We
will assume that you have one day in which to enjoy Prague.Click
here
for a guide to all Travel from IdyllicPrague.com
Click
here
for Prague City Tips
Click
here for "Point-And-Go" A4 Taxi sheet
- a simple practical guide to directing taxis.
Click here for mobile phone SIM card for easy taxi
ordering
Click here
for details of the IdyllicPrague personal chauffeur service.
Click
here
for the Prague transport web site.
Click here for a guide to using busses, trams and
metro
Click here
for the schedule of bus times from Cerny Vul to Prague.
Click here for links to Prague Guides, Restaurants,
Theatres, Tours etc
So many good guides to Prague are available, both
as books and on the internet, that we did
not consider it appropriate to attempt to compete by writing our own guide to
Prague.
IdyllicPrague do attempt to keep a good supply
of guidebooks in the Cottages for your use,
and IdyllicPrague do attempt to provide an internet connection in your Cottage,
so that you can
browse the internet during your holiday. We would also encourage you to
read guide books
and browse Prague internet sites (including IdyllicPrague.com) prior to your
holiday, as many
Guests have told us that this pre-holiday research enhances their enjoyment of
their holiday.
Most Guests are happiest to buy a good Prague
guide book and enjoy wandering around
Prague for a few days or a week or two, without any formal guide. But
whereas a few years
ago the Guests of idyllicPrague.com were mainly family groups, increasingly
groups of 30 or 40
Guests have been enjoying IdyllicPrague holidays. These groups are often
business, university
or sports related, and the organisers of these groups have asked if
IdyllicPrague can provide
a guide to Prague. This web page is therefore written primarily in
response to requests from
these larger groups.
The IdyllicPrague.com team have an excellent
knowledge of Prague, and will try to be as
helpful as they possibly can. And
Dan
will be delighted to provide transport. But we do
need you to understand that there are strict rules forbidding anyone from acting
as a
Prague Tourist Guide without a license. The IdyllicPrague.com team will be
very careful
not to do anything that might be considered to contravene that rule.
At the bottom of this web page we offer a number
of links that you may find useful. We
offer the links in good faith without any guarantee. We would be very
grateful if you
could share your experiences and photos with us so that we can enhance the
guidance
we offer to future Guests.
We
will assume that you have one day in which to enjoy Prague.
From your IdyllicPrague.com Cottage, take the
bus to
Dejvická
which is the bus/metro/tram terminus. From
Dejvická either just
walk south up the hill to Prague Castle or take a tram or take the metro.
If you take the metro, get out at the first stop which is called
Hradčanská
and walk south to Prague Castle.
(The walking distances to Prague Castle from Hradčanská and
Dejvická
are roughly equal, but the hill walk is more gentle from Hradčanská.)
We recommend that you enter Prague Castle via Lions Gate
Lvi Dvur a gate that was once guarded by Lions.
If
you are travelling by coach Lvi Dvur is a good place for you to leave
your coach.
Alternatively you might like to enter Prague Castle by Hradčanské náměstí.
You could spend a week just enjoying Prague Castle.
Highlights include St Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane,
Strahov Monastery, Loreto and the changing of the guard.
If you have time you might like to have a look at Petřín Hill
distinctively marked by a third scale model of the Eiffel Tower.
There is also a mirror maze, a funicular railway and an
observatory on Petřín Hill.
Your bus/tram/train ticket may be
valid on the funicular railway
(the ticket is time limited.)
From
Prague Castle take one of the small steep footpaths
down the hill to Malá Strana (the Lesser Town or Little Quarter)
and St Nicholas Church. If you have time visit The Church of
Our Lady Victorious to see "Baby Jesus of Prague".
Again, you could spend a week exploring Malá Strana.
If you have time, have a look at the "snake wall" in
Wallenstein Gardens.
Heading
towards the river, you will find "Prague's Little Venice"
and
Kampa Island, where there is an excellent restaurant
www.KampaGroup.com.
Now for what many would consider the highlight of your visit - walk across
the world famous
Charles Bridge "Karlův
Most"
the unforgettable 14th century stone bridge across the
Vltava river.
(Take simple precautions against international pickpockets, click here and click here for guidance.)
Leaving
Charles Bridge keep walking in roughly the same
south easterly direction and you will arrive at Old Town Square,
Staroměstské Náměstí which is also deservedly world famous.
Try to time your visit to see the Astronomical Clock on the
Old Town Hall Staroměstské Radnice Orloj chime the hour.
From Old Town Square keep walking in the same
south easterly direction and you will come to
Wenceslas Square Václavské Náměstí
At the extreme south easterly end of Wenceslas Square
is a statue of St Wenceslas Sv Vaclav Riding a Horse.
Václavské Náměstí - u Koně. To "meet at the horse"
u koně was a euphemism for "dating" as the horse was
a favourite rendezvous point.
Beyond the horse is the National Museum Muzeum
We do not recommend arranging to meet your coach
at Muzeum as traffic control makes it impossible for your
coach to stop.
