Prague Travel
Mini Tourist Guide, Czech Republic

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Why Travel to Prague?
This 'City of a Hundred Spires' - cobbled cruising ground for Kafka, Mozart, and Soviet tanks - brims with aesthetic and architectural treasures, Baroque here, Gothic there and a splatters of Neoclassical everywhere.
The city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in great shape and booming with innovation and interest.
Prague is clean, romantic, relaxed, walkable, and has oodles of entertainment ranging from twee puppet shows to spontaneous poetry outpourings to heavy-metal S&M.
Cuisine is surprisingly sophisticated, Czech beer is world famous and it's good value - especially for opera and plastic surgery! All in all this is one of the best short-stay tourist destinations in Europe, with something for everyone.

'Prague won't let you go, the little mother has claws' Kafka

St Vitus Cathedral frescoes

Downside:
- Where have all the locals gone? There are just too many tourists!
- Service people are not exactly friendly.
- Taxis have a VERY bad reputation, so take the excellent public transport instead. It's worth getting an interchangeable transport ticket. Otherwise, check the meter is on and working [properly].

Prague climate guide:
Best: April-June, Sept
Avoid: Easter, Christmas, July-Aug [massively crowded with tourists]
n.b. May, June for the Music Festival.

Tourist hordes storm Prague castle

Main Attractions:
This city is loaded with Disneyesque sights, but for real.
Hradcany [castle district]: Prague Castle [Prazsky Hrad], the city's most magnificent landmark and a World Heritage Site, including the imposing Gothic St Vitus Cathedral, with some fine stained-glass windows, the Royal Palace/garden, and St Nicolas' Church.
The Old Town Square [Staromestské Námestí], includes the Old Town Hall/Astronomical Clock and the Gothic T´yn Church, the Powder Tower, medieval Charles Bridge, and Josefov, the former Jewish Town, with Europe's oldest in-use synagogue, remarkable cemetary and excellent Art Nouveau cafés. nb. this area closes on Saturdays].
The Fortress in Visehrad. The gardens are peaceful, free, lovely and - best of all - unknown to most tourists.
Petrin Hill with its mock Eiffel Tower for panoramic view of the city.
Other notable buildings: National theatre, Estates Theatre, Dancing Building, Municipal House, Loreta and Kinsky Palace.
Zizkov is currently the funkiest district in the city, home to all sorts of absurdities, night and day, street theatre to wacky nightclubs.
The River Vltava provides an escape from the tourist mobs, so hire a rowing boat and take a picnic onto one of the islands, or head into the surreal Wallenstein Gardens at the base of Hdradcany Hill.

Vlatava Castle, Cesky Krumlov, Bohemia

Short Trips out of Prague:
The province of Bohemia has many interesting travel possibilities. For example:
- Karlstejn Castle, the prettiest castle in the area, superbly situated above the River Berounka, 35 minutes [28 km] by train from Prague, now commercial and touristy, though.
- Kutna Hora, UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, used be the second most important town in Bohemia. It is a small version of Prague, with the finest Gothic masterpiece in Europe, Santa Barbora [Barbara] Cathedral, which is even more spectacular than St Vitus. 1 hour train ride.
- Cesky Krumlov, one of the Europe's prettiest medieval towns, with streets lined with fairly-tale buildings. A UNESCO World Heritage site. The train is actually a tortoise, so take a bus, 1 hour out of town.
- Sedlec if you have some spare time, known for the 'Bone Chapel' [Ossuary Chapel of All Saints] decorated with human bones.
- Terezin, fortress town/ex-concentration camp, is 50 km north-west of the capital.

The legend of Prague, seen in the Town Hall

Festivals:
May- June, Spring International Music Festival, with classical music concerts in various venues; this is one of Europe's best musical events, a must-see.
July- Sept, the city's Folklore Festival.
Aug-Sep, Verdi Festival.
Sept, St Wenceslas Sacred Music Festival, performed in many superb local churches.
Sept, Mozart Festival, appropriate music played in the gorgeous Bertramka Villa often visited by the M man himself.
Sept- Oct, Prague Autumn, international music festival, with classical concerts in the Castle.
Oct, International Jazz Festival.
Oct, Musica Iudaica, a festival of Jewish music.
Nov, Festival of Cyberculture [Datatransfer], including digital art, film, net and performance art.

For some precise dates or more information see: European Festivals or Arts Festivals.

Arts/Culture:
Museums: National Museum for natural history, Veletrzní Palác [Modern & Contemporary Art], Frantisek Bílek Villa, Jewish Museum.
Classical Music: The gorgeous Rudolfinum Concert Hall is a Neo-Renaissance masterpiece that hosts varied music and ballet performances. There's also the Lichtenstein Palace, Church of St Simon and St Jude for chamber music, Bertramka for Mozart, while different churches hold classical concerts at least somewhere, everyday. Fly sheets keep tourists informed.
Dance/Opera: State Opera, Estates Theatre, National Theatre, Duncan Center, Ponec.
Theatre: Puppet Opera has a very popular long-run 'Don Giovanni' at the National Marionette Theatre. Impressive and funny at first, but too long.
English language shows are held at Black Box International Theatre and Misery Loves Company.
Live Music and Clubs: Stare Mesto and Zizkov have endless venues offering all kinds of performances ranging from old-fashioned jazz to off-the-wall experimental insanity.
Check English language Prague Post 'Night and Day' section for event info and listings.
Tickets can be bought from the venue or try ticket agencies: Bohemia Ticket International, Ticketpro.

Czech puppets

Taxis beware:
Fix the price of all Prague journeys in advance as the meter rate is fixed by the driver and often results in massive overcharging.

Traditional Czech cuisine

Cuisine:
Meat [especially boiled beef] and heavy soups [chicken or potato] are an essential part of old Czech culture and all available in many pubs.
The good news for vegetarians in Prague is that many pub/restaurants now serve vegetarian meals or dishes excluding dead animals, and there are plenty of good pizzerias too.
Beer: Pilsner is the most popular local brew, but Budvar - the original/tastier Budweiser - is Bugbog's choice! And by the way, to test the quality of the draft beer you are served put a coin on its head. If it takes at least half a second to drop through then you have a proper Czech beer!
Wine: Moravia's red wines are fine and bargain prices.

Accommodation:
This city is busy with tourists for most of the the year. Booking ahead, especially from Easter to September and Christmas time, is strongly recommended. [Internet booking is good value and efficient.]
Although public transport is decent and fast, staying in heart of the city [preferably Stare Mesto or Mala Strana] is worthwhile since walking is the best way to explore the place and taxis can be an unpleasant experience.

Prague links

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