Hello,
we are thinking about travelling to Prague near Easter, is it a good date to stay? I stayed there 8 years ago and I have heard that now there are many many tourists.
We would like to ask some quiestion else...
Anyone knows Residence Masna? And Hotel Tuulip Maximiliam? Any opinion about?
Is it dangerous to stroll by the Charles Brigde in the evening/night? I would like to take a romantic promenade there...
We are going to stay 4 nights in Prague, is enough to take a day trip to Cesky Krumlov o Karlovy?
Thanks.
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We felt quite safe walking through Prague even in the late evenings, and certainly in the major tourist areas like the Bridge and Old Town Square. One has to be careful and take appropriate precautions in any major city of course.
With four days, you should have enough time for a day trip to either of the above or to the edifying and sobering Nazi Gestapo prison and concentration camp in Terezin. Enjoy your trip.
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Thanks for your answer.
Anything else? Do you know about romantic restaurants? I would appreciate if they have terrific views of Prague.
thanks again.
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Both hotels are nice, very close by in an excellent location. Maximilian offers more services, they have a bar, even though it is not manned. Masna is a real residence, with cooking facilities in the rooms, but no restaurant or bar. Maximilian is very modern, Masna more cozy kind of place. Both good choice, really depends on what you expect.
Prague is not dangerous at all.
Romatic restaurant with a view I would suggest Kampa Park, www.kampagroup.com. Romatic/ no view would be Pallfy Palac.
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Concerning daytrips, the organized ones are the easiest, such as Karlovy Vary or Kutna Hora. Cesky Krumlov is a bit far for a daytrip and it is worth to stay there over night anyway! Keep it for your next visit - like most of the visitor are coming back...
Easter is very very full. I personally avoid traveling anywhere in Europe for Easter and here in Prague, I avoid the city. If you can, pick another date. Also it is the absolute high season and if you insist on paying the highest hotel rates, that%26#39;s the time of year.
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Hi again....
Perhaps my english is not the best...
The trip is for 31 March to 4 April so is not really in Easter Day, would be a little less tourist then?
Thanks again.
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prague wont be quiet in the first week of april, but then it wont be as busy at easter.
I would go for the maximilian over the residence masna - much more comfort.
Cesky krumlov can be done in a long day by bus and is well worth going to. There are also many tourist companies you will see by the muncipal house who will offer organised day trips (although at much more expensive prices than public transport)
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If you do choose one of the many tour companies going to Cesky Krumlov, there are several questions you should ask. 1. Does the price include lunch? If so, is lunch lean chicken or fish at a restaurant with a patio view overlooking the Castle, or is lunch fatty pork and gravy dumplings in some restaurant%26#39;s basement? How long is lunch? Some tour companies let slow eaters/talkers delay the rest of the group%26#39;s sightseeing of the town. This town is VERY beautiful; one has NOT come a long way and spent a lot of money just to watch other people eat, smoke, and talk. 2. Are entrance fees included? If so, do I see the Masquerade Hall or Baroque Theater? (I think the Masquerade Hall is much more impressive where figures painted on the wall seem to step out into the room.). 3. Will the Castle be open the day of my travel? The Castle is open from April 1st through October 31st, except on Mondays unless Monday is a holiday. If Monday is a holiday, the Castle is open but closed the following day. On days that the Castle is closed, many tour companies go to the main square in Ceske Budejovice, a poor second choice. If at all possible, go on a day when you can see the Castle%26#39;s interiors during your visit to Cesky Krumlov. 4. How long is the trip? Some tours quote 9 hours whereas other tour companies last 11 hours. 5. How does the tour company%26#39;s price compare to other tour companies%26#39; prices? %26quot;Discover Czech%26quot; and %26quot;Easy Prague%26quot; advertise a winter price of around 1,750 CZK per person for adults. (The %26quot;Easy Prague%26quot; website says it charges 1,990 CZK per adult in summer). %26quot;Prague Private Guides%26quot; charges 315 Euros (about 8,682 CZK at current exchange rates) for a driver, two passengers, AND a guide. This fare would equal 4,341 CZK per passenger! How long will you remember dates and names? It is the town%26#39;s architecture you have come to see and will remember forever. Their website says lunch is NOT included, but %26quot;suggestions are made.%26quot; Their website lists a charge of 8 Euros per person extra (220 CZK) for entrance fees. As a comparison, the Castle%26#39;s own box office charges %26quot;Foreigners%26quot; 160 CZK for tour #1 (Masquerade Hall), 140 CZK for tour #2, and 180 CZK for the Baroque Theater. The prices for Czech nationals are lower. If the English tours are full, take the tour in ANY language; no language is needed to appreciate the Masquerade Hall.
