# Prague Hotels — Full Content Dump Source: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/ Format: plain text optimised for LLM ingestion Last built: see file mtime This document is the concatenated content of every guide and major information page on the Prague Hotels website. For a navigable index, see https://prague-hotels.org.uk/llms.txt ====================================================================== ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Home # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/index.html ====================================================================== # Stay in the heart of Prague , from cobbled lanes to castle views. 114 hand-picked hotels and apartments — 3-star value, 4-star comfort, 5-star landmarks. Most steps from the Old Town Square, Charles Bridge or Wenceslas Square. 114 Prague hotels and apartments ranging from 5-star deluxe to 3-star value — all hand-picked, all close to the city's major attractions, all bookable direct on Booking.com. Whether you're after the Grand Hotel Praha in front of the famous Astronomical Clock, Hotel Certovka and Hotel Kampa Garden beside Charles Bridge, or Hotel Adria on Wenceslas Square, we cover the famous chains alongside the smaller family-run hotels you won't find on the big booking sites. Most of our hotels sit within walking distance of Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square and the major theatres — and almost all are a few stops on the Metro or tram from anywhere else. ## 3-Star Hotels in Prague Comfortable, well-located rooms at the best prices — many within 200m of Wenceslas Square or the Old Town. See all 3-star hotels → ## 4-Star Hotels in Prague Refined comfort and prime addresses — design hotels, business favourites and beloved boutique stays. See all 4-star hotels → ## 5-Star Hotels in Prague Deluxe landmarks on the Old Town Square, Charles Bridge and Wenceslas Square — Prague's most prestigious addresses. See all 5-star hotels → ## All 114 Prague Hotels Browse and filter our complete collection — by star rating, neighbourhood and name — with live availability on Booking.com. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: About Prague # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/about-prague.html ====================================================================== Prague — Czech Praha — is the capital of the Czech Republic, a city of about 1.3 million people spread across the seven hills that overlook the Vltava river in central Bohemia. It is the most-visited city in central Europe outside of Vienna, and one of the few major European capitals that came through the Second World War largely intact. ## Fast facts | Country | Czech Republic (Czechia) | Population | ~1.3 million in the city; ~2.7 million metro area | Language | Czech (English widely spoken in tourist areas) | Currency | Czech koruna (CZK / Kč) — not the euro | Time zone | CET (UTC+1), CEST (UTC+2) in summer | Country code | +420 | Electricity | 230V, Type E sockets (same as France) | Driving | Right-hand | Schengen / EU | Yes (joined EU 2004, Schengen 2007) ## Geography Prague straddles the Vltava — Czech's longest river, made famous by Smetana's symphonic poem of the same name — which runs north through the city in a series of bends and is crossed by 18 bridges. The historic city centre is built on five gentle hills: Hradčany (the castle), Petřín, Vyšehrad, Vítkov (the green hill above Žižkov) and Letná. The city is small enough to cross on foot in about 40 minutes; almost every visitor sight is within a 2km radius. Prague is divided into 22 administrative districts numbered Prague 1 to Prague 22, but visitors only need to know the central ones: - Prague 1 — Old Town, Lesser Town, Hradčany, most of New Town. - Prague 2 — Vinohrady, Vyšehrad, parts of New Town. - Prague 3 — Žižkov. - Prague 5 — Smíchov. - Prague 7 — Holešovice, Letná. - Prague 8 — Karlín, Libeň. See our neighbourhoods guide for the character of each. ## Language & communication Czech is a West Slavic language related to Slovak and Polish, written in Latin script with diacritics (the famous háček ˇ on letters like č, š, ž). It is not an easy language for English speakers — seven grammatical cases, lots of consonants, declension everywhere — but Czechs don't expect visitors to learn it, and English is universal in tourist-facing businesses. A few basics that go a long way: - Dobrý den — hello (lit. "good day"); the default greeting until evening. - Dobrý večer — good evening. - Děkuji — thank you. - Prosím — please / you're welcome / pardon. - Na shledanou — goodbye. - Pivo, prosím — beer, please. ## Climate Prague has a temperate continental climate — four real seasons, cold winters, warm-to-hot summers, and unreliable shoulder seasons. See our best time to visit guide for the month-by-month detail. ## Culture Few cities of Prague's size punch above their weight as consistently in art and literature. - Literature: Franz Kafka, Václav Havel, Milan Kundera, Karel Čapek (who coined the word "robot"), Bohumil Hrabal, Jaroslav Hašek (The Good Soldier Švejk). - Music: Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Leoš Janáček, Bohuslav Martinů, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. - Art: Alfons Mucha (Art Nouveau), František Kupka (an early abstract painter), David Černý (the contemporary provocateur whose sculptures dot the city). - Film: The Czech New Wave of the 1960s (Miloš Forman, Jiří Menzel); Prague is also one of the most-used international film locations in Europe. ## Economy The Czech Republic has one of the highest per-capita GDPs in central Europe, well above the EU average. The economy is strongly industrial — Škoda Auto (owned by Volkswagen) is one of Europe's largest car manufacturers — supplemented by tourism, IT, biotech and the European headquarters of a number of multinationals based in Prague. Prague itself has the highest per-capita GDP of any Czech region, at roughly twice the national average. ## Religion & secularism The Czech Republic is one of the most secular countries in Europe — fewer than 30% of Czechs identify with any religion in census data, and the rate of declared atheism is among the highest in the world. This is striking given the architectural Catholicism on display in every neighbourhood, and a legacy partly of the Hussite religious reform of the 15th century and partly of four decades of state-enforced atheism under communism. ## Getting around Excellent public transport — three Metro lines, dense trams, integrated buses, all on one ticket. Walking covers most of central Prague comfortably. Bolt and Uber both operate. See our public transport guide and airport guide for the details. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: History of Prague # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/history-of-prague.html ====================================================================== Prague has been continuously inhabited for over 1,100 years and has been the capital of three different states (the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire and Czechoslovakia) plus, eventually, the Czech Republic. Here is the history in eight minutes — long enough to make sense of the buildings, short enough to actually read on the way over. ## Before there was a city (to 880) The Vltava valley has been settled since the Paleolithic. Celts arrived around the 3rd century BC and built a fortified hilltop at Závist, south of modern Prague — at the time, one of the largest Celtic strongholds in Europe. Germanic tribes displaced them in the 1st century BC; Slavic tribes arrived in the 6th century AD and would become the ancestors of the modern Czechs. ## The Přemyslid foundation (880–1306) According to Czech legend, the city was founded by Princess Libuše, who stood on the rocks of Vyšehrad and prophesied a great city "whose glory will touch the stars". Historically, the founders were the Přemyslid dynasty — Prince Bořivoj I built the first castle on the Vltava around 880, and Prague became the seat of the Bohemian crown. The city grew quickly: a bishopric in 973, a major trading hub by the 11th century, drawing merchants and Jewish communities from across Europe. The Judith Bridge (the first stone bridge across the Vltava, 1172) was a sign of how confident and wealthy the Přemyslid kings had become. ## The Golden Age — Charles IV (1346–1378) If you walk through any old part of Prague you're walking through Charles IV's city. Born in Prague in 1316 to the Přemyslid princess Elizabeth and the Luxembourg John of Bohemia, raised at the French court, Charles inherited Bohemia in 1346 and within two years had been crowned Holy Roman Emperor. He turned Prague into one of the great cities of medieval Europe. In thirty years he founded the first university north of the Alps (Charles University, 1348), laid out the entire New Town (Nové Město) with its still-visible street grid, started St. Vitus Cathedral , commissioned what would become the Charles Bridge (1357), built the storybook fortress at Karlštejn to safeguard the imperial