Prague tour guide
May 29th, 2006, 01:26 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Prague tour guide
We visited Prague this weekend and based on advice from fellow Fodorites, arranged to tour with Jay Pesta of Prague Walks. The tour was terrific and gave us a great overview of the city in seven hours. We really enjoyed the boat ride with him, on a small craft, so it could cruise into some smaller waterways ala Venice. Jay was very informative and answered all of our questions. He suggested a great option for dinner the following night in a local microbrewery--Pivo Varsky Dum. There, we sampled local brews including the pilsner, dark, nettle, sour cherry and blueberry. It was really fun to learn about Prague with such a knowledgeable guide and private tour, not someone leading a pack of lemmings. I highly recommend starting Prague with Jay!
May 29th, 2006, 02:17 PM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good point! We stayed at the KK Hotel Fenix. It was a nice place, near Wenceslas Square. It is located next to some "cabaret" clubs, but that did not bother us.
After walking around the first day, we went to Plzen the second day as my husband loves Pilsner Urquell. We could not find a tour to take us there, so we took the bus (1.5 hours and 80Kc or E3 and $4). We did not realize that the bus would sell out on the way there, so we tried for the 9am trip and could not leave until 1045. The tours for individuals are at 1230 and 2pm. We took a taxi from the bus to the brewery as they are on opposite sides of Plzen. Cost was 100Kc. The tour (120Kc) was fun and included a taste of unfiltered beer straight from a cask in the cellar--unique as we have never had this before and we toured Guinness and Heineken previously. We enjoyed a delicious lunch on site for 500Kc including four 0.5 litre beers for 25Kc each. Totally cheap food and good even though it is a tourist place. The town itself is just 750m away so we walked. It has a nice church tower (St. Bartholomew's)~300 steps to the top, but what a view! The third largest synagogue in Europe is there, but it was closed as we visited on Saturday. We took the train back to Prague as all buses were full until 8pm--hard to believe. Anyway, the train was more scenic as it went through small towns as opposed to the highway. It was 172Kc and took 1.75 hours.
The last day in Prague, we took the subway to the tram to the funicular to the Petrin Tower. Another 300 steps to a spectacular view. Most of the time, the stairs are exterior to the structure. It can be a little scary walking down when so far above the treetops. Don't fall for the "maze of mirrors" in the next building as it is for kids!
Then,we walked over to the Prague Castle for a more in-depth tour than we had the first day. We bought the "A" ticket and found the areas to which it granted access worth the pittance 350Kc. We climbed up the tower in St. Vitus for great views and really enjoyed the Old Royal Palace's Vladislav Hall which is the largest gothic room in Europe.
Overall, we loved Prague and found it to be a very economical city. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Euro arrives there in 2010. Enjoy!
After walking around the first day, we went to Plzen the second day as my husband loves Pilsner Urquell. We could not find a tour to take us there, so we took the bus (1.5 hours and 80Kc or E3 and $4). We did not realize that the bus would sell out on the way there, so we tried for the 9am trip and could not leave until 1045. The tours for individuals are at 1230 and 2pm. We took a taxi from the bus to the brewery as they are on opposite sides of Plzen. Cost was 100Kc. The tour (120Kc) was fun and included a taste of unfiltered beer straight from a cask in the cellar--unique as we have never had this before and we toured Guinness and Heineken previously. We enjoyed a delicious lunch on site for 500Kc including four 0.5 litre beers for 25Kc each. Totally cheap food and good even though it is a tourist place. The town itself is just 750m away so we walked. It has a nice church tower (St. Bartholomew's)~300 steps to the top, but what a view! The third largest synagogue in Europe is there, but it was closed as we visited on Saturday. We took the train back to Prague as all buses were full until 8pm--hard to believe. Anyway, the train was more scenic as it went through small towns as opposed to the highway. It was 172Kc and took 1.75 hours.
The last day in Prague, we took the subway to the tram to the funicular to the Petrin Tower. Another 300 steps to a spectacular view. Most of the time, the stairs are exterior to the structure. It can be a little scary walking down when so far above the treetops. Don't fall for the "maze of mirrors" in the next building as it is for kids!
Then,we walked over to the Prague Castle for a more in-depth tour than we had the first day. We bought the "A" ticket and found the areas to which it granted access worth the pittance 350Kc. We climbed up the tower in St. Vitus for great views and really enjoyed the Old Royal Palace's Vladislav Hall which is the largest gothic room in Europe.
Overall, we loved Prague and found it to be a very economical city. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Euro arrives there in 2010. Enjoy!
May 30th, 2006, 01:32 AM
#4
Thanks for the mention of the micro -brewery. I tried to remember its name to recommend to someone else, but failed. The mention of the nettle beer brought it all back.
