Advices

Are you in Prague on 31-1st ? What to do in Prague on New Year’s Eve? Well, you can start your evening by making a stop in a restaurant, and than to pop a champagne outside at midnight. It is ok – even when there are some things you should know. There is public drinking ban at some places like Prague Kampa, but that shouldn’t trouble you on that particular day. The most dangerous things are alcohol, pyrotechnics, and cold. So when you feel like drinking straight vodka (I know, it is cheap and has less calories) which may seem like a good idea, just make sure somebody will transport your unconsciousness body back to the hotel.

Pyrotechnics are a notorious – there are regulations, but cheap pieces from Taiwan flooded the market, making it possible for anyone to buy enough firepower for blowing up … what he wants. Sure that the great fireworks above the Prague Castle are a great spectacle everybody (except for dogs) can enjoy, they became less enjoyable, when somebody at Wenceslas square fires it to the crowd.

Cold – there is a great help against cold – climb down to Radost FX, Roxy, Mecca or Karlovy Lazne (better to find out whether they still have tickets before going) and start to party, you can be sure it will be so hot you will soon loose the clothes you can, still being hot.

Anyway, Prague is a famous destination for parties, and I know it can be highly enjoyable, if you just book something in the centre, or you just simply go there and enjoy the atmosphere around. Happy new year!

The Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic came with the public notice for 2008 – Since this November, Winter Tires are necessary when there is -5 Celsius, on the D1 motorway. Originally, you didn’t have to use Winter Tyres from ht law, but when there was an accident, the one with regular tyres was always in truble.

So carefully, when the termometer shows less than -5, and you are going from Prague to Brno, and you see the traffic sign, you can get fined for summer ones. It is also possible to continue with snow chains on. Placement of the sign on other roads is now in jurisdiction of districts themselves. The Sign is valid from November to the end of March.

This video was made by Johnyjet.com, and it depicts the trip all the way from the USA to Prague, shown in pictures and video, it is an amateur movie, however it is edited very nicely and it is fun to watch. And they show also some things that are not known to Prague people – tourist accommodation, in this case the interior of luxurious hotel and spa Alchemist.

They do some traditional sightseeing, among which is the Old Town Square, and of course the Gothic jewel of Prague, the Prague Castle. But why I put the video here – they got me with the sight I like the most, the Charles Bridge in the morning. As I say, the best sight in Prague is the Charles Bridge when the sun rises. As the vacant says: it is all mine :D it is beautiful indeed. Enjoy!

Price for accommodation in Prague is still rising up, although number of tourists are getting down this year. So this expense will be probably the main item on your travel budget. The wise choosing of your resting place in Prague can save loads of money which you can spend on more supreme Prague attractions.

So, how can you save money in Prague? Sleep in a hostel!
Stay at a hostel instead of luxury hotel make a sense if you plan to use it just for overnight and you will spend there just a few hours mainly in night time. It is wise to choose one of the hostels in Prague instead of room at an expensive hotel with unneeded services that you will never use.

What is the main difference between Prague hostels and hotels? Do you think that hostels offer only an accommodation in more bedded rooms with common bathrooms and toilets? The answer is No. There is a lot of hostels in Prague where you can get a double or a triple room even with private bathroom and toilet. Of course, they are little bit more costly then rooms with common bathroom but it is still great value of money. The rooms in hostels are sometimes smaller than hotel rooms, mostly with just basic furniture. Most of their services are economical.

The price for accommodation also depends on the location of the hostel. Downtown hostels are far more expensive than hostels around the city centre of Prague. So thanks to a very cheap and comfortable public transport in Prague is the best choice a cheap hostel with private facilities not directly in Prague downtown. The price for double room with private bathroom starts at 35 EUR in this location.

The Guardian’s ladder of ten surprises, that wait for a tourist in Prague, completely ignores traditional sights of the metropolis. The list of pearls was put together by the British reporter Sarah Johnson. She recommends solid sights, but also experiences. For example the Zizkov Carnival is at the third place.

This list is for those, who are familiar with Prague, they know the traditional sights and want to see the hidden ones. British tourists are the second most numerous group of tourists; a half a million came to Prague in 2007 only.

The first place was given to David Cerny, whose artpieces can be seen in the whole Prague. Guardian mentions especially his 3-metres long babies crawling up the Zizkov television tower, or the couple peeing into the Czech Republic at Kampa.
Also, shops of young designers close to Karoliny Svetle street were evaluated quite positively during shopping and in atmosphere of surrounding restaurants.

Continue reading and find the info here

There is a big photographic shop called Centrum FotoSkoda. They sell various cameras, both digital and classic and both, brand new ones, bit older ones as well as used one (both classical and digital), and there is really wide range of items and staff is quite able to give you useful advices if you are looking for something.

