Prague

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Prague (Czech: Praha) the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic.

prague Travel Guide : 1 Districts 2 Understand 3 Get in 3.1 By plane 3.2 By train 3.3 By car 3.4 By bus 3.5 By boat 4 Get around 5 See 5.1 Charles Bridge 5.2 Museums and Galleries 6 Do 6.1 Going Out 6.2 Tours 6.3 Popular pastimes 7 Eat 7.1 U Jednoho Pokoje 8 Buy 9 Drink 10 Sleep 10.1 Budget 10.2 Mid-range 10.3 Splurge 11 Contact 12 Stay safe 13 Get out 13.1 How to get out 13.2 Where to go 14 External links

Districts

Prague has fifteen numbered districts: Praha 1 through to Praha 15. Praha 1 is the oldest part of the city, and has by far the densest number of attractions. It can be further subdivided into these quarters:

• Castle (Hrad?any) -- the highest point in Prague
• Lesser Town (Malá Strana) -- the settlement around the castle
• Old Town (Staré M?sto) -- the nucleus of the right bank
• New Town (Nove M?sto) -- the fourteenth century district south of Old Town
• Jewish Town (Josefov) -- the old Jewish ghetto

The outer areas of Prague can be divided as follows:

• North -- Praha 7, Praha 8 and Praha 9.
• East -- Praha 3, Praha 10, Praha 14 and Praha 15.
• South -- Praha 2, Praha 4, Praha 11 and Praha 12.
• West -- Praha 5, Praha 6 and Praha 13.

Understand

Regarded by many as one of the world's most beautiful cities, Prague has arguably become the most popular travel destination in Eastern Europe. Millions of tourists visit the city every year.

The Vltava river runs through the Czech capital, which is home to about 1.2 million people.

Prague was founded in the later 9th century, and soon became the seat of Bohemian kings, some of which ruled as emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. The city thrived under the rule of Charles IV, who ordered the building of the New Town in the 14th century - many of the city's most important attractions date back to that age. The city also went under Habsburg rule and became the capital of a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1918, after World War I, the city became the capital of Czechoslovakia. In 1992, its historic centre was included in UNESCO's World Heritage List. In 1993, Czechoslovakia split into two countries and Prague became capital city of the new Czech Republic.

After 1989 many foreigners, especially young people, have moved to Prague.

Prague may be beautiful, but pollution often hovers over the city thanks to its location in the Vltava River basin. Many Praguers have a small cottage (which can range from a shack barely large enough for garden utensils to an elaborate, multi-storey dwelling) outside the city. There they can escape for some fresh air and country pursuits such as mushroom hunting and gardening. These cottages, called chatas, are treasured both as getaways and ongoing projects. Each reflects its owners' character, as most of them were built by unorthodox methods. There were no Home Depots under communism. Chata owners used the typically Czech "it's who you know" chain of supply to scrounge materials and services. This barter system worked extremely well, and still does today. Chaty (pl. of chata) are also sometimes used as primary residences by Czechs who rent out their city-center apartments for enormous profit to foreigners who can afford to pay inflated rent.

Get in

By plane

The international airport Ruzyn? (http://www.csl.cz/en/letiste/) (phone +420 220 111 111, +420 296 661 111) is in the west of Prague. There are many cheap direct flights operated by Easyjet, BMIbaby from UK and by SmartWings from continental Europe and Dublin.

Getting into the city from the airport: The airport is located about 20 kilometers outside the city center. It generally takes 30 to 50 minutes to get there.

• By taxi: The most comfortable method to reach the city will cost about 700 CZK. Ask for a receipt when you arrive. Make sure you ask how much it will cost before commencing your journey. Avoid taxis without illuminated signs on the car roof. It is generally cheaper to call a taxi on the phone than to get one waiting in front of the airport.
• By Airport Express: (New - service introduced on 11 Dec.2005) Buses leaving the airport every 30 minute the first one at 4:40 a.m., the last one at 9:10 p.m. Price is 45 CZK/person, tickets available from the driver. They will take you to the railway and subway station Nádra?í Hole?ovice (metro C), which is also the railway station to take a train to Berlin and Vienna.
• By Cedaz bus: These buses operate from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every half hour. They will take you past the subway station Dejvická (metro A) and into the city center to the Nám?stí Republiky (metro B). Fares are about 90 CZK per person. The same company's minibuses run a shared-ride transfer service direct to your hotel, delivering groups of 1-4 passsengers for 480 CZK.
• By city bus and subway: This is the cheapest way to get into the city. A ticket valid for 75 minutes costs 20 CZK. Bus no. 119 takes you to the subway station Dejvická, then on to the city center by subway line A. Bus no. 100 brings you to subway station Zli?ín (metro B).

