Tickets for Estates Theater, Prague

If I am correct this is the same concert I went to a couple of years ago. It was an hour long(and I mean exactly 60 minutes) concert with 2 singers and 4 musicians,we paid over 1200czk for VIP tickets and were dissapointed.The concert was very good but the price way over the top for 60 minutes in comparison to seeing a full Opera in the same place the previous year for 850czk with seats in one of the main boxes.
Look to see if they have cheaper seats in other parts of the theatre and go for them,the place is quite small and for this type of concert paying top dollar IMHO is just not worth it.
Look to see if there are any full Opersa on and book one of those as you will find it as cheap if not cheaper than this concert.
There are always lots of tourist type concerts on in places all over the sity and we you arrive check out the tourist offices as they will have lots of info on them,you will find people in the street hading you flyers for various tourist concerts and you will find them a great deal cheaper than this one.St Georges Crypt in the castle area usually has concerts on as does the Municiple House.
BTW Ticketsbti (Bohemia Tickets) are highly reputable and reliable,I have in the past arraged tickets to be sent to my hotel with no problems ,but I think now most of the places can produce E-Tickets that makes life much easier.
Hope this all helps.

thanks, unclegus, for your reply. I decided to order the tickets for the Best of Mozart concert through Ticketsbti because we really want to see a performance at the Estates Theater. My guidebook suggests that if you only see one show while in Prague, it should be at the Estates. Also, there isn't a huge selection in August. If my memory serves me correctly, a full opera isn't playing when we are there. There are some marionnette shows and performances at the black light theater but those don't interest us as much.

Glad to hear, though, that Ticketsbti is reputable. I ordered the tickets that cost 850 czk. We don't have assigned seats, though. I was told we just look for available seats in our price category. Do you know how early we should arrive in order to get 4 seats together?
Thanks again.
karen

About 20 minutes or so before the performance should be plenty ( I don't think they let you in much before then anyway),there is usually a bar available as well.
It is a lovely theatre and where Mozart premiered Don Giovani,it is also the place that was used for the interior shots for the Film Amedeus.
Hope you enjoy it.It has been 3 weeks since I was in Prague and another 11 months till I get there again.

Tickets Bohemia is perfectly reliable, they have an office where you can buy tickets in Prague. August isn't performing arts season in any city in W Europe or US, although Prague has opera performances later than most cities. That price seems okay to me for something geared to tourists.

Thank you, Unclegus and Christina!! I can't wait to go to Prague & we will also be visiting Cesky Krumlov, Telc & Karlovy Vary!!!

Hi Kwoo / Karen - we keep bumping into each other here but we won't in CR since you're going early and I'm going late in August! I only wanted to add 2 cents - unrelated sorta - that we sought a tour of the Estates Theatre the last week in August since we'll be visiting during their break. The price for the two of us was $240 USD! We decided to take a pass due to the very high price (by about x 10, I thought). So I think the prices for actual tickets to an actual event are going to be high, too. Too bad we couldn't HEAR or SEE something while there! ;-[ Kathleen

Hi Kathleen,
Where else are you going in Czech Republic? I think you are taking the bus tour to Cesky Krumlov, right? Have you been to Prague before and if so, what time of year? We were there in October 2003 & I loved traveling at that time of year - no crowds & comfortable sightseeing weather (chilly but fine if you had a warm coat.) I'm a little concerned about the crowds in August but that is the only time of year we could go
this time.

