Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Beware extra charges at Zlaty Strom restaurant near bridge

We have been in Prague for about 4 days now and have had mostly good experiences in dining. We were excited to try a place in Old Town and wandered into the Zlaty Strom. We had been warned that some places do take some advantage of customers and we feel that happened here. We were charged a cover of about 4-5 dollars for bread placed on the table. When our bill did not add up and we asked about it, we were told they put on an extra 15%. That has not been the expected here and it was not even put on the actual bill- just verbally. The food was okay, although some folks near us left in anger after not receiving good service. It has a great location and I don%26#39;t know about the hotel, but the practices of the restaurant do not seem to be above board.





HGHSPL




|||



We ran into this as well - a handwritten bill with service charge of 15% added to the total but not itemised - all makes you suspicious of where the money goes. I can%26#39;t understand why a computerised till isn%26#39;t in use as it is certainly not a small estbalishment or tucked out of the way. Food purchased was ok but service very surly from unhelpful youths.





This is one to definitely avoid as they are not open above cover charge or high service charge and no sense of it being optional.




|||



We ran into the same thing a few days back. Just a hand written bill for the total amount. We asked our waitress how they arrived at the total and then she let us know we had been charged for the bread. There was nothing on the menu to indicate any kind of cover charge. And even with the bread and service added on, the total didn%26#39;t make sense.





We did, however, also come across many restaurants that clearly indicated the cover charge on their menus. These were the more expensive restaurants, though.




|||



I ran into this as well in Prague at a restaurant overlooking the river near the bridge, however I cannot state this is the same restaurant. Now that I am home I have forgotten the name. But beware! I was overcharged as well for bread and other unknowns! The bill was handwritten and not itemized. Poor service and average food. Prague is such a beautiful city but it is being overrun by people trying to take advantage of you and get you for every extra cent!




|||



if the zlaty strom was the restaurant in karlova street, if you go to the restaurant website www.zlatystrom.cz you can pick up the restaurant menu. on the last page, it clearly says (albeit in small writing) %26quot;couvert 30 kc servis 15%%26quot;





I would guess that it actually said the same thing on your menu, and you just did not notice it, so the restaurant was actually charging what the menu says it does; in other words, what they are doing is above board, as they expect you to read the menu.





I am not excusing what may be sharp practice, but all I would say is this. u zlaty strom is on the main street from the old town square to the charles bridge; i.e. in the main tourist area. in any city in the world, if hidden charges and bad service are waht bothers you, don%26#39;t eat right on the main tourist street. go one or two streets off of the main tourist street and you will get better and more honest value.




|||



Bad service and hidden charges are not the preserve of just the restaurants and bars on main tourist thoroughfares - you can find that anywhere - what annoys about this restaurant was the fact that the bill did not show the service charge on it so to the casual eye the bill was incorectly totalled. I agree the charges are on the website and also the menus if you look carefully but if you stroll in for a drink the menu isn%26#39;t always consulted.



I would just avoid a place like this in future but would not tar all bars and rstaurants with the same brush.




|||



i would as a rule always avoid places right on the main tourist street. you are bound to pay more than a similar place one or two streets away




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 2:17 pm, September 04, 2009

Hotel City

Hi,





Has anyone stayed at the Hotel City, Belgicka 10, Praha 2? I can%26#39;t find a review of this hotel (or, is it a Pension?) anywhere!





Mimi




|||



the hotel is called the hotel city bell. there is one decent review on the reviews section of this site under %26#39;prague hotels%26#39;. three star hotel recently opened. nothing luxurious, but in a good out of town location very near a metro and tram station which can take you directly to the castle area and old town. lots of decent neighbourhood restaurants nearby which are half the price than old town restaurants





www.hotelcitybell.cz for more details




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 2:16 pm, September 04, 2009

Hotel Aria, weather and restaurant



We are group going to Prague tomorrow.I have booked a table at the coda roof terrace at lunch, so we could have a wonderful start with a great view, but the weather forecast shows rain, so we will probably be dining in the restaurant inside the hotel Arie. I%26#39;m quite sceptic till hotel restaurants, but before I cancel my reservation I wonder if anyone had any experience with the restaurant.










|||



coda restaurant is great but only on the terrace. if the terrace is not open, although you can eat downstairs in the hotel and the food will be the same, the experience is not so memorable. With the temperatures today being only 16 degrees it may be that the terrace restaurant is not open, but if there is no rain (today cloudy but no rain), if you convince the hotel that you are all hardy norwegians, they may keep it open. I would ring them at lunchtime and keep an eye on the skies




|||



Thanks Peb!





Could you recomend another restaurant for lunch nearby, please?




|||



gitanes down the same street from the aria is good, as it david further up the same street (and round the corner to the right of the alchymist, although david is more of a dinner place - slower service)




|||



Thanks a lot Peb! I will try Gitanes if the rain falls down.





Are you familiar with Richters brewery? It%26#39;s micro brewery located in Bulovkva. Is it worth a trip?




|||



won the microbrewery of the year award a couple of years ago and brews its own stout if you like that kind of thing. tram 24 gets you there from the centre. right next to one of the major hospitals in prague for when you have too much and you see escaped patients going there to get real medicine and avoid hospital food





www.pivovarubulovky.cz for further details





it is a real czech place where they do not speak much english




|||



Thanks for your comments and help Peb! I%26#39;m back from Prague now.





We missed our lunch on Thursday because we were stranded in Paris, when we finally arrived we lost our luggage and had to go shopping.





On Friday things improved. Our luggage came, and we went to U Bulovky microbrewery. Close to a hospital you say?I understand now why the waiters seemed surprised when we didn%26#39;t order food, but only beer. We probably looked like escaped patients. The beer was fantastic! They offered three types: Lezak , Helles and Weissbier. All of them were good.




|||



BTW! The highlight was a evening at Chez Marcel. Thanks for your recommendation.




|||



bulovka hospital is the main place you go when you have a heart attack. glad you went out that far - not many tourists do venture to u bulovky but it did not win the microbrewery of the year award for nothing. i love chez marcel - simple good food at decent prices and you can nearly always walk in.





sorry to hear about luggage but glad you got it. We had our luggage lost on a flight from rome last tuesday. mrs peb had gone on a shopping spree and all the shopping was in it. one of the longest 48 hours of our lives until the case thankfully reappeared




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 8:19 am, September 04, 2009

for peb7

hi again found an appartment that looks nice and wiil have lenty of room for us its on odboru st,praha 1,good area to be ?it will be £400 for 4 nights,does that seen reasnable,




|||



odboru is not in prague 1, it is in prague 2. about 15 minutes walk to the old town and 10 minutes walk from a large supermarket if you need. only thing i would say is don%26#39;t have a low floor room - the street is a rat run around the southern part of town and so is busy with traffic day and night




|||



dear me,thanks for that i would have gone for that one its advertised as prague 1,ill give that a miss.......thank god for people like you




|||



if we want to be exact it is in prague 2, but it is only 100 metres from prague 1 (prague 1 is the next street), hence I can see why they call it prague 1.