By train

Prague has two international train stations: Hlavní nádra?í (central station, abbreviated Praha hl.n., subway connection by metro C); and Praha Hole?ovice (Hole?ovice station, subway connection by metro C).

Eurocity trains connect Prague to Berlin, Vienna and Budapest. It is a very comfortable way of travel, but not as quick as used in other countries - Eurocity has average speed about 120kmph only, because Czech railroad network is not suitable for higher speeds. From Berlin, a train reaches Prague in 5 1/2 hours, from Wien (Vienna) in 4 1/2 hours and from Budapest in 6 1/2 hours. The trainline from Berlin to Prague passes through the Erzgebirge mountains, and for a couple of hours the passengers are treated to a series of beautiful alpine river valleys, surrounded by rocky escarpments and mountains.

Since 11 December 2005 fast trains Super City Pendolino (http://www.scpendolino.cz/) operate between Ostrava (3 1/2 hours) , Olomouc (2 1/4 hours) and Prague (station Praha - Hole?ovice). Reservation is necessary on these trains. If you come to Prague by SC Pendolino, you can use Airport Express to Prague Airport without any additonal fee. These buses operate every 30 minutes (5:15 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.). Without SC Pendolino ticket you shall pay 45 CZK to the driver.

Train connection from western countries (France, England) is complicated because of an inconvenient layout of German railroads (they lead mainly from north to south, with no direct connections from east to west) - you have to change frequently, for example to Paris you have to change at least two or three times and it takes more than 13 hours.

By car

Prague has highway connection from five major directions. Unfortunately, the highway network in Czech republic is quite incomplete and some highways are old and in bad condition. Thus, the highway connection from Prague to border of Czech Republic is available only in two directions - southeast and southwest. Southwestern highway (number D5, international E50) leads through Pilsen (Plze?) to Germany. There is still a small incomplete part on the German side of the border, but it is only about 20 km. Not counting this small part, the D5 highway is connected to German highway network. Riding from state border to Prague takes about an hour and half (its 160 km only). Southeastern highway (number D1) is Czech oldest and most used highway (but it is in good condition). It leads through Brno to Bratislava in Slovakia. It offers a good connection to Vienna, Budapest and all traffic from east. You have to count with more than two hours, it is more than 250km. From northwest you can take highway D8 (E55), but it is not complete to German border, it ends now at Lovosice (about 60km from Prague). When you go from northern Germany (Dresden, Berlin, Leipzig), you have to take state road E55, which is sometimes quite overcrowded. From northeast you can take highway R10 - E65 (it is not highway by parameters, only motorway, but it has four lanes and there is no major difference to highway). It leads from Liberec through Turnov. I don't think it is an important access direction, because there are no major cities in this directions (Zittau in Germany, some cities in Poland), but it offers a good connection to Czech mountains Jizerské hory and Krkono?e (Riesengebirge) with best Czech skiing resorts. From east you can take D11 (E67), which is only 40km long and is in ugly condition. It directs to Poland.

The Czech highways are under development (D8 and D11 are prolongated, city by-pass of Pilsen is nearly finished on D5) so thing may get better. There are only seldom traffic jams on Czech highways, with the exception of D1 near Prague (and near Brno too) - not counting work on the road, which means a certainly blocked road.

When you get to Prague, things are getting worse. Prague suffers from a heavy traffic and in working days the main streets are one big traffic jam. Moreover, Prague still doesn't have complete highway outer circuit. It is really good idea to use the P+R (park and ride) parking places, where you can park your car for a very small fee and use the public transport. The P+Rs are situated near all highways and are well marked.

By bus

The main bus station for international busses in Prague is Florenc, K?i?íkova (metro lines B and C). It is located east of the city center.