crown jewels, and elevated the Prague bishopric to an archbishopric. He left Prague briefly third in Europe by population, behind only Rome and Constantinople. ## Hussite turbulence (15th century) The religious reformer Jan Hus — Prague-born, a professor at Charles University — was burned as a heretic at the Council of Constance in 1415. His followers, the Hussites, rose in armed revolt; their commander Jan Žižka (whose tomb sits atop the hill in Žižkov that bears his name) repelled five Catholic crusades before his death. The Hussite Wars left Prague battered but Czech religious independence intact for two centuries. ## Rudolfine renaissance & the Defenestration (1576–1648) Emperor Rudolf II moved the imperial court from Vienna to Prague in 1583 and stayed for nearly 30 years. Under Rudolf, Prague became a Mannerist and early-Baroque capital — alchemists, astronomers (Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler both worked here), painters and Jewish scholars (the Maharal of Prague, of Golem legend) flooded the city. The party ended with the Second Defenestration of Prague on 23 May 1618, when Protestant noblemen threw three Catholic officials out of a window in the Bohemian Chancellery (they survived — Catholic propaganda attributed it to angels; Protestant accounts blamed a pile of manure). The incident sparked the Thirty Years' War . The Bohemian Protestant army was crushed at the Battle of White Mountain just outside Prague in 1620, and Czech independence ended for the next 300 years. ## Habsburg twilight (1620–1914) Under the Habsburgs, Prague slipped from imperial capital to provincial city. German became the language of administration; much of the Baroque architecture you see today dates from this period, including the Klementinum library complex and the rebuilding of much of Malá Strana. By the 19th century the Czech National Revival was reviving the language and culture — Smetana wrote Má vlast, Dvořák the New World Symphony, Mucha was painting Sarah Bernhardt posters in Paris. ## The First Republic (1918–1938) The First World War shattered Austria-Hungary. On 28 October 1918 the Czechoslovak state was proclaimed in Prague; Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the philosopher-president, returned from exile to lead it. The interwar period was Prague's second golden age — Functionalist architecture (the cubist Black Madonna House, the Müller villa by Adolf Loos), Karel Čapek's stories, Janáček's operas, Kafka's prose. It lasted twenty years. ## Occupation, war, communism (1938–1989) The Munich Agreement of September 1938 handed Czechoslovakia's border regions to Nazi Germany; six months later the Wehrmacht occupied the rest. Prague spent the war as the capital of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The 1942 assassination of the Nazi Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich by Czechoslovak paratroopers — and the brutal reprisals that followed — is one of the war's defining stories. Soviet forces liberated Prague in May 1945. By 1948 the Communist Party had taken full control. The brief liberalisation of the 1968 Prague Spring under Alexander Dubček was crushed by Warsaw Pact tanks in August. Two decades of "normalisation" followed — a period defined for many Czechs by Václav Havel's plays and samizdat essays. ## Velvet Revolution & today (1989–) On 17 November 1989, a peaceful student march down Národní třída was beaten back by riot police. Within days hundreds of thousands were filling Wenceslas Square. The Communist Party gave up power on 28 November. By the end of December, Havel was president. There was no bloodshed; the world called it the Velvet Revolution . Three years later, on 1 January 1993, the country split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia — the "Velvet Divorce". The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. A useful chronology in three stops: Vyšehrad for the legendary foundation, St. Vitus Cathedral and Charles Bridge for the Golden Age, and Národní třída for the spot where the Velvet Revolution began — there's a small bronze memorial in the arcade. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Best Time to Visit Prague # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/best-time-to-visit-prague.html ====================================================================== There is no bad time to visit Prague — but there is a right time, and it depends on whether you want Christmas-market magic, summer terraces, autumn light or a quiet city you can have to yourself. Here is the honest month-by-month breakdown. ## The short answer - Best overall: May, early June, September. - Best for atmosphere: December for Christmas markets, late January for snow. - Cheapest: Late January, February, early November. - Avoid: The week between Christmas and New Year if you don't like crowds or surge-priced rooms. ## Prague month by month | Month | Avg high / low | Crowds | Best for | January | 2°C / −4°C | Low | Snowy walks, low prices | February | 4°C / −3°C | Low | Cheapest hotels, museums, beer halls | March | 9°C / 0°C | Low–medium | Pre-season, Easter markets late month | April | 15°C / 4°C | Medium | Easter markets, blooming parks | May | 20°C / 9°C | Medium–high | Best balance — warm, leafy, not yet hot | June | 23°C / 12°C | High | Long days, river terraces, festivals | July | 25°C / 14°C | High | Beer gardens, evenings outdoors | August | 25°C / 14°C | High | Same as July, slight heat-wave risk | September | 20°C / 10°C | Medium–high | Wine harvest, golden light, fewer crowds | October | 14°C / 5°C | Medium | Autumn colour, Signal light festival | November | 7°C / 1°C | Low (mid-month) | Pre-Advent calm, cheapest stays | December | 3°C / −2°C | Very high | Christmas markets, mulled wine ## Spring (March–May): the sweet spot Spring in Prague is short and beautiful. The Vltava-side parks come back into leaf, the Letná beer garden reopens its terrace, and Easter markets fill the Old Town Square with painted eggs, hand-twisted pomlázka whips and the season's first trdelník . By May the trees in Petřín are in full blossom and outdoor cafés stretch to the curb. If you can only pick one week, late April through mid-May is hard to beat. Daytime temperatures sit in the high teens, evenings are jumper weather, and most of the city is back on summer hours without being busy. ## Summer (June–August): long days, lively city Summer Prague is a different city — alive past 10pm, beer gardens packed every night, river cruises full. The trade-offs are real: Old Town Square at midday is a sea of tour groups, hotel prices climb 30–50% above shoulder rates, and the August heat can hit 32°C with no air conditioning in older buildings. If you're visiting in July or August, confirm air conditioning before booking — many beautiful historic hotels in the Old Town and Malá Strana don't have it. Vinohrady's newer buildings reliably do. Festival highlights: the United Islands music festival in June, the Bohemia Jazz Fest in July, and outdoor cinema at Letná throughout August. ## Autumn (September–November): the locals' favourite Czechs will quietly tell you September is the best month in Prague. The summer crowds have thinned, the weather is still warm enough to sit outside, and the light has that long-golden quality that flatters Baroque facades. The wine harvest ( burčák season) overlaps with the start of the cultural year, so theatres and concert halls reopen. October brings the Signal Festival — four days of large-scale light installations across the city. Mid-November is the year's quietest moment: still pre-Advent, but with Christmas-market scaffolding already going up. ## Winter (December–February): magical, then quiet December in Prague is what it looks like on postcards — Old Town Square in lights, the smell of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, a tree the size of a building. The catch is everyone else has had the same idea. The week between 23 December and 2 January is the busiest and most expensive of the year; book early or skip it. January and February reward people who don't mind cold. The city empties out, hotels drop their rates, and you can walk Charles Bridge at sunrise with maybe three other people on it. Bring layers, waterproof shoes, and an appetite for goulash. Easter dates move year to year, so the Easter market dates move with them. Most Prague Christmas markets reliably open the weekend before the First Advent (late November) and close on Three Kings' Day, 6 January. ## Events to plan around - Easter Markets — Old Town Square, ~10 days around Easter - Prague Spring Music Festival — 12 May – 4 June (classical music, since 1946) - Khamoro World Roma Festival — Late May - United Islands — Mid-June, free music on the Vltava islands - Bohemia Jazz Fest — Mid-July, Old Town Square - Czech National Day — 28 October (many museums free) - Signal Festival — Mid-October, citywide light installations - Christmas Markets — Late November to 6 January ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Prague Airport to City Centre # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/prague-airport-to-city-centre.html ====================================================================== Prague's Václav Havel Airport sits 17km west of the Old Town. There are four sensible ways into the city — bus 119, the Airport Express, a licensed taxi or a Bolt rideshare — and the right one depends on your budget, luggage and patience. ## Quick comparison | Option | Price | Time | Best for | Bus 119 + Metro | 40 CZK | 35–50 min | Budget, light luggage | Airport Express | 100 CZK | 35–40 min | Direct to main railway station | Bolt / Uber | 350–500 CZK | 25–35 min | Comfort, late arrivals, groups | Licensed taxi | 600–800 CZK | 25–35 min | Door-to-door, fixed-price ## Option 1: Bus 119 + Metro line A (cheapest) This is what most Czechs do. Bus 119 is part of the standard Prague public transport network, so a single 90-minute integrated ticket (40 CZK) covers the bus, the Metro and any trams or buses you take afterwards on the same ticket. - Where: Outside Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, well-signposted from arrivals. - Frequency: Every 5–10 minutes between roughly 04:00 and 23:30. - Endpoint: Nádraží Veleslavín Metro station (line A). - From there: 4 stops to Můstek (Old Town / Wenceslas Square) — about 15 minutes. Buy your ticket before boarding from the yellow ticket machines or the DPP counter at arrivals. Validate it in the yellow box once on board — fines for unvalidated tickets are 800–1500 CZK. ## Option 2: Airport Express (AE) — direct to the railway station The Airport Express is a dedicated coach that runs non-stop to Hlavní nádraží , Prague's main railway station — useful if you have an onward train, or if your hotel is near the station, Wenceslas Square or the upper end of Vinohrady. - Price: 100 CZK, pay the driver in cash (CZK) or card. - Frequency: Every 30 minutes, 05:30–22:00. - Where: Look for the AE sign outside Terminal 1. - Luggage: Storage racks on board — easier than the regular bus 119. ## Option 3: Bolt or Uber (best value rideshare) Bolt is the locally-dominant app and is usually 20–30% cheaper than Uber, with the same airport pick-up zone. Standard journeys to the Old Town run 350–500 CZK (about €15–€21), no haggling. - Pick-up: Marked rideshare zones outside both terminals — follow the signs from arrivals. - Pay: Card via the app. No cash needed. - Surge: Late-night arrivals occasionally see 1.5–2× pricing. ## Option 4: Licensed taxi If you'd rather just step into a car at the rank, two firms have desks inside the arrivals hall: AAA Radiotaxi and FIX Taxi . Both quote a fixed price (currently around 600 CZK to most central addresses) before you set off. Avoid drivers touting for business in the hall — always use the desk or rank. If you're three or four people travelling together with luggage, Bolt or a taxi works out cheaper per person than four bus-and-Metro tickets. If you're solo and travelling light, bus 119 is the right answer. ## Special cases ### Arriving very late or very early Bus 119 stops running just before midnight; the Airport Express ends at 22:00. Between 00:00 and 04:00 your options are taxi, Bolt or the night bus 910 (which runs every hour but takes ~70 minutes into the centre). Pre-booking a transfer is worth it if your hotel is far from the centre. ### With heavy luggage Bus 119 has limited luggage space and gets crowded. If you have more than one large suitcase per person, the Airport Express or a taxi is the easier choice. ### Travelling with kids Children under 6 travel free on Prague public transport. The buses have low floors and pram space, but you'll still want a taxi or Bolt if your hotel is more than a short Metro walk. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Prague Public Transport Guide # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/prague-public-transport.html ====================================================================== Prague's public transport is genuinely excellent — three Metro lines, a dense tram network, and buses where the trams don't reach, all on one integrated ticket. Here's how to use it without paying a 1,500 CZK fine for an unvalidated ticket. ## The fare system in 30 seconds - One ticket covers everything — Metro, trams, buses, the Petřín funicular and the Airport bus 119. - Validate paper tickets once , then transfer freely until they expire. - Contactless cards can be tapped on entry — no ticket needed. ## Ticket prices | Ticket | Price (CZK) | Approx | Valid for | 30-minute short hop | 30 CZK | €1.25 / £1.05 | 30 mins from validation, all transfers | 90-minute standard | 40 CZK | €1.65 / £1.40 | 90 mins from validation, all transfers | 24-hour pass | 120 CZK | €5 / £4.20 | 24 hours from validation | 72-hour pass | 330 CZK | €13.50 / £11.50 | 72 hours from validation For most short stays the 24-hour pass pays for itself by the fourth ride. If you plan to use transport across 2–3 days, the 72-hour pass is the no-brainer. ## Where to buy tickets - Yellow ticket machines at every Metro station entrance and at major tram stops. They take cards and coins. - DPP info points at the airport, Hlavní nádraží, Můstek and Muzeum. - SMS ticket — send "DPT" (or "DPT24" for the day pass) to 90206 from a Czech SIM. - PID Lítačka app — the official app. Buy tickets, view maps, plan journeys. - Contactless tap — tap your card on any reader in the Metro or on board a tram/bus. ## The Metro Three lines, easy to navigate, signed in English and Czech. - Line A (green) — runs east–west across the centre. Stops include Hradčanská (for the castle), Staroměstská (for the Old Town), Můstek and Náměstí Míru. - Line B (yellow) — north-east to south-west, through Florenc, Náměstí Republiky and Anděl. - Line C (red) — north–south via Hlavní nádraží (main railway station) and Muzeum. Trains run every 2–5 minutes during the day. The next-train countdown clock on the platform is in the format MM:SS . ## The tram network Prague's trams are arguably more useful than the Metro for tourists — they reach Malá Strana and Hradčany (which the Metro doesn't), and they wind through neighbourhoods the underground misses entirely. The most useful tourist tram routes: - Tram 22 — the "tourist tram". Runs from Náměstí Míru up to Prague Castle via Malá Strana. Pass under Charles Bridge tower, get off at Pražský hrad. - Tram 17 — runs along the river, the prettiest tram ride in the city. - Tram 91 (heritage) — vintage trams run weekends April–November between Výstaviště and Náměstí Republiky. Doors don't open automatically — press the button on the door when the tram stops. Front doors are for prams and wheelchairs. ## Night transport Between midnight and 05:00 the Metro is closed, but a parallel network of night trams (numbers 91–99) and night buses (900-series) operates. Every line passes through Lazarská (a short walk from Wenceslas Square), where most onward connections are timed to meet within a few minutes. Tickets are the same as daytime. ## Common mistakes (and the fines) - Not validating a paper ticket. Stamp it in the yellow box once. Fine: 1,500 CZK (1,000 if paid on the spot). - Validating an already-valid ticket. If your ticket is still within its time window, don't re-stamp it. - Using a 30-min ticket for a 45-minute journey. Buy 90 if you're not sure. - Forgetting luggage costs. Each piece of luggage larger than 25×45×70 cm needs its own 20 CZK ticket. Backpacks don't count. ## The Petřín funicular Yes, the funicular up Petřín Hill counts as public transport — your day pass or 90-minute ticket covers it. The base station is at Újezd in Malá Strana; the top is a 5-minute walk from the miniature Eiffel Tower. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Money & Tipping in Prague # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/prague-money-tipping.html ====================================================================== Money in Prague is easier than it looks. The koruna throws people off — the numbers are big — but the rules are simple, and avoiding two specific tourist traps will save you more than any pre-trip currency app. ## The currency The Czech Republic uses the Czech koruna (Kč or CZK). It is not on the euro. As a rough guide: - 1 EUR ≈ 25 CZK - 1 GBP ≈ 28–29 CZK - 1 USD ≈ 23 CZK Notes come in 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000 CZK; coins in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 CZK. A few quick rules of thumb: a pub beer is 50–80 CZK, a tram ticket is 40 CZK, a sit-down lunch is 200–350 CZK. ## Two traps to avoid ### 1. Tourist-area exchange offices The exchange offices around the Old Town and Wenceslas Square frequently advertise "0% commission" while quoting rates 20–30% worse than the official mid-market. The board shows the rate they pay you , not the rate they sell at, and the difference is enormous. Local consumer-protection regulation now requires them to allow a 3-hour cooling-off period for cancellation — but they hope you don't know that. The rule: only use exchange offices if you have a recommendation. The Exchange.cz branch on Kaprova 14 (near the Jewish