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 1:17 pm, September 04, 2009

weather in Prague next week

Hello all.



we are landing in Prague on Monday 2nd of July and leaving on friday 6th.



I checked the weather out on BBC Weather and it said that it was going to be warm, partly cloudy but with a little chance of rain.



I checked three other sites and they all predicted very wet weather all week.



My question is which site do you think i should believe? Obviously if it is going to be cool and wet, we will pack different stuff than if it is warm and sunny.



I checked the weather for this week on BBC and Wunderground and BBC predicted good weather and Wunderground predicted bad so what weather did you have this week so far??





Thanks for your help.





Gary




|||



28 degrees today and hot. same forecast for the next few days but with some showers




|||



peb





thanks for the weather forecast.



we were trying to decide what to wear but we don%26#39;t want to bring too much.



Its amazing how much the internet forecasts vary!!



Regards





Gary




|||



forecast on czech tv this morning for the rest of the week was 20 to 25 degrees with a fair amount of cloud and showers. you can walk around the streets in the day in shorts. prague is very casual when it comes to dress code




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 8:20 am, September 04, 2009

Which currency in PRAGUE

Hi, We are going in 3 weeks to prague for 4 days. Which is best money to take. I notice that euros seem to be ok on the boat trips etc, but do the bars and restaurants take them or do I need to change to local money for general use. Thank you




|||



use Czech Crowns czk,they are the currency of the country.Some places will accept Euros but the exchange rate will be very poor.



On my last trip about 7 weeks ago the best place to exchange money before i went was Marks%26amp; Spencers,but whilst over there i used the ATM%26#39;s and get a good exchange rate.




|||



Hi



Lots of hotels, restaurant, theatres etc advertise their prices in euros to help foreigners work out just what things cost but whilst you are there everything is paid for in crowns.



It would be a big mistake and a waste of money for you to change your pounds for euros and then to Czech crowns.



As Unclegus says Marks and Spencer is the best place to change money in the UK, stay well away from the banks, travel agents and the post office their rates are daylight robbery.



If you prefer to use an ATM abroad then get yourself a Nationwide flexaccount with a visa debit card. Their exchange rate cannot be beaten and there is no charge to use the card.



Jackie




|||



Thank you both for your help. We always use marks and spencer for our travel money anyway, as my wife has a m%26amp; s chargecard which gets your money and travellers cceques for a month interest free. We will get the crowns from there and back it up with the atm card thank you.




|||



there is only one currency in prague and that is the national currency, the czech crown. your question is like someone asking whether to bring euros or pounds to the UK.





some places do accept euros, but get a lousy exchange rate, change back in czech crowns and a look, rightly that by paying in euros you are suggesting that the local currency is like monopoly money (which it isn%26#39;t judging by the way it keeps appreciating against the pound every year)




|||



Thank you peb, I thought that was the case but when I went onto the boat website it said it priced everything in euros as well as local. I now realise that is only for comparison, and not a good idea. The m%26amp;s rate is quoted as40.6crowns to the pound so I will probably use them as we have found them to be the best in the past cheers




|||



if the bank of england puts its interest rate up, the pound should gain against the czech crown. if you wait till next week to change, you may get a little more czech crowns for your money




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 8:20 am, September 04, 2009

Multi-cultural Prague?

I am hopefully planning a short trip to Prague in about two weeks. i was wondering if anyone can advise me as to how multi cultural Prague is. What with the ongoing attacks on people of colour in Russia and Poland. I get the impression a lot of Eastern and Central European countires aren%26#39;t too tolerant of black or asian people. I really want to go, but it%26#39;s a concern I have which I%26#39;d like to clear up.




|||



there are not too many coloured people here but the number is growing. there are quite a number of vietnamese people so prague is used to having an asian minority. russia and poland are not the czech republic. racist attacks in prague (and attacks on people in general) are very rare. do not be put off in coming. czechs have an aversion to foriegners generally - it does not matter what colour you are




|||



I saw a good Ethnic mix on my recent trip,even went for a Thai massage,but lots of Asian people about .I shared a table in a resturant with a Korean couple who actually lived in Moscow but were having a holiday in Prague.



pargeu is a great deal more mutli -cultural than it was on my first vist 14 years ago,I really don%26#39;t think you will have a problem




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 10:17 am, September 04, 2009

Prague for the not so young

Hi





My wife %26amp; I are in our early eightys but still (thank G-d) pretty mobile.





We plan to visit Prague for the first time next year and I have just started planning.





I am attracted to the Golden Well (U Zlate Studne) after reading it%26#39;s rave reviews but wonder if it would prove to be too far out of Town or too %26quot;hilly%26quot; for local walking , do our local experts think that this would be the case?





If the Golden Well is a non-starter could someone recommend a few hotels in the centre of town that would be ideal for a couple that like to take leisurely strolls (hills are No-Nos !)





Having said that, we survived and thoroughly enjoyed a week in Venice this year, despite the numerous bridges , so perhaps we are being too fussy about hilly areas :)





No hurry folk, but suggestions and comments back to this thread





With many thanks





Ron G.




|||



can%26#39;t really help with a hotel,but Prague has a superb tram system that will get you up the hills.the no22 and 23 take you up to the castle area (why do they always put castles at the top of hills?) and then wander down the hill agai n,lot easier that way.Other hilly areas of the city are easily reached by tram also,tickets are cheap (220czk for 3 days and 280czk for 7 days).




|||



slope up to the golden well is not too steep - just a five minute walk from the flat square of malostranske namesti. hotel is well situated ten minutes walk from the charles bridge. if you are mobile, the hotel is about one third of the way up the castle hill. the distance in perspective from the flat is about climbing the rialto bridge three times. if you can do that, you should be fine. to get up to the castle itself you can still walk down to malostranske namesti five minutes away and take the tram up to the castle area. you can walk to the old town, or walk down to maolstranska metro and take the 18 tram over the river. a three day tram pass only costs 220 crowns (6 pounds), so may be worth to have in handy for trips back at the end of the day.





look also at the aria which is in the same area but the slope up the street to that hotel is the same distance from the tram station but is not as steep




|||



Hi Unclegus %26amp; Peb7





Many thanks for a very prompt response.





I have looked up both your profiles (very impressive !) and now give you fair warning that I will be coming back for more help from both of you in due course :)





Best wishes and thanks again





Ron




|||



have you looked at my photos from Prague,I haven%26#39;t posted any from my recent trip,just too busy working,might get round to doing a report as well but the time and the inclination are just not there.