Eurolines connects Prague to major European cities, some of them depart from Nádra?í Hole?ovice (metro C) but the majority leave from the main bus terminal at Florence (also metro C).

By boat

Get around

Public transportation is very convenient in most of the areas visitors are likely to frequent. There are three main subway lines (Czech: metro), and numerous bus and tram (streetcar) lines. Purchase 75 minutes transfer for 20 CZK ticket at any tobacco shop or 24-hours, 3-days or 7-days tickets at ticket offices in some metro stations; date stamp this the first time you ride. Tickets are not checked upon boarding, but undercover inspectors frequently make the rounds asking to see your ticket. Even though freeriding seems easy in Prague, you should invest in the cheap ticket; staying more than two days in Prague will guarantee that you will be checked.

Public transport continues at night in a convenient way. Night trams or night buses (00:00 to 5:00 AM) come usally every 30 minutes. Every 15 minutes they are leaving some night trams central exchange station in the centre of Prague called Lazarská. You can also easily change the tram lines here.

Prague Public Transit (http://www.dp-praha.cz/en/index.htm)

Prague travel (http://www.praguepraha.com/travel.html)

Care Hire Services (http://www.praguetourist.com/tourist/uvod.htm)

See

• The Old Town Square in the Old Town.
• The Astronomical Clock in the Old Town.
• The Lady of our Tyn Churchin the Old Town.
• The 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Castle)(Prague Castle) Prague Castle.
• The 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslas_Square)(Wenceslas Square) in the New Town.
• The 3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vysehrad) (Vysehrad) in Vysehrad.
• The Charles Bridge
• The 4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Town_Hall__Prague)(New Town Hall) in the New Town.
• The Bethleham Chapel in the New Town.
• The St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague's castle.

• The Astronomical Clock in the Old Town.

Currently being cleaned and repaired until early 2006.

• The Golden Lane in the Castle district.
• The Pinkas Synagogue in the Jewish Town.
• The Old Jewish Cemetery in the Jewish Town.
• St Agnes's Convent in the Old Town.
• Hvezda Summer Palace in the West.
• Municipal Hall in the Old Town.
• The Zizkov Television Tower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zizkov_Television_Tower) in the East.
• The Pet?ínská rozhledna (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrinska_rozhledna), an old observation tower, unfortunately without elevator

Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge (Czech: Karl?v most) stretches across the Vltava River between the Lesser Town and the edge of Old Town's central shopping district. The current incarnation of the bridge was built by Charles IV's imperial architect Petr Parler, who is also known for his work on St Vitus Cathedral. It replaced previous Judith Bridge, destroyed by a flood.

Charles Bridge has outlived floods, disasters and heavy traffic for 600 years. It even allowed car traffic earlier in the 20th century! It's a mystery how the bridge has survived so long - one ongoing myth says eggs were mixed into the mortar when it was built. If you believe in supernatural protection, maybe the sword of Bruncvik explains the bridge's miraculous strength. Like the English Arthurian legends, it is said Bruncvik's sword (supposedly hidden inside the bridge) will make itself available in the country's darkest hour, rising to its defense.

From an artistic perspective, the most notable feature of the bridge is the groups of statuary lining either side. Scenes from Bible and popular saints are included, such as St Jan Nepomuk and St Luitgard. Nepomuk has two legends associated with him: first, if you place five fingers in the gilded stars at the Charles Bridge statue's base and make a wish, not only will your wish come true, but you are guaranteed to return to Prague. Second, you may wonder why you see a small picture of a tongue in association with Nepomuk. Supposedly, acting as the queen's religious confessor, Nepomuk refused to repeat something she had told him in confidence to King Wenceslas IV, her husband. The unfortunate prelate was tortured, beaten and thrown from the bridge with hands tied. Some time later, during a severe drought, the river level went down enough to find Nepomuk's body. It was decomposed, as one would expect, but with one exception: his tongue was perfectly preserved, symbolizing his refusal to break the seal of the confessional.

Warning: This is a pick-pocket zone due to the high-foot traffic on the bridge from tourists and Prague natives using the bridge. They are especially active when the bridge is most crowded. Take standard precautions to protect your wallet.

