Prague Hotels

Happily, real beauty still awaits despite the crowds. The Czech Republic’s position on the frontier of East and West is evident in Prague’s unique architecture – one part St Petersburg and one part Paris. But perhaps Prague’s most attractive quality is its optimism. The city is still flexing its freedom muscles after emerging from behind the iron curtain in 1989, and the lingering air of celebration will sweep you up. You may even be tempted to go to Grand Priory Square and add your own thoughts to the Lennon Wall that precipitated the anti-communist revolution. (Just don’t write ‘Give peace a chance’ – everyone does that. Try ‘Newspaper taxis appear on the shore’ to be a little different.)

Allow yourself to be delighted by Prague’s Christmas Markets, cafes and even the panhandling gypsies that line Charles Bridge,offering to tell your fortune, play you a tune or sell you a ‘genuine’ Rolex. Get up early to beat the hordes to the exquisite medieval centre, with its well-maintained monuments, churches and bridges alongside Vltava River.

At night, your path to the most popular bars will probably be blocked by a sea of Canadian-flag-emblazoned backpacks and red-faced Irish boys on a stag night – especially on weekends. But that just leaves the quieter places free for you to enjoy!

PRAGUE’S TOP 10

PRAGUE LOCAL

Old Town

Officially, Prague’s districts are simply numbered, Paris-style, from 1 to 10. ‘Praha 1’ is where you’ll find most of the city’s attractions, including the Old Town, which is (gasp!) the oldest part of Prague.

Old Town Square will be overflowing with tourists (understandably so!), but there are other architectural delights like the gothic Tyn Cathedral and the baroque St Nicholas Church to visit.

There’s also the Jan Hus monument, named after a Czech religious reformer, the Convent of St Agnes, named after a saint and the first early Gothic building in Prague, and the Mucha Museum, named after and devoted entirely to Art Nouveau pioneer Alphonse Mucha. Clearly, not a great deal of thought goes into naming these places (maybe due to a lingering communist creativity bypass), but at lest you know what you’re letting yourself in for!

New Town

We’re guessing your uncanny powers of deduction have already led you to conclude that the New Town is, in fact, the newer part of town. Here you can saunter through Wenceslas Square, a boulevard that packs bars, restaurants and casinos together like sardines. It also has a statue of St. Wenceslas (aka ‘Good King Wenceslas’ of Christmas Carol fame) on a horse. The National Museum is the place to learn about nature and history (assuming they don’t teach you about the birds and bees and things in your own country). Actually, it’s the grand building itself rather than the exhibitions that will leave the greatest impression.

Also in New Town is the Dancing House, which, um, got its name from the shape of the building – a man and woman dancing. If plants are your thing, the Botanical Garden of the Charles University is the place to go. If they’re not, it’s still a lovely place for a picnic.

North

Prague North is the most interesting area outside the city centre. It’s home to the Prague Zoo and some prominent parks. The largest, Stromovka Park, features ponds, cafes and even stables. Meanwhile, Letna Park used to have Stalin’s Monument, which was the biggest statue of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in the world until it was destroyed in 1962. Its place is now taken by the Prague Metronome. For those with a penchant for shopping, the Holesovice Market has numerous shops and kiosks where haggling is positively encouraged.

PRAGUE EATS

From Czech cuisine to international fare, you’re spoilt for choice in Prague.

PRAGUE EVENTS

Febiofest in March is a one-week festival that screens more than 400 films.

Also in March is another film festival, the One World Festival, which has a documentary focus, as an International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.

In April The Writers’ Festival sees notable writers flock to Prague to discuss literature. One of Europe’s most important literary festivals. Very few stag night parties attend.

The Prague Spring International Music Festival can be enjoyed from May to June. It’s the biggest classical music festival in Prague.

In July, the Prague Folklore Days welcomes folklore ensembles with a minimum of 14 members to sing or dance. Go on, get a group together. We dare you…

The Prague Autumn International Music Festival runs from September to October. It’s the second largest classical music festival in Prague (and is presumably bitterly resentful of that).

Another autumn festival is the Prague International Jazz Festival. It has been running for over 40 years. Unfortunately, it’s not recorded which acts visited during communist times. Uncle Joe’s Big Band, perhaps? Or maybe Vlad Lenin’s All-Stars?

The International Festival of Advent and Christmas Music takes place in November, and allows to amateur choirs to compete for the Petr Eben’s Prize.

In December the Prague Advent Choral Meeting is open to choirs of any size and from any part of the world. Christmas carols in the home of Good Kind Wenceslas, with snow gently falling (if you’re lucky)? It doesn’t get much more sentimentally magical than this.

WHEN TO GO

· Spring (April to June) in Prague is dry and warm, with temperatures ranging from 5-20°C (41-68°F)

· Prague’s summer is from July to September, when the weather is pleasantly warm and sunny – up to 32°C (90°F)

· In autumn (October to December), it cools down to tops of about 25°C (77°F).

· Winter (January to March) can see temperatures plummet near freezing. It’s also cloudy, but sadly rarely snows.

GETTING THERE AND AROUND

Prague is best experienced on foot. So many of the attractions are condensed in one area that a walking tour is the perfect way to hop (not literally, unless you’re particularly coordinated) from one to another. Other options include the tram, metro, and boat. Though you can take taxis, it’s best to avoid them (and opt for public transport instead) as taxi drivers will try to over-charge you and then suddenly lose their grasp of English.

WHAT TO MISS

· Prague is known for car theft, so be on guard if you’re getting around with a car.

· As well as pickpockets, you also need to be aware of other scams. Often at night, local men at the metro will pretend to be ticket inspectors and claim that your ticket is invalid and then fine you 500 CZK. If they don’t show you a badge and you know your ticket is valid, tell them you’ll alert the police.

· It’s common knowledge that the police in Prague don’t speak English – they’re also notorious for being very tough and intolerant of rowdy, obnoxious tourists. Avoid getting thrown in the Prague drunk-tank overnight… let’s just say you might wake up very friendly with a toothless wino named Andrej.

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