I made my first visit to Prague for New Year 05 and all I can say is book up for NY2006 now! Myself and 4 friends all agreed it was the best New Year ever! We spent 4 days there from the 30th December until the 2nd of January - and we can't wait to go back. This review mainly concentrates on the winter attractions in Prague - obviosuly Prague in summer offers something a little different but I think there are plenty of reviews on here to tell both sides of the coin.
I have tried to give a general overview of each thing and added a personal experience angle also, hope you enjoy:
TRAVEL: We got a direct flight from Edinburgh to Ruzyne airport in Prague with Czechairlines. We felt the price was reasonable at just £150 each - the service onboard was very good and a direct flight is always a bonus. Our outbound flight was early morning and the return late at night giving us 4 full days away which was good. On arrival we ordered a taxi-bus from a company located at the airport (there are many of these located near the exit at the airport so you can't miss them) - it only cost a few pounds each once it was split between 5 and the service takes you directly to your hotel for this fixed price which was great. We did have to share the taxi with another person so I'm sure the company makes plenty profit taking this fixed sum from each group but considering we were in the taxi for half an hour the price turned out to be very reasonable. It also allowed us to relax and not worry about trailing luggage around or finding the hotel - the street names can be very confusing. I must admit the taxi driver did go RATHER fast - but this appears to be the norm for most taxis in Prague. We were pleased overall with the service and value of this taxi service and tried to book it for our return journey but out hotel had a contract with a different taxi firm. However, this other firm provided us with the same service back to the airport, turning up promptly to ensure we had plenty time to spare. For those who are a bit more confident in the Czech language or perhaps students on a tight budget, there is a regular bus service into town from the airport - and this costs less than £1 I believe. It may not offer the same comfort but as it's a good few miles trip this option offers great value for money. As long as you are able, the best way to get around Prague is on foot. The centre (Praha 1) does strech out quite a bit but there is plenty to see and do everywhere you look. And there is so much stunning architecture that it would be a waste not to walk around and take it all in. In terms of vehicles, there are regular trams and bus services. We did not actually use these but they appeared to operate frequently right across the centre and beyond. The only difficulty I expect would be knowing where to get off unless you speak Czech. A Metro system also operates which has a good reputation of being both clean and efficient. A word of warning on taxis - a lot of them they are notorious for charging tourists a fortune to travel even the shortest of trips so it's best to avoid hailing a cab on the street if you can. Check with your hotel for a reputable firm but if you want a taxi but to be honest we found it much easier to get around on foot and only used the fixed cost taxi service for our journeys to and from the airport.
ACCOMODATION: We stayed in the Central Hotel in Praha 1 - perfectly placed just a few minutes walk from both Old Town and Wenceslas Squares. The 3* hotel was modern and clean, and provided a lovely breakfast each morning. They even put
on a late breakfast on New Year's day with breakfast and dinner items for the hungover party goers - a nice touch taken up by all staying by the looks of it. Some of the reception staff did not speak great English but we managed to get by well enough and didn't have any major problems. Our accomodation cost approx £120 each for 3 nights which was reasonable given it was a premium time of year. Like most capital cities, Prague offers a host of different accomodation to suit all pockets from hostels to 5 star hotels. We booked in advance due to the time of year but there were plenty of people arriving with their bags and booking in wherever they saw a sign outside advertising accomodation.
FOOD AND DRINK: There are loads of restaurants and pubs of all types in Prague from basic pub grub to big fancy restaurants. We tried quite a few of the local places and feasted in the local delicacy of Goulash and dumplings. This stodgy type food was a nice change but you wouldn't want it every day - it's far too filing for start. The portions tend to be very generous so beware how much you order! In general though, the Czech food was tasty enough - though I did miss getting some nice vegetables with my meal. There are all sorts of international food places to chose from, such as Chinese, Indian and Mexican. And of course if all else fails - Prague has been very much Westernised by....you guessed it...McDonalds! (...and KFC....and Pizza Hut!) The prices were generally good, a bit cheaper than in th U.K, particularly the local establishments. For a 2 course meal you could expect to pay £10 - £12 a head with a drink included. By hunting around you could eat even cheaper which is good for those on a budget. Unfortunately, smoking is vertycommon in all the restaurants, so try and get a seat near a window if you can. There are restuarants on every street so you will have no problem finding somewhere to eat. If you like Mexican then our favourite restaurant was Tequila Sunrise, located just off Old Town Square. Like many restaurants, it is an intimate setting with seating for probably no more than 30. It had an extensive selection of Mexican foods - many with a Czech twist which were all delicious and at very good prices. After the main courses got the thumbs up, we got greedy and ordered desert - big mistake - they were huge! No-one could finish them but again they were an absolute treat. To compliment the good food we ordered from the large cocktail menus - it was Pussy Foots all round! They were divine - strawberry and pineapple with a few spirits mixed in for a kick - I'm still licking my lips now.
