Best location for Prague hotel?

Old Aug 15th, 2014, 01:04 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,242
Received 8 Likes on 4 Posts
Best location for Prague hotel?

DH and I are looking into going to Prague for 7 nights in late October. I've been doing some research but haven't really found anything definitive on the best location to stay. Any recommendations?

We were in Prague for one day on a day trip from Vienna a real long time ago. It was still in Czechoslovakia when we were there. It wasn't long after the iron curtain came down and it was rather bleak. I'm sure much has changed and this will be like a first time there for us since I really don't remember much about it. Except that the stores had no merchandise and the beer was very good.
laurieco is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 01:24 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,561
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
>

Seriously? That doesn't wash.

The best areas to stay in as the tourist you will be are Mala Strana near the Charles Bridge or somewhere in Old Town near Josefov, which should be relatively close to Old Town Square. The address should be in "Prague 1."

Most of these would work well. http://www.avehotels.cz/en/
BigRuss is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 01:38 PM
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,242
Received 8 Likes on 4 Posts
Hi BigRuss. Yes, I'm serious and I'm a seasoned traveler. When looking at different areas online, it was hard to tell if Old Town, New Town or Lesser Town would be best. That's why I decided to to take a deep breath and try my luck on the Europe forum, which I usually avoid to tell the truth.

Thanks for the info. I'm looking into that area and the hotels in the link.
laurieco is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 01:45 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 2,364
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My preference would be the old town - Stare Mesto as it's called. It is the area directly east of the Charles Bridge around Wenceslas Square. The most picturesque part of the city.

Second choice would be Mala Strana - Lesser Town. It is on the west side of the Charles Bridge and runs up toward the castle.

Some people like New Town - Nove Mesto - south of Stare Mesto. It is still relatively old and while it gives good access to Stare Mesto, it is a bit of a hike to the castle and Mala Strana.

You might want to try and stay away from the roads directly leading to the Charles Bridge near the bridge. The pedestrian traffic will be intense.
Aramis is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 01:53 PM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,242
Received 8 Likes on 4 Posts
Hi Aramis. Thanks for the info. I found a lovely hotel http://www.hotel-imperial.cz/deluxe-rooms-en.htm

But it's in Nove Mesto, so based on what you have said, it may not be the best choice.

I'll look into places in Stare Mesto and see if I can find something I like there. To be honest, I'm pretty picky when it comes to hotels. We like modern conveniences (free wifi is a must) and a nice bathroom with shower is a must. DH and I do happy hour every evening in the room prior to going out to dinner, so the atmosphere is important. It's not just a place for us to sleep. But we do want it to be convenient too.
laurieco is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 02:13 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 2,364
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Laurie;

That hotel is in Stare Mesto - the Old Town - the eastern edge of it. Being west o the street "Revolucni" would be a little more central to the Old Town but you are only 1.1km from Old Town Square "Staromestske Namesti".

I referred to Wenceslas Square as being in the Old Town in my earlier reply but that is wrong, it is in Nove Mesto . The area mix up may be my fault - sorry
Aramis is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 02:20 PM
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,242
Received 8 Likes on 4 Posts
Okay, that's weird. Expedia says it is in New Town. I think this is why I was having so much trouble trying to figure out what area to stay in is best! It is somewhat confusing.
laurieco is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 03:59 PM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 19,991
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Old Town ,Lesser Town or New Town ( which is a misnomer as this area is pretty old), really does not matter as much as

are you walking people, do you like to walk or does anyone have a bad knee or back problems.

If you have no walking problems then whether you are on the Old Town or Lesser Town of Charles Bridge really does not matter.

You are going to cross Charles Bridge many times during your 7 night stay in Prague.

Whether you cross it east to west or west to east really does not matter.

I would focus on a place with 4 blocks of Charles Bridge.
The closer to Charles Bridge the denser the people traffic !

I spent a full 7 days in Prague and walked everywhere, also took 2 private boat rides.

P.S. Do not take the evening dinner cruise on the Vlatva River !!

I would make a list of the places you want to see, because you can get so enthralled with Prague that you forget there is something you want to see just around the corner.

I recently came back from Brussels and had a list of 72 places.

