy Vary, one of the spa towns SW of Prague, about 20 miles from the German border. It's very charming and you swear you can smell the ghosts of old Communists sweating like pigs from the spa rooms. <g> E-mail me if you'd like a hotel recommendation. I had an incredible room at a charming little hotel for ~$22 a night. The room was HUGE, veddy veddy European and clean as a whistle.
Another tip to keep in mind: if you want to see other major cities in the region, use Prague as your base and buy your train tickets there. I'm not certain whether the CZ is on the Euro yet, but if not you'll be able to buy tickets on the ICE (the fast trains) much cheaper than in Germany or Austria. Berlin and Vienna are each less than 5 hours away by train. I did both of them from Prague on seperate trips and had a blast. Budapest is just a litte farther than that.
Feel free to e-mail me for more info on anything. Prague is a fabulous city, hard not to enjoy. Prosit!
Also a walk across the Charles Bridge late at night is mandatory! Really!! Just be sure you know where your wallet is at all times. I never had any trouble, but I know of many others, even ex-pats, who have.
Other great stuff I've seen/done on my 4-day and 2-week trips, respectively:
House at the Black Madonna, "the oldest and most famous Cubist building in Prague." (Avant Guide - Prague.) As an architectural style Cubism is exclusive to Bohemia and this is but one example. The House is also home to the Cubist Museum. [i]At the corner of Celetn and Ovocn in Star Mesto (Old Town - sorry, can't find the right inflection for 'Mesto').
Tn Church and the Old Town Square (where the Astrological Clock is). Definitely a must-see. "Walk to the pavement in front of the Old Town Hall clock tower, where you can see 27 white crosses embedded in the cobblestones. These pay homage to noblemen who where beheaded on this spot in 1621 after their failed uprising against the Habsburg monarchy. The names of the nobles are on a large plaque that's affixed to the adjacent wall. Another plaque here commemorates the destruction of Old Town Hall, which was blown-up by the Germans in May 1945." (Avant Guide - Prague)
Thing to remember about Prague is that since Bohemia and Moravia was once considered part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the Nazis basically had control of it pretty early on so they inflicted very little damage on any of Czechoslovakia during WWII.
Still in Old Town, at the end of irok Street is a small square, Jan Palach Square, where you will find a small memorial to him and to Jan Zajic: Obetem Komunismu or "Victims of Communism." Palach is to this day a heroic martyr of the post-Prague Spring year of 1969 (he set himself on flames in that square). People still leave flowers there all the time.
IIRC I also saw a makeshift memorial and the top of Wenceslas Square. But I could be wrong.
Near Kampa Island, right next to the French Embassy, is the John Lennon Wall, which is pretty cool more for its history than for asthethic reasons. "After his death in 1980 a giant and colorful picture of Lennon's head was painted here, where it became the centerpiece of unique graffiti-covered wall dedicated to free speech and expression. Needless to say, the authorities were not exactly excited by this unsanctioned Democracy Wall and the City of Prague regularly dispatched a whitewash crews to cover up the troublesome individualist propaganda. After the Velvet Revolution (1989), the story goes, The French Ambassador (whose embassy is across the street) asked the Mayor of Prague to call off his rollerboys because he liked to look at the urban scrawl from his office window. Over the years, souvenir-hunters have picked off pieces of Lennon's face - almost up to the eyeballs ... (But) locals and visitors will add their marks, often affixing poems or posters announcing marches or demonstrations." (Avant Guide - Prague)
I cannot recommend the Avant Guide to Prague enough. It's extremely hip, irreverant and packed with info. Definitely not your father's Fodors. Even better than Lonely Planet. Mine's marked up to smithereens. I love it. Check out www.avantguide.com for more info.
BTW, I have this working hypothesis about the world, and that is that there's an Irish pub in every reasonably-sized city in the world. Prague is no exception. If you want directions to the one Irish pub I know of, e-mail me. It's a rather convoluted path to get there and even I, with my 1/4 homing-pidgeon instincts, had trouble finding it the second time. Great burgers and fries, BTW.
Also, I enjoyed Radost FX at Belehradska 120, Praha 2. (Metro: I.P. Pavolva). One of the few places you can get decent vegetarian fare and it's open late late late: til 2 a.m. Su-Th, 4 or 5 a.m. F and Sa. There's also a raucous club downstairs.
The other cafe I had consistently good luck with was the cafe at the Globe Book Store, Janovskho 14, Praha 7. (Metro: Vltavsk.) The Globe is the major Enlgish-speaking bookstore in the city, and it's easy to find. The cafe is patronized by both the ex-pat crowd and young locals, so it's no tourist trap. This is the place to go if you're craving a large green salad. Good sandwiches and soups, too.
In terms of getting to and from PRG, for godssakes do NOT grab one of the mafioso cabs right in front of the terminal. There ARE legit cabs available, you just have to know what to look for. I kind of know and it's difficult to describe how to tell which from which. The easiest thing to do, if you have a fair amount of luggage and don't want to do the bus-to-Metro thing (which is a real pain in the @ss I can assure you), is to call one of the two taxis companies that I can vouch for as legit: AAA Taxi at tel. 1080 or 2432 2432; or ProfiTaxi at tel. 1035.
TravelBuzz is down right now, but when it's back up tomorrow, do a search on my username and the word "taxi" or "Prague" and you'll find a whole thread on this topic. And I think someone verified that either or both those taxi companies are still in business. They speak excellent English and will give you a good estimate on the fare over the phone. The drivers WILL NOT rip you off. They don't expect a tip, or much of one, but I rounded up generously nonetheless.
Fare to/from the airport ran me about 300kc in 1997, and I was waaaaaay the hell out in Skalka. So it was very, very affordable at the time. Probably still is, esp. if you have a lot of luggage.
Couple more things. I had a great day trip to Karlovy Vary, one of the spa towns SW of Prague, about 20 miles from the German border. It's very charming and you swear you can smell the ghosts of old Communists sweating like pigs from the spa rooms. <g> E-mail me if you'd like a hotel recommendation. I had an incredible room at a charming little hotel for ~$22 a night. The room was HUGE, veddy veddy European and clean as a whistle.
Another tip to keep in mind: if you want to see other major cities in the region, use Prague as your base and buy your train tickets there. I'm not certain whether the CZ is on the Euro yet, but if not you'll be able to buy tickets on the ICE (the fast trains) much cheaper than in Germany or Austria. Berlin and Vienna are each less than 5 hours away by train. I did both of them from Prague on seperate trips and had a blast. Budapest is just a litte farther than that.
Feel free to e-mail me for more info on anything. Prague is a fabulous city, hard not to enjoy. Prosit!