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 11:21 am, September 04, 2009

Corinthia Panorama Hotel - Prague

I%26#39;ve made reservations in the Corinthia Panorama Hotel which is in Prague East. Is it centrally located to most sights? If anyone has stayed in this Hotel please forward your comments.




|||



Hello. The hotel is located just few steps away from a metro stop Pankrac (C line). It will take you app 10 minutes to reach to the city centre from where all historical sites are within walking distance. Have fun in Prague. DeeDee




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 7:19 pm, September 02, 2009

Prague Card

Just about to leave Prague when I realized that I made a big mistake by buying the Prague Card. I thought that it would be nice not to have to buy a ticket for each attraction. However, I didn%26#39;t even come close to getting value with it. First, many of the most important sights like the Jewish Museum, the Strahov Library and the Loreta are not included. Secondly, some of the sights weren%26#39;t open like the Royal Crypt but you essentially end up paying for it anyway. (Another sight, the National Museum was free anyway). Finally, despite being very active, I didn%26#39;t end up getting to most of the sights that I had planned to. For example, we tried twice to go to the Petrin tower but once we weren%26#39;t allowed to enter eventhough it was 30 minutes to closing and the other time it was raining very hard. Plus, you have to carry around somewhat large book of vouchers everywhere. Don%26#39;t make the same mistake I did.




|||



i am not a fan of the prague card either. you end up spending your holiday trying to visit places just because they are on the card so that you can be seen to get value for money for the card, rather than just visting places places that interest you. a public transport pass and payment of entrance fees for the places you want to go into (entrance fees in prague are not expensive) is sufficient




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 1:19 pm, September 02, 2009

Beer Tour

To celebrate my husband%26#39;s 50th birthday we are taking a month to hit all the great beer, brew pubs and breweries of Europe -- so, of course we%26#39;re going to Prague! Would love to hear from other beer afficionados about good brews and good locations to imbibe in and around Prague. Thanks and Na zdravi!




|||



it would take you a month to visit all the breweries in the czech republic alone





look at www.czechbeerguide.com to find out about breweries and microbreweries.





also look at www.chodovar.cz they have a beer spa




|||



Thanks for the sites! We%26#39;re very much aware of how awesome this endeavor is -- that%26#39;s why personal favorites are so appreciated as a way of helping us sort out the best from the almost best.




|||



beer is a personal taste and everyone is different





krusovice



Bernard



kelt



pilsner urquell



budvar





are my top five in that order. the pilsner brewery tour is probably the one that is the best, but you need to book. much better going midweek than at weekends




|||



the above may change now that heineken has bought the krusovice brewery. if they change the brew any more than the previous german owners did, so as to allow the brewery to brew heineken, krusovice beer may be looking at a turn for the worse




|||



I enjoyed the Klaster Pivovar on the grounds of the Strahov Monastery. I would also suggest U Medvidku in Old Town; they offer Budvar (light and dark), their own beer Oldgott and have a beer store on the premises. Of course, you must try the local beer Staropramen.





BTW - do you plan to visit Koln or Dusseldorf during your beergrimage? I am planning to go next year and would appreciate recommendations (another forum). Enjoy Prague - I did....




|||



drink anything other than veltins




|||





The best beer in Prague is Pilsner Urquell, but it has to be fresh and unpasteurized. Look out for the %26quot;tanknova%26quot; pubs.





The brew at Sthravory monastary wasn%26#39;t special. You better try the dark beer at U Fleku. Delicious. I also liked the pilsner style brew at Novomatsky pivovar as well.




|||



Two good places to try the aforementioned %26quot;Pilsner Urquell%26quot; is the pub/restaurant %26quot;U Pinkasu%26quot; and %26quot;U Vejvodu%26quot;. And if I remember correctly %26quot;U Zlateho Tygra%26quot; also has Pilsner Urquell.




|||



Hi





Also you must visit the halfcrazy brewmaster at Pivovarsky Dum for some Nettle beer, coffe beer, banana beer and so on!



(they have normal beer and great food too)




|||



As Peb writes,you must try the Kelt beer whilst in Prague.It%26#39;s looks like Guinness but completely different in taste.Much,much smoother!!

Kolkovna's too smoky for a pregnant woman

This reply is too late for you but may help someone else. Kolkovna%26#39;s has good food and is easy to navigate but is very very smoky. If you don%26#39;t smoke, I would think twice.




|||



I agree. the non smoking area attracts much smoke from the smoking area in kolkovna, but then all czech pubs are very smoky and very few have non smoking rooms. kolkovna does have outdoor seating which is better. celnice which is 10 minutes walk from kolkovna and run by the same people is less smoky




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 4:17 pm, September 04, 2009

Kolkovna or Olympia? Please help

Are these two restaurants, Kolkovna and Olympia, serving the same kind of food? Can anyone suggest other good czech food?





My friend told that there is a good restaurant in Prague Castle which has the best view of the city but she forgot its name, can someone help please?





I want to try the Kampapark and would like to know the average cost for dinner per head. Please help.





Many thanks.




|||



Kolkovan and Olympia are owned by the same group and so serve the same kind of (good and reasonably priced food). The group also owns Larry Fary in Dlouha street which is a good restaurant.





Don%26#39;t know of any restaurant in the Prague castle with a view. Hanavsky Pavillon is near the castle and has a wonderful view (but you pay for it). Klasterny Pivovar Strahov is next to the Strahov monastery doesn%26#39;t have a view while you eat, but it gives good hearty food at a reasonable price and the view from the Strahov monastery itself is good.





At Kampa Park, expect $150 dollars for two including wine




|||



Be aware that Kolkovna can get very crowded and service can be very uneven. One night, the service was great. Another night, the food never arrived after one hour . . . no explanations, apologies. People who arrived after us were served. Also, Kolkovna is among the smokiest restaurants in Prague. If you don%26#39;t smoke or dislike smoke, you should think twice about going. Not very good if you are in any kind of a time schedule.




|||



service in olympia is generally quicker than in kolkovna. celnice near namesti republiky is another pub owned by the same group. they have quite a lot of outdoor seating and the pub is generally less smoky than either kolkovna or olympia. but no czech pub is completely smoke free and there are very few pubs with non smoking areas




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 4:17 pm, September 04, 2009

Do we need a licence/permit for busking in Prague??

My 2 sisters and I are travelling to Europe for a busking tour in July. We are planning a stop in Prague and are not sure if we would need a licence/permit to busk there?





Also, any location recommendations or other advice you could give us would be very appreciated!!





Here is a lits of all other places we are going in Europe - if you are able to advise on licences for any other places too, that would be fab! Or please recommend any other cities/towns or whatever we could go to...





Calais, France



Antwerp, Belgium



Amsterdam, Netherlands



Osnabruck, Germany



Salzgitter, Germany



Berlin, Germany



Prague, Czech Rep



Brno, Czech Rep



Vienna, Austria



Klagenheim for the world body-painting festivals (18th-23rd July)



Milan, Italy



Geneva, Switzerland



Dijon, France



St Dizier, France







Many thanks!