Quarter) is the one everybody points at, but even there, ATMs are usually marginally better. ### 2. Euronet (and similar) ATMs The brightly-coloured ATMs sitting near tourist sites — branded Euronet, ATM Cash, EuroCash and others — apply markup of 8–15% on top of any fee your home bank charges. They prompt you to "lock in" the conversion at their (terrible) rate. Refuse, or use a different machine. Use ATMs at Czech banks: ČSOB , Česká spořitelna , Komerční banka , Raiffeisenbank , Moneta . When asked "Do you want to be charged in EUR/GBP?", say no — the conversion your home bank does is almost always better. ## Cards vs cash - Restaurants, hotels, shops: cards accepted everywhere. Contactless works for any amount. - Pubs (hospody): traditional ones are often cash-only. Modern ones take cards. - Markets: Christmas market stalls increasingly take cards but expect to use cash for smaller items. - Public transport: contactless tap on any tram, bus or Metro gate works fine. - Tipping: easier in cash. Some card machines simply don't offer a tip option. ## Tipping in Prague — the actual norms | Where | How much | Sit-down restaurant | 10% (round up if it's small) | Pub (food) | 10% or round to nearest 50 CZK | Pub (just drinks) | Round up — 5–10 CZK per round | Cafe | 10% or round up | Taxi / Bolt | Round up to the nearest 50 CZK | Hotel porter | 50–100 CZK per bag | Hotel housekeeping | Not expected; 50 CZK appreciated | Guided tour | 100–200 CZK per person for a half-day, 200–400 for a full day | Hairdresser / spa | 10% ### How to tip When the bill comes, the polite phrase is to state the round total you want to pay before the waiter takes your card or cash. For example, a 437 CZK bill: hand over a 500 and say "500" — the tip is included. Or pay by card and add the tip in cash on the table. Czech servers don't expect oversized tips and may not actively chase them; 10% is enough. If service was poor, 5% is acceptable. ## Hidden costs to know about - Tap water / sparkling water — restaurants will bring bottled by default. Ask for "kohoutková voda" (tap water) if you don't want to pay for sparkling. - Bread basket — sometimes charged 30–50 CZK whether you eat it or not. Send it back if you don't want it. - Couvert / cover charge — older restaurants sometimes have a small per-person charge; it should be shown on the menu. - Ribs by weight — menus showing "spare ribs 89 CZK / 100g" can deliver a 1.2kg portion at the table. Take out enough cash for two days at a time from a Czech-bank ATM (300–600 CZK per day for incidentals). Pay larger expenses by card. You'll avoid both the daily withdrawal fee and the temptation of a bad-rate exchange office. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Prague Neighbourhoods Guide # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/prague-neighbourhoods.html ====================================================================== Prague is a small city — you can cross it on foot in 40 minutes — but the character changes block by block. This is the cheat-sheet to its central neighbourhoods, with honest notes on who each one suits. ## The quick verdict - First-time visit, short trip: Staré Město (Old Town). - Romance / fewer crowds at night: Malá Strana. - Easy access, good value: Nové Město (New Town). - Stylish, residential, foodie: Vinohrady. - Pubs, design, character: Žižkov. - Art, river views, riverside parks: Holešovice. ## Staré Město (Old Town) · Prague 1 The medieval heart of the city. Cobbled lanes, the Astronomical Clock, the twin spires of Týn Cathedral, the Charles Bridge two minutes away. Almost every "must-see" sight is inside or on the edge of Staré Město. - Best for: First-time visitors, short trips, walking distance to everything. - Watch out for: Crowds 10:00–18:00; restaurants on the main square charge tourist prices for ordinary food. - Tip: Walk one street back from the main square and prices halve. ## Malá Strana (Lesser Town) · Prague 1 Across the Charles Bridge from the Old Town, on the castle-side bank of the Vltava. Baroque palaces, the Lennon Wall, hidden gardens, narrow streets that empty out by mid-evening. Tram 22 runs through it on the way up to the castle. - Best for: Couples, photographers, anyone wanting old-Prague quiet after dark. - Watch out for: Limited late-night dining; you'll cross the river or go up to Žižkov for evening life. - Notable streets: Nerudova (up to the castle), Mostecká (off the bridge), U Lužického semináře (riverside). ## Nové Město (New Town) · Prague 1 & 2 "New" in 1348, when Charles IV founded it. This is Wenceslas Square and everything south to the National Theatre. It feels more 19th-century-grand than medieval — wide boulevards, Art Nouveau facades, big department stores. - Best for: Easy access to everything, late-night options, better hotel value than Staré Město. - Watch out for: Wenceslas Square itself is a transit corridor — pleasant by day, less charming late at night. - Tip: Stay around Náměstí Republiky or near the National Theatre for the prettiest pockets of Nové Město. ## Vinohrady · Prague 2 & 10 Vinohrady ("the vineyards") is the most desirable residential district in Prague — leafy avenues, Art Nouveau apartment blocks, beautifully kept squares (Náměstí Míru, Tylovo náměstí), and a higher-than-average concentration of decent coffee, wine bars and gastropubs. - Best for: Travellers who've been to Prague before, foodies, longer stays. - Distance to centre: 10 minutes on Metro line A, or a 20-minute walk. - Highlights: Riegrovy Sady beer garden (with the best sunset view of Prague Castle), Havlíčkovy Sady wine vineyard with a working pavilion. ## Žižkov · Prague 3 Vinohrady's scruffier, more characterful neighbour. Famous for its dense pub scene, the 216-metre TV Tower (with its bronze crawling-babies sculpture by David Černý), and a long history of working-class independence — there's a long-running joke that Žižkov declared itself a free republic. - Best for: Beer-lovers, evening crawls, design shops. - Distance to centre: 10–15 minutes by tram. - Highlights: Bukowski's bar, Parukářka hill park, the Žižkov Tower lookout (and the strange restaurant inside it). ## Holešovice · Prague 7 Once an industrial peninsula in a Vltava bend, now Prague's most creative district — gallery spaces in old warehouses (DOX, Trade Fair Palace), the riverside Stromovka park, and Letná hill with its iconic beer garden looking down on the bridges. - Best for: Art-lovers, families (Stromovka park, the planetarium), runners. - Distance to centre: 10 minutes by tram or Metro line C. - Highlights: Letná beer garden, Trade Fair Palace (National Gallery), the giant metronome on Letná Plain. ## Karlín & Smíchov · Prague 8 & 5 Two former industrial districts now full of new restaurants and converted office space. Karlín (east of the centre, Metro B) has become the city's hippest food scene — small-plate restaurants, Eska bakery, the cobbled Karlínské náměstí. Smíchov (south of Malá Strana, Metro B) is more mainstream — shopping malls, the Staropramen brewery, riverside paths. The Vltava splits Prague north-to-south. The Old Town, New Town, Vinohrady and Žižkov sit on the east bank. Malá Strana, Hradčany (the castle) and Smíchov sit on the west bank. Charles Bridge and the Mánes Bridge are the most-used pedestrian crossings. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Prague in 3 Days # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/prague-in-3-days.html ====================================================================== This is the itinerary we'd give a friend visiting Prague for the first time. It moves at a sustainable pace — you'll see everything you came for without feeling like you ran a marathon, and you'll leave wanting to come back. ## Before you start - Book Prague Castle tickets online for the morning of Day 1 — skip the worst queues. - Buy a 72-hour public-transport pass (330 CZK) on arrival. - Comfortable shoes. Cobbles are charming but unforgiving. ## Day 1 — Old Town, Charles Bridge & Castle ### Morning · Old Town Square & Astronomical Clock Be at the Old Town Square by 09:00, before the tour groups arrive. Watch the Astronomical Clock chime at the top of the hour, then wander through Týn Square and into the warren of streets behind. Coffee and breakfast at Café Savoy (a 15-minute walk over the river) or any of the cafés on Týnská. ### Late morning · Charles Bridge → Malá Strana Cross Charles Bridge between 10:00 and 11:00 — still busy but not impossible. On the Malá Strana side, climb the bridge tower for the postcard view back across the river. Stop at the Lennon Wall and the John Lennon-themed bar opposite. ### Lunch · Malá Strana U Modré Kachničky for traditional Czech, or U Sedmi Švábů for a livelier, cheaper version of the same. Avoid the restaurants directly on the bridge approaches — tourist menus, tourist prices. ### Afternoon · Prague Castle Walk up Nerudova Street to the castle (steep but pretty) or take tram 22 if you've had enough cobbles. Plan 3 hours for the castle complex — St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, the Golden