First Time In Prague
 

Hello,

This weekend, I will be going to Prague for the first time. I don't speak the language and I'm trying to pick up some basic phrases and whatnot. I've been to other countries in Europe so I have an idea of how things work, however, I have some specific questions that weren't answered in search tool.

I'm going to be in Prague Feb. 3, going to Dresden and coming back to Prague Feb. 6 to 10. Given that I'll be in Prague for 4 days, how much is a reasonable amount of money to bring? Specifically, I won't be shopping excessively nor eating in fancy restaurants. I want to be able to have enough money to be able to eat at the local pubs/cafes, grab some food from street vendors and a bottle of water here and there. Oh, and maybe perhaps some small trinkets as souvenirs but that's about it. I was thinking of $500 CDN (8750 or something like that in CZK.) Is that too much or too little? I travel student/budget style with a backpack so I'm not going to look like Mr. Fancy_pants. :)

does that include your hotel budget and your train tickets? if it's just eating, drinking, going around the city and you don't spend a ton of money at restaurants, then that's a lot of money.

lunch special in local restaurant is like 60-70 crowns. dinner at a local place is usually 90-220 crowns. pizza or pasta is 80-140 crowns at a typical italian place. beer in local pub is between 18 and 33 crowns, depending on the pub and the beer. tram/metro ticket is 26 crowns. bottle of water in a potraviny or grocery store is 12-15 crowns.

you can as much as triple these prices if you are in the middle of the tourist zone, but even then, you'll have a hard time spending 9000 crowns in 4 1/2 days.

watch your pack/cash on metro and around tourist sites.

basic phrases (roll the r's):

dobry den (dough-bree-den) = good day. say it whenever you go into a store or resturant. everyone else does.

prosim (pro-seem) = please.

jizdenka (yiz-dane-ka) = ticket

pivo (pee-vo) = beer

fyi, many of the trains to/from dresden depart from holesovice station, not from the main train station (hlavni nadrazi), so check carefully. both are on the same metro line...it's not hard to get to, but common and annoying error for tourists. a great train ride, by the way, goes up the labe/elbe river valley once you get out of prague about an hour. and if you have time to kill, i'd even recommend stopping at one of the czech cities in between on the way there or back: decin or usti n.L. things are even cheaper there (i think i had a beer for 13 crowns in the decin station).

inyourvillages - Thanks! That was very helpful. :)

My hotel and train ticket are not part of this budget. That is on a separate budget on its own. The 8750CZK was spending money on its own. I felt that was enough because last time I was in Austria, I brought along with me 300 Euro for one week, I was able to buy enough trinkets and have nice food but still kind of wished I had more spare change to go the "extra mile." But then again, I guess things in Austria are very different.

I rented an apartment in Prague in 2006 for 16 days. I found the city to be very nice, and quite affordable. I bought a transportation pass for 10 or 14 days that worked out to $1US a day at that time. A really great deal.

I spent about $60-$80 per day. Including lodging, food, transportation.

They have many public performances, I recall seeing an opera, and buying a nosebleed seat (but still nice) for just a few dollars.

I found Prague to be the most affordable and enjoyable city in Europe I've been to. Don't forget you can take the bus from the airport to the city, as well.

Jaimito -

Where did you rent an apartment? My grandmother wants to take a trip to Prague later this year, and I thought it would be more affordable to rent an apartment than to get a couple hotel rooms.

I'm also looking for a good tour guide in Prague. I'm looking for a person who will meet us mid-mornings through afternoon/evenings. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

does grandma want to spend the day in parks and beer gardens, drinking beer and smoking weed? if not, then no.

Just a few more days before heading to Prague. I must say - I'm actually very excited! :)

I'm torn between renting an apartment (59 Euros/night) which is located less than metres from Old Town Square Apt. No. 4 Tynska 7 (recommended by another FT'er) and the The Hotel Josef @ 144 Euros/night. The price difference is huge but the locations seem great.

Any insider tips/advice?

I don't recall where I rented right off the top of my head, but it was reasonably close to a subway station/park, etc. In zone 2 or 3, I think. If you'll go for a week at least, it might be worth it. I paid about $30 a day, and there was a price break at two weeks. It was a basic studio apartment, with TV, small kitchen and bathroom. I'd Google "Prague apartments" and see what comes up. Perhaps www.craigslist.org might work, as well.

No experience with tour guides. They have some organized tours, but I just like to take a bus/tram and wander around.

My advice is shop around. There shouldn't be a problem finding a decent hotel for around 60 euros per night. Last time round, I stayed at the very modern and central Eurostars David for €62 incl. buffet breakfast.

Personally, I really like the Dejvicka area. It's not in the centre, but it's the only place to have direct bus/metro/tram links to the centre, the castle and the airport. It's not touristy, and has plenty of interesting places nearby to walk to.
And you can stay at the Masarykova Kolej (technically a student hostel, but in reality as good as any 2-3 star hotel) for not a lot of money (I think it's about €35 for a standard room and €50 for the suite).