Prague Hotel & Travel Destination Guide

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Country Code: CZ
Source: Fastcheck Arrival Guides

Population:
1.2 million

Currency:
1 Koruna(K) = 100 halé

Opening hours:
Businesses/Shops are open Monday to Friday 9-18/19h. Saturdays between 9-12. Most shops remain closed on Sundays. Around the tourist areas the opening hours are more generous.

Tourist information:
Prague Information Service
Address: Betlemske namesti 2 or
Information Centre Old Town Hall
Staromestské námestí 1
Tel: +420 12 444
Email: tourinfo@pis.cz

Prague

“Mother Prague has clutches” wrote Franz Kafka nearly one hundred years ago. And it is just as true today. Anyone who has once wandered around the cobbled streets and Gothic alleyways and seen the moon hovering behind the towers and pinnacles of Europe’s most beautiful capital will come back.

Prague City

Sixteen years after the ‘velvet revolution’ Prague is now an international metropolis with all the usual trappings - but it has at the same time managed successfully to retain its unspoiled local character; hospody (beerhouses) offering the world’s best beers are still to be found on every street corner.

The Czech capital is small and compact. The most important areas are the central districts of the city: Staré Mésto (Old Town), Josefov, Nové Mésto (New Town) and Malá Strana (Lesser Town). These are best explored on foot. In recent years the district of Vinohrady (Vineyards) has established itself as the district favoured by Pražani; here the restaurants and cafés lie closely packed.

When you visit Prague it is worth remembering that not only does the city boast an impressive history stretching back many hundreds of years, but it has also fostered exciting architects, artists and designers the 20th century too. Prague was once the centre of Central European modernism, a fact which today, after a long period of dictatorship, has almost faded into oblivion. During recent years, modernist Czech architecture and interior design have experienced a recovery and there is nearly always a good exhibition to see somewhere

Things to See and Do in Prague

Staroméstské Námésti (old Town Market Square)
The Old Town market place with its pastel-coloured baroque houses and cathedral is one of Europe’s most beautiful squares. In the centre stands a large statue of the religious leader from the 1400’s, Jan Hus.
Address: Staroméstské námésti 1, Prague 1

Obecní Dum (municipal Hall)
This art nouveau palace was erected after the right-wing revolution which during the second half of the 19th century came to transform Prague into a modern capitalist city. Before the inauguration in 1911 all of the Czech artist elite of the time helped to create what is today one of Europe’s finest art nouveau monuments. The building was renovated 1994-97 and houses a gallery, a beer cellar and a bar.
Address: Namesti Republiky 5, Prague 1
Phone: +420 222 002 101
Internet: www.obecnidum.cz

Staronová Synagoga (old-new Synanogogue)
Europe’s oldest synagogue. This is where Rabbi Löw preached, who created Golem, the clay figure which was to protect Prague’s Jewish population from persecution.
Address: Cervená, Praha 1
Phone: +420 224 800 812 13
Internet: www.synagogue.cz

Prague Castle And St. Vitus’ Cathedral
The whole of Prague Castle, the area which lies on a hill overlooking the city, is a must for the visitor. The castle’s history goes back to the 11th century and it is said today to be Europe’s largest castle. The gothic St.Vitus’ Cathedral, which took more than 600 years to build, is most significant.
Address: Nádvorí 3, Praha 1

Charles Bridge
It was built in the 1300’s by Charles IV and up to the 19th century it remained the only bridge connecting both sides of Prague. Take a stroll over the bridge and learn the names of the 30 saints whose statues stand sentinel there.
Address: Karluv Most, Prague 1

Veletržní Palác (great Exhibition Palace)
This handsome functional building from the 1920’s houses the National Gallery collections of modern international and Czech art.
Address: Dukelských hrdinu 47, Prague 7
Phone: +420 224 301 024
Internet: www.ngprague.cz