Sarah - 3D



www.myspace.com/gigs3d




|||



i believe that you do need a licence to legally busk in prague- this is as opposed to playing for free. as one person you may get away with it on a busy day. but as a group it is less so.





i would stop in dresden on the way from prague to berlin, rather than stopping in brno




|||



OK - Here is a blonde american question....what is a busk???




|||



singing




|||



singing and hoping people will voluntarily give you money when you do it




|||



I learn something new all the time on Trip Advisor...thanks.




|||



Hi



Busking can be very lucrative, my youngest son and his friends from music college would regularly make the best part of £100 each when they played in Manchester city centre. But there was more to it than just standing and singing anywhere, one of them had to be in the city centre by 6am to grab the pitch, then the others would arrive by 9 and play none stop of about four hours. Still the money is a hell of a lot better than working in Tesco%26#39;s.



Jackie




|||



and then he comes home and sozzles himself on the absinthe which his mum has brought him from prague




|||



I once busked in the London tube. As Jackie said, there may also be issues of turf and territory.





In the London tube there was a rota (schedule). The first person of the day had a piece of paper and buskers would come and add their name for a specific hour. The paper was passed to the next person who would show up on schedule. I was amazed how organized it was. That was a long time ago, not sure if it is still the same.





Except for the most touristy areas, Prague doesn%26#39;t seem that organized, but I can%26#39;t say for sure.




|||



Hi Peb



Ok so I%26#39;m a bad mother, I do try but when he looks at me with those big brown eyes and says the words %26#39;gerus a bottle of booze mam%26#39; what am I supposed to do ;-) His sweet little face lights up when I hand over the crate!



Jackie



ps I did try reading parenting books but they never covered this situation so I used my own initiative.




|||



jackie just joking. if your offspring are anything like me, you would have given up a long time ago, but from the sounds of it and your care and attention, they are not.

Prague: overall experience a positive one

Hello friends,





just came back from trips to prague, vienna and budapest. Prague is a lovely country, the buildings are pleasing to the eyes and the people are nice and friendly. We stayed at Hilton Prague just slightly outside the touristic spot at Florenc but had no problem travelling to the castle district or the jewish quarter. The metro is easy to use and it takes one trip or two to get use to the tram system. Try not to use the taxi as they are not honest; we%26#39;re charged 500 czech crowns for a trip near the Manesuv most to our hotel although the meter is used (imagined the payment from airport to hotel only costs us 600 czech crowns) and the driver provides us a receipt that is illegible. We ate at six restaurants (Hilton%26#39;s Grill house, David at castle, Brasserie La Provence, La Perle de Prague, Slavia and Chez Marcel. Prices of the first four restaurants are about the same level. The only dissapointment is David where we%26#39;re charged for the bread and the bill is inflated by about 400 czech crowns. One should try the La Perle de Prague; although not cheap but the experience is worth it. Overall our trip to Prague a refreshing one and once again a big thank you to the people in Prague.




|||



don%26#39;t know how many of you there were but the cover charge at david is 30 crowns and is clearly stated on the menu so when they charge it it is not a rip off. perle de prague has a lovely view and you pay for the view. am surprised that you have put this in the same price league as david and brasserie la provence. glad you ate in the hilton grill house. many people ignore hotel restaurants but the hilton grill house gives good czech food at not rip off prices




|||



Hi Pep,





not sure about the cover charge but there are only two of us. We%26#39;ve paid about close to 3950 czech crowns for the dinner (starter + main + sparkling water + a glass of white + a bottle of red wine + 400 czech crowns as tips). The bottle of wine was inflated by about 400 czech crowns from 1000+ to 1400 czech crowns (noticed that only back in hotel as friend paid the bill). From that meal onwards, my friend left me to settle the bills for all our meals in Prague. By the way the dissapointment is not just the rip off but also the quality of the food (food taste OK, nothing special and the presentation of food needs improvement). The ambience of the restaurant is fine with a rustic feel, service is OK with only two service staffs. Although La Perle de Prague is expensive (the bill comes to 4000 czech crowns), the view + the service and the food make it value for money in my opinion. We do not mind pay extra for good food and good service but definitely not when the quality is not there and at the same time pay extra for nothing.




|||



3950 crowns is a very large amount for david (do not know what you had to eat, but when we eat there, our bill for two comes to about 2500 crowns).





I would also feel I had not got value for money if my bill had come to that much




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 2:20 pm, September 04, 2009

What to Wear in Prague

Good day. I%26#39;ll be in Prague next week and I was wondering how the weather was. How are the day and nighttime temps? Will I need a jacket at night? Also, what attire should I plan on for nice restaurants, concerts and operas?




|||



hot at the moment. well over 70F. evenings are warm as well. you should not need a jacket unless you need a formal one. prague is quite casual in summer - smart casual is acceptable at most restaurants and even to the opera, although most locals have at least a jacket and slacks




|||



My parents went to an opera (had a box) and were wearing jeans. There were photos to prove that they weren%26#39;t the only ones wearing jeans.




|||



personally would not go to the opera wearing jeans (rather inappropriate and a little insulting) although noone will stop you or turn you away - jacket and tie not essential, although smart casual with a jacket is not out of place. the only people who wear jeans to the opera here are tourists rather than locals




|||



flat shoes a must. everything is quite casual. A jacket may come in handy as a windbreaker, just in case you are caught in the rain.




|||



Flat shoes with good cushioned soles - prague has many cobbles




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 4:17 pm, September 04, 2009

Restaurants in Lesser Town area?

Hello.



Hopefully staying in Hotel Julian (Elisky Peskove, Prague 5) in the Lesser Town area from 17th to 22nd July. I%26#39;ve read good reviews about the hotel but wondering about the dining possibilities around there? Does anyone have any recommendations or suggestions please? Would prefer some local menus if possible. And near the river would be nice!



Thanks a lot.




|||



1. Cafe Savoy, great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.



2. Olympia (next to Savoy on Vitezna)



3. Zlaty Had (specialized in wine and steak) Plaska 4



4. La Bastille on Ujzed



5. Bohemia Bagel on Ujexd





If you go a few blocks in the opposite directon, just past the Novy Smichov mall, there is a new TGIFridays (much cheaper than the center). A better (non-American) choice is across the street -- Potrafena Husa (The Wounded Goose) which is an upscale Czech pub, also bit Americanized. And there is a new, big Mexican place across the street, but I haven%26#39;t tried that.




|||



I like cafe Savoy and olympia on Brewsta%26#39;s list. Cantina on Ujezd is also good, but you need to book




|||



Brewsta and Peb -



Thanks a lot to you both for your restaurant tips. They will be very helpful and we%26#39;re looking forward to trying them in a week or so.


Cheers.


Dubada.




|||



I really enjoyed Bohemia Bagel quite a bit. I went there twice for a quick, inexpensive lunch. The bagel sandwiches were very good and even thought the fries that accompanied them were pretty greasy, they were greasy in kind of a good way :^). I really enjoyed the free self serve refills on soda that was available. Free drink refills are common in America, but not so common in Europe - I really appreciated it because it was quite hot when I was visiting. I like the atmosphere as well. It is an internet cafe, and there were plenty of young people planning their travels, using the internet. The atmosphere was friendly, casual and %26quot;funky.%26quot; For an American, at least, this felt a little bit like %26quot;home%26quot; in a far away place and the food was inexpensive and satisfying. I recommend it.