Where are you staying in prague? Enjoy your trip!
Karen

Hi Karen: I was in Prague in August '03 but only for 2 days; this time for 5 days / 4 nights and we'll be staying in Prague except for the day trip to CK. It was crowded in August '03 and I expect it will be crowded this trip but, like you, it is now or never. Our main destination this trip is Berlin for the IAAF track meet 13 - 23 August, with Prague as an add-on. We're doing a 4-hour city and river tour including dinner on the boat the first night we get there. I did the shorter day-time version when I was there last time and really enjoyed that. We're staying at U Zlate Studny in Old Town near Charles Bridge (not to be confused with the hotel of the same name across the river in Mala Strana). What is your itinerary? I think you're leaving in early August, yes? How long will you be gone? Where are you staying in Prague? Happy trails, Kathleen

While in Cesky Krumlov, do make sure to get tickets for a tour of the baroque theater at the castle. It is separate from the castle tour. The theater is one of the two remaining baroque theaters left (and it is supposedly the better preserved.) They only have a few tours per day and only allow 10 people on each tour due to preservation concerns. I think you can order tickets online before you go.

Joan - After searching the castle's site I found the baroque theatre. Wow - the pictures are incredible! Did you take both the castle and the theatre tours? Do you recommend anything else? I did not realize there was more than one tour. I will keep fiddling with this to see if I can get ticket reservations for our day there, August 28th. THANKS, Kathleen

We were in Cesky Krumlov 10 days ago and went on both the general castle tour #1 (there are two) and the Baroque Theater tour. We just walked up about 1PM and got tickets for both. There were a couple of dozen people on our tour. The Baroque Theater is definitely worth seeing.

I meant to say there were a couple of dozen people on ourBaroque Theater tour. The general castle tour group was larger.

Hi Kathleen,
We are staying in Prague when we first arrive for 4 nights/3 full days. Then we are renting a car and driving to Cesky Krumlov for 2 nights and then on to Telc for one night. Then we return to Prague for a night so our oldest daughter can leave the next day for home for a conference. Then my husband, younger daughter & myself are driving to Karlovy Vary for 2 nights; then we return to Prague for one more night & return home the next day. We are staying at the Pension Dientzenhofer in Mala Strana, where we stayed in 2003. We love the location, convenient to everything but quiet. We are leaving Aug 1 - can't wait!!!

Thanks to Joan and jrjcollins for the info about the baroque theater tour. I haven't read about that yet so it's nice to have a heads up. What else did you do in Cesky Krumlov? Where did you stay? We are staying at Zlaty Andel (Golden Angel).

Yes, I did both the theater and the castle tour. Certainly worth it! Didn't walk the gardens although there are suppose to be beautiful... just didn't have the time.

I arrived in CK about 3pm by bus from Prague and was catching the Lobo shuttle to Linz (on my way to Vienna) at 11am the next day so didn't have enough time there. Did the castle tour the afternoon upon arrival and the theater tour at 10am the next morning and ran like a fool to make sure I didn't miss the shuttle!

Other than the castle tours, I just strolled this quaint, gorgeous town and took loads of beautiful pictures! And, had a lovely dinner... sorry, I don't remember the name of the restaurant although it was on the road into town from the bus station on the right-hand side right before you reach the square.

I stayed at the Hotel Dvorak... my room did not look like the pictures on their website. My room was very worn and in need of lots of TLC (although the bathroom was very nice). Thin mattressses and pillows. Breakfast was ok, staff not very friendly.

Joan, JRJ: Thanks a lot for this information, and I am happy to know I don't have to race to the castle in the AM to book tours in the PM. The Baroque Theatre looks fascinating. We are planning to go with the city's guided tour in the AM, after a bus trip from Prague, then go to the castle for the #1 (skipping #2) and the Baroque Theatre for the afternoon. After that, I expect we will head toward the river for a beer, food and a stroll, then bus back to Prague.

Karen: Sounds like a great family outing for you. When will you be back online? I'd like to hear about the CK leg of your trip when you return. We're off August 13 - will you be back before then? If not, let's compare notes afterwards! Kathleen

Hi Kathleen,
We return on August 13. Will you have access to a computer while you are in Prague? I will post a trip report when we return. What day are you going to CK? If you can access the travel forum while you are away, I could try to at least write about CK soon after we return. Yes, we'll have to compare notes! Karen

Karen and Kathleen,

Have a wonderful time! I loved Prague and C.Krumlov so much I think I could retire there!!!