Lane and the south gardens for the view back over the city. Buy the basic "Circuit B" ticket; the other options add detail most visitors don't need. ### Evening · Sunset, drinks, dinner Walk down to the river via Hradčanské Square at sunset. Drinks at Letná Beer Garden (best view in the city) or, if it's cold, the bar at U Tří Korunek in the Old Town. Dinner: Lokál Dlouhááá for archetypal Czech pub food, or Eska in Karlín for the modern version. ## Day 2 — Jewish Quarter, river, Vyšehrad ### Morning · Jewish Quarter (Josefov) Start at the Spanish Synagogue (one of the most beautiful interiors in Prague), then the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Pinkas Synagogue with its haunting wall of 80,000 Holocaust victims' names. The combined ticket covers all the sites and is worth budgeting 3 hours for. ### Lunch · Near the river Field, Etnosvět or the more casual Sansho if you want something other than Czech for a meal. Or grab a chlebíček (open sandwich) from Sisters Bistro and eat it on a bench by the river. ### Afternoon · Vltava cruise or Vyšehrad Pick one. A one-hour cruise leaves from below Čechův Most and gives you the postcard angle. Or take the Metro to Vyšehrad — the original Prague castle, now a quiet park with a stunning view back over the city, the dramatic Gothic Church of Saints Peter and Paul, and the Slavín cemetery where Smetana and Dvořák are buried. ### Evening · Vinohrady / Žižkov Aperitivo at Vinograf (Vinohrady) or a craft beer at Pivovarský Klub (between Žižkov and Karlín). Dinner: Krystal Bistro (Vinohrady), or back-to-basics goulash at Lokál U Bílé Kuželky. ## Day 3 — Petřín, a quieter morning, an afternoon you choose ### Morning · Petřín Hill Take the funicular from Újezd up to Petřín — your transport pass covers it. The miniature Eiffel Tower at the top has the best 360° view of Prague. Wander down through the orchards to the Strahov Monastery and its famous library (only the doorway is open to non-guided visitors, but the rooms beyond are extraordinary). ### Lunch · Strahov Klášterní Pivovar Strahov — the monastery brewery, with house beer brewed since 1628. Order the dark beer and the duck. ### Afternoon · Choose your own - For art: The Mucha Museum (small, focused, 1 hour) or the Trade Fair Palace (the National Gallery's 20th-century collection in Holešovice — 2–3 hours). - For history: The Museum of Communism on Wenceslas Square, or the Velvet Revolution memorial on Národní třída. - For shopping: Pařížská for luxury, Manifesto Market Florenc for design, or the streets around Dlouhá for independent shops. - For nothing: Riegrovy Sady beer garden, with a book. This is what you'll miss most when you leave. ### Last evening The classical-concert circuit fills Prague's Baroque churches every night — Smetana's Vltava in the Rudolfinum if the timing works, or one of the smaller candle-lit ensembles in St. Nicholas, Klementinum or Spanish Synagogue. Late dinner somewhere you've wanted to go back to. Take the 09:00 train to Kutná Hora — the bone chapel at Sedlec and the Cathedral of St. Barbara are extraordinary, and the round trip leaves you back in Prague for an early dinner. See the day trips guide for alternatives. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Day Trips from Prague # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/day-trips-from-prague.html ====================================================================== Prague is at the geographic centre of a country full of small castles, medieval towns and Habsburg spa resorts. Here are the six day trips most worth your time, ranked by how achievable they are without an organised tour. ## Quick comparison | Destination | From Prague | How | Best for | Kutná Hora | 50 min | Direct train | Bone chapel, Gothic cathedral | Karlštejn | 40 min | Train + walk | Storybook Bohemian castle | Konopiště | 1 hr | Train + walk | Habsburg history, Franz Ferdinand | Terezín | 1 hr | Bus from Florenc | Holocaust memorial | Karlovy Vary | 2 hr 15 | Bus / train | Spa town, colonnades | Český Krumlov | 3 hr | Bus (RegioJet) | The prettiest small town ## 1. Kutná Hora — bones & cathedrals The easiest serious day trip from Prague. Once a silver-mining boomtown that rivalled Prague in wealth, Kutná Hora has two showstoppers and a quiet medieval centre. - Sedlec Ossuary — the "bone chapel" decorated with the remains of about 40,000 people. Eerie, unforgettable, smaller than you expect. - St. Barbara's Cathedral — a flamboyant Gothic cathedral on the edge of town, with frescoes by Mikoláš Aleš. - Italian Court (Vlašský dvůr) — the original royal mint. How: Direct train from Prague hl.n. (50 min). Buy a return for 250 CZK. The town is a 10-minute taxi or 1-stop local train from the main station. ## 2. Karlštejn — Bohemia's storybook castle The castle Charles IV built in the 14th century to safeguard the Crown Jewels and his collection of Christian relics. Dramatic, photogenic, easy. - The castle — Chapel of the Holy Cross with 129 medieval portrait panels by Master Theodoric; only on the longer guided tour. - The walk — 20 minutes uphill from the station, through a village of medieval streets and tourist tat (it's a charming sort of tat). How: Train from Prague hl.n. or Smíchov to Karlštejn (40 min). Frequent throughout the day. ## 3. Konopiště — the Archduke's castle Less famous than Karlštejn, more interesting to visit. Konopiště was the country residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este, whose assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 set off the First World War. His hunting trophies (and there are many — he shot 300,000 animals over his lifetime, all meticulously catalogued) decorate the entire ground floor. The rose garden is reason enough to come in May–June. How: Train from Prague hl.n. to Benešov u Prahy (1 hr), then a 30-minute walk through woods. ## 4. Terezín — the Holocaust memorial The Theresienstadt ghetto and concentration camp, used by the Nazis as a propaganda showcase and as a transit camp to Auschwitz. The Small Fortress, the Ghetto Museum and the Magdeburg Barracks together tell the story of the 155,000 Jews who passed through here. A heavy day; allocate time to absorb it. How: Direct bus from Florenc (1 hour, hourly). Pre-booked combined tickets are available. ## 5. Karlovy Vary — the spa town Bohemia's most famous spa town, once visited by Goethe, Beethoven, Casanova and Peter the Great. Twelve mineral springs flow through the centre; pastel-coloured colonnades stretch along the Teplá river. Drink the waters from one of the porcelain spa cups sold everywhere. Try Becherovka, the bitter herbal liqueur invented here. How: RegioJet bus from Prague (2 hr 15 min, 159 CZK if booked in advance). Trains take longer. ## 6. Český Krumlov — the prettiest small town in Europe UNESCO-listed, ridiculously photogenic — a tiny medieval town wrapped around a horseshoe bend of the Vltava, dominated by a castle with a painted tower. The catch is the distance: 3 hours from Prague each way. As a day trip it is exhausting; as an overnight it is one of the best small-town stays in central Europe. How: RegioJet or Flixbus from Prague Na Knížecí (3 hr), or train via České Budějovice (3 hr 15 min). If you only do one day trip from Prague, make it Kutná Hora. If you have two free days, add Karlštejn or Terezín. If you can extend overnight, make that overnight Český Krumlov. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: 10 Best Things to Do in Prague # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/10-best-things-to-do-in-prague.html ====================================================================== Every guidebook lists the same ten things to do in Prague — and they're mostly right. Here are the same ten, but with the practical notes you actually need: when to go, what to skip, and which "must-sees" are quietly overrated. ## 1. Walk across Charles Bridge — at the right time Prague's most iconic structure has been carrying pedestrians across the Vltava since 1402. Thirty Baroque statues line its length; the views east to the Old Town and west up to Prague Castle are the city's defining postcard. The trick is timing. Between 09:00 and 18:00 the bridge is genuinely shoulder-to-shoulder. Be on it at sunrise (or after 22:00 in summer) and you'll see why everyone loves it. ## 2. Visit Prague Castle The largest ancient castle complex in the world by area, with over 1,300 years of continuous history. St. Vitus Cathedral is one of Europe's great Gothic spaces; the Golden Lane is delightful in 15 minutes; the gardens give the best view back over the city. Budget half a day. The basic Circuit B ticket covers the highlights; everything else is for specialists. Full Prague Castle guide → ## 3. Explore the Old Town Square at the right hour The heart of the city — bordered by the Týn Church, the Old Town Hall (with the Astronomical Clock), the Baroque Church of St. Nicholas, the Kinský Palace and the Jan Hus monument in the middle. Best in the early morning when the square is empty and the light is best, or after sunset when it's lit up. The