Just got back from 7 days and 6 nights in Prague as the 2nd leg of our honeymoon. We weren%26#39;t disappointed at all....this city is truely beautiful. Being their for that length of time I will spare everyone all of the small details and comment on the high and low notes.
We stayed at the Green Lobster on Nuredova (sp) a beautiful street that leads up to the castle...we were let down and I wouldn%26#39;t recommend this hotel to people....I have a feeling we were in one of the lower end rooms because others said their rooms were nice but all in all my experience says there are other places to stay for 80 euro a night...some in that area had signs saying 59 euro including breakfast....a steal in that area if you ask me.
We took a city tour with a company called ultimate tours....a little more expensive than the others...1200 koruna per person but it was elaborate and included boat and tram fare as well as lunch and two beers a piece....a solid company foresure although I would skip the ghost tour, a free add on for anyone who buys the city tour....not worth your time.
Our tour guide advised us that if we were interested in going to Terezin (old jewish concetration camp / gestapo prison) than we should book with whitman tours...a jewish company. We did and she was right the guide was unbelievable ,quite informative and knowledgable, and a trip to terezin, although sobering to say the least, is well worth your time....I will never forget it. This company also offered other interesting jewish oriented tours.
We toured the castle grounds....a def must....you can even shoot an old midevil cross bow for a few krowns....too many things to highlight there.....the cathedral is sooo impressive
We went to petrin park and up the tower well worth the trip up as the views are second to none....skip the house of mirrors and all other things offered there...not worth the time or money. We walked down from the tower to the funicular railway and ran into a beautiful restaurant....can%26#39;t remember the name but what a place for lunch or dinner....a little pricey but not to bad....the views of the city are incredible.....you won%26#39;t miss it.
Old town square and charles bridge are such pillars in the city that you won%26#39;t miss them....action packed and full of fun....and expensive food and drink. PRICES RANGE BIG TIME.....even from one block to the next.....we saw pints of beer for as little as 30cz to as much as 96cz.....and I am not camparing run down places to 5 * restaurants....these are comparible places to eat or drink.
For our honeymoon dinner....expensive....we were given a gift from one of our wedding guests who had pre arranged a voucher at the Bellevue restaurant. Right on the river about a block and a half to the left from charles bridge as you are looking at the castle....this place is very pricey but the food was probably the best I have had in my life...it has won all sorts of awards.....4000cz including the tip was our bill.....we each had a 4 course meal + bread....a bottle of water and 2 bottles of wines....normally anything over 60 bucks canadian makes me cringe when I go out to eat but this was a special occassion so we splerged and IT WAS WONDERFUL.
I would recommend a paddle boat ride on the river....less that 200 cz for an hour....and rental places are all over....cool way to see the city....we did it with beer and snacks and listened to a guy playing music on shore at an outdoor pub.
Shopping was great for both male and female.....public transit was a breeze and really cheap ( 18cz for a one way ticket on the subway)....I spoke 0 czech....English is widely spoken and I was surprised how little difficulty we had during our stay.
Watch out for bill add ons from waiters in mid to lower end places....it happened to us....I just garnished the tip and told him I was doing so for his creative add on.....some places actually charged us a cover charge to sit at the table...20cz....some places charge for bread and condiments others don%26#39;t.....ask right away.
Prague is beautiful....and so are it%26#39;s people....I got no cold vibes from the czechs as some people had stated on this forum.....loads of tourists....loads of action......but lots to discover, explore, and make your own.....two thumbs up to Prauge and the Czech Republic
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Thank you for the trip report glad you and your wife had an amazing time in Prague and honey Moon et al. would you go back?
How did you make out with the money change and ATM issues? I think you can charge on credit card for most major restaurants you go in Prague. The only down side in using ATM in Prague is that to hedge against fee per withdraw from your bank, you kind of force to take out a big chunk per withdraw(4-5k ckc) and when you do, you face with a situation where you have to break the 1000 ckc when it%26#39;s time to use the metro.
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A good report, enjoyed reading it and agree with most of what you say.
Terezin should be a must for all visitors
Beer prices need to be watched carefully :)
Bellevue is a good place but expensive as you found out.
That restaurant on Petrin, maybe it was Nebozizek?
And the odd add ons on the bill, i.e. the cover charge,no point getting all upset about it, glad you did%26#39;t.
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Jason.....I would go back in a heartbeat...you are right about the ATMS....both my scotia visa and scotia bank card worked at almost all atms....charged my 5 canadian for everywithdrawl though...just withdrew larger amounts on the way back to the hotel and took out what I needed.
KV that is the name of the restaurant....sweet location
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That is an unfortunate for Scotia to charged that much for FX transaction. I guess different banks charge different rates. I got ding 3 bucks for using either BMO and PCF card. But I do like the FX rate they give you on your money exchange, relative speaking of course.
I will go back to Prague but not anytime soon, been 3 times so I have enough memory to last for another 5 years. Just in the process of planning my next Summer vacation in Languedoc-Roussillon region and maybe a stop over in Munich for next year Oktober Fest, just a place I need to cross check my list before I go six foot under.
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Thanks for sharing a great trip report. Really enjoyed the read. Great suggestions on Terezin and paddle-boat tour. Hope to do both on a future trip to a beautiful city.
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