In terms of pubs, there are plenty to chose from. Again there is a large array of local watering holes mixed in with some themed bars and of course the statutory Irish bars aswell! Whether young or old though, there is something for everyone in terms of bars. The local beer was tasty and cost on average 80p a pint (though you get a large head on every one!). Spirits were cheaper than the U.K but cocktails and fancier drinks were closer to the prices back home.
NIGHTLIFE: Every bar and club seemed to be packed - probably because it was New Year. But this only added to the atmosphere. Like the pubs, there is a large selection of clubs to suit all tastes - some of the dance clubs get good DJ's over so look out for local advertising. I even went into a Jazz club - and enjoyed myself. I would highly recommend trying one out - the atmosphere was fantastic. Drinks tend to be more expensive in clubs and many charge an admission fee so its best to plan where you really want to go rather than paying in then deciding not to stay. To be honest we never met a lot of locals on nights out - it was all tourists, but we met some great people and had loads of fun.
SHOPPING: There are masses of shops from posh designer centres to cure little craft shops up alley ways - there is something unique and cool to be found up every nook and cranny in Prague - part of the fun is finding these gems! For the label lovers, there are a loads of exclusive designer stores, the prices in these are much the same as home. There are plenty of chains selling clothes, records and household goods at reasonable prices. And of course, tourist shops can be found around EVERY corner. They sell all sorts of Prague goodies from t-shirts to flags to pens and books. They also specialise in persume bottles, puppets and Russian dolls - you get whole shops full of these - its amazing! Some of the hand crafted stuff is beautiful whilst there is a lot of cheap and cheerful stuff too. Whatever your taste, you will find plenty of souvenirs to take home. And there is a big Tesco supermarket should you need supplies - they sell VERY cheap beer :-) Apart from the shops, there are lots of stalls on the street, some selling trinkets, others food. These are great fun to walk around and if nothing else, the smell of the food will tempt you to buy. On the Charles Bridge, there are artists selling all kinds of photos and paintings of the Bridge - out of all the hundreds there's bound to be one you like! The one problem I found with many shops and stalls is that they simply did not have change. I suspect this may have been a trick reserved for tourists! It was often only a matter of 50p in change you were due but if you didn't have the right money then you would have to not buy or forfeight the change. It wasn't like we lost a great deal of money but just slightly irritating when you think you are being conned. So always try and have the right change or close to it if possible.
THINGS TO DO: There are endless things to do in Prague but I will just tell you about the main things we managed to do.
Prague Castle - Architecture to make you gasp, a must see. It's a steep walk up but worth every ache and pain to get there. To get to the castle is you walk over the Charles Bridge (a famous sight in itself and one not to miss). There are various historical areas to the Castle - I will be honest and say I don't know the signifincance of them all but you can pay into different parts for a few pounds at a time depending on what you want to see. You can also get an audio guide but the queue was so long we decided against wasting time queuing to buy this. Even without paying for anything you get to see so much for free it is worth the walk up. And you can't help but be astounded at the beauty of the castle - simply breathtaking.
Old Town Square - The Square oozes character with magnificent architecture all around it. On the square is the famous astronomical clock which attacts huge crowds every hour when the skeletons come out and perform! We ventured up the tower which houses the clock and went right to the top to see fantastic views across the city - I think it was only £1.50 to go to the top - definately worth the money. There were Christmas markets in the square when we visited which were truly magical - more on this later. A number of cafes / restaurants surround the square with outdoor seating - when i first saw this i thought they were insane - sittings outside in snow - but the heaters above keep you toasting and its actually a lovely experience sipping beer in the middle of winter outside in such beautiful surroundings. Being in a prime location though, these cafes were the most expensive we found - charging up to £5 a drink, so needless to say we SIPPED the beer and made it last before moving on.
Wenceslas Square - There are more shops located around here and plenty places to eat, relax, gamble and so on. At the top is the statue of King Wenceslas himself and the magnificent National Museum looks down on you. As it happens, there was a concert there on New Year's day. I've never listened to Classicial music before but feeling cultural we payed £10 each for a seat (which turned out to be cushions along steps!) and it turned out to be a very enriching experience. I don't know how often this concerts take place but certainly worth seeing if you get the chance as the building inside is highly impressive.