Museums and Galleries

• A guide to the museums of Prague (http://www.praguetourist.com/enter/uvod.htm)
• Mucha Museum - gallery with a history of Alfonse Mucha, the famous Czech artist 5 (http://www.mucha.cz/index.phtml?S=home&Lang=EN)

Do

Going Out

• Reduta Jazz Club is a popular venue with a distinguished history - Bill Clinton visited here on his first trip to post-Communist Prague. Live Jazz every night.

• Agharta Jazz Club is the other popular jazz club in Prague. Live jazz every night, located at Zelezna 16, near Old Town Square. www.agharta.cz

Tours

• Authorized Guides of Prague, Senovazne nam. 23 - D302, Praha 1, ph +420 776868770, Web (http://www.guide-prague.cz/). Tourist guides providing private sightseeing tours in various languages. They find a tour guide according to needs of the visitors. The language, time, meeting place and duration depend on the decision of the clients. As the tours are tailor-made, it is recommended to contact them at least one day in advance. They also arrange other related travel services such as transportation, restaurant bookings, cruise tickets etc.

• Prague Travel Ltd, Vinohradska 28, Praha 2. ph 222 516 064 or 777 070 784. fax 271 742 622. email praguetravel@praguetravel.cz. Web (http://www.praguewalkingtours.cz/). Prague Travel organises several daily walking tours of Prague with different themes and an English speaking guide. All the tours meet at their marked orange umbrella by the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town, and you can buy tickets on the spot.

• Martin Tours, 6 (http://martintour.cz/index.htm). Offers a range of tours, including walking, bus driven or on riverboats. The Coffee Cruise 7 (http://martintour.cz/tour5.htm) is an especially good way to see the city from the water. It's perhaps the cheapest boat tour around, and coffee & cake are included in the price 370Kc/330Kc(students)/190Kc(children)

Popular pastimes

Ice hockey is hugely popular in Prague, thanks to the amazing Czech national team. During communism, hockey was closely related to politics. When the Czechs beat the Russians in the 1971 for the world title, it was national fest. Many Czech hockey and tennis players have gone on to international fame.

Drinking beer is practically a sport among men. Mushroom hunting is very common during the fall, and some great dishes show up on menus across the country as a result. Renovating the family chata (see Did You Know? below) and growing vegetables on its surrounding land is a popular summer pastime.

Eat

Lunch is traditionally the main meal. If you try the typical Czech food, the main course will usually consist of pork or beef. Fish is not so popular, yet it can be found it in most restaurants by now. Side dishes are e. g. fries or dumplings. Typical desserts are fruit dumplings, crępes or ice cream.

It is important to either make a reservation or decide to eat earlier when restaurants are not so crowded.

The tip should be about 10 to 15% - in cheaper restaurants or pubs it will do to simply round up the bill or leave a few extra coins if you are cheap. If not leave at least 20 to 40 Kcz or 1 to 2 Euro, that is customary.

Taxes are always included in the price (by law).

If you're on the look out for fast food, you won't be able to move without tripping over street vendors serving Czech style hot dogs and mulled wine in the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square (New Town). If you're after western-style fast food, the major chains also have a large presence in Wenceslas Square and the area immediately around it.

The Old Town Square also has a lot of sit down restaurants that let you sit outside in the square.

• Prague Experience.com - list of restaurants 8 (http://www.pragueexperience.com/restaurants/restaurants.asp)

U Jednoho Pokoje

'U Jednoho Pokoje' is Czech for 'At the one room' which is a summary of what this restaurant is. The restaurant was started by a French chef in a semi-abandoned apartment in the vicinity of I.P. Pavlova. With a little painting, scrubbing and mopping the room was fixed up. All of the furnishing for the restaurant (tables, chairs, etc.) are items that have been salvaged and restored. To complete the decorations, friends and supporters lent their art to UJednohoPokoje. Dinners are by appointment only, everything is done by the owner himself (greeting, cooking, pouring and serving). The food is superb, the prices are a bit more than average (250kc) by Prague standards but for a three course meal it's nothing unreasonable. If you want more info check out http://www.ujednohopokoje.cz

Buy

Around Christmas time, many of the major squares in Prague hold christmas markets which sell a mix of arts, craft, food, drink and Prague memorabilia.