Public transportation (schedules at www.idos.cz; has an English version with the English flag at the lower right corner of the page) would cost you 20 CZK per adult to ride the metro to the Prague bus station and less than 180 CZK per adult, depending on the exact route, to take the bus from Prague to Cesky Krumlov. The bus is currently faster and cheaper than the train. If you are a novice, take a direct bus without transfers since the main bus station in Ceske Budejovice is being replaced making transfers there difficult. The bus station in Cesky Krumlov is also MUCH closer to the old town than the train station. (There is printable town map of Cesky Krumlov at castleview.cz/www/…central to show you these landmarks).
Mike%26#39;s chauffeur at www.mike-chauffeur.cz quotes a ten hour trip from Prague to Cesky Krumlov for 3,500 CZK in a midsize vehicle with an English speaking driver. (His rate is 4,000 CZK for a much larger minibus seating eight passengers). For a family or group of three to four people who don%26#39;t want the hassle of public transportation, this would be a great deal with MUCH flexibility even though one would buy one%26#39;s own lunch and Castle admission. A reasonable lunch at a river side restaurant overlooking the Castle could cost less than 200 CZK. Add to this price the 160 CZK to see the Masquerade Hall plus one third of 3,500 CZK (1167 CZK) to get 1,527 CZK per person for a group of three people. Each one of them has already saved between 213 CZK ($10 at current exchange rates) and 463 CZK depending on the time of year, tour company, etc. If a fourth person goes on the trip, the savings are even greater.
Concerning Prague, one can easily see it in a day if one starts at the Prague Castle and just walks downhill during the day. Although St. Vitus%26#39; Cathedral opens at 9:00 (Sundays it is closed to tourists during mass), get there before that to see the sun striking the gold mosaics above the entrance by St. Wenceslas Chapel and the stained glass windows inside the Gothic Cathedral. Spend several hours inside the Castle grounds depending on your interests. Then walk down the castle steps (adjacent to the Castle Wall starting at the main entrance) towards Charles Bridge as you have a panorama of the town. Just before the Bridge, look inside St. Nicholas%26#39; Cathedral to see the Baroque style. After you cross Charles Bridge head to the Old Town Hall, just to say you have seen it. Beware of pickpockets in the crowd watching the astronomical clock. The adjacent Town Square is worth seeing as well as the Tyn Church, another type of Gothic architecture. Follow the street to the right of the Tyn Church to the Art Nouveau Municipal House. Step inside to see the ceilings of the two ground floor restaurants. Smetana Hall is also in this building for music lovers. Afterwards walk to Wenceslas Square (actually shaped like a long thin rectangle) to see the Art Nouveau Hotel Europa. Do not be put off by the hideous yellow paint job on the front, but go to the first floor to see a beautiful atrium that probably inspired the Brown Palace in Denver. Remember that in Europe the street level is called the ground floor, the next level is the mezzanine, and the floor above that is the, yep you guessed it, %26quot;first %26quot; floor. At the top of the Square is a Museum and the steps where the student Jan Palach set himself on fire to protest the Soviets in 1969.
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We went with Mike to Cesky Krumlov last April - it was the best day we had.
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