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 4:17 pm, September 04, 2009

Any Blues bars in Prague?

Wife and I will be in Prague this week and would loce to check out some Chk Bluse.




|||



try the blues sklep on liliova street near the old town square




|||



We went to Bules in the Ungelt. just a 100 steps from teh old town square. Great Blues. Highly recommend- it%26#39;s as though you are in a samll cave %26amp; there%26#39;s no smoking where they are playing.



Enjoy!




|||



I also liked Ungelt on my one visit there. Enjoyed Lubos Anderst, who is a regular.





It is a relatively small place so you might want to get there early to get a seat.





The schedule is here:





http://www.jazzblues.cz/2.html




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 10:15 pm, August 31, 2009

3 night stay for romantic 30 yaer old couple.

im looking for a little help on a few questions.





im organising this trip as a surprise for my girlfriend and want to get as much planned as possible before we set off, we are both 30 and enjoy food, culture, sights and at least one night out in pubs and clubs.





i have looked through as much of the forum and reviews etc before i have posted this.





1. am i correct in thinking a taxi cost £15 or 600ckr or is that per person to prague centre.





2. i have flights booked and 3 nights at jalta praha hotel. what kind of breakfast do the hotels provide?





3 what are the best tourist attractions to visit





4 which night would be best to go and visit some pubs and clubs wed or thursday? and what ones would be recomended for 30yr olds.





5. eating out day and night, any advice would be great, we dont have loads of money but like a nice surroundings and more importanly nice food:)





Thanks in advance for helping out




|||



taxi from the airport to the jalta for two people should be about 600 crowns in total.





if you have not booked a hotel room with a breakfast, you will find that paying for breakfast yourselves at the hotel will be far more expensive than going to a local cafe down the street.





if you are after a romantic weekend, I would hardly describe the jalta as romantic. wenceslas square with its dirt, tacky shops and pushers of adult entertainment is probably the least romantic place in prague. the jalta does though have a good restaurant on its premises, called %26quot;hot%26quot;




|||



Happened to agree with Peb7, but do recommend a small resturnat directly underneathe the Charles bridge (on the side of castle). I beleive the name was poste modem. It%26#39;s outrdoors, candles everywhere, small %26amp; quaint. Order the sausage %26amp; ham, very tasty.



There is a pub on very corner, no worries there. Petrin hill is a lovely park, take tram up to the top and see amazing scenery %26amp; views. On the way up to the castle, stop for goulash and the Devil%26#39;s stop. One of the many on the way, also great terrace setting in many locations.



Most pubs are filled with 20 %26amp; 30 something and many americans.



Enjoy




|||



Philski,



Please check your private messages



Regards




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 4:17 pm, September 04, 2009

anyone to help

I have sent msgs to peb7 but if you have any more ans to them please help it is the questions below




|||



what more questions do you have?




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 5:19 pm, September 04, 2009

Weather this weekend

We will be in Prague arriving Friday 7/6 until July 9th. I was checking the weather forecasts and saw that on Friday it will be 16° maximum while on Sunday it should be sunny and 26°.



Any recommendation on what to bring? How is the weather these days? It seems a big difference for two days...........





Thanks,





Dani




|||



rain, rain and more rain.





currently temperature is lower than 20 degrees (not shorts weather) and will continue till at least saturday then getting warmer. bring a waterproof and an umbrella and as always shoes with a good cushioned sole to walk on the cobbles




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 2:16 pm, September 04, 2009

for peb7

Hi there me and my husband are coming to prague 27th august for 4 nights we are staying in hotel duo. I know it might not be the best but we got it all for a great price. We know we have to get a tram into the city as its 30mins away but being young we wouldlike to go clubbing one night in the city and I have heard that the metro stops at midnight. Is this true and how much would a taxi back be? Also where would you recommend for a good night out with dance music. Are there any beer breweries near by that we could go to to sample the different local beers. Any other tips would be great. Thanx Nicky xo






|||



metro stops at midnight and the only way back to the duo after that is by taxi AAA taxis (tel 14014) speak english and the are most reliable. Cost from the city centre to the duo in the early hours should not cost more than 600 crowns.





misch masch in holesovice in the north of the city is a favoured place in town or try radost by metro ip pavlova





one microbrewery in a short taxi ride from the duo is u bulovky which does some good local brew




|||



Cheers mate for getting back so quick. You seem to be the fav person to contact. Have you heard owt else bout hotel duo? Do you think it is best for us to get a taxi from the airport or trams and buses? Is there anything around and about hotel duo for a meal or drink or any tourist bits around us. What would be the best way to get to the terezin?




|||



nothing around the hotel duo apart from high rise apartment blocks. it is a long way out of town. the hotel is within 15 minutes walk of a metro so buy a 7 day metro card (they come in 3 or 7 day sizes) from the transport office at the airport (where you see the sign %26quot;metro - tram - bus%26quot; on the right across the arrivals hall once you have passed customs. cost is 280 crowns.





cheapest transfer to the duo is via one of the private transfer companies such as www.prague-airport-shuttle.com which offer a fixed price transfer to anywhere in prague. this will be cheaper than a taxi with a meter from the airport





for terezin you take a bus from the bus station next to florenc metro (on the same metro line that your hotel is on), or you can take a more expensive guided tour




|||



have a look at these websites,for brewery pubs,and beer halls



http://www.classiccitybrew.com/prague.html



http://www.praguepubs.co.uk/



might give you a few ideas.



pesonal favourires



are



Klasterini Pivovar



U Medvidku



U Vejvodů



Pivnice U Zlatého Tygra (golden Tiger)




|||



Peb where would you recommend as the best brewerie to go to to taste a variety of the local beers and get a good czech lunch or dinner? Also if we go out clubbing do we just phone that num for aaa taxis or do we pre book them. Where do you think are the best places to go? What is the castle like I have heard that it takes a day to get round. Also terezin takes a day aswell.




|||



peb7 please reply to my last msg xo




|||



Hi, if you do not mind paying La Perle (on top of dancing building) is the place to go but a dinner for two with a bottle of wine will set you back about 4000 czech crowns (+10% tip). You difinitely should go to both the Jewish Quarter, the castle and a walk on the Chain Bridge. The castle will occupy you for at least half a day to take in all the museums on site (a lot of walking). Be careful with the taxis and even though they use meters the fare can be quite a bit. There are night trams available but you%26#39;ll need to ask around if one will take you to your hotel. Get hold of %26quot;Prague in your pocket%26quot; which contains a lot of information about restaurants and entertainment in Prague (however the pricing may be a bit off).




|||



jellyhead. what you want conflicts. the best brewery or pub for drinking czech beer isn%26#39;t necessarily the best place for czech food. for example; the beer in u medvicku is some of the best and coldest in prague, but the food is quite basic. olympia is a great place to eat but for connoisseurs, the beer is often flat.





all the pubs mentioned by unclegus are worth visiting





For AAA taxis, you just ring them day and night tell them where you are and they will come and pick you up. you may need to wait 15 to 20 minutes in the early hours, but they are reliable





as for things to see, suggest that you look at the section on %26#39;prague attractions%26#39; on this site which will give you lots of general information as what to see




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 3:28 am, September 04, 2009

Which Hotel - Plzen

I posted this question on the Plzen forum but noticed it%26#39;s not visited very often.