Your trip report was great, and i'm sure many will be grateful for the guide recommendation. Did you get to the botanical gardens near the micro-brewery? They were interesting in December, and would be great in May!
Your trip report was great, and i'm sure many will be grateful for the guide recommendation. Did you get to the botanical gardens near the micro-brewery? They were interesting in December, and would be great in May!
May 30th, 2006, 05:41 AM
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you for your kind words. I should also recommend that reservations are a good idea for Pivo Varsky Dum. We waited for 30 minutes without them and it was definitely worth it, but others bypassed the line and sat right down with a reservation. By the time we were seated ~830, there were 20 people in line behind us. The nettle beer, although it sounds odd and is a strange shade of green, was actually good.
We did not see the botanic gardens near the restaurant. We were a little lost finding the place and by the time we left it was dark and we were en route to our next destination. But, that sounds like a good reason to return to Prague!
I should also mention that our next destination was a new Absinthe Bar. This liqueur is banned in many countries, so the allure to try the taboo distracted us from beer for an hour. We tried the "hot" method, which involves flaming the shot and also a sugar cube perched in a slotted spoon over the drink. The sugar melts and drips into the liqueur and then it is stirred and drunk (flame extinguished). Then, we tried the "cold" method which we preferred. In this set up, a fancy water tank is placed on the table. There are four tiny spouts around it. The glass set up is the same with the liqueur in the bottom and the perched sugar cube in a slotted spoon on top. The tiny spigot is then turned on to slowly drip cold water on the sugar and melt it into the drink. When finished, it is again stirred and drunk.
Our last stop that night was the Budvar Pub, one of the places in town that serves Budvar from the tap and also has the new DARK Budvar as well. My husband really enjoyed the dark beer. The prices were absolutely amazing!
I have two last general comments about Prague. First, all of the people we came into contact with from the hotel, to the guide, to the shop owners to the waitstaff in the restaurants spoke very good english. It made our stress levels decrease as we have not yet travelled to a country with such a different language from the "romance" ones (France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium). Second, in our experience, smoking in public was not at all prevalent. I thought that the opposite would be true, but we were happily surprised.
We did not see the botanic gardens near the restaurant. We were a little lost finding the place and by the time we left it was dark and we were en route to our next destination. But, that sounds like a good reason to return to Prague!
I should also mention that our next destination was a new Absinthe Bar. This liqueur is banned in many countries, so the allure to try the taboo distracted us from beer for an hour. We tried the "hot" method, which involves flaming the shot and also a sugar cube perched in a slotted spoon over the drink. The sugar melts and drips into the liqueur and then it is stirred and drunk (flame extinguished). Then, we tried the "cold" method which we preferred. In this set up, a fancy water tank is placed on the table. There are four tiny spouts around it. The glass set up is the same with the liqueur in the bottom and the perched sugar cube in a slotted spoon on top. The tiny spigot is then turned on to slowly drip cold water on the sugar and melt it into the drink. When finished, it is again stirred and drunk.
Our last stop that night was the Budvar Pub, one of the places in town that serves Budvar from the tap and also has the new DARK Budvar as well. My husband really enjoyed the dark beer. The prices were absolutely amazing!
I have two last general comments about Prague. First, all of the people we came into contact with from the hotel, to the guide, to the shop owners to the waitstaff in the restaurants spoke very good english. It made our stress levels decrease as we have not yet travelled to a country with such a different language from the "romance" ones (France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium). Second, in our experience, smoking in public was not at all prevalent. I thought that the opposite would be true, but we were happily surprised.
May 30th, 2006, 06:36 AM
#7
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,581
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi prj - thanks for your trip report. Can you please tell me if the language barrier was a problem when reserving bus/train seats? I'm going to CR in September and know a little bit of Czech to speak, but my understanding is not good.
I am considering a day trip to Plzen so your comments were helpful.
I am considering a day trip to Plzen so your comments were helpful.
May 30th, 2006, 07:18 AM
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We had absolutely no language skills on this trip and it gave me some stress before we left. However, it really was not a problem. When we went to the bus station in Prague to get to Plzen, the man at the ticket window was in his 60's and was fluent in English. We had a similar experience at the train station in Plzen with a ticket agent in her 40's. The cab driver in Plzen spoke no English, but we showed him a photo of the brewery and our destination was communicated.
We learned how to say "please" and "thank you", as best we could, and everyone appreciated that effort!
Plzen was great for us because of the brewery experience and climbing the church tower. There are lots of cafes in the main square, though half of it is under construction at the moment.
We learned how to say "please" and "thank you", as best we could, and everyone appreciated that effort!
Plzen was great for us because of the brewery experience and climbing the church tower. There are lots of cafes in the main square, though half of it is under construction at the moment.