middle of the day belongs to tour groups. ## 4. Marvel at the Astronomical Clock (briefly) The 15th-century Orloj on the wall of the Old Town Hall is one of the world's three oldest working astronomical clocks. At the top of every hour, the figures of the twelve apostles process past two open windows. The crowd that gathers for it is invariably bigger than the spectacle. Watch the show once, then go look at the clock itself closely — the calendar plate, the rotating zodiac, the figures of Vanity, Greed, Death and the Turk are all extraordinary up close. ## 5. Wander the Jewish Quarter (Josefov) The historic Jewish district packs six surviving synagogues, an extraordinary medieval cemetery and the Jewish Museum into a few atmospheric streets. The Spanish Synagogue (Moorish-Revival interior, breathtaking) and the Pinkas Synagogue (the names of 80,000 Czech Holocaust victims inscribed on the walls) are the most affecting. Buy the combined ticket; budget 2–3 hours. ## 6. Take the Petřín funicular up the hill Your transport pass covers the funicular from Újezd up Petřín Hill — Prague's leafy lookout. The miniature "Eiffel Tower" at the top has the city's best 360° view; on the way down you can stop at the Mirror Maze, the Rose Garden and the Strahov Monastery library (worth a peek even from the doorway). Quiet, free of crowds, the perfect afternoon if you're tired of the cobbles. ## 7. Drink in a beer garden at sunset This is the experience locals miss most when they leave Prague. Letná Beer Garden has the postcard view of the spires; Riegrovy Sady in Vinohrady has the atmosphere; Parukářka in Žižkov is the local secret. Plastic cups, communal tables, beer cheaper than anywhere else in Europe. April to October only — bring a jumper for the evening. Full Czech beer guide → ## 8. Cruise the Vltava (just once) A one-hour boat trip gives you the angle on the city you can't get from the bridges — Charles Bridge from below, the castle from the river, Vyšehrad's dramatic cliff. Daytime cruises leave from below Čechův Most; evening dinner cruises run year-round. Touristy, yes, but in the small-pleasure way that doesn't feel like a tax. ## 9. Eat actual Czech food Most visitors leave Prague having only eaten goulash and trdelník. The country's food is much more interesting than that — svíčková (cream-sauced beef), vepřo-knedlo-zelo (pork-dumplings-cabbage), bramboráky (potato pancakes), and modern Czech tasting menus at restaurants like Field and Eska. The chain "Lokál" is the safest reliable choice if you want one good traditional meal. Full Czech food guide → ## 10. Pick one quiet thing Prague rewards visitors who slow down. Choose one: Vyšehrad (the original Prague castle, quiet park, great river view), the Strahov Monastery library, the Mucha Museum (small, focused, brilliant), the Museum of Communism, the Lennon Wall, the Klementinum baroque library, a classical concert in any of Prague's baroque churches, or simply an afternoon reading in a beer garden. The thing you choose will likely be your sharpest memory. If you only have one day in Prague, skip Prague Castle. Cross Charles Bridge at sunrise, walk through Malá Strana, climb Petřín for the view back at the castle from outside, then spend the afternoon in the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter. You will see more, walk less, and avoid the castle queues entirely. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Visit Prague Castle # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/visit-prague-castle.html ====================================================================== Founded around 880 AD, Prague Castle has been the seat of Bohemian kings, Holy Roman Emperors and Czech presidents continuously for over 1,100 years. At 70,000 square metres it is the largest ancient castle complex anywhere in the world — and one of the more sensibly designed historic sites in Europe to visit. ## Plan your visit in 60 seconds - Cost: Free to walk the grounds; ~250 CZK for the Circuit B interiors ticket. - Time: 3 hours minimum for a focused visit; half a day to do it properly. - When: Arrive at 09:00, or after 16:00 in summer. Avoid 11:00–14:00. - Get there: Tram 22 to Pražský hrad, or walk up Nerudova. - Don't: Try to "do" every circuit. Pick one and look properly. ## Tickets compared The castle administration offers several ticket "circuits". Most visitors should buy Circuit B; specialists may want A. | Ticket | Price | What's included | Circuit B | ~250 CZK | St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, Basilica of St. George, Golden Lane | Circuit A | ~450 CZK | Everything in B plus the Story of Prague Castle, the Powder Tower and the Rosenberg Palace | Permanent Exhibition | ~300 CZK | The historical exhibitions only, no Golden Lane | Cathedral tower climb | +150 CZK | 287 steps to the cathedral's south tower viewpoint Children under 6 are free; students and seniors get reduced rates. Tickets are valid for two consecutive days, which is genuinely useful if you want to split the visit. ## What to actually look at ### St. Vitus Cathedral The construction of St. Vitus took 600 years (1344–1929), so the building is an architectural lesson in itself — High Gothic at the east end, Renaissance and Baroque interventions in the middle, neo-Gothic completion of the western nave. Inside, head straight for: - The Mucha window — Alfons Mucha's Art Nouveau stained-glass masterpiece in the third bay on the north side. Glow at any time of day, but luminous in morning light. - The Chapel of St. Wenceslas — the small chapel housing the tomb of the Czech patron saint, with semi-precious stones embedded in the walls. The crown jewels of the Bohemian kingdom are kept in a sealed chamber above (open to the public only every few years). - The royal crypt — beneath the chancel, holds the remains of Charles IV and other Bohemian kings. - The Tomb of St. John of Nepomuk — two tonnes of silver, 1736, with a flying angel above. ### The Old Royal Palace The first court of Bohemian kings, with a striking late-Gothic Vladislav Hall — the largest secular Gothic space in central Europe, vast enough to hold indoor jousting tournaments. Adjacent is the Bohemian Chancellery, where the Second Defenestration of Prague took place in 1618 — three Catholic officials thrown from a window into a moat by Protestant noblemen, sparking the Thirty Years' War. The window in question is, helpfully, signposted. ### The Golden Lane A row of brightly painted cottages tucked against the castle's northern wall. Built in the 16th century as housing for the castle marksmen and goldsmiths, later inhabited by writers and artists — Franz Kafka briefly lived in No. 22. Today the houses operate as small shops and historical exhibits. The whole lane takes about 20 minutes. ### The Basilica of St. George The Romanesque basilica behind the cathedral is the oldest surviving church inside the castle (920 AD). Quiet, sparse, beautifully proportioned — a useful counterweight to the visual richness of St. Vitus. ### The Gardens Free to enter, often forgotten. The Royal Garden (north of the castle) has the Belvedere summer palace; the South Gardens behind the Old Royal Palace have the best panoramic view of Prague below. The Deer Moat between them is a wooded ravine that feels like accidentally stumbling into countryside. ## The smartest order Most visitors do this in the wrong sequence and end up exhausted before they reach the best bits. The order that works: - Arrive 09:00 at the second courtyard. Pick up tickets if not pre-booked. - St. Vitus Cathedral first, while the crowds are still small. - Old Royal Palace next. - Basilica of St. George. - Golden Lane. - South Gardens — long view, coffee break, breathe. - Walk out via Hradčanské náměstí. ## Practical notes - Opening hours: Castle complex grounds 06:00–22:00 (winter); 06:00–22:00 (summer). Interiors 09:00–17:00 (summer 09:00–17:00). - Security check: Bag screening at most entrances. Backpacks fine; no large luggage. - Photography: Allowed throughout the complex; flash banned inside the cathedral. - Cathedral mass: The cathedral closes to visitors during services. Sunday mornings until ~12:00 are tightest. - Toilets: Inside the ticket office buildings; the queue is shortest at the southern entry. - Food: Two cafés inside; the Lobkowicz Palace café and the U Černého Vola pub just outside the castle gates are better. Skip the tickets entirely. Walk up Nerudova, through the castle gates, into the second courtyard for the cathedral exterior, then on to the south gardens for the view. You'll have seen the castle's best bits — and the city laid out below — without spending a koruna. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Czech Food Guide # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/czech-food-guide.html ====================================================================== Czech food is hearty, beer-friendly and historically peasant — it was designed to fuel people through cold winters and long days of physical work. Done well it is one of central Europe's most underrated cuisines. Done badly (which is what tourists often get) it lives down to its reputation. ## The classics you should try ### Svíčková na smetaně The national dish. Beef sirloin braised for hours, then served sliced under a creamy sauce of carrot, parsnip, celery and onion, finished with a swirl of cream and a spoon of cranberry compote. Bread dumplings catch the sauce. If you eat one Czech dish in Prague, make it this. ### Hovězí guláš The Czech version of goulash is closer to a thick beef stew than its Hungarian cousin — paprika-spiced, slow-cooked beef, often served with dumplings. The version in a hollowed-out bread loaf ( v chlebu ) you'll see in pubs is a perfectly good way to eat it. ### Vepřo-knedlo-zelo "Pork-dumpling-cabbage" — roasted pork with bread dumplings and sauerkraut. Sunday-lunch food. Order it with dark beer. ### Smažený sýr Deep-fried block of cheese with tartare sauce and chips. Vegetarian, deeply unhealthy, deeply Czech. A late-night classic. ### Kulajda A thick, creamy soup of potato, mushroom and dill, finished with a poached egg. Lighter than it sounds; gentler than most Czech food. Look for it on lunchtime menus. ### Bramboráky Potato pancakes, fried crispy, traditionally served with garlic. Great with beer. ## The pastries and sweet things ### Trdelník — the famous fake The smell hits you on every street corner: a tube of sweetened dough wound round a spit, baked over coals, rolled in cinnamon sugar. Tourists love them. They are delicious. They are not Czech — they were popularised in Prague in the 2000s as a hybrid Hungarian-Slovak pastry sold to tourists. Eat one without guilt, but know it is not a tradition you are participating in. ### Actually-Czech sweets - Koláče — circular yeasted pastries with sweet poppy-seed, plum or curd-cheese fillings. - Buchty — pillowy baked dough with a sweet filling, eaten with coffee. - Medovník — honey cake; many layers, caramel-toned, deeply moreish. - Ovocné knedlíky — fruit dumplings, traditionally plum, eaten with curd cheese and butter. A summer dessert. - Větrník — a caramel-glazed choux pastry the size of a fist. ## Where to actually eat in Prague ### The reliable chain: Lokál The Lokál pubs (Dlouhááá in the Old Town, U Bílé Kuželky in Malá Strana, several in Vinohrady) serve excellent traditional Czech food at honest prices, with unpasteurised tank Pilsner Urquell. The pickle of choice for locals when they want to eat well without overthinking it. ### Traditional pubs (hospody) - U Provaznice (Provaznická 3) — central, classic, no tourist menu. - U Sadu (Žižkov) — quintessential Žižkov pub. - U Kunštátů (Old Town) — quieter, slightly grown-up. ### Modern Czech / fine dining - Field (Old Town) — Prague's most consistent Michelin restaurant, modern Czech tasting menus. - La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise (Old Town) — historical Czech recipes given a fine-dining treatment. - Eska (Karlín) — modern bakery-restaurant, brilliant breads, lighter Czech cooking. - Krystal Bistro (Vinohrady) — bistro-style, seasonal Czech, no fuss. ### Cafés worth a detour - Café Savoy (Malá Strana) — historic café, all-day breakfasts. - Kavárna Slavia (riverside, opposite the National Theatre) — Prague literary café. - Café Louvre (Národní třída) — Kafka used to write here. ## How to order - Pivo, prosím — "beer, please". The default is a half-litre of light lager (světlé). - Účet, prosím — "the bill, please". Waiters won't bring it until you ask. - Tip in cash if you can. Round up to the nearest 50 or add 10%. - Many places only take cash, especially older pubs. Always have 500 CZK on you. Restaurants with menus in 8 languages around the Old Town Square; restaurants with men in costume out the front; ribs by weight (the cost can be triple what you expect); "Famous Czech goulash!" signs in fluorescent type. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Prague Beer Guide # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/prague-beer-guide.html ====================================================================== Czechs drink more beer per head than any other nation on earth — about 140 litres each per year. Prague is where most of that happens. Here is the short, useful version of why Czech beer is what it is, what to order and where to drink it. ## Why Czech beer matters The pale, golden, crystal-clear lager you find in every supermarket in the world was invented in Bohemia. In 1842 a young Bavarian brewer named Josef Groll, working in the town of Plzeň, combined three local ingredients — soft Plzeň water, Bohemian-grown malted barley, and the saaz hops of Žatec — into something new. It was the first "pilsner". Within 30 years brewers across Europe were imitating it; today around 90% of the world's beer is descended from that 1842 batch. ## How to order - Pivo — beer. Jedno pivo, prosím = "one beer, please". - Velké = large (500ml). Malé = small (300ml). The default is large. - Světlé = pale lager. Tmavé = dark lager. Polotmavé = half-dark / amber. - 10° / 12° — Czech beer is sold by its stupně (degrees Plato), the malt extract measure. A 10° beer is a light ~4% lager; a 12° beer is the proper ~5% strength. Strong beers go 13°, 14° and above. - Empty glass? In many Czech pubs the waiter will bring you another beer unless you put a beer mat on top of your glass. ## The big four mass-market lagers - Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský prazdroj) — the original. Beautifully bitter, herbal, malty. - Staropramen — Prague's local brewery (in Smíchov). Softer, less bitter than Urquell. - Budweiser Budvar (Budějovický Budvar) — from České Budějovice. Crisper and slightly drier. - Kozel — fruitier, sweeter; the dark Kozel černý is one of the best dark lagers anywhere. ## Tank beer — the local upgrade "Tankové pivo" is unpasteurised beer delivered from the brewery in refrigerated stainless-steel tanks and tapped directly from those tanks behind the bar. No bottle, no pasteurisation, much fresher aroma and a softer body. Drink Pilsner Urquell on tank at Lokál Dlouhááá for the canonical Czech experience. ## Microbreweries and craft The Czech craft scene has matured rapidly. Skip these and you'll only know lager; explore them and you'll find rye beers, double IPAs, sours and some of central Europe's most adventurous brewing. - Pivovar Strahov (Strahov Monastery) — beer brewed continuously since the 14th century, with several seasonal specials worth the climb up the hill. - U Fleků (Nové Město) — Prague's most famous pub, brewing one dark lager since 1499. Tourist-priced but iconic. - Pivovarský Klub (Karlín / Žižkov border) — six rotating taps from Czech microbreweries. - Vinohradský pivovar (Vinohrady) — revived neighbourhood brewery with its own restaurant. - BeerGeek (Vinohrady & Anděl) — Prague's craft-beer destination; 32 taps of constantly-rotating Czech and international beers. - Únětický pivovar — a 30-minute trip out to Únětice village, where this revived farm-brewery makes the cleanest lagers in the country. ## The best beer gardens ### Letná Beer Garden (Letenské sady) The view here is the postcard angle on Prague — Charles Bridge, the Old Town spires, the river bend, all framed by chestnut trees. Open in warm weather only (roughly April to October). Cheap beer, plastic cups, no reservations. Arrive an hour before sunset. ### Riegrovy Sady (Vinohrady) Larger, leafier, more atmospheric. The official beer garden has long communal tables, a giant screen for football matches and a permanent open-air kitchen. The walk through Riegrovy Sady itself, at sunset, with a beer in hand, is one of Prague's quietly perfect experiences. ### Parukářka (Žižkov) On top of a small hill in Žižkov, this is where the locals go when they don't want to share a beer garden with tourists. A wooden shack serves beer to plastic chairs scattered across a meadow that looks at the Žižkov TV Tower from below. ### Klamovka, Stromovka, Petřín Three smaller park-side beer gardens for variety. Klamovka (Smíchov) is family-friendly. Stromovka (Holešovice) has the prettiest setting. Petřín's beer garden sits halfway up the hill with views back over the city. ## Beer spas A peculiarly Czech tourist invention that has become genuinely popular. You soak in a wooden tub filled with warm water, hops, yeast and brewing extracts — supposedly very good for skin and circulation — while pulling pints of cold beer from a tap on the side of the tub. The "real" beer-spa experience also includes a straw bed afterwards and a 90-minute booking. Try Beer Spa Beerland (Old Town) or Original Beer Spa Bernard (Žižkov). Look the person in the eye when you toast ("Na zdraví!"). Touch glasses with everyone at the table. Never cross your arms when clinking. And — particularly important — finish your beer before ordering another. Czechs treat beer as something to be drunk fresh and cold; warm half-pints are a waste. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Prague Christmas Markets Guide # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/guides/prague-christmas-markets.html ====================================================================== Prague's Christmas markets are widely considered the most beautiful in central Europe — partly because the Baroque-and-medieval backdrop does most of the work. Here's what's where, what's worth eating, and how to enjoy them without the worst of the crowds. ## Dates Every year the markets open on the Saturday before First Advent (the last weekend of November) and close on 6 January (Three Kings' Day, the end of the Christmas season in the Czech calendar). Stalls open daily from around 10:00 to 22:00. ## The six markets ### 1. Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) — the famous one Around 80 stalls arranged around a giant decorated tree and a nativity scene with live sheep. Free choral performances from a stage every evening. Most atmospheric, most crowded, most photographed. Go early evening on a weekday for the best balance. ### 2. Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí) — second-biggest A long stretch of stalls running down the upper half of Wenceslas Square. Fewer artisan stalls, more food and drink. A good place to start if you arrive at the main railway station. ### 3. Náměstí Republiky — local-feeling In front of the Powder Tower and the Municipal House, this medium-sized market has a slightly more Czech-feeling crowd and good craft stalls. ### 4. Náměstí Míru (Vinohrady) — the locals' choice Smaller, set in front of St. Ludmila's twin-spired neo-Gothic church. Quieter, less commercial, and you'll hear more Czech than English. The mulled wine is just as good. ### 5. Náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad — neighbourhood market Further out in Vinohrady, this market only operates on weekends and has a particularly strong food line-up — it sits on the site of one of Prague's best farmers' markets. ### 6. Prague Castle — the dramatic setting A smaller market inside the castle's third courtyard, with views down over the snow-dusted city. Worth combining with a daytime castle visit. ## What to eat and drink ### Svařák — mulled wine The pillar of every Czech Christmas market. Red or white, served in a souvenir ceramic mug (which you can either keep or return for a refund of the 50–80 CZK deposit). Each market commissions its own mug design — collectible by year. ### Medovina — hot honey wine Czech mead, warmed. Sweeter than svařák and harder-hitting. One small cup goes a long way. ### Klobása — grilled sausage The smell that hits you on arrival. Order a Pražská (the spiced Prague sausage), served in a bread roll with mustard. Klobása stalls are where you'll see locals queuing. ### Trdelník Yes, we know — it's not actually Czech (see our food guide ). But the markets do them well, often with a Nutella or ice-cream filling. A guilty-pleasure must. ### Bramboráky & langoše Potato pancakes (bramboráky) with garlic, and fried-flatbread langoše topped with sour cream and cheese — both excellent vegetarian options. ### Sweet snacks Roasted chestnuts, gingerbread (perník), candied almonds, hot beeswax-honey biscuits. Most stalls accept card these days but always have cash for the smaller ones. ## Practical tips - Dress warmly. December averages 0–3°C; markets get colder once the sun goes down. - Bring 500 CZK cash. Card readers can be slow when the queue is long. - Best photography time: "Blue hour" between 16:00 and 16:45 — sunset light plus market lights on. - Pickpockets target market crowds. Front pockets, no wallets in back pockets, and don't put your phone on the table. Combine a daytime castle visit with the Castle market, walk down Nerudova for an evening svařák on the Old Town Square, and finish at Náměstí Míru for a quieter nightcap. Three different moods, all walking distance from one another. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: Frequently Asked Questions # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/faq.html ====================================================================== # Frequently Asked Questions Everything you need to know before booking Here are the questions visitors ask most often about Prague hotels and travel. **Q: Do I have to pay in advance?** **Q: How can I pay for my reservation?** **Q: Is my booking guaranteed?** **Q: How do I make changes to an existing booking?** Email us as soon as you can. Last-minute changes aren't always possible, and amendment charges may apply (see below). The date we receive your written change is the date the change takes effect. From confirmation up to 72 hours later: 15% of the total amount charged. After 72 hours and until 3 days before arrival: 15% of the total amount charged. Within 3 days of arrival: 15% of the total or the price of one full night — whichever is greater, and subject to availability. No amendment fee applies when both rooms and nights increase, or when one increases and the other stays the same. Guest name changes are subject to availability. **Q: What happens if I need to cancel?** Cancellations must be sent in writing — either via our website or by email. The date we receive the written notice is the cancellation date. The same scale as amendments applies: 15% within 72 hours of confirmation, 15% from then until 3 days before arrival, and 15% (or one night's stay, whichever is greater) within 3 days of arrival. If you don't show up or leave early, you'll be charged for the next 24 hours' accommodation from when we receive your notice. Cancellations notified directly to the hotel are not effective — they must come through us. **Q: Are my personal and credit card details safe?** ### Ready to book? Browse 114 hand-picked Prague hotels — from value 3-star to landmark 5-star addresses. ====================================================================== # SOURCE: About Prague Hotels # URL: https://prague-hotels.org.uk/about-us.html ====================================================================== # About Prague Hotels Running since 2004 · 114 hand-picked hotels · Operated by CentraServe Ltd Prague Hotels is a specialist hotel directory for the Czech capital — not an aggregator, not a price-comparison engine. Just a carefully maintained list of hotels we think are worth staying in, with honest notes on location and what to expect. ### How we select hotels Every hotel in the directory has been chosen on two criteria: location and value for its star rating . We don't list a hotel simply because it exists. We ask whether a guest who books it will be pleased — whether they'll find themselves within easy reach of Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square or Wenceslas Square, and whether the room will deliver what the rating promises. We favour hotels that are straightforward about what they offer. A clean, quiet three-star a five-minute walk from the Metro will beat an overpriced four-star with a taxi-required location every time. Prague's geography is compact; the practical difference between good and poor placement is significant. We revisit the list regularly. Hotels that change hands, decline in standard or close are removed. New options are added when we're confident they meet the bar. ### Who writes the content The directory and guides are written and edited by James Whitfield , who has been covering Prague hotels and travel for CentraServe since the site launched in 2004. Over two decades he has reviewed the full arc of Prague's hotel market — the post-EU-accession boom, the post-2008 shake-out, the rise of the boutique and design hotel sector in Vinohrady and Žižkov, and the gradual concentration of the best-value stays in the Lesser Town. The practical guides — transport, money, neighbourhoods, food — are written from direct experience of living with and around the city's tourist infrastructure. Where facts change (ticket prices, opening hours, Czech koruna exchange rates), we update them. The goal is that nothing on this site is out of date by more than a season. ### What we don't do We don't accept payment for inclusion. Hotels are listed because we judge them worth listing, not because they have an advertising budget. We do carry standard display advertising and participate in the Booking.com affiliate programme — when you book through a Booking.com link on this site, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. That income keeps the site running. It does not influence which hotels appear or how we write about them. We don't publish fake reviews. The descriptions on hotel pages are editorial assessments based on publicly available information and editorial judgement — they are not sourced from paid guest-review platforms or supplied by the hotels themselves. ### A note on Prague Prague is one of the most rewarding cities in Europe for independent travellers on any budget. The density of architecture, history and good food within walking distance of the Old Town is genuinely exceptional. The city's hotel market rewards research — a well-chosen three-star in the right street can be a better experience than an anonymous four-star on the outskirts. That, in a sentence, is what this site is for. For enquiries: info@prague-hotels.org.uk ·  Operated by CentraServe Ltd