The streets around Old Town are full of tourist shops, selling Bohemian crystal, soccer shirts and other mass produced memorabilia. If you are looking for some decent souvenirs, go to the christmas markets if they are on, or try one of the street vendors, especially on the Charles Bridge. Prints of paintings and good quality photos are very popular, and are a really good way to remember Prague.

Drink

Pubs abound throughout Prague, and indeed are an important part of local culture. A green sign hanging outside an establishment indicates excellent Czech beer is to be had inside. Most pubs serve only a small selection of beers. Locals seldom pay more than 25 crowns for a half liter glass, while tourist traps often charge 50 crowns or more.

See important Czech beer-related information at the Czech Republic page.

Sleep

It is advisable to make a reservation. Peak season is from April to October. Major influx of visitors can be expected also around New Year. Prices for accommodation can be up to twice as high in the peak season. Normally, tax and breakfast are included.

Budget

If you are looking for budget accommodation, check out one of the Prague hostels (http://www.praguepraha.com/hostels.html), or just go to Hlavni Nadrazi and take a private sleeping place with a person you find trustworthy (price will be approx the same), as some people rent part of their apartments to tourists to earn a little extra money.

Mid-range

Mid-range accommodation can be found in most of the Praha 1 quarters: check in particular the east bank: Jewish Town, Old Town and New Town.

Botels such at the Racek9 (http://www.botelracek.cz/index_en.html) or the Admiral are also a good option, they are moored mainly on the south of the river.

Splurge

Contact

Stay safe

Be careful of the taxi drivers, particularly from the train station. Some of them delight in overcharging tourists. Usually it's better to call a radio-cab.

Be also aware of your belongings when using crowded street-cars in the centre because of the pickpocket gangs. Especially dangerous in this aspect are lines 22 and 23.

Only change money at a trustworthy place. As soon as you arrive there will be people trying to get you to exchange money with them. The money they'll give you is Slovakian or Romanian currency which is worth much less. Never change money in the streets.

Be cautious when people offer you great deals on accommodations. Often these are freelance agents who don't actually own the rooms they're offering. It's a good idea to give the payment for the room directly to the owner of the room, and not to the agent.

Prague is a relatively safe town, just be sensible and alert!

Get out

Many people who come to Prague and the Czech Republic never take advantage of the country's excellent inter-city bus and train network. Buses and trains are frequent and quite inexpensive and can get you to even the smallest village.

How to get out

All information for buses and trains is available on the web (in English and German) at www.vlak-bus.cz (http://www.vlak-bus.cz/JRCis.asp?tt=c&cl=E5). Don't be initimdated about buying tickets even if you don't know the language, most bus and train terminal employees can speak a few phrases in English. Be sure and GET OUT OF PRAGUE, there is a wealth of things to see.

Buses Almost all buses leave from either the city's main bus terminal at the Florenc metro stop (red and yellow metro lines C and B) or from And?l metro stop (yellow metro line B), the station is 200 meters south of the metro stop.

Trains Almost all trains leave from either Nádra?í Hole?ovice, Hlavní nádra?í (both red metro line C stops). If you are going to Karlstejn you will have to take a train

Practically every major European city on the continent can be reached by bus or train from Prague.

Where to go

For just a small selection of places off the beaten path:

• Novosedly - Take a horseback trip through the vineyards of Moravia
• Písek - Beautiful South Bohemian town with the country's oldest bridge.
• Vy??í Brod - Take a three day canoe trip from the Sumava mountains through ?eský Krumlov
• Výso?any - A great mountain area for hiking, located halfway between Prague and Brno
• Beroun - Small city located on the way to Plzen, follow the Beroun river north to some beautiful villages.
• Karl?tejn castle and the holy cave monastery - Hiking trip to the famous castle as well as an off the beaten track monastery.
• Konopi?t? - Archduke Franz Ferdinand's Castle located 40km South of Prague

External links

• Prague Information Service (http://www.pis.cz/a/)
• Prague English News (http://www.praguemonitor.com)
• Prague Post - A Weekly Newspaper In English Language (http://www.praguepost.com)