Dining in Prague

In recent years many international cuisines have been introduced, but the Central European cuisine still dominates. Classic Czech homely fare includes Svícková (roast beef with cream sauce) and the national dish Vepro-knedlo-zelo (pork with sauerkraut and Knödel). These can be had at any hospoda - beerhouse - along with a cold pilsner

Alchymist
The luxury restaurant Alchymist provides a kitsch variant on Prague’s history. Blood-red curtains, Louis XIV chairs and candelabras characterise the furnishings. The cuisine is original Italian and the service is excellent. 500k and upwards.
Address: Hellichova 4, Prague 1
Phone: +420 257 312 518
Internet: www.alchymist.cz

Kolkovna
The best Czech food in Old Town. Thick soups, grilled meat and fish (between 100-350k) are topped with unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell.
Address: V Kolkovne 8, Praha 1
Phone: +420 224 819 701
Internet: www.kolkovna.cz

Cantina
Cantina serves very good Mexican food at reasonable prices (chicken fajita for 210k) and stocks a decent selection tequila. Always full, so if you want a table in the evening it is best to book.
Address: Újezd 38, Prague 1
Phone: +420 257 317 173

U Básnika Pánve
Example of a cuisine that is a little more “nouveau czeque”. Classic dishes with a twist - such as extra-spicy goulash for 140k - which are inexpensive and phenomenally good.
Address: Mánesova 62, Prague 2
Phone: +420 222 250 072
Internet: www.ubasnikapanve.cz

La Lavande
A chef from the Sarah Bernhardt restaurant at Hotel Paris opens his own restaurant in Vinohrady. And the result? Possibly the best and cheapest French food in Prague.
Address: Záhrebská 24, Prague 2
Phone: +420 608 579 835
Internet: www.lalavande.wz.cz

Prague Cafes

Prague has always been a good town for cafés. Around the turn of the last century this meant large middle class premises - which re-opened during the 1990’s - and after the ‘velvet revolution’ of 1989 a lot of small, cosy cafés opened with bric-à-brac décor.

Café Slavia
Of all Prague’s old, traditional cafés Slavia is the most well-known. This is where members of the Czech avant-garde would sit in the early 1900’s, and during the Communist era dissidents used to gather here, with the secret police only a couple of tables away. The view towards Prague Castle is simply stunning, but if get tired of it you can always while away the time looking at the fine painting ‘the Absinthe Drinker’.
Address: Smetanovo nábreží 1012/2, Praha 1
Phone: +420 224 218 493
Internet: www.cafeslavia.cz

Café Louvre
Franz Kafka’s and Albert Einstein’s favourite café also housed Prague’s first billiard hall.
Address: Národní 22, Praha 1
Underground: Narodní trida
Phone: +420 224 930 949
Internet: www.cafelouvre.cz

Medúza
On the heavily tree-lined Prague Street stands the city’s cosiest café - a Prague café with a typically young atmosphere, with upholstered chairs and occasional tables and sofas.
Address: Belgická 17, Prague 2
Phone: +420 222 515 107
Internet: www.meduza.cz

Prague Bars and NIghtlife

Prague has a lively nightlife and anyone who wants to can dance at night clubs until dawn. Most Pražani start the evening at one of the city’s many bars, cafés or beerhouses.

Radost Fx
The night club, restaurant and cocktail bar known as Radost (”joy”) FX flies in internationally famous DJ’s from around the world, wins prizes for its drinks and the night club was chosen by the British Ministry as one of the world’s best a couple of years ago. Don’t miss the vegetarian restaurant which is open till late every night.
Address: Belehradská 120, Prague 2
Phone: +420 603 181 500
Internet: www.radostfx.cz

Palác Akropolis
A Prague institution in Žižkov, the part of town known as Prague’s Bronx. The brightly coloured building was erected in the 1920’s as a cultural meeting place. It houses a restaurant on the ground floor and a stage in the basement. Excellent live music club for alternative music and world music.
Address: Kubelíková 27, Prague 2
Phone: +420 296 330 911
Internet: www.palacakropolis.cz