Can anyone on this forum help?





Which hotel would you choose?





Hotel Continental



Hotel Plzen



Hotel U Zvonu





We are looking for comfort and cleanliness but nothing fussy.





Thanks





Piglet




|||



the newly opened courtyard marriott is the only decent hotel to stay in plzen.





plzen is 1.5 hours by train from prague. do you really need to stay in plzen for the night?




|||



Hi peb7,





the reason that we also want to stay in Plzen is that we understand there are also several good pubs there.





We don%26#39;t really want to stay a night at the Spa as you said yourself their beer is not that good and as far as we can see there is not much else around there.





We therefore decided to split our trip in half with a side trip to the spa from Plzen which makes it a better journey.





I will happily take any suggestions if you can think of better way to do it.





Piglet x




|||



using public transport it is unlikely you will get to chodova plana after you fly in late afternoon, so staying in plzen is the only way. as said previously this will allow you to visit the plzen brewery. the problem is unless you are a group of 5, the first tour is of the brewery is at 12.00 which means you can only go to chodovar in the afternoon




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 11:16 pm, September 03, 2009

peb7

peb please reply to my msgs inbox where there are quite a few xo




|||



jellyhead. remember people answer queries in their spare time - we do not do this for as living.





there is no need to pester people if they have not replied to a query within one hour of your posting a query, especially when I hate to say that most of your questions are so basic that you could find the answers by yourself by spending a minimum amount of research either on this site or elsewhere on the web




|||



jellyhead. just to add, I do not have any messages in my tripadvisor mailbox. if you send them, like messages from all, I will answer them when I am near a computer, but thankfully am not near a computer 24/7




|||



Well, before somebody complains to me, I am not able to answer all the messages on time at the moment, as I am working on a huge project. I try, but you have to be patient with me, I%26#39;ll be back.




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 4:19 pm, September 04, 2009

Does anyone know...........................

how easy it is to travel by train from Brno to Vienna for the day?



Spending five days in Brno in July and hubby wants to see Vienna, any info gratefully received!




|||



Trains go almost every 2 hours there and the trip is around 2,5 hours...




|||



I did it once. I remember the train being about 2 hours. Get there early though. I had to stand for the whole journey. Painful.




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 3:28 am, September 04, 2009

2 weeks in Czech

Hi, myself and husband and my 15mth old baby will be visiting Czech in End July, no plan at this moment at all. As i have a baby, I prefer to base at Prague and travel around the country? Is this possible? or maybe someone can suggest Where should I base so that I can have the most of my holiday? Is driving or take train more convenient. Appreciate yr reply





Thanks,







Bao Bei




|||



hard to tell. public transport is good and cheap (for me buses are better than trains, tickets around 200 CZK).





Car hire starts from 450 CZK per day (www.autopujcovna.cz) click on easy rent. You have to get used to driving in Prague though.





Accomodation is usually a lot cheaper outside of Prague. What about staying in Prague for 3-5 days and travelling through the country after?




|||



I would stay in prague. more to see than anywhere else in the country and you do not want to travel to prague every day. in addition, finding baby items out of prague may be difficult.





you do not say how long you are staying - this may dictate whether you taske day trips out of prague, tour by car or stay say in two centres




|||



you do say how long you are staying in the title. I would hire a car to go round, as by public transport transferring to places, as oposed to going on a day trip, taking all the baby gear will not be easy.





if you are only concerning yourself with the czech republic, prague can take up five or six days (you can make day trips by public transport to places like karlstejn, kutna hora or konopiste from prague), you should stay in one of the three western bohemian spa towns (karlovy vary, marianske lazne or frantiskovy lazne) for 2 or 3 nights, cesky krumlov for a couple of nights to explore the southern bohemian countryside and then either go to the cesky raj or hrensko for the mountains or down south to the wine growing region round valtice.





If you have two weeks, you can also spend time outside the czech republic in vienna, dresden or berlin. transfer to these places by international train is just as easy as by car




|||



The train station and operations in Czech are very convenient and efficient. Try to get to see Brno and Olomonce. Fountains everywhere. Very nice.




|||



Also, Munich is only about 3.5 hours by car.




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 4:18 pm, September 04, 2009

Strakonice and Pribram

We will be attending a hockey tournament in both Strakonice and Pribram in mid-August. How far apart are the two places and where would be a good place to stay ? Does the public transportation go between these cities and/or Prague?




|||



stroknice is 3 hours from prague by train- you need to change at plzen. pribram is an hour and a half by train changing at beroun





better public transportation is by bus where there is a direct bus between prague and strakonice which takes less than 2 hours. prague to pribram by regular bus takes less than an hour





however getting between the two places by public transport is difficult. there are only two direct buses per day and direct trains only every 2 hours. my suggestion would therefore be to hire a car for the time you need, as this will make your likfe much easier, or if you are coming here to follow a team, arrange for them to transfer you between places.





if you need to stay in either pribram or strakonice, then pribram is the larger and more interesting place, but if you hire a car (pribram is within an hour of prague by car and between pribram and strakonice takes about 45 minutes by car), you may as well stay in prague, as at least this gives you a wider choice of things to do when the games are not being played




|||



Thank you for your response. I am sure that I will have many more questions to ask.





How are the roads between Praque and Pribram /Strakonice? Are they highways and easy to follow for an American? What is traffic like, since we will be traveling around rush hour?





Also, I read some good reviews on Andel%26#39;s Hotel Praque. Do you have any comments? We will probably stay in Praque and commute between Pribram and Strakonice. We are not experienced international travelers, so I am open for suggestions.





Thanks. Also, is it easy to get to Praque from airport when renting a car?




|||



andels is in the south of the city and is easily connectable to the city centre by metro and the castle area by tram. the hotel has good reviews on the reviews section of this site. The hotel has an underground car park which will be convenient if you hire a car, although if you are looking round prague for a few days before you go to pribram and strakonice, it does not make sense to hire the car for then - you will pay to hire the car to sit in the hotel car park.





there is a highway to pribram and then a normal road to strakonice. traffic from andels south is not too bad and the hotel is well situated in prague for the journey you are going to make (you do not need to drive in the city centre at all or even cross the river). there is a one way system of roads around andels but you just need a detailed map of prague to find your way round - otherwise, you may find yourself going round and round and not being able to reach the hotel by car. Czech drivers are notoriously bad, so just expect the unexpected as far as driving habits by others. remember you need to drive with your lights on at all times even when the sun is shining




|||



Is it best to rent a car at the airport and drive to hotel, or take hotel shuttle and rent car near hotel?