Looking forward to reading your reports!

Karen, I (and Joan, too!) will be delighted to read whatever you can manage after your CK trip. We're there on 28 August. We're taking a laptop and expect to hook up to WiFi along the way. I think I was able to get a reservation for the 10:30 AM walking tour through CK old town but I have not been able figure out how to buy castle & theatre tickets ahead of time. I will try to do this when I get to Prague, else we will just have to take our chances on that. I know you must be getting as excited as I am. Kathleen

Kwoo
regarding crowds: I just returned and it was HELL! Crowded like Oktoberfest!
I would never go back between July and September.

SV

OOPS - forgot the ticket question. Your hotel should be able to buy these for you. Just ask.

SV

Spassvogel,
Thanks (I think)for the warning about the crowds. I knew it would be crowded but August is the only time my family & I could go together so we decided August is better than never. In 2003 we were in Prague in October & we loved it!!! I'm afraid I'm spoiled. Were you only in Prague or did you venture outside of Prague? We are also going to Cesky Krumlov, Telc & Karlovy Vary & I'm hoping those places won't be as crowded as Prague.

About the tickets, I have already ordered tickets for us through an online agency.
Thanks again.
Karen

Karen - did you find a place to get CK castle tix ahead of time? If yes, please share! Best, Kathleen

Hi Kathleen,
When I said I ordered tickets in my above post, I meant for the concert at the Estates Theater in Prague. Sorry for the confusion.

Do you think it is necessary to buy tickets in advance for the CK castle? I haven't looked into that because I didn't think it would be necessary & I hate to have everything booked in advance. We like to decide when we get there what day to see or do something. Are you concerned you won't be able to see the castle because of crowds?
Karen

Karen
NO, we stayed in Prague only for 2 nights - sidetrip from Dresden. And we happily left after these days.

Now that you are aware you most probably can cope much better with the crowds than we did - being taken by surprise.

Have a great trip and safe return!

SV

I'd try to buy my CK castle baroque theater tickets at least a day a head of time... I was there in October so it wasn't as crowded as it is now. There are so few tours in English each day with a very small amount of tickets per tour.

The actual castle tour tickets, you can probably wait until the day you want to do the tour. Just buy them early in the day to make sure you get an English tours.

Joann, I am wondering just how to do purchase castle and baroque theatre tix - tours in English - ahead of time! We are going down and back on the same day. As soon as we get there around 10 AM, we have an 'old town' tour we're booked on that's scheduled for 10:30. Then we were going to do lunch, then head up to the castle and hoped to buy tickets for both venues at that time. Perhaps when I get to Prague my hotel can let me know if there's a ticket vendor there, else somehow arrange it. Thoughts? Otherwise, I don't know what to do!

Karen, do you leave August 3 (that date sticks in my mind somehow)? You're flying from Boston I think. I am getting excited for you!

Kathleen

I'd email them...

INFORMATION CENTRE – Information and Tourist service
Ticket sale and reservation, tourist service, information, sale of souvenirs and tourist products, programme offer, accommodation, promotion, left luggage office, car rent, travel tickets, public Internet, copy centre, exchange office.

Infocentrum
Náměstí Svornosti No. 2
381 01 Český Krumlov
Tel: + 420 380 704 621 až 623
Fax: + 420 380 704 619
E-mail: info@ckrumlov.cz
WWW: www.ckrumlov.cz/infocentrum

If that doesn't work, try contacting the company that you're doing the 'old town' tour through, they may be able to help.

I spent the night there so was able to buy a ticket the day before.

--Joan

oops... sorry, forgot to turn off the bolding

Kathleen,
We are leaving even earlier, on Aug 1 at night & yes, we are flying from Boston. I can't wait!!! Because we are staying overnight in CK, I think I will wait & buy castle tour tickets when we arrive in CK.