It is possible to buy even an old famous Practica. They obviously do not sell only cameras but also camera equipments, bags for cameras, films, different camera filters, paper for those who like to make their photos on their own and many other things like this, and they also have here books and magazines about photography, as well as postcards with photos of big photographers any many many other things related to photography you can thing of.

Centrum FotoSkoda is not only a shop, it is also a minilab – a place when you can let your pictures to be printed. And they can make them in a really wide range of formats, small, big, huge, panoramas… Both from classical films as well as digital photos. And if you need or just want to have your pictures fast, you can ask for an express services and have them in one hour, and it is not that much more expensive. Continue Reading

The page nelso.cz brought an interesting insight – if you come to Prague for good and cheap beer, this could be your guide to both. The map depicts Prague parts with colours according to prices, with little glasses, representing pubs and restaurant.

As it goes with the web 2.0, the map is interactive, so it still grows in information and quality. Prague citizens themselves form the information part. And how to summarize it? If you have a beer at the Old Town Square, you can pay ten times more than in the rest of Prague. Prague 1 prices are equal to those in Britain, but if you move just a little, you can find beer in normal Prague price – 25 czk or less for a 0,5 l.

The interactive map of beer in Prague is here

We already informed you about The Exhibition in Prague City Museum, called Prague Cafés and their World, where you can go to have a stylish cup of coffee, First-Republic style.

But if you want to simply go for a good coffee, you can go to Prague Starbucks, or you may choose the most famous typical café called Slavia, which marble tables has been a meeting point of artists since 1881.

For the list of the Best Prague Cafes with information, continue here

Since today, it is possible to buy a Prague Public Transport ticket from your mobile phone. That’s it – you don’t need to buy a paper ticket.

So here are the steps: you text DPT on the number 902 06 20 and here you go – you have just bought yourself a transfer ticket worth 20 CZK, which is valid since the moment when you have sent the SMS.

The ticket inspectors of Prague are equipped with a gadget, that can check, if the SMS ticket is valid or not.

At the beginning of 2008 the service will be extended of other tickets and coupons, so this could be the end of waiting for a coupon in queue. This time MHD does something else for their customers than just marking the prizes up…

SMS help link, which has been introduced at the beginning of 2007 have received 80 messages so far.

The number was established for police needs, but it provides help i.e. in the case of a deaf person needing a doctor, too.

603 111 158

What you should fill in the message? Surname, the place of occurrence (city), and some specific location like the number of public lighting where something happened, and a brief account of what has happened.

The police contacts the person via SMS, and sends a unit that was informed it is a case with a deaf, there. In the case of incident being further investigated, the police has interpreters into sign language prepared.

The provider of the service is T-Mobile

If you are left-handed, and going to Prague, it may be good for you to use the constantly profitable exchange rates of the Czech crown, and to do some shopping. Where? In the special shop for left-handed.

It is in Krizikova 109, Prague 8, and it is the only left-handed shop in Prague. Even when almost every 10th person is left-handed, office equipment that would fit him/her in work, for instance, weren’t sold in Prague. Where is the difference? For example, a ruler starts at a higher number, or a kitchen knife has a blade on the opposite side.

The first company ordering these stuff was, according to the owner, Microsoft CR. And you can check the shop here

If you are thinking about coming to Prague for the first time, and you are looking for one article to sum all the (legal :) joys that evenings and nights in Prague offers, you should go for this one: Experience Prague during the evening, which does it in nice and decent way, like in this sample:

A beautiful historical city in the heart of Europe offers a wide range of activities that can be enjoyed after the sunset. You can enjoy your dinner in one of Prague’s fabulous restaurants, have a drink in a bar near the Old Town Square and spend the night dancing in a fancy club. You can also enjoy the spectacular view of Prague’s castle, National Theatre or Charles bridge while strolling in a historical district in Prague 1. An evening boat ride on Vltava river will become an unforgettable memory.

And we just add – if there is more of a clubber inside of you, check this out: Prague Clubs.

According to this year’s contest, organized by Prague 1 City Hall, the best commercial premises situated at Prague 1 are:

The best Restaurant in Prague: Kolkovna, V kolkovne street.

The idea of the Kolkovna restaurant was to create a unique environment with an inspiring and original atmosphere that would link the best of the Czech brewing tradition and Czech cuisine adapted to the requirements of a modern day life style. This has been achieved thanks to the liaison of the Kolkovna Group and Pilsner Urquell Original Restaurants. The idea of the project is to offer a unique, uniform and harmonised interior style and food, not to mention the excellent quality of Pilsner Urquell beer.

Apart from the traditional Czech food and beer specialities, international cuisine and culinary specialities are available. For example, a roast duck served in a roasting pan is worth a mention. The Restaurant can seat 150 guests inside, 90 guests in the cellar premises and 50 in the front beer garden that is open in summer till 22:00. One can enjoy the atmosphere of this historical place and Pilsner Urquell lager every day between 11:00 and 24:00.