What are some sights that we need to see during our 5 day trip? I am traveling with husband and 16 yr old son. Also, what suggestions would you have for food, especially food that appeals to teenager.





What is the weather like in late August, does it rain much?





Do we need special type of drivers license for car rentals?





Thank you in advance




|||



what to do and whether to rent a car directly will depend on when your trips to pribram and strakonice fall in your five day visit and how much of that time you intend to spend in prague and how much you intend to spend outside. there is no point in hiring a car for your time you will spend in prague if you can help it, as the car will stay in the hotel garage.





august should be 70F plus. it can and does rain and there can be thunderstorms. for hiring a car, you will need an international driving licence (and bring your own domestic one as well)




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 6:18 pm, September 04, 2009

Giant Mountains

During our stay in Prague the first days of September, is a day trip to the Giant Mountains recommended? If yes, which part of the mountains are the easiest accessible by car and the most interesting to visit?





Thanks




|||



Do you like a mountain walking? If you do, the trip is recommended, however one day is rather short. Most popular trails start in Harrachov, Horni Misecky, Spindleruv Mlyn and Pec pod Snezkou -- all these places are accessible by car.




|||



if you have a car all are easy to reach in a day. spindeluv mlyn is the largest resort and is 2 hours from prague. the mountains are quite flat and so you can walk for miles at the top. harrachov is famous for the ski jump and is quieter than spindleruv mlyn but further to get to





more interesting than the giant mountains is the rock outcrops and formations of the cesky raj (bohemian paradsise) or cesky syvzarsko (bohemian switzerland) by hrensko on the german border with the stone arch (an inland version of your one on gozo).




|||



Thanks peb7





I will look into your suggestion. Am glad that you know about our small islands!





ejgatt




|||



My first ever trip to the Czech Republic was doing a walking holiday based in the hotel Sklar in Harrochov 14 years ago,great walking country and the Cesky Raj area is stunning ,there is a walk that takes you through the %26quot;Mousehole%26quot; where the rocks almost form a tunnel, facinating shapes of rocks everywhere.




|||



peb7 and unclegus





Am trying to find more nifo. regarding the places you mentioned but unfortunately most of the sites are not in English. Can you suggest a day trip from Prague to the Bohemian Paradise, which areas I could drive to etc. I am not much of a hiker so a 1 hour walk is ok but am not into doing long hikes/clibing. While in the area I intend to visit the Bozkovske Dolomitove caves too. Thanks.




|||



why are the websites not in english? click %26quot;Cesky raj%26quot; in google and one of the first sites that come up is www.cesky-raj.info.





Click on the union jack on the homepage and you will get pages of and pages of english information





hruba skala is probably the best place to go and walk. lots of great walks amongst the rock outcrops which take between 1 and 3 hours





for information about the boskov caves, go to www.caves.cz where again they have english pages




|||



Hi





Thanks again





I know that there are some websites with english pages and have read those but there are lots of others in german/czech.





Anyway thanks for the tip regarding hruba skala am checking it right now.





ejgatt




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 7:16 pm, September 04, 2009

Hotel Athena Palace

anybody have any info please?




|||



what kind of information are you after?





have you looked on the reviews of the hotel on the reviews section of this site under %26#39;prague hotels%26#39;?





not in walking distance from the centre but near to a tram stop which can take you to the centre and the castle area




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 4:21 am, September 04, 2009

"local experts" and fellow travellers' expectations

First of all I am not « taking side » so please do not “jump on me” for my observations which merely reflect what I have noticed ever since I “browse” on this forum.





Personally, I have found that the “local experts” on this T.A forum very helpful, and very patient.



I have seen simple questions being asked and answered over and over again while a “search” would have done the trick. I have seen the same questions asked over and over again even though the answers had just been posted the day before or so; and I have found it so amazing that the “local experts” on this particular forum did take the time to reply to those questions!





On the T.A forums for other destinations or other travel forums, “local experts” or fellow travellers would not have been that kind nor that patient.





Perhaps it would help to re-read the “TA sticky” at the top of the Forum every now and then, and remember “local experts” are just “volunteers”. Also, one would be amazed to find the volume of information “google” can provide.




|||



I hate to say it, but half the time when I don%26#39;t know the answer to a question (and for those that think we are the fountain of all knowledge, this does occur), I google and czech google (seznam) the subject that the person asks about and the link to the answer appears.





The last question I can recall being absolutely stumped about was a question from pingird of where a certain pub was (cannot remember what the name was) and I didn%26#39;t have a clue as I had never heard of it. think she was asking a trick question to keep us on our feet




|||



I believe Pingrid is a %26quot;he%26quot; (mentioned a wife)




|||



sorry pingrid




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

TripAdvisor staff removed this post either because the author requested it, or because it did not meet TripAdvisor's forum guidelines.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 5:11 pm, July 05, 2007


|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 5:21 pm, September 04, 2009

Itinerary Advice

We are a couple in our 30%26#39;s whose hobby is beer!





We are visiting Czech in October and this is our suggested itinerary:





Day 1 Arrive late afternoon Prague Airport - Train to Plzen. Evening/Night in Plzen.



Day 2 Chodova Plana Spa. Evening/Night in Plzen.



Day 3 Plzen to Prague by train. Day %26amp; Eve in Prague



Day 4 %26amp; 5 Prague.



Fly out of Prague evening on Day 5





Any suggestions or additions?





Is 2 days too long in Plzen? We wanted to use this as a base for a trip to Chodava Plana and of course sample the local brews!





Any help would be appreciated.





Thanks







Piglet




|||



if you are visting chodova plana to go to the beer spa, it is pointless to stay in plzen for the night - you should stay at the hotel u sladka in chodova plana instead. see www.chodovar.cz for more details





prague to plzen is 1.5 hours by train. plzen to chodova plana is 2 hours by very slow train. if you do arrive in the late afternoon it is probably unlikely that you will find a connecting train to chodova plana. so if you rely on trains, you may well want to spend the first night in plzen. then you can visit the plzen brewery early in the next morning before all the coach tours come (but book a tour at plzen brewery, do not just turn up) and go off to chodova plana after lunch at the plzen brewery and stay at chodova plana for the second night. you should be able spend much of the third day at chodova plana (again book the beer spa, you will find it full if you just turn up) to come back to prague from chodova plana on the third day





if you hired a car, you could do everything in a shorter time (it takes 2 hours from the airport to chodova plana, rather than the 5 hours it would take by train), but then one of you would not be able to drink any beer, which would probably defeat the object of your trip.





in essence, you have 1.5 days in prague, which isn%26#39;t really enough, and apart from the beer spa, chodovar is not really good beer (which is why the brewery needed to invent something to use its beer). plzen brewery is a good day trip, but in prague itself, there are many other good microbreweries which you can visit




|||



Thanks peb7 for your advice. We will look into it.





You are right about the car it would defeat the object!





My husband works for a railway company so we can travel very cheaply and go all over on the train so we are used to long journeys! We had already worked out the connections etc and just make it part of the trip.