I think you are leaving Aug 13, right? That's the day we return home. Where are you flying from?
Karen

Hi Kwoo, saw your listing about the opera theater in prague. I will be in august as well, 5-9. Traveling by myself. I will be booking my ticket to see the opera at the prague Estates Theater. Thanks for the advice. Will be staying at Barcelo Old town,hopefully will bump into each other. By the way im flying from Chicago.
Jonjie

Hi Joan: Thanks for that Infocentrum website, but that is the public tourist agency through which we have already reserved the 'old town tour'; they don't seem to link to the castle. I appreciate your effort, though! I will take your smart advice, however, and see if they can book us on afternoon castle tours when we arrive there in the morning.

Karen: We live near Sacramento. Yes, we're flaps up on the 13th, returning the 31st late. We are meeting 9 friends in Berlin (from USA, Australia and Sweden) for the big 10-day track meet first, so we've very jazzed about that. Also I have a shirt-tail cousin who lives near Frankfurt who is coming for an overnight while we're in Berlin and I am very happy about that. I have not seen him for a couple of years and he has never met my husband. Well, only 5 days til your out of here. I look forward to hearing about your trip. Safe travels! Kathleen

Hi Kathleen,

Sorry for the wrong link... try this email address, hopefully they can help you!

castle@ckrumlov.cz

--Joan

Joan - I think you have the right address here...only problem is I cannot get these guys to respond. I have emailed them once or twice already but alas. I just sent them another email and I will let you know! I truly appreciate all your help along the way here. Kathleen

Glad to 'try' to be of help, Kathleen! Certainly hope they do respond to you. Too bad that Karen can't buy the tickets for you and mail them to you!

--Joan

For tickets to the Cesky Krumlov castle and the Baroque Theater try emailing Karolina Kortasova. info@krumlovtours.com

Kathleen,
I just found this email address in my Frommer's guidebook: tourist.service@unios.cz. it's in the section about "Exploring the Chateau" in Cesky Krumlov so I assume it is the right place.
Let me know if you have any luck.
Karen

Yes Karen really should buy tickets for me and then leave them in some safe spot under a rock for me, don't you think?? Ha! Thanks so much JRJ and Karen - I did send the email requests out and will let you know. Kathleen

joannyc,
I notice you said you spent the night in CK so you bought your castle tickets the day before. What time of year were you in CK? Did you buy the tickets at the castle (which means walking up there twice) or were you able to purchase them at your hotel or a tourist office?
Thanks,
Karen

Yea for JRJ & Karolina!! Bingo! Whoopee! Whew. Karen - I think I told you we were going to do the 10:30 Old Town tour when we arrived in CK. (We got an acknowledgement to my request to reserve 2 spots but I am not sure if that means we have a reservation.) Looks like you order at the 10:30 tour, they contact the castle, then you pick up your tickets after the AM tour; fee of 100CZK PP in addition to the cost of the tours themselves. Karolina states the castle will only sell advance tickets for groups of 10 or more. Her full message is pasted in below. Yes that 'ing' preceeding her name is part of the address she sent but I am not sure what it means. But I contacted her through the email to info@krumlovtours.com. Cheers, Kathleen
-------------------------------------

Thank you for contacting Krumlov Tours.

Yes, we can arrange that for you. There are two ways it can be done:

Once you are at Cesky Krumlov you take OLD TOWN (CZK 250 per
person)Tour at 10:30 and the guide will assist you to get the
pre-booked tickets. Or

You meet the guide at 12:30 pm in front of the Infocentrum and he/she will have the tickets ready for you. There is a charge of CZK 100 per person for a ticket.

I am sorry we cannot do this for free as the castle booking office does not accept reservations for less than 10 people. The way we do it is that we have to communicate directly with the sales people at the cashier and make them to leave the tickets aside for us.