Saw them all, both walking on my own and then with the help of an excellent tour guide.
Percy is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 04:18 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Old Town is the most central by far - and if the hotel isn't in it it should be right on the edge. We generally stay right on/near the river if we can.
nytraveler is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 04:53 PM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 24,817
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
We stayed at the Savic Hotel and would do so again. We thought the location was great, about halfway between Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge. We took a tram up to the castle and walked back.

http://www.savic.eu/en/home

http://www.booking.com/hotel/cz/savi...9fa6c9a;dcid=4
Jean is offline  
Old Aug 15th, 2014, 09:30 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,123
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We have stayed at the Imperial Hotel and we were very happy with the hotel and the location worked well for us. We loved the art deco look to the hotel and rooms and the restaurant was excellent. In fact it was difficult to get reservations for dinner in the hotel even though we were staying there. It is very popular. We also took a tram up to the castle and walked back down. We walked all over the city but did take a cab (ordered by the hotel) on one occasion. The lobby of the hotel is not impressive but our room was very impressive and the service was great.
Cali is offline  
Old Aug 16th, 2014, 02:31 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,242
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
One of the best hotels in the world in which we have stayed (and we are world travelers) was the K+K Central near the Municipal House and Powder Tower. (we were there in May) A beautiful hotel that has a lot of charm. Excellent service and a great breakfast buffet! We could not find anything wrong with this hotel.
BillT is offline  
Old Aug 16th, 2014, 07:27 AM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,242
Received 8 Likes on 4 Posts
Thanks for all the replies. I guess I have my work cut out for me in picking a location and hotel.

Cali, I'm surprised that you say the lobby isn't impressive. It sure looks like it is from the photos. I'm not so concerned with the lobby though, it's the room that counts.
laurieco is offline  
Old Aug 16th, 2014, 10:56 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,831
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I think the reason you haven't found anything definitive is because different people have different opinions, that's all. I can see the advantages of mala Strana and Old Town. I personally prefer the Josefov area (which I think is part of Old Town) or Powder Gate. There was another thread here where someone said how great Kampa Island is, but I personally wouldn't want to stay there. So that's just preference--I don't like it but someone else thinks it's the best place to stay. I think it's inconvenient as a location and away from the types of places I want to easily go and be around. So it's a guess if any one new tourist will think it's the greatest or wish they'd stayed elsewhere.

I wouldn't want to stay around Wenceslas Square, though.
Christina is offline  
Old Aug 16th, 2014, 11:22 AM
  #15  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,242
Received 8 Likes on 4 Posts
So far, I've looked at at least 50 hotels and am making a list of possible contenders. My list so far has 9 hotels on it. I'm sure plenty more will be added. When I complete my list of possible contenders, I'll then compare areas and hotels. I'm going to book through Expedia since we're staying in only Prague. It's much cheaper to book the airfare and hotel together, and, I'm an elite gold member of Expedia Rewards so I can get some extra perks, and money towards hotels and trips. (I got $200 off of a hotel last year). Problem is, Expedia has so many hotels, at all different price points that it's hard to make a decision!

Does anyone else spend this much time comparing hotels?
laurieco is offline  
Old Aug 16th, 2014, 02:05 PM
  #16  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 2,364
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Yup
Aramis is offline  
Old Aug 16th, 2014, 03:51 PM
  #17  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 10,256
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
I also like Josefov.
Leely2 is offline  
Old Aug 16th, 2014, 03:57 PM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 401
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
When I'm looking at hotels, I usually go to both Booking.com and TripAdvisor.com and sort by guest reviews. On Booking.com, you have the option of choosing the amenities you want, and sorting by different categories. I know some claim reviews can be faked, but when there are 200+ reviews for a hotel, I am pretty confident there will be a lot of truth in them.

I had originally booked at Barcelo Old Town Praha, for 4 nights, but recently saw a special on Travelzoo at the Hotel Klarov for a junior suite and a few extra perks for less than $150/night. We are looking at a $3,300 hotel bill for our whole trip, so if I can save $400-$500 in one city, I'll jump on it. Hope I don't regret my choice because of the location.
Ruby99 is offline  
Old Aug 16th, 2014, 04:00 PM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 401
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
And to answer your question about spending time looking at hotels, I really do... Our last trip in Copenhagen/Helsinki/Tallinn/Stockholm I had to be extra vigilent because of cost of eating out that I wanted hotels that included breakfasts. I lucked out and found 1 that also included dinner and the other one provided lunch, dinner AND drinks (as well as breakfast) for the executive rooms... well worth booking one of those, imo.
Ruby99 is offline  
Old Aug 16th, 2014, 05:38 PM
  #20  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 13,817
Received 4 Likes on 1 Post
DD stayed at the Hotel Unitas and said it was an excellent location. I booked it for her based on trip advisor recommendations, but she said it was very centrally located. She could easily walk to everything. Breakfast was fantastic! They had everything and anything you could want. Extremely clean and nice.
girlonthego is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -