Ekaterina Baklanova has been residing in prague for nearly two years and through this time managed to fall in love with the Czech capital. Within the article, she talks about fascinating locations, the perfect pubs and eating places, free viewing platforms with a fantastic view. The one factor that you'll not discover is hackneyed suggestions that gers and journey guides reprint from one another.
Attention-grabbing excursions from locals in Prague
The vacationer season in Prague lasts all yr spherical: in January-February there are fewer vacationers, however it is a momentary respite – since March the middle won't be crowded once more. The best time for a visit is April, when cherry blossoms and magnolias are in bloom, and September, with its snug temperatures for lengthy walks and occasional rains.
The place to remain
Areas which might be near sights: Smíchov (Prague 5), Malá Strana (Prague 1) and Královské Vinohrady (Prague 3). It is a “quiet middle” the place you may settle in a home from the start of the 20th century and admire the sights from the window within the morning. I don't suggest the environment of Previous City Sq. and Wenceslas Sq. – dozens of leisure institutions work there till late, and there's no purpose to hope for silence.
Lodges:
lodge 2 * The Republic Backyard – lodging from 651 rubles / day; lodge 3 * Mattress & Books Artwork Lodge – lodging from 2020 rubles / day; lodge 3 * Residence Vysta – lodging from 2211 rubles / day; 4 * Product owner's Avenue Residence lodge – lodging from 2546 rubles / day; lodge 4 * Deminka palace – lodging from 2680 rubles / day; lodge 5 * Occidental Praha Wilson – lodging from 6115 rubles / day; lodge 5 * La Ballerina Lodge – lodging from 6366 rubles / day;
Earlier than the journey, obtain and set up the IDOS software in your cellphone (requires an Web connection) or HERE WeGo (works offline) – that is it, now it is simple to plot any route. Transport in Prague works nearly across the clock, runs on schedule, so you will not must spend cash on a taxi. Simply purchase a move or top off on tickets prematurely – getting them outdoors the middle will be troublesome. Tickets are bought at merchandising machines at metro stations, floor transport stops and new trams, at ticket places of work at some metro stations (for instance, Hlavní nádraží), info facilities at metro stations and on the airport, retailers and press and tobacco stalls (referred to as Trafika) … Holders of SIM playing cards from Czech operators can purchase tickets by sending SMS with the textual content DPT24 (for 30 minutes for 24 CZK) or DPT32 (for 90 minutes for 32 CZK) to the quick quantity 90206 (this will also be carried out via the IDOS app).
The place to eat and drink
The issues of “consuming deliciously” and “ingesting good beer” in Prague are hardly ever solved in a single establishment – in most good eating places of Czech delicacies solely Staropramen is served, which connoisseurs don't contemplate beer to be. Subsequently, I'll let you know about every merchandise individually.
- Breakfast. I like to recommend beginning the day at Café Savoy in Malá Strana (Vítězná 124/5). Along with a scrumptious continental breakfast for 198 CZK (about Eight euros), there's a very nice inside: crystal chandeliers, white tablecloths, useful waiters in uniform.
- For lunch and dinner I like to recommend selecting one of many institutions serving Czech delicacies. They cook dinner nicely in eating places of the Kolkovna and Potrefená husa chains, that are in numerous elements of Prague. Right here you may attempt the identical boar knee (pork knuckle), goulash or svichkova (beef in a creamy sauce with lingonberry jam and dumplings). The second course prices a mean of 200-250 CZK (8-10 euros), the identical quantity you pay for a knee weighing just a little over a kilogram.
- If you would like not solely bread, but in addition circuses, head to considered one of two institutions referred to as Výtopna. Right here drinks are dropped at company not by waiters, however by toy trains working between the kitchen and the corridor. One restaurant is situated within the Palladium buying middle (Náměstí Republiky 1), the second is on Wenceslas Sq. (Václavské náměstí 56). It's higher to ebook a desk for the night prematurely.
- Those that want style the well-known Czech beer two choices: vacationer bars and institutions “for their very own”. Benefits of the previous: waiters in such institutions typically converse a number of languages, together with Russian. There are additionally sufficient disadvantages: all the things is on stream, service is usually lame. From this class, I can suggest three institutions that also hold the model: U Tri Ruzi (Husova 10/232), Klášterní šenk on the Brevnev Monastery (Markétská 1) and Klášterní pivovar Strahov on the Strahov Monastery (Strahovské nádvoří 301/10). Within the first place, most frequently there's, within the second and third I like to recommend reserving a desk.
If you would like one thing genuine, prepare to clarify your self in English (or in your fingers, when you're fortunate) and write down the attendances: Dva kohouti (Sokolovská 81/55), Loď (Dvořákovo nábřeží, Štefánikův most) and Everlasting Beer Fest (Kolbenova 923, Areál Pragovka – from March to September). - Bonus for these with a candy tooth – scrumptious Italian ice cream is bought in Angelato (Újezd 425/24) reverse the decrease station of the Petřín funicular. How a couple of sizzling pepper or nettle-flavored ice cream?
What to do and see in Prague, along with the principle sights
Take a stroll in metropolis parks. In the summertime season – from April to October – the Wallenstein Backyard (Letenská 123/4) is gorgeous, the place peacocks stroll alongside the paths, goldfish frolic within the pond, and orchestras carry out classical music. Right here is the palace wherein the Czech Senate sits; on weekends and holidays, it's open to guests. For these arriving in April, I like to recommend visiting the Vojan Gardens (U Lužického semináře), the place very photogenic magnolias bloom.
Take a trip on a retro tram. From late March to mid-November on weekends and holidays, tram quantity 41 runs via the historic middle. It launched into its maiden voyage within the 1920s and witnessed many key occasions in Czech historical past. Greater than as soon as it failed and was restored. In 2000, they determined to show it right into a vacationer attraction – that is how a pink tram appeared on the streets of Prague from two genuine carriages with wood trim, which is accompanied by an aged conductor in an outdated uniform.
See town from above and totally free… It isn't essential to pay for the doorway to the promoted viewing factors – the perfect level is out there to everybody. It's situated within the Letensky Gardens, subsequent to the Hanavský pavilon restaurant – from right here you may see a fantastic view of the bridges over the Vltava and the historic quarters on each its banks. One other good possibility is Riegrovy sady, the place, in good climate, Prague residents and vacationers collect to admire Prague Fortress within the rays of the setting solar.
Discover as many works of David Cerny as doable… He's referred to as “the principle bully of europe” for sculptures that provoke society and energy, and scandalous antics, for which he needed to be detained by the police greater than as soon as. Many have heard of infants with out faces crawling on the Kampa Island. There are additionally much less well-known sculptures: “pissing boys”, which in jets show messages on the water (Cihelná road, courtyard of the Kafka museum), a person hanging above the road who appears terribly lifelike from a distance (Husova road), King Wenceslas sitting on his head turned the wrong way up horse (Štěpánská 61, passage Lucerna), the eleven-meter head of Franz Kafka, which is made up of regularly transferring elements (Charvátova road, courtyard of the Quadrio buying middle). By the way in which, Cerny participated within the growth of the idea of the just lately opened Cyberdog bar (Seydlerova ulice), the place there are not any waiters and bartenders: the order is positioned via the appliance, and the drinks are poured by a robotic hand.
Enter the interactive railway museum… Within the Smíchov space there's the Kingdom of Railways (Stroupežnického 23), a two-level museum with the nation's largest interactive mannequin of a railway. The canvas is a part of a miniature copy of the Czech Republic, the place life is in full swing, the course of which will be influenced by urgent buttons: to set in movement trains and vehicles, trams and subways. Each 20 minutes, day modifications to nighttime.
Style wines within the Botanical Backyard (Trojská 800/196). Situated on the territory of Vinotéka sv. Klára is open all yr spherical and you should purchase domestically produced wines on faucet or in bottles. From the open terrace you may see the Troja Fortress and the Prague quarters: it's particularly lovely in autumn, when the vineyards flip golden. In August-September, tastings are normally held with the participation of sommeliers, the bulletins of that are revealed on the web site of the Botanical Backyard (www.botanicka.cz).
Take a peek on the farmers' market… Prague residents go to the markets not a lot for buying as to have enjoyable: chat, hearken to music, drink beer or mulled wine, eat one thing scrumptious. My favourite market each Saturday from February to December is open on the Vltava embankment, between the Palacký bridge and the railway bridge. You will discover there a pink burger tent – take it with out hesitation. Solely 140 kroons (5.5 euros), and the style wins over the merchandise of costly eating places.
Go to close by castles… I like to recommend beginning with Karlštejn – the one fort within the Czech Republic that has by no means been captured. Constructed by order of Charles IV, it served because the summer season residence of the ruler and was a treasury. To get inside, you must overcome a fairly steep ascent – those that are afraid to not cope can get on horse-drawn carriages. Another possibility is Konopiste within the city of Benesov. Its most well-known proprietor was Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination unleashed the First World Warfare. Across the fort there's a big park, the place deer, hares and peacocks reside, subsequent to it there's a restaurant Stará myslivna (Konopiště 2), which makes a speciality of sport dishes.
You may get to each castles by prepare – the timetable will be discovered on the web site www.cd.cz. Retro steam locomotives additionally journey to Karlštejn a number of instances a yr, the schedule of which will be seen on the web site http://parnijizdy.cz.
Go to a mini-brewery with tastings situated outdoors of Prague. I like to recommend Pivovar Únětice (Rýznerova 5, Únětice), Němý Medvěd (nám. Míru 27, Mělník) and Berounský medvěd (Tyršova 135, Beroun), all of them will be reached by public transport. You may attempt the merchandise of these breweries the place you'll not get there at one of many festivals. For instance, at Žižkovské pivobraní within the Parukářka park, which takes place initially of June (you'll find the present dates on the web site www.parukarka.cz or information portals).