U Staré Pani (the Old Lady’s Place)
Prague is rightly famous for its jazz, and offers bands which play everything from bebop to big band jazz and avant-garde music. The ‘Old Lady’ is the best club to to start your tour.
Address: Michalská 9, Prague 2
Phone: +420 603 551 680
Internet: www.jazzlounge.cz

Barácnická Rychta
A cosy Czech beer hall with a history going back to the 1800’s when it served as a meeting place for people who wanted to revive ancient Czech traditions. Today, on a stage below the pub, you can see everything from Czech folk music to Ukrainian punk bands.
Address: Tržište23/255, Praha 1
Underground: Malostranské Námesti
Phone: +420 257 532 461, +420 736 641 323
Internet: www.baracnickarychta.cz

Bugsy´s
In an elegant, traditional basement lies this bar which has been picked as one of the world’s best by international trade bodies. The majority of drinks cost around 120k.
Address: Parížská 10, Prague 1
Phone: +420 224 810 287
Internet: www.bugsysbar.cz

Shopping in Prague

If you want to shop for uniquely Czech products in Prague you should visit the small boutiques selling domestic designer clothes and look for reproductions of the utility designs created by Czech modernists in the 1920’s and 30’s. Both sectors have grown considerably in recent years. Another traditional item to shop for is Bohemian cut glass.

Prague’s main shopping areas are situated in New Town: on Václavské Námesti (Wenceslaus Square) and immediately below on the pedestrian mall Na Príkopech. There are large individual shops and chain stores such as H&M, Zara and Marks & Spencers, as well as several large department stores.

There are however no specific shopping areas for smaller shops with clothign designer clothes, but you will encounter a small concentration of these on Karoliny Svetlé and Bartolomejská streets in New Town. Here boutiques such as Leeda, Toalette and Alice Abraham offer a good starting point. If you take a stroll from the Market Square in Old Town across Michalská street you will find several antique shops and shops displaying typical Prague artwork on the way.

The Czech Republic is deservedly well-known for its cut glass and a wide range is on offer at the shops around Staromestské Námesti (Old Town Market Square). The work of young Czech designers can be found at Qubus at Rámova 3, around the corner from the Market Square. If you are looking for modernist design in the form of cubism or functionalism, visit the shop Kubista at Celetná 19, also just a stone’s throw from the Market Square in Old Town. In addition, the shop Modernista, at Konviktská 5, towards the Charles Bridge, is well worth a visit - everything from cubist ties and ash-trays to billiard tables in functional style is sold here.

Prague Hotels

Luxury Prague Hotels

Four Seasons
This is where visiting dignitaries and international rock stars stay. Besides luxury as standard this also offers one of the world’s most splendid views: Prague Castle, the River Moldau and Lesser Town.
Address: Veleslavínova 2a/1098, Praha 1

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Good Value Prague Hotels

Hotel Paris
This neo-Gothic building with its distinct art nouveau features was built in 1904 and is one of Prague’s finest. The whole of the interior is art nouveau in the original and the outlook to one side is towards the art-nouveau palace Obecní Dum.
Address: U Obecního Domu 1, Prague 1

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Hotel Vyšehrad
This hotel with turn-of-the-century décor lies in Vyšehrad, two underground stations from the city centre but not far from Prague’s oldest building, Vyšehrad Castle.
Address: Marie Cibulkové 29, Prague 4

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Cheap Prague Hotels

Claris Hotel
Built in the 1930s and opened as a hotel in spring 2005, the Prague Hotel Claris is situated in the prestigious Vinohrady district of Prague. Its 24 bright, airy guestrooms are simply decorated in neutral tones and include satellite television, direct-dial phones and Internet ports. Private bathrooms provide shower/tubs and hair dryers.
Address: Slezska 26, Prague 12000

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