Tours - There are tours galore to choose from in Prague. One of the most popular is walking tours - some of which include lunch and drinks at various places. And you don't get lost as the guide always walks around with an umbrella in the air for you to see! Horses and carts are also popular although I'm not sure how much this costs. We took a boat tour - mainly because someone dressed as a sailor stopped us near the Charles Bridge and sold us the package (these sailors are everywhere - they are a little pushy but friendly and not at all aggresive). For £7 each we got a seat aboard and a beer and cake - not bad value at all. The tour lasted an hour and took us down the famous Vltava River showing us all sorts of sights. I think we got lucky with our guide - he spoke great English and seemed genuinely interested in what he was telling us - he really was proud of his city and we enjoyed the tour all the more for it. There is a chance to tip at the end and we gladly did. We also took a bus tour which was a bit different! There are lots of tours available, just pick up a leaflet at the many kiosks located throughout the city centre to find out about them. These go right through Prague and beyond. They visit lots of interesting places such as Historic Prague and the Jewish Quarters - there was something for all age groups. We just wanted to see more of the city so selected the short city tour at a cost of around £6 each. The tour lasted just over an hour and you get a headset to select your language. We did see more of the city but to be honest the driver seemed to speed past things - so you didn't get a proper look. Some of the facts they tell you seemed a bit pointless too - but between this and the fast driving we certainly got a laugh anyway! The tour did let us see other parts of the city - but it doesn't go in depth should you want some real good facts. I'm sure some of the other tours were a bit better though - the buses always seemed busy anyway.
OTHER: In terms of weather, it's very cold in winter. EVERYONE, and i mean EVERYONE was wearing a hat scarve and gloves - and don't worry, the shops and stalls sell loads of them if you forget. The people are different than back home, they are not so friendly in shops and restaurants, but I think this is just their nature, they are not being rude so don't take offence. Sometimes they would clear away your plate before everyone had finished, again this is just a different way of doing things there. With regards to dress, everyone is pretty casual, dressing for the weather rather than fashion. This was nice as it was just too cold for mini-skirts and low cut tops!
And finally, the reason we went -
NEW YEAR! - The new year celebrations were what made the holiday. We weren't sure which pub to go to but as it turned out there is a massive Street party in Old Town Square. The place was just magical - there were Christmas markets selling decorations and craftwork, stalls selling mulled wine and chestnuts, spit roasts, fireworks, champagne - it was like something out of a film it was so perfect! There was a huge Christmas tree and a stage in the middle where live bands played on New Year's Eve - and the place was jam packed with tourists like ourselves drinking and having the time of our lives. When the bells rang, the place just erupted, there were fireworks everywhere, champage thrown about and hugs and kisses galore - a moment so good it was hard to describe. And for the next few hours we just walked round the square embracing people of all nationalities with a New Years hug - the amount of different nationalities there was phenomenal - we met Germans, Italians, French, Irish, Russian, and on and on and on. The atmosphere was just unbelievable. At one end of the square there is a big area which forms and everyone throws their bottles in and smashes them - must be a local tradition. I imagine it would start a riot here but there is was all part of the fun. You have to be careful as people do throw fireworks around quite freely, but it's not malicious, just part of the celebration. The fireworks displays are just amazing, and people let them off for hours afterwards - it never seems to end. The one thing to watch out for is pickpockets. With so many people there, we were warned they look for tourists and will even slit open bags and coats to get the goods out - so keep any bags or purses in front of you, not over your shoulder. I think the friendliness of everyone we met on New Year's Eve was what really blew us away - we took so many photos and video of our new friends that is still hasn't all been developed yet. Everyone was boozy drinking the champagne, beer and wine sold by street sellers but there was never any hint of trouble, just good fun and celebrations.
So as you can see, I would definately recommend going to Prague for the New Year. Between the Christmas markets and the New Year celebrations, I can't think of anything to beat it. Until you have experienced it, I don't think you can fully understand how magical it is. And just as a hint, unlike here, hardly anything closes on New Year's day! All the restaurants and pubs were open (though some had special menus), the tours ran as normal, the shops were open - it was just business as usual but with a special atmosphere - so don't worry about not getting food or drink on New Year's day.
New Year's celebrations apart, Prague is a fantastically beautiful city, with some of the most stunning sights I've seen. There is lots to see and do whatever your age or interests. At the moment is it still fairly cheap compared to the U.K. although prices are rising all the time due to the increasing popularity of the place - so go now! Our flights and hotel cost us just over £250 each - which was good considering it was New Year. I spent a couple of hundred pounds over 4 days on meals, drinks, tours, entrances and a few souvenirs. But you could get away with £100 if you budgeted carefully and didn't buy lots of presents. I can only sum up by saying it's the best European city I have visited due to the beauty of the place and the vibrant atmosphere. Some of it really must be seen to be believed. I cannot recommend it highly enough as a holiday destination - and if you get the chance to go at Christmas/New Year you must go - you will LOVE it!
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Advantages: A very beautiful and historic city with plenty to keep you occupied Disadvantages: Can be very crowded and increasing in popularity with stag weekenders
fizzytom 02.02.2004 (28.04.2004)
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