Trip Recap

I just got back from a three day trip to Prague and since I enjoy other people%26#39;s feedback, I thought I would write a short recap on my own trip. I traveled with my husband, 9 month old son and a friend.

HOTEL

We rented an apartment - for the life of me I can%26#39;t remember the name of it - but it was above a Hostel a block off Old Town Square, so it was a perfect location for getting around. The actual apartment was fabulous - spacious, view of the entire city, full furnished (dish washer, dishes, TV, wireless internet, etc). Location and furnishings were great. However, I do not recommend staying above a hostel - it was loud until 4am every night (we were there during the week, not even a weekend) and the walls were paper thin so you could hear everything.

EATERIES

We ate all over town. Breakfasts we ate at Bakeshop Praha and it was so delicious we ate there two mornings. I recommend the quiche, the muffins and you have to try the hot chocolate - it%26#39;s made with hot fudge!! Another morning we ate at Bohemia Bagel and it was wonderful, although it was packed with American college kids and the line moves pretty slow, but the bagel sandwiches were fabulous

For lunch, we ate one day at Hard Rock Cafe - I know, not very traditional, but in Helsinki, Finland (where we live now) they don%26#39;t have hamburgers, so it was great to indulge in this luxury! We also had lunch at Malostranska Privince (across the river) and I highly, highly recommend this place. A friend had told us about it - and it%26#39;s fantastic. The food portions are ridiculous - I ordered ribs and for 8 euros I got a rack and a half of ribers. My husband ordered the Knee of Pork and it was seriously the biggest and best piece of meat we%26#39;ve had. Plus the cheese starter was awesome. I definitely recommend this place, although I%26#39;ve heard if you go for dinner, make a reservation or go early - but for lunch it was empty. but super delicious

for dinner, we ate at Kogo italian restaurnt and I cannot say enough things about this place. It looks very ritzy when you walk in, but the price of the food is so cheap! the bread and oil was to die for, the gnocchi was awesome, the wine was fantastic and it was so cheap and huge portion sizes. I definitely recommend this palce and it%26#39;s close to the center of town - literally a block from our hotel. We also ate at the stands in Old Town Square one night and surprisingly the sausages and ham platters were quite good. plus the atmosphere was really fun - just watch your beers, there was some homeless guy that kept trying to steal the beers off our table. :-) then we went off the touristy beaten path one night to have dinner with friends at U Kalicha. It was more traditional Czech food and such a great laid back atmosphere. I would definitely recommend it for anyone - it was literally only two tram stops away from city center, but a more day-to-day Czech neighborhood which was great. Plus the waiters loved us and recommended authentic shots, appetizers, platters and beers. Just so much fun and great food.

We were told to go to the Tygre bar (the one where Bill Clinton went) but note, before going - this is a truly authentic Czech bar. It%26#39;s small, it%26#39;s smoky but it%26#39;s the real deal. It reminded me of a good old boys club - i was the only woman in there.

SITES TO SEE

THere%26#39;s probably nothing more I can tell you that you can%26#39;t find in a book or on this site.

I can tell you the %26quot;ringing%26quot; of the Astronomical Clock is a waste of time...it%26#39;s super boring so don%26#39;t go out of your way.

The Church of Lady Before Tyn is only open during certain hours of the day so check the times ahead of schedule - it%26#39;s kind of random when it%26#39;s open and then you can%26#39;t take pictures when inside.

The St. Nicholas Church in Old Town Square is not the same as the St. Nicholas Church on the other side of the river (this is the one that you want to see b/c it%26#39;s super cool inside)

eat at Bakeshop Praha - it%26#39;s delicious

don%26#39;t go up the Powder Tower - you%26#39;ll see way better views at other look-out points (mainly Prague Castle and Petrin Hill). Don%26#39;t waste your money on this one

Charles Bridge is a cluster of people, just be prepared for it.

Vitus Cathedral is a must hit at the Prague Castle.

At the Prague Castle, don%26#39;t bother paying for the Golden Lane - WASTE OF MONEY. It%26#39;s literally 10 shops and less than 1km long. So mad I paid 300 kc for it. It was dumb.

Petrin Hill and the lookout (Eifel Tower building) it definitely worth it. Just awesome view. Take the tram, the walk would be hard in my opinion. Tram is free if you buy a Train ticket (it%26#39;s considered part of the public transporation - so we bought a 24 hour pass and it worked for this too)

I think that%26#39;s it. Overall, we absolutely loved the city. Such a great atmosphere, great scenery, wonderful food - just a ton of fun. Oh, and you can easily do this town in two, maybe three days (I say 3 b/c we traveled with a baby and needed down time) but you could easily do in 2 days.

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Great report, Hawk. Very useful information. I%26#39;ll be in Prague for the first time at the end of the month.

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%26quot;there was this homeless guy who kept trying to steal the beers off our table%26quot;, he he that made me laugh.

Well done nice report, i will be there in less than a week and i will only have 2 days.

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Thxs for a great report Hawk, we go on Monday for our first visit, and have made a note of the places you ate, also the sights you say are not worth seeing, so many thxs for that..

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must admit i love the Powder Tower,some great sculptures in and on the Tower,Ok the views are not the best but i like them.

Golden lane is not just shops ,there is a whole lot going on there but you have to take th plunge and go in places,the Armoury place is great and there is a place you can have a shot of an Old fashioned Crossbow,if you buy one of the combined tickets for the castle area then it is relativley cheap.

other than my comments i thought Hawk15%26#39;s report excellent.

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Re. Little Golden Street - go at night, when it is free of charge and much more atmospheric. It is also usually empty as well, and you aren%26#39;t forced into the kitschy little shops selling their overpriced trinkets.

Re. %26#39;Tram is free if you buy a Train ticket%26#39; - only if it is part of the Prague integrated transport system. Tickets for %26#39;normal%26#39; trains are not valid on the trams/metro.

Otherwise, glad you enjoyed it!

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Gcek, how can i ensure i buy the correct intergrated ticket, what do i look for at the machines..thxs

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www.prague.net/public-transport-tickets

this will give youan idea of the tickets,click on the other sections for more info.

the important thing to remember is to stamp the tickets the first time you use it,ie as sone as you are on the tram or BEFORE you decend the escalators into the Metro system.there are yellow tickest stampers on Trams at just before the escalators in the Metro.

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Many thxs for the info Gus, don%26#39;t want to fall foul of the law :-)

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On my last trip I saw many ticket inspectors in the Metro system working in teams of 2 or 3 checking lots of tickets,not just at the exit area but at the interchange Metro stations in the underground area.

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Rosebush - don%26#39;t worry about the integrated bit as I doubt whether you will be using suburban trains or buses. Just get a normal 18 or 26 crown ticket (18 should suffice in the vast majority of cases) and validate it as normal - it is quite clear what needs to be done.

What I was pointing out was that if for example you had a ticket from Vienna to Prague, for example, that ticket is not valid on the metros/trams, etc.