Instead you might consider arranging to meet your coach
outside the KFC in Wenceslas Square.
For those interested in
shopping, we suggest that after
crossing Charles Bridge you visit Pařížská ulice, Celetná,
Namaste Republiky, Na Příkopě and Václavské náměstí.
www.Myslbek.com
www.PalladiumPraha.cz
www.od-Kotva.cz
www.Metropole.cz
www.CernaRuze.cz
www.SlovanskyDum.com
So many good guides to Prague are available, both
as books and on the internet, that we did
not consider it appropriate to attempt to compete by writing our own guide to
Prague.
So we offer a few ideas below. We do not
apologise that the description below is a very
personal view. Prague offers delights to a wide spectrum of tastes, we
offer only a personal selection.
We recommend the dinner river boat cruise.
Typically two types of music are offered, "Dixie"
which is cheerful 1930 style dance music, and
modern jazz. We strongly prefer "Dixie" although
this is of course a very personal preference.
We prefer to buy our tickets from the small kiosk
on the river, direct from
EVD (Evropská vodní doprava)
rather than through an agent. Don't forget to
ask for "Dixie".
I strongly recommend Opera in Prague. My favourite is the National
Theatre Národní Divadlo
followed by the State Opera Státní Opera.
The Theatre of the Estates
Stavovské divadlo is a
beautiful building and is the theatre where
Amadeus Mozart himself conducted the world premiere of his Don Giovanni in 1787.
But be a little cautious if buying tickets for the Theatre of the Estates, you
do not always get what
you imagine. In particular if buying a ballet ticket I would question
whether there will be a live orchestra.
You do not get any such problems with the National Theatre or the State Opera.
So my recommendation is to try the National Theatre first and the State Opera
second. If buying
tickets for the Theatre of the Estates, check the details of the performance.
In Prague I recommend Rigoletto and similar grand opera and operas by local
composers such as
Dvořák and Smetana. (And Janáček if you like Janáček.)
I have a personal preference for opera produced as the composer intended, rather
than a
modern reinterpretation. Prague Opera sticks to good original productions
more reliably than the opera
houses of many capital cities, but even Prague indulges in the occasional
bizarre modern interpretation.
We always buy our Opera tickets direct from the theatre. Not only are
the prices cheaper, but you will
be offered a better selection of tickets. Get a box if you can.
If you like to see your beer being brewed before you drink it Novoměstský pivovar can be fun.
We offer a few links below without any
guarantee. We offer the links on the basis of recommendations
we have received but without any warrantee from IdyllicPrague.com. If you
have additional information
that would be useful to future Guests, please
send it to us.
Changing Money and Buying Tickets. Note - IdyllicPrague.com
advise you to taking small amounts
of cash from ATMs as required. Some of the articles below recommend exchange
bureaus; please be very
wary of all exchange offices. Also some of the articles below recommend
ticket agencies - our experience
is that it is best to buy tickets direct from the theatres when possible.
Tour Guides
http://MartinTour.cz/Tours/Prague-City-Tours-and-Czech-Republic-Sightseeings-en.html
Guides
http://WikiTravel.org/en/Prague
www.InternationalChurchOfPrague.cz/guide
www.Prague-Guide.co.uk/categories/Tourist-information.html
www.PragueExperience.com/Restaurants/Restaurants.asp www.PragueExperience.com/Opera_Concerts/Opera_Concerts.asp www.PragueExperience.com/Sightseeing/Sightseeing.asp
www.Prague-Tourist.com/ Local Discos
www.LonelyPlanet.com/Czech-Republic/Prague
http://Prague.tv/Prague/Travel/Sightseeing-Tours
www.Expats.cz/Prague/directory-index/Entertainment/ www.Expats.cz/Prague/Restaurants
Shops
www.Myslbek.com www.PalladiumPraha.cz www.od-Kotva.cz www.Metropole.cz www.CernaRuze.cz www.SlovanskyDum.com
Money
The Czech currency is the crown (korun českých, abbrev. Kč). 2012 is the soonest realistic date for the changeover to Euros. For more information, click here.
Obtaining local cash from an ATM cash machine is simple, safe, and usually far better value than any alternative. Avoid using "foreign exchange offices" in Prague City Centre, they have a very poor reputation (click here http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2005/Art/0512/news1.php for more details). Never change money on the street. Click here for other suggestions.
Emergencies
Telephone 112 for All Emergency Services, 150 for Fire, 155 for Ambulance and 158 for Police. Click here
City Restaurants
For details of Prague City Centre Restaurants, click here and here
For a different view of Czech food, click here
City Shopping
For details of Prague City Centre Shopping, click here and here
For a guide to exploring Prague click here
Czech Language
For helpful tips for understanding and speaking Czech, click here and here
Driving
For helpful tips for driving in the Czech Republic, click here
Virtual Tour of Prague
For a virtual tour of Prague, click here
WebCam Tour of Prague
For a webcam tour of Prague, click here and here and here
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