Any other must see things?





I saw your post on beer and will check that out too.





Thanks again





Piglet




|||



see my reply to another post. Marriott have just opened a courtyard marriott hotel in plzen in the city centre. i personally wouldn%26#39;t stay anywhere else in the city




|||



Hi peb7,





thanks again.





I just looked for the Marriott and apparently it doesn%26#39;t open until September.





It won%26#39;t let me get a quote on line. Any idea how much it is?





Piglet x




|||



sorry you are right - thought it was open already.





try the irida in the centre of town www.irida.cz




|||



Thanks peb7,





have checked out the Irida and it looks really nice and reasonably priced as well.





It%26#39;s looks like it%26#39;s just outside the centre. Is it easy to get into the main centre?





Also which tram or metro would we get to the hotel form the train station?





Piglet x




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

TripAdvisor staff removed this post either because the author requested it, or because it did not meet TripAdvisor's forum guidelines.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 1:06 pm, July 05, 2007


|||



peb 7,





Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post but I do not think this is an appropriate response from a “local expert”.





People ask questions on this forum of people who live locally or visit frequently in order to obtain the best information prior to their trip. In fact I often answer questions myself and review hotels I have visited for the benefit of other posters.





I visit these forums regularly and although I travel frequently I have never been to Czech Republic before which is why I have asked a few questions.





By asking for metro/tram I was actually referring collectively to any public transport system. Perhaps I should have been more specific and mentioned buses etc as well.





I only asked the question as you recommended the hotel and I assumed you know the area even though you are the “local expert” for Prague.





I do extensive research for my trips and had looked at a map but just wanted a local perspective.





Not only was your post insulting and rude to me I also felt it insulting to other posters who had only recently joined Trip Advisor and were just looking for simple advice.





Piglet




|||



I apologise if you were insulted. What I am saying is think before you post.





If I had gone on the Birmingham forum and asked can you tell me which metro I catch from Stourbridge railway station to a hotel the other side of Stourbridge town centre, people would have laughed me off, thinking I was mad




|||



I want to respond to Peb7%26#39;s comments to Piglet.





You%26#39;re really rude %26amp; I hope that Trip Advisor is monitoring the forums. If people ask what you would consider a stupid question, then do not reply. Better not to say anything than to be outright rude.





I believe you should take your own advise %26amp; think before you type. A slip of the tongue is one thing - but typing an answer takes more time. Therefore, there is no excuse for your behavior.

Amsterdam to Prague

Does anyone know of a low cost airline from Amsterdam to Prague?




|||



Smartwings flies twice a day; once in the early morning and once late at night




|||



www.skyeurope.com flies once a day, very early.




|||



sorry, I did not see that this was asked in 2005




|||



Better late than never? :-)




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 1:17 pm, September 04, 2009

where to stay

hi...m travelling to prague in the last week of july to prague with m yhusband. we r there for 4 nights....we r in our late 20s and prefer raoming till late night... somebody suggested the wencaslas square to stay? pls give me an opinion on that? how far is it from the old town? and which is the better of the two? in fact what is the best plac to stay? m lookiing for apartment or hotels under Euro100 per night per room...ur help will be highly helpful...thanks........




|||



bottom of wenceslas square is one meter from the old town. wenceslas square is dirty full of tacky shops, low life bars and people pushing adult entertainment





100 Euros a night may not buy you much at the end of july in the old town. you are best to have a look at some of the local agencies which other people have posted on this site to see what they have





www.travelcook.com



www.athos.cz



www.prague.st



www.pragueholiday.cz




|||



peb7 thanks a lot for you reply....so u sggest that we should not stay at wenclasas square....so i guess that leaves only old town as we would want to be right in the city center to get easy public transport and food..... can u pls tell me wahts the zip code there? is it prague 1? coz saw many hotels with that kind of code...thanks a lot for ur help....




|||



wencleslas square is central to the city and so is a convenient place to stay. just don%26#39;t expect a glamorous location. Wenceslas square and the old town are both prague 1, but do not discount prague 2 - you can get a much cheaper hotel or a better hotel for the same price as in prague 1 and all you need to do is hop on a tram to get into the city centre




|||



hi peb7....



as per ur suggesion i chkd pragueholiday.cz...... they seem to have good afordable apartments such as pinka apartment , Apartment Salamander etc...canu pls chk them? i m on a tight budget as am travelling to 2 other countries as well and want to cut costs....pls help...cant thank u enough......




|||



do not know what you mean by %26quot;can u pls chk them?%26quot;





If you are expecting me to go to have a look at the apartments for you, then I am afraid that I cannot do this, nor can I give you a whole essay on each of the over 50 apartments which pragueholiday have on their website. I also cannot tell you which apartment is good for you as I do not know your needs (budget, comfort, location, facilities needed, etc.).





I am though happy to let you know whether particular apartments that you like are in a suitable location and give you any other general information that I can.




|||



hey peb7,



guess u misunderstood me..i meant chk their location by what address they give on their web site....since i m not too sure abt location...we basically require a regular studio which accomodates 2 persons which is clean and has clean bathroom...i liked pinka apartments ...can u give me an opinion on them?or else some other suggestion....tahnks a lot for ur help......




|||



if you mean residence pinkas, they are on a quiet residential street about 10 minutes walk from the old town. there are some decent restaurants nearby and there is a supermarket 10 minutes walk away




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 6:20 pm, September 04, 2009

Hello, i need litle help

I think arrived tu Prague next week with my family, and i need litle help with acomodation, we need cheaper hostels or motels neat Prague. I wait fot answer.. Thank you very much. or write on my email fot more information tautvis@gawab.com




|||



don%26#39;t understand what you mean by %26#39;hostels or motels near prague%26quot; does this mean that you want to stay in prague or you want to stay outside of prague? How far do you want to stay outside of prague; i.e. how much travelling do you want to do? are you travelling by car or by plane?





if you want to look at accomodation, some of the local agencies which may have last minute deals and which other people on this site have used are the following





www.athos.cz



www.travelcook.com



www.prague.st



www.pragueholiday.cz



www.marys.cz




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 3:19 pm, September 04, 2009

Prague to Budapest

We are planning to travel from Prague tp Budapest on 10/3/2007 Can locate only one reasonably proced flight on Hahn airlines or a 7 hour train ride Any recommendations




|||



never heard of hahn airlines. the only airlines that fly between prague and budapest are czech airlines and malev





bear in mind that if you fly, you need to get from prague city centre to prague airport, check in on time, fly, wait for your luggage and then transfer from budapest airport to budapest city centre. even though the flight time is only one hour the city centre to city centre time by plane could be 5 hours, only 2 hours less than the train which is less hassle and much cheaper




|||



the train is astoundingly easy, comfortable in 2nd class, leaves and arrives in town. For much of our trip, we had a 6 passenger 2nd class compartment to ourselves. On the Hungaria which leaves Prague about noon there is a dining car as well.




|||



-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 3:16 pm, September 03, 2009