Best regards

Karolina

ing.Karolína Kortusová
Krumlov Tours
Vyšehrad 261
Český Krumlov
CZ 381 01
tel: +420 723 069 561
www.krumlovtours.com

www.krumlovwedding.cz

www.krumlovskakarta.cz

Me again. Karen, I also wanted to share with you a message on this topic I received through the Lonely Planet forum FYI. Kathleen
--------------------------------------------
I wish I could help you but we encountered problems with getting tickets for the Theatre as well. We had arrived on a Monday (Castle was closed), stayed overnight on purpose and got to the ticket booth first thing the following morning. There was no way they would do an English tour for us. I can't quite remember if it was sold out or wasn't available. We were a party of 4 (one of us a Theatre set designer who had studied under Svoboda) and there was also a Swedish couple who had come just for this and we were all willing to even pay for a private tour. There was no budging or even an attempt at trying to help us. Typical Czech stubborness about sticking to the rules. The only way we could have booked one was by telephone. Good luck. The Swedish couple and our friend were extremely disappointed. Maybe next time. ......I should mention though, we did get into the regular castle Tour 1 in English - just not the Theatre.

CONGRATULATIONS, Kathleen!!!!

Karen, I took the castle tour my first afternoon there so I bought the theater ticket at the same time for a tour the following morning.

Ing. is the Czech academic title for Engineer.

Sorry... I was there in either September or October so it wasn't as crowded as August will be.

Kathleen,
I just got a reply from the travel agency whose address I found in my guidebook. I told her there are 4 of us & we need an English speaking tour of the Castle and theater. She informed me that if we go to the box office in the morning, we will definitely get tickets for an afternoon tour that day. She said tours run all day long - I hope she is correct - of course we need an English tour - German or Czech won't help us. So I guess I will go with that. If necessary, we could tour the castle in the morning of the day we leave for Telc.

I just purchased a PacSafe travel purse for this trip. I hope I like it. It is anti-theft, lightweight but big enough for me. I've always used regular pocketbooks in the past but I always worried about pickpockets. I know Prague will be crowded so I decided to be extra cautious.

Karen - I am pleased to get more intel on this ticket caper. I am feeling a bit better about actually getting in, as I am sure you are. I think Joan is right - the crowds will be upon us in August - but hopefully things will tumble our way. We deserve it! Plus, it is completely out of our control now so all we can do is see what happens when we show up. The first time I went to Florence (1970 when I graduated from college), all the galleries were closed due to worker strikes. I could only see the faux David in the Piazza della Signoria - nothing else. Talk about disappointment! Luckily I have spent a lot of time there since then (including a two week cooking and culinary residency at the Apicius school) in fall 2006 so I made up for lost time. But I digress...

I have not heard of PacSafe but I find them on the net. That purse looks to be attractive! For daytrips I usually wear a nifty, heavy duty (canvas) fanny pack that contains my passport, money, travel books and digital camera; unfortunately no room for water. I got this from LL Bean a year or two ago. For longer trips, I have a small backpack that I often wear on my front side when I am feeling antsy. Neither is beautiful but they get the job done.

Kathleen

My castle tour was not in English... there was not another English tour that afternoon and it was the only time I could do the castle (as I really wanted the English tour of the theater the following morning). Anyway, I told the guide that I didn't speak whatever language the tour was in so he gave me an English booklet (?piece of paper? I don't recall offhand) to follow along with. Then after he explained it in the other language, he'd come up to me and tell me about it in a few English sentences.

So, don't miss the tour! Even if there is no English tour!

Have a great time! CK is such a cute town! You'll have some beautiful pics!

Thank you, Kathleen & Joan. I'm glad you mentioned you went on the non-English tour because otherwise I might not consider it but now I will if that is our only choice.
Karen

Karen - I got the following message this AM. Karolina has clarified tour information and has 'pre-reserved' our castle and theatre tour tickets for us for th 28th. Her group actually leads the 10:30 AM Old Town tour. I don't recall whether you wanted the theatre tix or not, but we do, and I expect Karolina could arrange castle tour tickets for you sans theatre and Old Town. Anywy, her message is below. I know you must be in countdown mode - 2 days to go! Kathleen
-------------------------------
Dear Kathleen, OLD TOWN Tour is the service provided by Krumlov Tours.

