Categoria: Prague

Prague is a “magic city” at the center of Europe. The whole history of Prague can be told through legends: the same name (Praha) “threshold” recalls the foundation of the city wanted by Princess Libuse, a wise woman of great beauty with mysterious magical powers. So begins the magical story of Prague, with big and small legends, including the most famous of Rabbi Loew and his golem, terrible monster created to defend the Jews of Prague from persecution.

In addition to these legendary and magic tales (for those who believe), Prague offers much more reasons to visit it: it’s a welcoming capital, secure, well preserved, with monuments, history and beauty, and a nightlife with no limits. The prices of the hotels in Prague are still accessible. For this reason we suggest you to plan your trip with our guide and discover the 10 things to do and see during a weekend or a holiday in Prague.

If you are looking for a hotel in Prague, we suggest you to choose among those offered by Booking.com. There are about 400 hotels with prices, pictures  and comments of guests already stayed there. Go to Booking.com

1

Anyone who has read Kafka, will recognize in the Castle the disturbing presence of almost all the novels of the great writer. A symbol of power, the Prague Castle  seems to be threatening and inaccessible

Long steep roads, including the beautiful and hard Nerudova Street, will let you  discover  this place where since many  centuries mingle history and legend, sacred and profane things. St. Vitus Cathedral, the symbol of the Czech religiosity, coexists with the Golden Alley, where alchemists wanted by Rudolf II were looking for the elixir of life and the magic formula to turn base metals into gold.

2

Malá Strana in Czech means “Little section” and is the name which, since the ‘300 is identified this part of Prague toward Nove Mesto, the New Town. Destroyed in 1541 by a great fire, it was rebuilt by Italian artists and architects, who gave it its current Baroque and Renaissance appearance.

Still intact, Malá Strana is a small gem with small squares, beautiful buildings and romantic corners. The Church of St. Nicolas (in Prague there are two) divided into two sides  Malá Strana and on the whole district there is the imposing Castle, which can be reached by climbing  beautiful (and steep) panoramic stairs.

3

After Malá Strana, the other great historic neighborhood is Stare Mesto, which in Czech means Old Town. The center of the district is the Old Town Square, which has always been the place of important events in Prague: from coronations of kings to the executions of the condemned people.

This troubled history is found mainly in the many architectural styles that you can find in the square, although the appearance is always balanced. Today the main attraction is the astronomical clock of the Town Hall that every hour gives “life” to the statues that move and chase each other in an ancient ritual. Another great monument not to be missed is Church Týn and its the gothic spiers.

4

Among the walls of Prague Castle stands this beautiful Gothic cathedral, one of the largest in Europe:

it’s 124 meters long, 60 wide and 33 meters high. Arriving at the castle after visiting Malá Strana, the first thing you’ll notice is the contrast between the Baroque of the lower quarter and the typical pointy spiers of the Cathedral. The interior is beautiful and uniform, although the constructions lasted  six centuries. We suggest you to visit the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, the underground crypt with tombs of Bohemian kings and the treasure with jewels for the coronation of kings.

5

The disordered tombs of the Jewish cemetery are perhaps the most exciting show in Prague. They tell the story of Josefov, Prague’s Jewish ghetto, close to the Old Town Square, where the city’s Jews have lived from 900 to 1708.

Forced to live within a few square kilometers, the Jews have learned to use every little space, creating a kind of labyrinth in which private houses, shops and workshops were confused.

Here lived rabbi Low and his legendary Golem, Franz Kafka and 77,279 Czech Jews and Moldovans massacred by the Nazis. Don’t miss the Jewish ghetto, even if you have little time to visit Prague.

6

One of the things you have to see during a visit to Prague is the Dancing House, an extraordinary building dedicated to the great dancing couple formed by Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.

Fred and Ginger, in fact, is one of the names that were given to this palace on the bank of the Vltava built from 1992 to 1996. Designed and built by architect F.O Gehry (the same as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao) is formed by two palaces that look like a dancing couple. One of the buildings stretches out towards the other, which is waiting for the other’s embrace. On the top floor there is a French restaurant which offers great views of the Moldava.

7

The long walking tours to visit Prague is a good excuse to justify to yourself the calories of typical Prague cuisine. You won’t be able to resist to restaurants (Restaurace), taverns (hostinec) and bars (pivnice) on the tourist routes of the old town.

Try the pork (vepřové) served roast (Vepřová vecene) and accompanied by dumplings leavened (knedliky), potatoes (brambory) or sauerkraut (kysele Zeli). The most popular dessert, for sale on every corner, it’s the crepe  (palačinky) with jam (džem), chocolate or strawberry (jahody). The final blow usually comes with a shot of slivovitz (plum liqueur) or Becherovka, a herb liqueur.

8

In the center of Prague, within a few hundred meters, there’s an extraordinary selection of pubs, restaurants, and some of the biggest and beautiful clubs in Europe.

If in the Malà Strana district there’s  more private and relaxed atmosphere, in the Charles Bridge in the Old Town area  life is chaotic in discotheques and clubs.

People use to go in the 4 most important nightclubs: the Duplex in Wenceslas Square; The Karlovy Lazne, the largest disco in Central Europe, a few steps from Charles Bridge; The Klub Lávkam in Old Town Square and Lucerna Music Bar, popular with young people of Prague.

These are the most famous nightclubs, but on the street you’ll notice all kind of entertainments including some great jazz clubs and several erotic clubs.

9

If you are looking for a typical Czech souvenir, Prague is the best place to find it. The most expensive gift you can do is definitely the Bohemian crystal, which has a centuries-old tradition and an appropriate cost to reputation. They come in all shapes and colors, from those that reproduce the glass from the time of Rudolf IV in much more modern forms.

Much more accessible are  the puppets and the handmade wooden toys, which are in the shops of Malà Strana and the Golden Lane in the Castle. Among food products, there are the Spa Wafers, some good home – made beer (great Czech tradition). The gift par excellence, however, is a bottle of slivovitz or Becherovka, herbal liqueurs and plum with which you can finish any meal in Prague and throughout the Czech Republic.

10

Prague has an excellent range of hotels, apartments, B&Bs,  hostels, with still  low prices compared to the average of other European capitals. The best area in which to sleep in Prague is called Zone 1 which includes all the central part of the city: Malá Strana, the area of the Castle and the Old Town.

Here, hotels cost a little more than suburban areas but they have the advantage of being safe and quiet. With a few euro more per night you will avoid to move to the suburbs. The costs for a 3 star hotel in Prague ranging from 35 to 120 Euros per night. Very affordable hostels and shared rooms, but without privacy.

If you are looking for a hotel in Prague, we suggest you to choose among those offered by Booking.com. There are about 400 hotels with prices, pictures  and comments of guests already stayed there. Go to Booking.com