The best Shop in Prague: Maso, uzeniny (meat shop & smokehouse), Jindrisska 32.

The best Services in Prague: Pradelna Na Starem Meste (Old Town Laundry), Rybna street.

If you are a tourist coming here to Prague, or an expatriate, it doesn’t matter. What is important is, whether you are able to interpret “Colors of my City” by a photography, or not.

The contest is organized by Metro newspaper, and to participate is easy – all you have to do is to make a shot, send it to the web www.metphoto.org/ceskarepublika, and to hope to win a NIKON D80 in the ‘Local Winner’ contest.

The 5 most popular photos, as voted by the public and a panel of judges, will win a prize. If this is your case, you can win even more in the contest ‘Global Winner’ where you compete against photos from all over the world.

Even in the very center of Prague, it is possible to see darkness behind windows. The Office of Historic Preservation (Pamatkovy urad) counted the buildings in decay, located in the historic center, and found out the worst owners are municipal corporation and private companies.

In Prague site area, that is on the UNESCO list, you can find total of 32 buildings/palaces, that that are deserted and decayed, some of them even for quite a period. Those are buildings build in baroque and classicist style, and some contain remains of the old city walls.

The Office of Historic Preservation informed it is a great shame and sadness, but compared to the situation ten years ago it is quite better; there were hundreds of deserted buildings. If you are wealthy and you are interested in buying a house that is situated fourth in line left from Astronomical Clock on Old town Square, you can. Beautiful baroque and renaissance house U minuty (At the Minute) has been empty for over a year.

Source: Lidove Noviny

Even though you may think that you know Prague Castle very well, you might be surprised to find places that are not mentioned in Prague guidebooks but still they don’t lack their magic.

Instead of walking up the Old Prague Castle Steps, stroll along the streets Na Opysi or Chotkova to the Deer Moat. This green calm place created by the stream Brusnice is not crowded by many tourists and still offers a great view of famous monuments, such as Daliborka and Mihulka towers, St Vitus Cathedral or Queen Anne’s Palace.

The Dear Moat will take you to Prague Castle or U Brusnice street which leads to lovely street New World and narrow streets around the Loreto.

From U Brusnice street you can also easily get to Lumbe’s garden opened since the last year. There are many concerts held in that garden. Lumbe’s garden used to belong to the Lumbe’s villa, the residential villa of the Czech president.

More and more police officers are able to communicate with tourist in foreign languages. At least these are the words of the spokeswoman of the Prague police Iva Knolova. According to her, younger generation in police forces have normally basic knowledge of foreign languages, especially English.

Still, if you can’t make yourself understood, visit the police station situated in Na Mustku street in the centre of Prague. There you can find interpreters of the main world languages. For languages that are not so common, the police will call court interpreters.

The police also invited students to help them with translations of more difficult questions. The students assist the police officers in the centre of Prague every weekend in June and September and every day in July and August.

To travel to the Prague international airport or to Karlstejn by metro? Even though it’s not possible now (and in the near future), some travellers might have thought so yesterday.

An unknown person covered the schema of metro lines in several trains of Prague metro with a sellotape. Travellers could therefore read that green line A terminated in Karlstejn instead of Dejvicka station and goes via Prague airport.

Even thought the original stops were visible through the tape, it looked quite reliable. The conclusion is obvious – don’t trust everything you see.

Many Prague monuments are not accessible for people in wheelchairs. Let’s name the most popular ones – White Tower, Daliborka Tower, Old Town Bridge Tower or Powder Tower. Even though the situation is getting better, there are still many limitations for disabled people in Prague.

Among those monuments that can be visited by people in wheelchair are Old Royal Palace, Queen Anne’s Summer Palace, St George’s Basilica, Ball Game Hall, Imperial Stables, Rudolf’s Gallery, Spanish Hall, Prague Castle Picture Gallery and the gardens at Prague Castle.

Disabled people can also enjoy the view from the Petrin View Tower, Old Town Hall Tower and Vysehrad.

Czech weekly magazine Euro published a chart of the best restaurants in Prague. The testing was made anonymously by several experts who were evaluating the restaurants from five different angles.

The maximum points, that could be given to one restaurant, was 60. Maximum of 20 points could be given for the quality of meals and drinks, 10 points for the atmosphere and aesthetics, 10 points for the personnel’s behaviour, 10 points for place setting and 10 points for the quality of the menu.

The best restaurants are Flambée, La Dégustation, Le terroir and Zlata Praha, gaining all 60 points. The complete list can be found in the current issue of magazine Euro. Another evaluation of Prague’s restaurant can be found in the Maurer’s Grand Restaurant.