You might have made reservation with the Cesky Krumlov tourist office, which sells the tickets for us. I suggest that you make reservation for Old Town Tour directly with us so we guarantee a spot for you and you can pay the tickets directly to our guide.

This is to confirm your reservations as follows:

Guided Tour: OLD TOWN TOUR
Language: ENGLISH
Date: AUGUST 28, 2009
Time : 10:30 - 12:00
No.of persons: 2
Meeting Point : IN FRONT OF INFOCENTRUM, SVORNOSTI SQUARE, Cesky Krumlov
Price: CZK 25 PER PERSON
Other: PLEASE COLLECT YOUR TICKETS WITH THE GUIDE.

Guided Tour: Cesky Krumlov CASTLE ROUTE 1
Language: ENGLISH
Date: AUGUST 28, 2009
Time : CCA 3 PM
No.of persons: 2
Meeting Point : Cesky Krumlov CASTLE COURTYARD NO.3
Price: CZK 240 PER PERSON
Other: PRE BOOKED TICKETS WILL BE PURCHASED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE OLD TOWN
TOUR WHICH ENDS IN FRONT OF THE BOX OFFICE

Guided Tour: Cesky Krumlov CASTLE BAROQUE THEATRE
Language: ENGLISH
Date: AUGUST 28, 2009
Time : CCA 2 PM
No.of persons: 2
Meeting Point : Cesky Krumlov CASTLE COURTYARD NO.3
Price: CZK 360 PER PERSON
Other: PRE BOOKED TICKETS WILL BE PURCHASED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE OLD TOWN
TOUR WHICH ENDS IN FRONT OF THE BOX OFFICE

BOOKING FEE FOR THE CASTLE TOURS: CZK 200

I wish you a wonderful stay in Cesky Krumlov and thank you for your reservations! If you need help with anything else concerning your visit to the Czech Republic, I would be happy to assist.

Best regards

ing.Karolina Kortusova
Krumlov Tours
Vysehrad 261
Cesky Krumlov
CZ 381 01
www.krumlovtours.com
www.krumllovwedding.com

Great news, Kathleen!!!

Hi Joan: Yes - I LOVE THAT KAROLINA! I will let you know how it works out. I leave in 13 days but who's counting?

Karen is due to leave tomorrow so I am not sure if she is still checking here. In case you are, Karen - below I am pasting in for you a message I just received from a friend. Over the weekend, I learned from a mutual friend that our other friend traveled to Berlin & Prague and environs (my route) a few years ago so I emailed for advice. She also drove betw Prague and CK so her info may be of interest to you (or not!). Cheers, Kathleen
----------------------
We spent several days in Český-Krumlov--pretty much following Rick Steves. Was quite beautiful and relaxing. One memorable thing was a walk from the back of the castle through the woods and back to town. We got from Rick, too. Let me know if you want more details--it was just 10k.

My favorite pictures online are from some guy named nordog:
http://www.nordog.net/photos/gallery/1/cesky-krumlov.aspx

We stayed in a B&B that was clean tho not fancy, Pension Katka
http://www.ckrumlov.info/docs/cz/uby69.xml
lots of other options there. The restaurants and pubs were good, especially a veggie one called Labion or Labior (also from Rick no doubt) where we were the only customers besides the local green party holding a regular meeting. I seem to recall reading that the Czech Rep has quite a few environmental issues hanging around from the bad old days.

We drove to Český-Krumlov from Prague, which was good because we got to go thru Plzen and tour the Pilsner Urquell brewery there--the original and the original place pilsner was developed. That was fun. (I did come home from this whole trip being much fonder of lager and pilsner than before.) Getting back to the center of Prague to turn the car in was a total pain, however. The countryside was ok but not that unique to drive thru.