Hi TA experts,
My hubby and I will be travelling to Prague next month. Have read in previous forum posts that the park in front of the main train station is a place to avoid at night.
Unfortunately our hotel (Hotel Chopin Prague) is just directly opposite the park in front of the main train station. As we will be taking the night train to Budapest, there is no way that we can avoid walking from our hotel, through the park, which is less than 100 metres from the station, unless we take a cab. And again, there are the dishonest taxi drivers that we need to take note of. Really in a dilemma.
Sorry to ask such stupid questions here... but just to know how to act accordingly, what are the dangers that we might face if we walk through the park at night? Getting surrounded by group of thieves/hooligans? Snatch-thieves? Pickpockets? Or worse? Is 9 p.m. considered late over in Prague, as in the amount of normal human (read %26quot;normal decent citizens%26quot;) traffic on the roads/paths are very low?
Personally I had a bad experience in Paris where my family and I (3 of us) were surrounded by a gang of 15-20 street hooligans who were out for our money at 8 p.m. in a so-called tourist area. This experience left a very bad taste in my mouth about Paris. Even though it is a beautiful city, it just comes along with the bad memories. That%26#39;s why I just want to be more careful with where I go.
Hope to get some valuable advice. Thanks very much!
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Vrchlickeho Sady - the park in front of the railway station used to be pretty abysmal with drunks, homeless etc., but it was cleaned up a while ago. I walked there not so long ago at 9 in the evening and it was fine. The distance is probably even less than 100 metres, just walk faster and you will be OK. Absolutely no need to take a taxi.
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Even in the %26#39;bad old days%26#39; it was fine - I have walked through there dozens of times and have lived to tell the tale! There were a couple of old drunks wwho used to be more interested in the contents of their bottles than anything else, but they have probably been stuck in some psychiatric centre or something...
The scenario that you describe about being surrounded by a gang I have seen also on the Prague metro in the middle of the day in a busy carriage and it is distasteful, but it hasn%26#39;t been reported here for a while so it must have been stamped down on at last. I, too have been a victim of such behaviour in Paris - but you will find that Prague is (and feels) lot safer!
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I have walked in this area many times at various times of the day and night over the years and certainly never had a major problem.seen quite a few unsavoury characters but no different from any other train station in any major city including my own city of Edinburgh.
I too have seen the problems in Paris esp.at the Gard du Nord and thought the place pretty unsavoury.I can assure you the area around the train station in Prague is a haven compared to that.
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no danger at all,
the worst thing you can encounter is some of homeless people will ask you for cigarete or some change
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Thanks everyone so much for your valuable feedback! I feel more assured that it is not as bad as I thought or read. I was in half minds to change hotels before seeing your replies. But now while I need to be careful, as with all other countries, I don%26#39;t need to be so fearful!
The advice to walk faster is certainly what we will be doing. =D
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